Koetsu Blue Lace Onyx vs. Coralstone

I've owned an Onyx Platinum for a couple of years now and in my experience the Koetsu's are overpriced and agree with stringreen's comment about them being "eye candy".

I'm now an Ortofon a90 user and it's superior in every area. The Koetsu doesn't even come close to what an a90 can do.

...I now await a barrage of complaints from Koetsu owners (who haven't heard the a90, of course!).

Fjn04 - Phono stage is Whest Ref V, arms I've used the carts with include Origin Live Conqueror, SME V, Ortofon 309-d (12"). TT is a Consonance LP5.0 Mk2.

I agree Lewm, I enjoy the Koetsu but it just isn't close to what an a90 can do. I've also heard many cartridges and it's in a different league altogether from anything else - and particularly the Koetsu which I have to say, again, is seriously overpriced, but reviewers (who get paid by manufacturers for their reviews - oh yes they do) say is the "best thing ever" in the cartridge-world.

You're paying probably double what it's worth just for the name, which has all kinds of "mystical" nonsense spoken about it.

An a90 needs a good time to bed-in to sound it's best after installation, so did you have a couple of weeks at least to listen to the Allnic and a90 for comparison?

I found the a90 needs a good 100+ hours.

Listening in your own system is the only way to really tell how good something sounds - from my experience - and that's not possible with cartridges, of course,
unless you have friends who have what you're thinking of buying ....and they like you ;)

I'm a serious a90 convert. It's so instantly "dead-right" right out of the box even though it takes time to settle in fully. By "dead right" I mean it's just so obviously "there" (what??).

Oh dear ...words words words...

Ears know nothing about words, that's why I like mine so much.