Music for York House

van den Hul The Frog

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

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

On its own merits the Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

tight bassPositive Feedback — Azule Platinum

van den Hul The Crimson

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

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

On its own merits the Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

tight bassPositive Feedback — Azule Platinum

Goldring Eroica HX MC

4 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 Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum 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.

van den Hul The Colibri

3 lost · Artisan, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the van den Hul The Colibri keeps the slot by a whisker.

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

On its own merits the Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

tight bassPositive Feedback — Azule Platinum

Linn Kendo MC

2 lost · Twin Arms

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

On its own merits the Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum 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.

Etsuro Urushi Gold MC

2 lost · Vocals-First

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

On its own merits the Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC

2 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 Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum 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

2 lost · Romantic, Twin Arms

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

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

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

On its own merits the Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Romantic weighting.

tight bassPositive Feedback — Azule Platinum

almost total lack of groove noise and distortionSoundStage! (Lyle) 2001

Koetsu Azule Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Azule Platinum MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum 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 by a whisker.

On its own merits the Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.