This is also a sobering reminder: many of the cartridge masters we rely on are getting up there in age - well past the normal "retirement" watermark.
You could point at Ortofon as a model of continuity through multiple master designers, but quite frankly the models from differing eras do not sound alike.
I've also been pointed to a lot of cheap Chinese "knock off" MC cartridges starting to flood the markets over there. These will not be mistaken for a genuine Koetsu, Van den Hul (etc), but it perhaps points to a further shift in the landscape, and I'm not a fan.
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My Blue Lace:
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Thanks for the info, @mulveling. Sorry to hear of his passing. I too hope the company continues.
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Did Fumihiko San have any children? It is tradition in Japan for the son to carry the flag forward.
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@mulveling
Thanks for posting, sad news indeed. I hope the company continues to make these amazing carts. I am curious to know if you’ve heard a Ikeda or Fuuga cart in your amazing system. Which Koetsu cart have the most balanced sound?
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Sad indeed. Just like with Buffet's passing, life goes on for the ones lucky enough to still be kicking. Like many here, the 60's were my birth decade onto audio, how much longer do we really have... knock on wood.
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Rip mister koetsu
Mike
i guess I gotta get my jade huh?
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RIP Fumihiko-san. Thank you for the diamond rosewood.
I've only had the one Koetsu, and it's always been stellar.
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Koetsu has been the cart ceiling as long as I've been aware of differences in them....and that's been a good long while...
Never could afford one, always like buying a piece of Notable Art for ones' ears instead of the eyes....😔 A round of sake for the passing of a master of his skills to make diamonds sing...
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Sad to hear this. This makes me appreciate my koetsu even more. I hope these wonderfully handcrafted pieces continue.
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Another artist is gone. I to could never afford a piece of art, but to those who could, what a great loss.
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Can we present any links to this claim. I have searched and seen nothing that supports this.
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I found out about his passing when Koetsu returned my RSP, unrepaired, last week.
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Dear @mulveling : Sorry to hear that , always a lost for all the audio world in the same way that other audio designers unfortunatelly pass away.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
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I have an original Sugano senior (c 1980s) Koetsu Urushi in my main system and haven't heard anything that would make me want to change that!
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Sad new indeed for this storied and magical company. And with the future still unknown, I finally made the jump and ordered a Blue Lace, something that has been on my wish list for quite some time. I was luckily able to find one available and it should be up and running by the end of the weekend.
Let’s hope that the future of Koetsu holds true to the past and that they continue to create new cartridges with the same beauty as in the past.
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Sad new indeed for this storied and magical company. And with the future still unknown, I finally made the jump and ordered a Blue Lace, something that has been on my wish list for quite some time. I was luckily able to find one available and it should be up and running by the end of the weekend.
Let’s hope that the future of Koetsu holds true to the past and that they continue to create new cartridges with the same beauty as in the past.
Great choice! My favorite Koetsu (Jade / Onyx / RSP / Coralstone) would change from month to month until I got my Blue Lace around 5 years ago. That’s continuously been my favorite Koetsu, ever since day #1 and hour #1. If need be (and in absence of a Koetsu rebuild option), I'll get my Koetsus retipped by a very carefully selected retipper - whomever I determine will most respect the original design & build of Koetsu. That means NO stuff like ruby cantilevers, or blobs of glue.
Also agree - I hope Koetsu can find a way forward after a respectful period of mourning.
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Koetsu cartridges are for privileged few. What most need is a $2k MC that outperforms any Koetsu. As important as they are their time is over. The man is gone and the space is open.
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Of course a $2,000 Koetsu Blue Lace beater would be nice, but if it were something easy to do, it would have already happened. I have heard quite a few nice sounding cartridges, and some sounded better to me in certain respects, but nothing sounded like a Koetsu that I preferred. There are other warm and relaxed sounding cartridges, like Koetsus, but they tend to lack the clarity of the top end koetsus.
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So even other Japanese cannot really make a comparable cartridge. Just like Western Electric 300B tube ?
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All high end MC brands sound different. Most of these sounds are truly excellent, just different. Koetsus have a particularly distinct sound (on the side of: voluptuous & full bodied, with a very vivid midrange), and are extremely good at what they do. That doesn’t mean they’re "the best" in an objective sense - but they have a vehement fanbase for good reason.
Years ago I didn’t buy the hype, and thought Koetsu’s pricing was outright stupid. Then I actually heard one (on loan, in my own system no less) - and that’s when they get you! I was blown away - expectations absolutely shattered, and I couldn’t box up my Ortofon Windfeld MC fast enough lol. In fairness, my system at that time was absolutely dying for some injection of warmth (Windfeld was a terrible match), and the Koetsu Onyx swap-in gave not only warmth in spades, but an overall quality boost as well.
These days I’m enjoying exploration of other MC’s. AirTight, MSL and Van den Hul are the newest on deck. All superb. But the Koetsus in my collection will always be like family.
Also, you can get a quality used Koetsu for $2K. You’re buying the seller as much as the cart itself.
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Mulveling,
That is an excellent description of the Koetsu sound and why they are adored. I don't own one, but, a lot of people I know do have them and I am quite familiar with the sound and I like them a lot. I own quite different cartridges--a Lyra Titan and a Transfiguration Orpheus L--but I sort of wish I had invested in a Koetsu. Cartridges with a similar sound as a Koetsu are also not cheap, such as the Allaerte cartridges.
