Koetsu
- Thread starter jadis
- Start date
LOL.
Thanks Jack.
Developed Tinnitus a few months ago and I told myself I won't get beaten by it. This should boost some fighting spirit in combating it. Sure, let's listen to it here after I give it some more hours of burning in ~ together with the bouncy bouncy Linnie.
Some tidbits I learned from the chat with my Regional dealer. Koetsu has stopped to produce its Step Up Transformer. My dealer loves it, and he has 2 units. So all Koetsu SUTs are collector's items. Also, the Koetsu tonearm, as most know, was OEM'ed by Jelco, but there are some 'secret' specs that Sugano-san ordered, like metallurgy, placement of parts like springs, and also, the Koetsu headshell is not being produced as well. Sugano san produced some one off models, like the White colored Koetsu aluminum body, and a coarse-skinned Urushi in the early days.
Also, the Koetsu tonearm, as most know, was OEM'ed by Jelco, but there are some 'secret' specs that Sugano-san ordered, like metallurgy, placement of parts like springs, and also, the Koetsu headshell is not being produced as well. Sugano san produced some one off models, like the White colored Koetsu aluminum body, and a coarse-skinned Urushi in the early days.
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Unfortunately I found out about the Koetsu SUT being discontinued too - I'd inquired a couple months ago. I'd really love to score one, so I'll keep an eye on the used market. In the meantime, I've found the EAR MC-3 (now superseded by MC-4) does a fantastic job with Koetsu stones - it handily beats the more modestly priced, commonly available SUT's these days: CineMag Sky 20/40 and Lundahl LL 1931 (though a Koetsu still sounds good on these too!).
I figured the Jelco-Koetsu had some Koetsu-centric special tweaks, beyond the labeling and sweet headshell. But having held a nice minty one several years ago (with a chance to buy - I passed), the Fidelity Research FR64 series really comes off as a higher quality overall build. That said, now that I'm such a Koetsu junkie I probably should have bought it! Not married here, so I might as well go nuts
Oh and that Tsugaru is just amazing. Always get that butterflies feeling when I see real pics of another Koetsu, and that one has always intrigued me most of the Urushis! I hope you get to cherish it for a very long time.
I figured the Jelco-Koetsu had some Koetsu-centric special tweaks, beyond the labeling and sweet headshell. But having held a nice minty one several years ago (with a chance to buy - I passed), the Fidelity Research FR64 series really comes off as a higher quality overall build. That said, now that I'm such a Koetsu junkie I probably should have bought it! Not married here, so I might as well go nuts
Oh and that Tsugaru is just amazing. Always get that butterflies feeling when I see real pics of another Koetsu, and that one has always intrigued me most of the Urushis! I hope you get to cherish it for a very long time.
Unfortunately I found out about the Koetsu SUT being discontinued too - I'd inquired a couple months ago. I'd really love to score one, so I'll keep an eye on the used market. In the meantime, I've found the EAR MC-3 (now superseded by MC-4) does a fantastic job with Koetsu stones - it handily beats the more modestly priced, commonly available SUT's these days: CineMag Sky 20/40 and Lundahl LL 1931 (though a Koetsu still sounds good on these too!).
I figured the Jelco-Koetsu had some Koetsu-centric special tweaks, beyond the labeling and sweet headshell. But having held a nice minty one several years ago (with a chance to buy - I passed), the Fidelity Research FR64 series really comes off as a higher quality overall build. That said, now that I'm such a Koetsu junkie I probably should have bought it! Not married here, so I might as well go nuts
Oh and that Tsugaru is just amazing. Always get that butterflies feeling when I see real pics of another Koetsu, and that one has always intrigued me most of the Urushis! I hope you get to cherish it for a very long time.
Thanks Mulveling. Always glad to be 'swimming' in the same river with Koetsu lovers. This is only my 4th Koetsu dating back early 90s, and I want to slowly move up the ladder and cherish each model's 'taste'. I would have gone stone (Jade) this time but my tonearm can only accomodate up to 10gms. So until such time when another full analog rig will come to partake my Koetsu life, there are some more 'dreams' to realize.
