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What makes Koetsu TT cartridges so good?

bluesky

bluesky

Lunatic Member
What makes Koetsu TT cartridges so good?

I've never seen one or heard one and they are 'totally out of my price range and reality'.

I see they sell from $4000-$10000 plus.

I was just wondering if any of you guys have ever heard one and how you liked it, your thoughts?

:scratch2:
 
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they capture

the texture and soul of the music so well due to their carefully designed and executed operating system.

their forerunners were the supex which also sell for quite a bit. i always lusted after them but they are notoriously delicate and fussy.
 
Cartridges at this level require a comparable tonearm, turntable, preamp, cables, etc.

Once you are 'up there', you can hear how everything really sounds. Differences in pressings, changes in humidity, a different power chord, everything makes a giant difference to the sound.

This is something of a mixed blessing.
 
Hand built from the finest materials. You are paying for superb craftsmanship and a winning design. Neither comes cheap :(
 
yessir!

"Cartridges at this level require a comparable tonearm, turntable, preamp, cables, etc."

of course the technics 1200 addicts will think otherwise. they also put adcXLMs on those massive arms and dont think there is a problem.

refinement requires just that to extract the best from that sort of product.
 
I picked one up on CL that was on a TT I was looking for, a Kenwood KD-600. Came with a Fidelity Research tonearm and this combination has a great sound. I have a number of OLD high end cartridges in very nice shape and this cartridge produces sound at least as good.

As stated, when the cartridge gets expensive, a separate tonearm makes a big difference.
 
Had a Rosewood in 85 and was not all that impressed with it. Liked the Clearaudio Veritas I replaced it with a lot more.
 
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hifitommy said:
...of course the technics 1200 addicts will think otherwise. they also put adcXLMs on those massive arms and dont think there is a problem...
Click to expand...

Finally, someone with my same Point-Of-View regarding the 1200 fan club. Great table, but has it's limits.

I've seen Koetsu's, as my cousin has an Urishi Blue, but I've never been able to sit down and audition it, as for everyday use he uses a Denon 103.
 
The other day I was about to play an album -- I lifted the tonearm to move it to the start of the record, then let go to cue the arm down. What happened next made me realize I had forgotten to raise the cuing lever, so I basically just dropped the stylus onto the record. Fortunately the stylus was about as close to the record as it could be without dragging it across the vinyl, so it only fell a fraction of an inch, and didn't even put a mark on the record, much less damage the diamond. But it got me thinking -- that was a new Grado gold stylus that I just got for $100, and I was sick at first thinking I might have damaged it. If I knocked the diamond off a $10K cart, I would have a breakdown. BTW I'm normally extremely careful -- in nearly 50 years of spinning vinyl, that is the first time I've done anything like that. Accidents do happen...

At my current income level, I don't think my nerves could take a $10K cart.
 
hifitommy said:
"Cartridges at this level require a comparable tonearm, turntable, preamp, cables, etc."

of course the technics 1200 addicts will think otherwise. they also put adcXLMs on those massive arms and dont think there is a problem.

refinement requires just that to extract the best from that sort of product.
Click to expand...

I guess I don't get the reference here...is the ADC a very low compliance cart?
 
not a problem. even if a stylus is dropped from an inch, the force is not that great. that kind of paranoia can make you nervous and jerky enough to damage a stylus even when theres not much danger.

get more confidence in yourself and be calmer. you'll be glad you did.
 
vinyl1 said:
Cartridges at this level require a comparable tonearm, turntable, preamp, cables, etc.

Once you are 'up there', you can hear how everything really sounds. Differences in pressings, changes in humidity, a different power chord, everything makes a giant difference to the sound.

This is something of a mixed blessing.
Click to expand...

You are right.

I read a review of a high quality turntable and cartridge (read expensive), the reviewer said the downside was that only a certain percentage of records could be played on this system, the majority could not because every flaw is highlighted.
 
Koetsu Are Not Universally Loved.....

Just like anything analog, there are those who appreciate Koetsu--and those who chose an alternate path to their analog nirvana.

Cartridges all have their unique presentation of the music. There is probably more variation in this category than anything else in audio.

At one time in the 90's the Rosewood was considered to be one of the finest cartridges in the world, but not the most accurate. It had a midrange to die for, and that made up for any other minor deficiencies it had. Such as lush bottom end.

As the years have gone by, there have been many great cartridges built. The list of companies is numerous, and I know I have missed many of them.

But a sampling is ZYX, VandenHul, Shelter, Miyabi, Transfiguration,Dynavector, Ortofon(top end carts),Cardas, Benz Micro, and the list goes on and on and on.

The only way you can know if a Koetsu is worth it to you, is to listen to one.

At one time I owned a Koetsu Black. It was a nice cartridge, but I preferred the speed and dynamics of a Dynavector 17D2 to it. Cartridges are a personal thing, its best to give them a listen to and make up your own mind. Guess its kind of like dating, and finding that person you plan to marry.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
vinyl1 said:
Cartridges at this level require a comparable tonearm, turntable, preamp, cables, etc.

Once you are 'up there', you can hear how everything really sounds. Differences in pressings, changes in humidity, a different power chord, everything makes a giant difference to the sound.

This is something of a mixed blessing.
Click to expand...


VERY MUCH a "mixed blessing". The irony of good audio is that the better your system becomes, the smaller the percentage of recordings that will sound good on it. "Better hear meaning more resolving, more accurate, more "life-like". If you want the ultimately BEST sound possible, you must go down this path, but then you must also restrict yourself to the titles that can bear such accurate scrutiny

OR you can have a less-resolving, more ordinary system that makes almost everything sound decent, but nothing especially spectacular.

You can't have it both ways -- UNLESS you have two systems: one resolving, one forgiving. That's the path I've taken, because it seems to make the most sense and maximize listening enjoyment. But the sad truth is that the better the "best" system becomes, the fewer the recordings that get played on it.
 
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