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Getting The Most Out Of A Koetsu Urushi

Recently acquired a Koetsu Urishi Tsugaru from a known and well trusted source. This cartridge has been refurbished by VDH, and has under 100 hours on it. Mu current cartridges consist of an Ortofon Winfeld, ZYX 4D, and Denon DL 304. 

The Urushi is certainly different than my previous cartridges, and I do hear lots of potential there. Currently have it installed on a DP 75 in a VPI plinth, with an Acos GST 801 arm. Phono stages available are the Liberty B2B-1 and the internal stage on a Musical Fidelity Nu Vista M3. 

The question is system configurations on how to get the Urushi properly sorted out. Are most Koetsu users also SUT users? Is there any upside to running it on this cartridge versus my phono stage in MC trim? Secondly, the output cable on the 801 is not verified as the stock one for the 801, and since the arm is wired internally with silver wire, I have considered the possibility to changing it out to a known cable of good quality. Which that one is to be, I have not made a decision on. 

I do also have a Technics SP 10 MK II in a variable density plinth, and I might consider putting the Urushi on there, although it might necessitate a change in tone arms. I have a 12" Riggle String Theory arm on it, and I suspect the wood arm may fall into the slightly warm camp, which is not what I would suspect this cartridge needs. It does seem that the SME V is a go to choice, but been thinking of other options also. 

Anyone with thoughts and experiences they care to share?
neonknight
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
I am not familiar with your phono-pres but well with Lustre 801,           Sp 10,mk 2 (aka SL 1000,mk2) and Urushi Blue Sky. The most         phono-cables from Japan are (probably) from the same supplier         because they look  like twins. Your Lustre certainly deserve the
best you can buy. My Klyne 7PX 3.5 has sufficient amplification
for Koetsu and recommends 47 K but I use Denon AU-S1 for
all my LO MC's  in order to simplify cart changes.
The Blue Sky  is one of my best carts and much better to ''my ears''    then Koestsu Rosewood Signature. So the story that Urushi's  are      ''painted Rosewoods'' I don't believe. With SP 10,mk2 I use FR-64 with B-60 VTA adjuster. The FR-64 S is parallel to the platter +           the used record. 












lewm
13,371 posts
 
Nandric, Where have you ever heard or read that the Urushi is a "painted Rosewood"?  That runs completely contrary to all that I have read about the two models, as regards their respective sonic characteristics.  When it was introduced in fact, the Urushi was heralded as a departure from the traditional Koetsu sound, which was characterized as midrange emphasis with rolled off bass and treble. (Not that there is anything wrong with that. I have never heard a Rosewood of any kind in my system, so I don't want to demean that cartridge, but that is what others wrote, especially reviewers of the Urushi.)  If the Urushi is a painted Rosewood, then the paint must have a major effect on frequency response.  That is certainly possible, I guess.

The FR64S is often mentioned as a great match for the Urushi.  Do you use the FR headshell, or the Arche?  I am thinking about mounting my Urushi in my FR64S with an Orsonic AV101 headshell.  (This is bound to upset Raul.)  My long term experience with the Urushi was with it mounted in my Triplanar. I suspect the effective mass of the TP may not be high enough to get the most out of the Urushi, but I don't know that for a fact.
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

Dear Lew, I read each day something or other so asking me (at my age)

where I have read this or that is easy to ask but difficult to answer. I

assume that the answer like ''somewhere'' will no do? Anyway all Urushi's

have wooden body but different paintings. However Japanese paintings

are ''inscrutable'' to us in the West in the same way as the Japanese

other ''snake oils''  are (grin).

But their own ''explanation'' is that each painting produce  slightly different timbre. One of those Urushi's is pretty expensive so to compare them

imply at least two. which only the rich among us can afford.

In contradiction to my (single) Urushi I own two FR-64 + Ikeda 345.

I use the silver wired FR-64 s with all my MC carts. I sold my Triplanar

and use Sumiko 800 (''the arm'') instead.on my Kuzma.  I still own many

 MM or MI kinds.

As ''some Aussie '' I don't care about ''arm mass'' prescriptions. My FR-64

suits them all but I do use different heashells.. The (heavy) Orsonic  AV

101 is my favourite. The Arche is for the Archon..

 

lewm
13,371 posts
 
Thanks, Nandric.  I too do not subscribe rigidly to the "rules" about matching cartridge compliance to tonearm effective mass, but just like the rumor that the Urushi is a painted Rosewood, there is a rumor that the FR64S is a really good match with Urushi.  And the benefits are said to derive from the rather high effective mass of that tonearm. Whereas the TP is "medium" effective mass, at best.  (Of course, one can always add mass to a low mass tonearm to suit any low compliance cartridge.)

For a year now I have been running my Acutex LPM320 (stated compliance = 42!) on my FR64S, albeit with a light weight headshell, and the combination produces no issues related to bass resonance.  (This is where I got into a big hoo-hah with Raul, as you may recall.)
quincy
358 posts
 
This manufacture utilizes a very low output (mV) design strategy.  What is your current loading and gain setting on your phono stage?
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