I am very, very lucky and ecstatic to have received a new Blue Lace w/ diamond cantilever. This extends my experience to a 6th Koetsu. It's still fresh out of the box, now with maybe 5 hours on it from initial testing after setup, and one long late-night listening session - not anywhere near burned in yet. But the experience it provides is so compelling, I felt like writing about it already. My girlfriend also noticed a striking difference in our long listening session; we swapped the Coralstone in-and-out to confirm (Ikeda headshells make it easy). In short, the Coralstone boron I've enjoyed for 2 years (still in the prime of its life thanks to careful use in a multi-cartridge rotation) has been handily dethroned. I'd rate the differences between stones (Onyx, Jade, Coralstone) as "subtle". The difference from Rosewood (RSP) to stone is "moderate", in the favor of stone (most notably in bass). The differences between magnet types alnico vs. platinum is significant, but not all differences favor one type vs the other. The differences between boron and diamond cantilevers seems to also be significant, except this time all in favor of the latter.
Sonic Impressions:
The verdict is clear - this is next level Koetsu sound, by a fair margin, over the Coralstone boron and all other Koetsus I've owned. There's no gray area here - this is the superior Koetsu of my dreams.
The tonal balance is not warm like the Coralstone boron. Nor is it bright - in fact I find it to be smoother and less grating up top on harsh recordings. The sound from top to bottom is crystalline in how pure and cleanly delineated even the most minute details are. There is absolutely no blurring or fuzzing of lines in any way perceptible to the human ear. This level of hyper-detail is normally what I associate with bad sounding, overly high-tech hifi - where the detail actually fights against the musical experience. That's not the case here - music actually flows BETTER than it does on the Coralstone boron; in fact it matches state-of-the-art open reel tape playback in this regard (which I consider to set the bar for world-class sound reproduction, despite my very limited experience enjoying this medium). The extra detail also gets you even more spatial information. The combined effect is that vocals - the strong point of every singe Koetsu every made - here sound like the performer has physically beamed right into your room. It's amazing. Bass impact and volume are about the same between Blue Lace DC and Coralstone boron, but the former is significantly cleaned up, while the latter is a bit bloomy/fuzzy by comparison. Like a lens that was slightly out of focus.
The diamond cantilever upgrade is not diminishing returns, unlike so many expensive pursuits in this hobby. If you've gone this far to purchase a Koetsu stone or RSP, I think it's imperative to stretch the extra bit for the DC (any of the Platinum models, including the Rosewood Platinum, can be upgraded with a DC). It's that much of a difference maker. I'll be doing everything in my power to keep a Koetsu diamond running until I die - I don't drive a fancy car, eat fine cuisine, or travel for exotic vacations; this is the only luxury I care for and pursue! This is now one of 5 "blow me away" moments in the lifetime of my audiophile hobby (two of which were headphones and don't count towards 2ch; the other to being first hearing a Tannoy dual-concentric and the other being my move from digital to vinyl), and this was the most impressive given it was performed over the incredible Coralstone boron.
System:
Tannoy Canterbury GR
Rogue Audio Apollo Dark tube monoblocks
Audio Research Reference 6 preamp
VAC Renaissance SE phono stage
EAR MC-3 SUT
Clearaudio Master Innovation table w/ Clearaudio ring clamp, Stillpoints Ultra SS and LPI
Critical Mass Systems Maxxum rack
Fidelity Research FR64S arm with Ikeda IT-VTA-06 base
Ikeda IS-2T headshell, Ortofon Japan L800S leads
Audioquest Niagara 7000 conditioner
Audioquest WEL Signature signal cabling
Audioquest Hurricane PC's
Below pic is from a few weeks ago, pictured with Coralstone boron. I also swapped out the old Fidelity Research B-60 for the Ikdea IT-VTA-06 base at the time I installed the Blue Lace. The new Ikeda base tightens up a lot better than the vintage B-60!
Sonic Impressions:
The verdict is clear - this is next level Koetsu sound, by a fair margin, over the Coralstone boron and all other Koetsus I've owned. There's no gray area here - this is the superior Koetsu of my dreams.
The tonal balance is not warm like the Coralstone boron. Nor is it bright - in fact I find it to be smoother and less grating up top on harsh recordings. The sound from top to bottom is crystalline in how pure and cleanly delineated even the most minute details are. There is absolutely no blurring or fuzzing of lines in any way perceptible to the human ear. This level of hyper-detail is normally what I associate with bad sounding, overly high-tech hifi - where the detail actually fights against the musical experience. That's not the case here - music actually flows BETTER than it does on the Coralstone boron; in fact it matches state-of-the-art open reel tape playback in this regard (which I consider to set the bar for world-class sound reproduction, despite my very limited experience enjoying this medium). The extra detail also gets you even more spatial information. The combined effect is that vocals - the strong point of every singe Koetsu every made - here sound like the performer has physically beamed right into your room. It's amazing. Bass impact and volume are about the same between Blue Lace DC and Coralstone boron, but the former is significantly cleaned up, while the latter is a bit bloomy/fuzzy by comparison. Like a lens that was slightly out of focus.
