Koetsu
- Thread starter jadis
- Start date
Lately, I've heard a Tiger Eye with an EAR MC4 SUT. Honestly, I cannot detect any significant difference between that and my Blue Lace which is not using a SUT. If there's a difference in warmth or neutrality it wouldn't be far. But when push comes to shove, I'll say my Blue Lace sounds a bit warmer.
I took this photo for its 1 month anniversary photo. Lol
It's just a lovely sight I'm inclined to take pictures of it each time I see it.
It's just a lovely sight I'm inclined to take pictures of it each time I see it.
That depends on where the arm’s center of gravity is relative to the horizontal pivot angle. Some arms will exhibit no change in VTF when VTA is changed.
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See to the right past the metal cantilever stub? that inner metal loop is the very bottom piece of the yoke. My otherwise pristine Coralstone Diamond actually shows some fuzzy debris on it
Don't focus on trying to clean it directly -- forget I said that. It is too hard for regular access by us hobbyists. But do clean all the way up the cantilever that you can; this will probably help keep the front pole a bit cleaner. On a Benz (and many other designs) it is easy to clean directly (though most owners do NOT!).
Hi Mike,
From the photo above me your Coralstone Diamond, it looks like it is now a 2-piece assembly rather than the earlier monocoque unit.
A friend from Canada sent me these photos of his Koetsu collection which he ordered during his trip to Japan.
All are eye candies.
Moss Agate Platinum Diamond:
Carnelian Platinum Diamond:
Jasper Platinum Diamond:
All are eye candies.
Moss Agate Platinum Diamond:
Carnelian Platinum Diamond:
Jasper Platinum Diamond:
I believe these have been around for quite some time, in 2010, there was a seller in San Diego who was selling a Moss Agate which he mislabeled as a Jasper. And there was a Jasper posted in audiogon for sale before. I'm pretty sure it's by special order.
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It's definitely 2-piece, as is the Blue Lace diamond. The cantilever diamond material also has a slightly green/yellow tint (as opposed to the very clear / white stylus). From what I can tell of other Koetsu diamond cantilever pics, they all look 2-piece. I haven't seen an example yet that looked like one solid piece of diamond. Also, I see a typical variance in these diamond models, where some have the stylus poke out further (like my Blue Lace) while others have the stylus more deeply buried into the cantilever (like my Coralstone). My Blue Lace sounds better -- no idea if there is any correlation to that.
Audio Technica recently made an anniversary cartridge that uses 1 solid piece of diamond.
Those "off menu" Koetsu stones are breathtaking! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Johan,
Now at 150 hours and I believe that rise in amplitude has happened. I noticed it about 2 days ago and I have to lower my volume control slightly.
Whaoo jadis..!!! Best news today - thank you for this great info - I’m so happy for you
!!!You know…. I have had a hifi-break for 3-4 weeks.. doing lots of work.. being on big rock concerts and stuff, so there hasn’t been a lot of hifi lately… untill yesterday… when I mastered my BlueLace into the grooves again.
Ohh boy - Ohh boy… Was I happy or what..!? Played all kinds of stuff.. and the sound was totally wicked… I wish you could have heard it?..! As I have said before: The Blue Lace is just magic!
Keep enjoying your blue jewel!
Kindest Regards
Johan
Happy for you too, my friend.Whaoo jadis..!!! Best news today - thank you for this great info - I’m so happy for you
You know…. I have had a hifi-break for 3-4 weeks.. doing lots of work.. being on big rock concerts and stuff, so there hasn’t been a lot of hifi lately… untill yesterday… when I mastered my BlueLace into the grooves again.
Ohh boy - Ohh boy… Was I happy or what..!? Played all kinds of stuff.. and the sound was totally wicked… I wish you could have heard it?..! As I have said before: The Blue Lace is just magic!
Keep enjoying your blue jewel!
Kindest Regards
Johan
My first post here.
I have reserved a new current production Coralstone platinum from my local dealer. There is also the Burma Jade and Blue Lace platinum available to me as well.
As I am only getting my first stone body Koetsu, I am a bit torn on the one to finalise on. The factory discontinued Coralstone or Burma Jade or the perennial favourite on this thread, the Blue Jade.
My current carts, the Urushi Vermillion and the Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement are around 200 to 250 hours only each, so am unlikely to mount the new stone body cart anytime soon.
Should I pull the trigger on the Coralstone since it is factory discontinued?
I have reserved a new current production Coralstone platinum from my local dealer. There is also the Burma Jade and Blue Lace platinum available to me as well.
As I am only getting my first stone body Koetsu, I am a bit torn on the one to finalise on. The factory discontinued Coralstone or Burma Jade or the perennial favourite on this thread, the Blue Jade.
My current carts, the Urushi Vermillion and the Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement are around 200 to 250 hours only each, so am unlikely to mount the new stone body cart anytime soon.
Should I pull the trigger on the Coralstone since it is factory discontinued?
Welcome Spike66to WBF,
Yes I would definitely go for the Coralstone, no question about it ?
!Best Regards
/ Jk
Welcome to this thread, Spike. That's a luxurious 'problem'. Lol. Maybe I would give some weight to the Coralstone since it is discontinued and is like a collector's piece now. A close second would be the Burma Jade because of its low production volume, though I do not know how it sounds.
