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Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC

Cartridge

Relative price

above typical

Among the 89 cartridges in the catalogue, this one is above typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

Etsuro Bordeaux — mid model, special-grade urushi. 0.25mV → MC stage/SUT. Compliance not published — flag.

Competition record

Assessed against 10 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 96 head-to-heads.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • bass control ×57
  • rhythmic grip ×37
  • quietness at rest ×25
  • low-level clarity ×12

Who it comes up against

van den Hul The Frog

38 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Anchored brief, the van den Hul The Frog keeps the slot decisively.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

residual noise completely ignoredPositive Feedback (Lyle) 2019
high speed without distortionsetsurojapan.com Bordeaux

van den Hul The Crimson

29 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Characterful brief, the van den Hul The Crimson keeps the slot decisively.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

On its own merits the Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Vertere Groove Runner X gives up bass control under the Characterful weighting.

high speed without distortionsetsurojapan.com Bordeaux

Goldring Eroica HX MC

8 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Goldring Eroica HX MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Whest Audio 60Se Pro, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Whest Audio 60Se Pro gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

residual noise completely ignoredPositive Feedback (Lyle) 2019

van den Hul The Colibri

6 lost · Artisan, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the van den Hul The Colibri keeps the slot decisively.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

high speed without distortionsetsurojapan.com Bordeaux

Etsuro Urushi Gold MC

4 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Gold MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC

4 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

van den Hul MC One Special

3 lost · Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Romantic brief, the van den Hul MC One Special keeps the slot decisively.

With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G) gives up bass control under the Romantic weighting.

residual noise completely ignoredPositive Feedback (Lyle) 2019
high speed without distortionsetsurojapan.com Bordeaux

Linn Kendo MC

2 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

Koetsu Azule Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Azule Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

What the reviewers said

lifelike presence it is startling Positive Feedback + Enjoy the Music (Tom Lyle) — Bordeaux reviews· Presence & articulation
amplifies every single positive trait Enjoy the Music (Tom Lyle) — Bordeaux review· Spatial resolution
bass and density of the sound is already impressive What's Best Forum owner + Enjoy the Music — Bordeaux· Tonal body
significant first minute impact What's Best Forum — Bordeaux owner impressions· Physical impact
high speed without distortions etsurojapan.com Bordeaux· Transient attack
33dB channel separation at 1kHz SPEC: channel separation 33dB @1kHz (manufacturer)· Spatial naturalness
a palpable image as part of the huge soundstage Enjoy the Music (Lyle) 2019· Spatial naturalness
midrange superb in tone, color and liquidity Stereotimes (Kim) 2017 (class)· Presence & articulation
harmonically enriched, full bodied, organic Stereotimes (Kim) 2017 (class)· Harmonic texture
residual noise completely ignored Positive Feedback (Lyle) 2019· Electrical noise floor

How it scores

Clarity

  • Spatial resolution 76 from listening evidence

Voice

  • Tonal body 76 from listening evidence
  • Presence & articulation 82 from listening evidence
  • Harmonic texture 78 from listening evidence
  • Spatial naturalness 82 from listening evidence

Rhythm

  • Transient attack 76 from listening evidence

Bass

  • Physical impact 73 from listening evidence

Specifications

cartridge typeMC
output mv0.25
internal impedance ohm3.0
recommended load ohm100
tracking force g2.0
weight g9.0
stylus profilemicroline
cantilever materialsapphire pipe
body materialA7075 duralumin, special-grade urushi
frequency response hz15/50000
channel separation db33.0
notes