The diamond cantilever upgrade is not diminishing returns, unlike so many expensive pursuits in this hobby. If you've gone this far to purchase a Koetsu stone or RSP, I think it's imperative to stretch the extra bit for the DC (any of the Platinum models, including the Rosewood Platinum, can be upgraded with a DC). It's that much of a difference maker. I'll be doing everything in my power to keep a Koetsu diamond running until I die - I don't drive a fancy car, eat fine cuisine, or travel for exotic vacations; this is the only luxury I care for and pursue! This is now one of 5 "blow me away" moments in the lifetime of my audiophile hobby (two of which were headphones and don't count towards 2ch; the other to being first hearing a Tannoy dual-concentric and the other being my move from digital to vinyl), and this was the most impressive given it was performed over the incredible Coralstone boron.
System:
Tannoy Canterbury GR
Rogue Audio Apollo Dark tube monoblocks
Audio Research Reference 6 preamp
VAC Renaissance SE phono stage
EAR MC-3 SUT
Clearaudio Master Innovation table w/ Clearaudio ring clamp, Stillpoints Ultra SS and LPI
Critical Mass Systems Maxxum rack
Fidelity Research FR64S arm with Ikeda IT-VTA-06 base
Ikeda IS-2T headshell, Ortofon Japan L800S leads
Audioquest Niagara 7000 conditioner
Audioquest WEL Signature signal cabling
Audioquest Hurricane PC's
Below pic is from a few weeks ago, pictured with Coralstone boron. I also swapped out the old Fidelity Research B-60 for the Ikdea IT-VTA-06 base at the time I installed the Blue Lace. The new Ikeda base tightens up a lot better than the vintage B-60!
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I am very, very lucky and ecstatic to have received a new Blue Lace w/ diamond cantilever. This extends my experience to a 6th Koetsu. It's still fresh out of the box, now with maybe 5 hours on it from initial testing after setup, and one long late-night listening session - not anywhere near burned in yet. But the experience it provides is so compelling, I felt like writing about it already. My girlfriend also noticed a striking difference in our long listening session; we swapped the Coralstone in-and-out to confirm (Ikeda headshells make it easy). In short, the Coralstone boron I've enjoyed for 2 years (still in the prime of its life thanks to careful use in a multi-cartridge rotation) has been handily dethroned. I'd rate the differences between stones (Onyx, Jade, Coralstone) as "subtle". The difference from Rosewood (RSP) to stone is "moderate", in the favor of stone (most notably in bass). The differences between magnet types alnico vs. platinum is significant, but not all differences favor one type vs the other. The differences between boron and diamond cantilevers seems to also be significant, except this time all in favor of the latter.
Sonic Impressions:
The verdict is clear - this is next level Koetsu sound, by a fair margin, over the Coralstone boron and all other Koetsus I've owned. There's no gray area here - this is the superior Koetsu of my dreams.
The tonal balance is not warm like the Coralstone boron. Nor is it bright - in fact I find it to be smoother and less grating up top on harsh recordings. The sound from top to bottom is crystalline in how pure and cleanly delineated even the most minute details are. There is absolutely no blurring or fuzzing of lines in any way perceptible to the human ear. This level of hyper-detail is normally what I associate with bad sounding, overly high-tech hifi - where the detail actually fights against the musical experience. That's not the case here - music actually flows BETTER than it does on the Coralstone boron; in fact it matches state-of-the-art open reel tape playback in this regard (which I consider to set the bar for world-class sound reproduction, despite my very limited experience enjoying this medium). The extra detail also gets you even more spatial information. The combined effect is that vocals - the strong point of every singe Koetsu every made - here sound like the performer has physically beamed right into your room. It's amazing. Bass impact and volume are about the same between Blue Lace DC and Coralstone boron, but the former is significantly cleaned up, while the latter is a bit bloomy/fuzzy by comparison. Like a lens that was slightly out of focus.
The diamond cantilever upgrade is not diminishing returns, unlike so many expensive pursuits in this hobby. If you've gone this far to purchase a Koetsu stone or RSP, I think it's imperative to stretch the extra bit for the DC (any of the Platinum models, including the Rosewood Platinum, can be upgraded with a DC). It's that much of a difference maker. I'll be doing everything in my power to keep a Koetsu diamond running until I die - I don't drive a fancy car, eat fine cuisine, or travel for exotic vacations; this is the only luxury I care for and pursue! This is now one of 5 "blow me away" moments in the lifetime of my audiophile hobby (two of which were headphones and don't count towards 2ch; the other to being first hearing a Tannoy dual-concentric and the other being my move from digital to vinyl), and this was the most impressive given it was performed over the incredible Coralstone boron.
