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About Koetsu Rosewood

Hello,

I was given some days ago a Koetsu rosewood cartridge for a test run

in view to buy it for some 1500 usd.

It was the first time that I could hear such an expensive and highly regarded cartridge.

My system is Marantz sc-9 premp (with its very good mc and mm phono inputs) and Marantz sm-9 amplifier. The TT is a Sony TTS-2510.  (I like vintage)

 

I have also a Phasemation ea-200  phono unit which is very good.  And my LS are Cabasse Brigantin 372 (very very good ls which I am very fond of)

I could compare this Koetsu cartridge with some very good (but  much less expensive) cartridges in my collection such as (MC) sony xl-44L, at33ml, victor mc-1, and (MM)  Pioneer PC-600 and Victor X-1E.

Well, what can I say. I liked Koetsu very much. It is an excellent cartridge indeed. Even it can be called perfect sounding cartridge. I noticed well the difference between Koetsu and the other cartridges.

But all that said, I decided not to buy it. Because I did not find that with Koetsu my system would sound so much better. The test (for me) showed not that Koetsu was much better than the others, but than the others were if not equal (of course not) at least also very good and so much less expensive. In that sense the test was in their favour. I prefer to spent money on records J)

That is what I think.

 

Now, I took the photo of the Koetsu needle, and I would like to ask if it is an original needle or retipped but I did not find how to attach a photo to the message ;((( Could anybody tell me ?

 

Thank you very much

 

Serge

serge8
serge8 OP
29 posts
 

Thank everybody for your replies.

I forgot to say that I use s sony TTS-2510 TT with Grace arm (I suppose). certainly not the best arm for Koetsu.  I have

other TT (some Luxman, a JVC, a Denon) but only this one in fully functional. I also have a SAEC tone-arm which is better for Koetsu but it is not mounted so I can't use it.

 As to the argument of having better (the more expensive the better)

audio equipment in order to be able to appreciate fully the Koestu,

 

I can say that I think that my system is good enough.

I could hear some much more expensive systems

And I did not find that they sounded much better or even better than mine.

All who heard my system (including some owners of much more expensive systems)

found that it sounded really well.

 

To those who say « When you buy a 10-15 k usd unit system , you will see (hear) the difference »,

I say « Probably there will be a difference, dut I know that this difference will not worth the money».  

When I think how many excellent records I can buy for 1500 usd instead of that Koetsu, my choice is done quickly.

jasonbourne71's avatar
jasonbourne71
1,849 posts
 

The OP should get that SAEC arm set up so he can use low compliance mc cartridges. 

jasonbourne71's avatar
jasonbourne71
1,849 posts
 

@viridian I am certain that a $17K phono stage is not 100 times better than a $160 Mani 2. Michael Fremer likes it! BTW I have an ARC SP6 for phono use. 

Post removed 
ghdprentice's avatar
ghdprentice
9,477 posts
 

Perhaps if your system is sufficiently resolving, then there is something wrong with the Koetsu cartridge. 

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