I don't play as much vinyl these days as I did in the past, so I am not likely to be replacing any cartridge in the near future. If I did have to buy another, it might be a Koetsu, although my Vector tonearm is probably not ideal (not enough mass), and I have heard another cartridge that I like very much--the Audio Technica ART-1000--a leaner but very lively cartridge.
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When even top cartridges sound so different, which one is more correct?
Tape is correct. More or less.
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My Blue Lace is up and running as of today. The change from the Rosewood Platinum is material, even in the first hours of use. While that is a fine cartridge, the fullness and warmth it brings to Bill Evans’ “Waltz for Debbie” (the latest Craft re-issue) or my original pressing of Tracy Chapman, is easily heard.
I have begun experimenting with several SUTs, and am currrently favoring the CSPort. I am also trying out an SA Lab, which has similar specs to the Koetsu SUT, but currently like the CSPort. @mulveling — I know you have tried a few different units and would be interested in your current favorite with the Blue Lace.
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Reports are circulating out of the Koetsu Users Facebook group that Koetsu is no more. The family has decided not to sell to a third party to continue the brand.
I don't have a Koetsu, although I have considered one before. I have two Lyra Atlas Lambda (SL + Mono) and the builder is in his 70s, so that's always in the back of my mind for repairs/rebuilds. He does have an apprentice though.
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There is further substantiation to the Story that is evolving after seeing a very recent report that Koetsu are no Longer in Business as follows:
"It's with a very heavy heart, I sadly have to report that Koetsu is no more!
Having had a conversation with Koetsu's longest standing Distributor in the UK, Absolute Sounds, the simplified story is, that the family don't want the business to continue outwith their hands, and don't want to risk tarnishing the brands reputation and legacy by selling to an outside entity, which is honorable and admirable, in this day in age, too many originally family owned businesses have drifted from what was originally intended, take Gucci as an example, now a massive corporation with no family members involved, and dare I say long lost their original direction."
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“Koetsu no more”
Sad news indeed, if it’s true. May be it’s time to score a deal on your choice of Koetsu cartridge. I always wanted to own one but never got around. There are still plenty of choices out there to experience the exquisite sound.
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Wow! That is not what my dealer heard. He said he continues to order cartridges and has no problem, so far, with supply. It could be sales from stock, in which case he should bite the bullet and order more. There are not that many comparable sounding cartridges.
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@larryi
I just spoke to a dealer, it’s official. Koetsu is no longer being made. Whatever current stock dealer / distributor on hand, is all up for grabs. Once it’s gone, you’re left with re-tipped or used carts from previous owners.
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It is looking like a equivalent to Bit Coin is now being mined.
The hoarders will hoard, the fakers will fake and the ascention in costs for the 'not haves’, to buy real or fake is only a few good sales pitches away.
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i don't know what sounds like the Koetsu--perhaps an SPU Ortofon or an Allaerts. The Allaerts that I liked was crazy expensive, even by Koetsu standards and it was extremely delicate and fussy (the distributor insisted on a very precise loading value that was not a common value).
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What I found, in the platinum stones, was a richness and "filled in" quality to the bass, aside from what has been called a "technicolor" midrange. I don't find that in my system, which tends to be lean. It looked like the "writing was on the wall" with mulveling 's original post. I have two stones and will use them, face the question of replacing the diamond and getting them refurbished when I have to.
End of an era. I know there are other flavors but these meshed beautifully with my system and gave it a verisimilitude it lacked.
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Well, I just picked up Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum as probably my first and only purchase from Koetsu’s fine line of carts.
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Because the Brand Koetsu has ceased, does not yet mean the members of the Family have stopped caring for the Brand.
There is the strong possibility a aftersales service is to be offered from a competent member of the Family.
They might also become a Patron of the Legacy and be quite valuable as a resource to prove a Fake has been produced, this in not strange in the World of Art for deceased painters who have died less than a 100 years past.
Koetsu has a extremely broad customer base, I am sure there are quite a few who would fully understand and welcome the Families extension of support for both Service Requirements and Authentication.
Certificates could be supplied by the Koetsu Family to explain the trueness to Original Spec' following Servicing / Overhaul, which in its own right as a Koetsu Supplied Document will prove provenance.
As this Brands Products are likely to substantially ascend in value over the next few years, such a practice will make it much much harder for the Fakers, as any purchase could be carried out pending Koetsu supplying Provenance or proving Provence Cert' is an authentic document.
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@pindac You know something about this, or are you just speculating? What makes you think there's a "strong possibility"?
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It is a speculation , but one based on the idea, a Support Service carried out as a Business by a Family Member is one that is very different to running a Manufacture and Marketing Business, maintenance does not come with a Timeline from supply of item to return of goods. Maintenance will be attractive if undertaken by an Indivicual/ Individuals with inherent knowledge.
There is also the strong possibility the Koetsu Brand Name is sold and the/ier are clauses that restrict the Family from becoming competitors in the field of equivalent product types for sale.
It would be very difficult to have a clause that would Stop a Family Member offering a service that was a Third Party Cart' rebuild Service for any Cart's sent from all Brands.
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