System:
Tannoy Canterbury GR
Rogue Audio Apollo Dark tube monoblocks
Audio Research Reference 6 preamp
VAC Renaissance SE phono stage
EAR MC-3 SUT
Clearaudio Master Innovation table w/ Clearaudio ring clamp, Stillpoints Ultra SS and LPI
Critical Mass Systems Maxxum rack
Fidelity Research FR64S arm with Ikeda IT-VTA-06 base
Ikeda IS-2T headshell, Ortofon Japan L800S leads
Audioquest Niagara 7000 conditioner
Audioquest WEL Signature signal cabling
Audioquest Hurricane PC's
Below pic is from a few weeks ago, pictured with Coralstone boron. I also swapped out the old Fidelity Research B-60 for the Ikdea IT-VTA-06 base at the time I installed the Blue Lace. The new Ikeda base tightens up a lot better than the vintage B-60!
Incredible Koetsu journey. Thanks for sharing. In between my Rose Wood signature and Tsugaru journey, the Linn dealer packaged a Linn mc cartridge and listening to it for 40 days was like spending 40 days in the desert. When the Tsugaru touched the first two vinyls, I felt kind rejuvenated by a power drink.
And reading your post now, I just felt like I drank 2 liters of it.
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Using my old Nikon Coolpix pocket cam, 'Tsugi' up close. Credit to Jack for the Tsugi nickname.
Thanks Mulveling. To me it's the most beautiful Urushi model, and sometimes I would just stare at it and appreciate its physical work of art.
What great Koetsu stories.
I have a RSP that has less than 25hrs on it and have just received a Jade Platinum. The Jade is a FR64s with B60. Running them through vintage Consolettes at times really makes them sound beautiful.
Enjoy your Koetsu's !
I have a RSP that has less than 25hrs on it and have just received a Jade Platinum. The Jade is a FR64s with B60. Running them through vintage Consolettes at times really makes them sound beautiful.
Enjoy your Koetsu's !
I got a gorgeous late-model, almost brand new Koetsu SUT last week (thanks gian60!). It's interesting in comparison to my EAR MC-3 so far, with the Koetsu Blue Lace Diamond:
The Koetsu SUT as expected has a slightly sweeter midrange and top end - you get even more of the vividly beautiful Koetsu mids. The MC-3 sounds a bit harsh by comparison, especially at times with less than stellar records. I didn't notice this harshness nearly as much before I had the Koetsu SUT to compare - it is really very sweet sounding! What's in favor of the MC-3 so far is soundstage size, bass impact, and extension plus ultimate detail retrieval. My girlfriend and I are mixed so far on which we prefer overall (well I think she still prefers the MC-3 right now). But certainly, the Koetsu SUT yields a valuable new perspective, and like the Blue Lace it is also far from burned in (under 20 hours)! I'm looking forward to putting proper time on it, and observing the sonic development in the ensuing weeks. With other brand new SUT's I've noticed significant improvements in first 100 hours (at least), e.g. Bob's Devices Sky 40, and Lundahl LL 1931 (the EAR MC-3 leaves those SUT's in the dust as far as I'm concerned for Koetsu pairings). I'm hoping the Koetsu SUT could be a real monster in the end! Just gotta satisfying my curiosity in the pursuit of an even more vividly Koetsu sound
Oh, and the EAR's 30x tap (4 ohm labeling) has 2 or 3 dB more output than the Koetsu, so the it looks like the 20x quote on the Koetsu SUT (I read this somewhere, though it's not officially published) seems about right.
The Koetsu SUT as expected has a slightly sweeter midrange and top end - you get even more of the vividly beautiful Koetsu mids. The MC-3 sounds a bit harsh by comparison, especially at times with less than stellar records. I didn't notice this harshness nearly as much before I had the Koetsu SUT to compare - it is really very sweet sounding! What's in favor of the MC-3 so far is soundstage size, bass impact, and extension plus ultimate detail retrieval. My girlfriend and I are mixed so far on which we prefer overall (well I think she still prefers the MC-3 right now). But certainly, the Koetsu SUT yields a valuable new perspective, and like the Blue Lace it is also far from burned in (under 20 hours)! I'm looking forward to putting proper time on it, and observing the sonic development in the ensuing weeks. With other brand new SUT's I've noticed significant improvements in first 100 hours (at least), e.g. Bob's Devices Sky 40, and Lundahl LL 1931 (the EAR MC-3 leaves those SUT's in the dust as far as I'm concerned for Koetsu pairings). I'm hoping the Koetsu SUT could be a real monster in the end! Just gotta satisfying my curiosity in the pursuit of an even more vividly Koetsu sound
Oh, and the EAR's 30x tap (4 ohm labeling) has 2 or 3 dB more output than the Koetsu, so the it looks like the 20x quote on the Koetsu SUT (I read this somewhere, though it's not officially published) seems about right.
