Of my cartridges listed (DV XX2 MkII, DV 10x5, Grado Aeon3, AT ART20, Koetsu Urushi Wajimi) the Koetsu is my greatest failure as a purchase. It is as @pindac mentioned VERY rich in tone, to my ears to a degree that it isn't very revealing nor involving. Rolled off highs + a very full midrange = a very lush, but to me dense and too soft a presentation. I have a suspicion that maybe there is something wrong with mine, but I've read over and over similar accounts of its character. Still, I'm going to send it to VAS for analysis and perhaps a modification with a new cantilever/stylus to make it more revealing and expressive. I did buy it used from WAYNE on USAM, a highly regarded seller who claimed it had "under 250 hours of use" and was 100% fine, but I don't know... for a new price of nearly $7k it's wildly underwhelming. I did see if WAYNE would take it back albeit with a restocking fee and he was non-communicative. Buyer beware in my humble opinion. Suffice it say the ART20 is a significantly better cartridge in every way as far as I'm concerned.
Recommended a highly resolving cartridge
Hi all, all tube system that is warm with a good midrange presence inherently. I’m looking for a cartridge that offers high detail / resolution and wide / deep soundstage. This is on a stock SL-1200G TT. On a side note, if anyone has experience “upgrading” the stock tonearm on a G please chime in. I’ve read conflicting reports of the merits of such a move, and while I’m very happy with the tone of my TT and am not looking to move off of it, I am curious about a tonearm swap (must allow for headshell swapping).
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- 163 posts total
- 163 posts total

