Choice of Koetsu cartridges?

I have much experience with many carts...If someone told me I had to buy a current Koetsu, I would try one of the platinum Koetsu's. I have not tried them. I have tried the Urushi series, I did not like them. I have a koetsu rosewood sig and it is very good. I just received an Onyx signature (not platinum, sugano sr.), no comment yet. I have had better luck with older Sugano Sr. cartridges then the sons efforts...

You know everyone conjur's up in there mind about this magical midrange Koetsu's have. I have now had several koetsu's, I currently have 3 and Im not convinced that the midrange is magical...See, vinyl alone, has a magical midrange. I have carts from many manufactures, and their midrange is just as good as koetsu's, some better.

Try to not limit yourself to a certain manufacture, You will be shocked by how different and I feel better alot of companies are. Benz and Koetsu are no where near the top of my list. Also your arm will have a tremendous part in how well a cartridge performs in your system.

Look for good deals to come up on Audiogon, where you wont loose much money or any if its not your cup of tea. Be careful though, even people with exceptional feedback misrepresent cartridges and hours, either out of ignorance or purpose.

Manufactures to think about....VDH, Shelter and Dynavector

I feel dynavector has the most natural midrange in Hi fi,

VDH, has the most exciting cartridges I have ever experienced, just absolute screamers!

Shelter, i feel is the biggest bang for the buck. A 90x will compete with anything out there. Its not the best but it will compete. I have not heard the 9000 or the harmony. But these two are my most wanted at the moment. But thats because I have had alot of the rest.

I am not trying to confuse you, just open you up.

Kindest regards
Rudolff

Dear David: I can't say better than Rudolff.

Due to what you own right now IMHO I think it is time to the XV-1s

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Koetsu midrange magic

"Magic", huh? Well, that isn't what I would call it. ;-)

I agree with Rudolff and Raul on this one and also recommend the XV-1s. That cartrige will play all of the genres you enjoy, and will also play rock, very well indeed. The xv-1s has a very nice tone without ever over coloring in order to hide the warts.

The only issue I have with Shelter is that their cartridges need a very good tonearm matching to handle the amount of energy fed back by the cartridges.

For my ears, the days of Koetsu has come and gone. The Benz LP, and new Dyna XV are far better.

The Koetsu cartridges do have a lush mid-range that is intoxicating. They also are very quiet, with a deep, dark black background that is fantastic. The treble is slightly (and I do mean slightly) rolled off, especially on the non-platinum cartridges, and the bass response is definitely rolled off, (a bit on the platinum versions, and even more on the non-platinum ones), and a bit loose (i.e. not tight). If you want to try out a Koetsu, (without breaking the bank), go with the Urushi (Red) Vermillion (the 0.4mv output version), although I will warn you, that they tend to be slightly less output than they are rated. This cartridge will give you a good taste of what Koetsu is all about. (And if you like it, you can then step up to one of the stone bodied cartridges, like the Jade Platinum.)

Now, with that being said, and as a Koetsu fan myself, I agree that the Dynavector XV-1S is the cartridge to get. It has better bass response than most (all?) of the Koetsu cartridges, and it is also more neutral sounding than the Koetsu cartridges. The treble response is both well extended and highly refined. The mid-range, while not Koetsu lush, is definitely intoxicating in its own way. There is a tonality that the XV-1S has that works great from the deepest bass response to the highest treble, and it both highly refined and it has deep dark black backgrounds. I can honestly state that I have not heard a cartridge better than the XV-1S, (maybe some as good, but none better).

In comparison, the Shelter 90X, as suggested by Rudolff, has a fine bass response, (the best I've ever heard actually), a slightly warm, (but fairly neutral) mid-range, and a good treble extension, (about the equal of the Koetsu Urushi). But the treble response does not sound nearly as refined as the high-end Koetsu cartridges, or the Dynavector. In addition, the Shelter does not have the really deep, dark black backgrounds of the Dynavector or the Koetsu line. (The 90X had a pretty good low noise background, better than my Benz Micro Glider 2, but just not as good as either the Koetsu line or the Dynavector, and it was this attribute that led me to the Dynavector actually.) Still, if bass response is your thing, (although I doubt it is yours, in looking at your musical tastes), than the Shelter could be a fine choice. (For the money, I agree, it is a bargain.)

FYI, as a reference so you know my experience, I use a Basis 2001 TT, with a Vector M3 tone arm with XLR terminated cables, (going into an Ayre K-1xe preamp, with the phono boards), and my past cartridges include:
Benz Micro Glider 2 (Owned for 6 months)
Koetsu Black (Owned for a year)
Koetsu Rosewood Signature (Owned for a year)
Shelter 90X (Owned for a year & a half)
Dynavector XV-1S (Owned for a couple of years)

(In addition, my friend, whose system I know well and listen to often, has owned the Koetsu Urushi, Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum, ZYX Universe, EMT (Brinkmann), and the Dynavector XV-1S, (which I glad bought from him for a good price!) :-)

My two cents worth.
Good Luck in your search!