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Koetsu surprise

I have to hand it to my wife.  Like many of us, I have always plotted and schemed my own system upgrades based on my interests and perceived best bang for the buck.  I have been concentrating on the analog front end for the past 4 years and have been listening to a lot more music.  I had been enjoying a Lyra Delos for its detail and upper register energy, a SoundSmith Zephyr Star for its amazing instrumental separation and full frequency balance and an Ortofon MC A90, that I purchased used of Agon.  Thought I was done with cartridges for a long time.
So when on the eve of our 20th wedding anniversary I received a little square box from her, I had no clue that she would gift me something for the stereo.  But there in front of me is a pretty little Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum!  
Its hard to describe the disbelief.  I had never considered a Koetsu.  My impression of them was that they were rolled off, romantic, old school cartridges that had been bettered long ago by the likes of Ortofon, Lyra and SoundSmith.  Never really read up on their cartridges given that their cheapest models were about as much as I would ever consider spending.  
Fast forward one month and I have put about 40 hours on the RSP.  From the first needle drop I was very impressed with the midrange presence and the utter ease and extension into the very highest frequencies. The bass did sound a little soft in the first several hours but has tightened up considerably.  It sounded its best loaded with 100 Ohms and mounted on my Mørch DP-6 with heavy brass headshell screws from SoundSmith.  I currently have it on my Jelco 750D with a Jelco Rosewood headshell.  
I don't think any of these arms are the best match but the RSP does sound quite special on all of them.  Just purchased a 40 year old Fidelity Research FR-64S.  Can't wait to listen to the RSP on this arm.  Any recommendations on the FR-64S/RSP combo are welcome.

This whole experience has taught me an interesting lesson about assumptions in our little hobby.  You just have to listen before you judge.  This is a quantum leap in musical enjoyment that would never have happened if left to my own devices. Anyone else have this type of experience?  First time you heard something that changed your mind about what you thought you knew about audio?

I married up!

128x128karl_desch
larryi
4,098 posts
 

The entire Koetsu line has a saturated, harmonically dense sound that is quite musical sounding.  If you want it slightly leaner and a little more like other top end cartridges, then the stone bodies Koetsu would do the trick.  The wood and lacquer cartridges are a little warmer sounding.  If there is any shortcoming with their line, it would be that they don't track quite so well with some of those freak records designed to torture test cartridges; but with regular music, they track perfectly.

There are not that many other cartridges that have the same sort of warm and relaxed sound that also manage to avoid sounding muffled or soggy.  Allaerte, comes to mind, but, some of those make Koetsu cartridges seem bargain priced.  Perhaps the Ortofon SPU models, but, they require arms designed for the integrated headshell.

lewm
13,276 posts
 
It is said that the FR64S and 66S are great matches for the Koetsu cartridges.  It is also said that the FR headshells are not so great, so I would consider finding another headshell to use with the FR/Koetsu combo.  But high tonearm effective mass afforded by the FRs is good.  I own both a Koetsu Urushi and an FR64S, but I have never yet mated them.  (I use a Dynavector headshell on my FR64S.) You actually own two products that are both loved and hated by different factions among the cognoscenti: Koetsu and FR64S.
karl_desch's avatar
karl_desch OP
445 posts
 
I didn't think I would be the type of listener to appreciate a saturated sound but I hear the differences in instruments so much better.  For example, the different sound of Cannonball Adderl's sax compared to Coltrane. More information? More body for sure.  Other than my tuner, the system is all solid state Pass so maybe that is why the RSP is complementing everything so nicely.

I was going to try out the Jelco HR-30 Rosewood headshell with the Koetsu/FR-64S.  Lew, why not put your Urushi on the FR64S and report back!  I don't know of any Koetsu haters but I know a certain "distortion" hater who has no love for the lack of damping on the FR-64S.  Its actually reading his comments on it that convinced me I should try it.  


larryi
4,098 posts
 
My local dealer is a BIG Koetsu fan, particularly the wood and lacquer bodied versions.  He likes the top end Ortofon arms.  These are the arms with the square pivot assembly (e.g., AS-309S 12") that is available from Japan, but not commonly available in the US.
 
karl_desch's avatar
karl_desch OP
445 posts
 
On the Ortofon website they mention a special Japanese geometry which does not directly fit the Baerwald alignment.  Is this true of the FR-64? I seem to recall a thread about the FR-66/64 that mentioned an alternative mounting distance.  It was a dertonearm recommendation.
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