I got a gorgeous late-model, almost brand new Koetsu SUT last week (thanks gian60!). It's interesting in comparison to my EAR MC-3 so far, with the Koetsu Blue Lace Diamond:
The Koetsu SUT as expected has a slightly sweeter midrange and top end - you get even more of the vividly beautiful Koetsu mids. The MC-3 sounds a bit harsh by comparison, especially at times with less than stellar records. I didn't notice this harshness nearly as much before I had the Koetsu SUT to compare - it is really very sweet sounding! What's in favor of the MC-3 so far is soundstage size, bass impact, and extension plus ultimate detail retrieval. My girlfriend and I are mixed so far on which we prefer overall (well I think she still prefers the MC-3 right now). But certainly, the Koetsu SUT yields a valuable new perspective, and like the Blue Lace it is also far from burned in (under 20 hours)! I'm looking forward to putting proper time on it, and observing the sonic development in the ensuing weeks. With other brand new SUT's I've noticed significant improvements in first 100 hours (at least), e.g. Bob's Devices Sky 40, and Lundahl LL 1931 (the EAR MC-3 leaves those SUT's in the dust as far as I'm concerned for Koetsu pairings). I'm hoping the Koetsu SUT could be a real monster in the end! Just gotta satisfying my curiosity in the pursuit of an even more vividly Koetsu sound
Oh, and the EAR's 30x tap (4 ohm labeling) has 2 or 3 dB more output than the Koetsu, so the it looks like the 20x quote on the Koetsu SUT (I read this somewhere, though it's not officially published) seems about right.
Nice report! Great to know how the Koetsu SUT sounds vs another brand. I have only heard Koetsu SUTs in friends' house, and never really heard any other SUTs in my life.
This Saturday night was the first time we clearly preferred the Koetsu SUT over the MC-3. Something "clicked". Perhaps our ears are now developing to look for reprieve from the relative slight roughness of the MC-3 (again, only a problem on rough recordings). The Koetsu SUT also no longer sounded truncated in extension or dynamics, which it did slightly when fresh. And midrange sounded sweeter than ever - the sweetest, most beautiful mids I've had from my system. This was really a beautiful reveal on Saturday, when the Koetsu > Koetsu SUT pairing fully gelled for the first time. Only about 100 hours on the SUT now. Even with a burn-in generator (Hagerman FryBaby 2), it's still a hassle I tend to avoid!
The Blue Lace diamond is still breaking in, so take this with a grain of salt. Also I switched from Mazda silver 12ax7 and Sylvania black plate 12bh7 to all RCA black plates of the same types, some 3 weeks ago. This move slightly softened the top end without sacrificing midrange. The top end seems to be something I'm finding need to dial back / reign in this past month. Yes, perhaps this is a slight downside of the diamond cantilever - or maybe just part of its break in (and/or maybe some Stillpoints I added?). Everything else about the Blue Lace DC's sonics has been amazing and wonderful, revealing more depth and clarity from recordings vs. the CoralStone boron. And it's still very far from the treble assault I feel I would get with something like a top-tier Ortofon (I tried to like the Windfeld MC several years ago, but it was way too much energy up top).
I now feel very confident about the strength of the diamond cantilever. It looks very thick and strong! The usual care is all that's required.
The Blue Lace diamond is still breaking in, so take this with a grain of salt. Also I switched from Mazda silver 12ax7 and Sylvania black plate 12bh7 to all RCA black plates of the same types, some 3 weeks ago. This move slightly softened the top end without sacrificing midrange. The top end seems to be something I'm finding need to dial back / reign in this past month. Yes, perhaps this is a slight downside of the diamond cantilever - or maybe just part of its break in (and/or maybe some Stillpoints I added?). Everything else about the Blue Lace DC's sonics has been amazing and wonderful, revealing more depth and clarity from recordings vs. the CoralStone boron. And it's still very far from the treble assault I feel I would get with something like a top-tier Ortofon (I tried to like the Windfeld MC several years ago, but it was way too much energy up top).
I now feel very confident about the strength of the diamond cantilever. It looks very thick and strong! The usual care is all that's required.
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