Nature of Koetsu carts

I doubt that Koetsu MC's would have remained popular if they had "boring" midrange sound! You can't really go wrong with any of them!

@rpm33: I have a Urushi Black and I love it.  The warning I will give, is your tonearm has to have sufficient mass, for the Koetsu’s to properly perform.  When I first mounted mine, it sounded very hollow.  At the suggestion of Koetsu, I increased my tonearm’s mass.  It was only then, that It started to sing.

rpm33

imo your description is just about perfect.  I had a Rosewood a few years back.  I preferred my Denon 103R.

  If you play lite jazz and female vocals, it might be good - but for dynamic music - no thanks.

  Apparently the Stone Koetsu's are better.

 The Rosewood line of Koetsu cartridges was always known to have a mid range prominent sound. So in my opinion all the responses above are correct. The other models of Koetsu cartridge that are in the same price range or more expensive than the Rosewood are exceptional and offer very good bass response and very decent treble extension. They are great sounding cartridges. Even the Rosewood platinum version outshines the base Rosewood model. In my opinion, the best bang for the buck among Koetsu cartridges is the Urushi. The stone bodied models are probably even better. Heavy tonearm is a must.

Their ''nature'' is their special soul.

I would not describe the Koetsu sound as "samey" or homogenizing.  They have a very dynamic sound, 3D imaging, never fatiguing.  I agree that Koetsu's have a special presentation of midrange but it only emphasizes the musical information that other carts miss. I bet the vermilion is an amazing cart on the correct tonearm.

Maybe I should buy that Urushi after all.  The re-tipping program 
is rather expensive though. Thanks for the input gentlemen.

Btw I’m running an Ikeda 345 tonearm (heavy) with the
idler drive Jean Nantais Mk ll. Jean seems to have a thing
for Koetsu carts and this looks like a good combination 
to me. Any comments?

The tonearm/cartridge combination is much more critical than is the turntable/cartridge relationship.  However, you've got the right type of tonearm for a Koetsu, so I say yes. The Ikeda should be ideal for a Koetsu.