The Blue Lace is quite popular here so you can't go wrong with that sonically. By and large, all Koetsus will have its signature sound across the board. A little advice please. My current vinyl setup is a Bergmann Modi with Odin tonearm and Ortofon Cadenza Black through Gryphon Legato Legacy and Pandora Pre. I quite fancy experimenting with cartridges and am drawn to Koetsu but have never heard one. Specifically, I am looking at a stone platinum cart (Jade or Blue Lace, based purely on the way they look, I know, poor discriminator). My first question is how different to the Ortofon is the sound likely to be based on my system setup?
Secondly, and somewhere in the future, I'm considering a second tonearm (radial pivot) and either another legato phono or something totally different. If a Koetsu isn't ideal with my current setup, what might suit?
Secondly, and somewhere in the future, I'm considering a second tonearm (radial pivot) and either another legato phono or something totally different. If a Koetsu isn't ideal with my current setup, what might suit?
Many years ago
Some 10 years ago (or thereabouts) I had a Kontrapunkt "c" (basically an earlier Cadenza Bronze) and naively upgraded to the Jubilee MC (an earlier Cadenza Black) and OMG I absolutely hated it. All the warmth and sweetness of the Kontra "c" / Bronze was missing. I tried going further to the Windfeld MC, and that was a lot better in most respects, but still felt I wanted more warmth and body to the midrange. I wanted a "super" Kontra "c", and sure didn't get it. That's about when I heard my first Koetsu, and I was hooked from the first note! Nothing renders quite as juicy and beautiful a midrange as Koetsu, though some get close. It's like the Kontra "c" / Bronze style of sound, but better (I still really like those carts too, though). The Jubilee is still the least favorite MC cartridge I've owned, some 25+ now. And it's not that it's bad at all --- it was just opposite to my sonic preferences. Waaaaay too dry and "matter of fact". I have digital if I want that.
For arms: the old Fidelity Research FR64fx is fairly affordable & available used, and it's a crazy good match with Koetsu. Also does great on Ortofons (especially the Bronze), Benzes, and Shelters. The FR64S model is even better with Koetsu, but its mass gets a bit too high for the other cartridges. For a more modern arm, a Graham Phantom is also a very good match with Koetsu and any other MC you might throw its way. The Graham is also a dream to setup & adjust, but I extract a little more sound-per-dollar from the old FR arms.
Incidentally, I now have a Windfeld Ti in my collection, and that's certainly even better than the older Windfeld MC. But it's still not quite a Koetsu midrange. It has its own style, which I really appreciate some days, and not so much others (very hot and cold on this one). I also still have a Cadenza Bronze, and with the right partner gear it can *occasionally* make me think "why did I ever need better than this?". But yes, there is better
Some 10 years ago (or thereabouts) I had a Kontrapunkt "c" (basically an earlier Cadenza Bronze) and naively upgraded to the Jubilee MC (an earlier Cadenza Black) and OMG I absolutely hated it. All the warmth and sweetness of the Kontra "c" / Bronze was missing. I tried going further to the Windfeld MC, and that was a lot better in most respects, but still felt I wanted more warmth and body to the midrange. I wanted a "super" Kontra "c", and sure didn't get it. That's about when I heard my first Koetsu, and I was hooked from the first note! Nothing renders quite as juicy and beautiful a midrange as Koetsu, though some get close. It's like the Kontra "c" / Bronze style of sound, but better (I still really like those carts too, though). The Jubilee is still the least favorite MC cartridge I've owned, some 25+ now. And it's not that it's bad at all --- it was just opposite to my sonic preferences. Waaaaay too dry and "matter of fact". I have digital if I want that.
For arms: the old Fidelity Research FR64fx is fairly affordable & available used, and it's a crazy good match with Koetsu. Also does great on Ortofons (especially the Bronze), Benzes, and Shelters. The FR64S model is even better with Koetsu, but its mass gets a bit too high for the other cartridges. For a more modern arm, a Graham Phantom is also a very good match with Koetsu and any other MC you might throw its way. The Graham is also a dream to setup & adjust, but I extract a little more sound-per-dollar from the old FR arms.
Incidentally, I now have a Windfeld Ti in my collection, and that's certainly even better than the older Windfeld MC. But it's still not quite a Koetsu midrange. It has its own style, which I really appreciate some days, and not so much others (very hot and cold on this one). I also still have a Cadenza Bronze, and with the right partner gear it can *occasionally* make me think "why did I ever need better than this?". But yes, there is better
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Thanks for the detailed response mulveling. Whilst I would never pretend to know a lot about the relative merits of cartridges I always understood the Cadenza black to be fairly neutral? Perhaps flat sounding compared to other carts, but I've had 2 and been satisfied with the sound, and accepting it as a yardstick that is where I'm hoping to explore a different sound, and perhaps favouring a second tonearm - thanks for the recommendations btw.
As a slightly aside, I've seen a few second hand vintage Koetsu stone carts advertised for sale, some up to 10-20 years old. Assuming that they are low hours, should they perform well having been stored appropriately? I'm assuming a life of around 1000 hours before overhaul
As a slightly aside, I've seen a few second hand vintage Koetsu stone carts advertised for sale, some up to 10-20 years old. Assuming that they are low hours, should they perform well having been stored appropriately? I'm assuming a life of around 1000 hours before overhaul
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