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Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC

Cartridge· Availability unsettled

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

Koetsu Urushi Wajima (a.k.a. Urushi Gold). House-generic electricals.

Competition record

Assessed against 17 rivals across the sixty systems: 1 head-to-head won, 64 lost.

Where it gives ground

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

  • bass control ×40
  • quietness at rest ×32
  • low-level clarity ×15
  • rhythmic grip ×5

Who it comes up against

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 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 Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

ebb and flow of dynamic shading easily discernibleEnjoy the Music (Rochlin) 2007

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 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 Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

quite forceful on transientsTAS — Crimson XGW Stradivarius

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 Urushi Wajima MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

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

Hana EL MC

4 lost · Anchored, Characterful, Intimate, Romantic

Against the Anchored brief, the Hana EL MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), 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 Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO) gives up bass control under the Anchored weighting.

remarkable job tracing groovesPositive Feedback (Gibbs) 2018

Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC

4 lost · Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC keeps the slot decisively.

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

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Koetsu Urushi Wajima 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 Artisan weighting.

dynamicSumiko Blue Point No.3 / Amethyst owner+press consensus

van den Hul The Colibri

3 lost · Artisan, Reference

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

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

On its own merits the Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

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 Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

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 Urushi Wajima 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 Urushi Wajima MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

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 gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Koetsu Urushi Wajima 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.

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 clearly.

On its own merits the Koetsu Urushi Wajima 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 clearly.

On its own merits the Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

Goldring Eroica LX MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Goldring Eroica LX MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

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

Ortofon MC Quintet Black S

1 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Ortofon MC Quintet Black S keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

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

Rega Nd3 MM

1 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Rega Nd3 MM keeps the slot decisively.

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

On its own merits the Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

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

Linn Koil MC

1 lost · BBC Sound

Against the BBC Sound brief, the Linn Koil MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up low-level clarity under the BBC Sound weighting.

rounded bassPROXY: AT-OC9 platform

Goldring 1042 MM

0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC takes the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Koetsu Urushi Wajima MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.

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

What the reviewers said

lushness, harmonic fullness, sweetness, musicality The Absolute Sound / Stereophile — Koetsu wood-body reviews· Harmonic texture
harmonic fullness TAS — Koetsu Rosewood Signature review· Tonal body
not the most analytical or tonally accurate Koetsu critical consensus (TAS/Stereophile/Positive Feedback)· Spatial resolution
sweetness Koetsu reviews· Tonal consistency
magic Koetsu owner consensus· Presence & articulation
25dB channel separation at 1kHz SPEC: channel separation 25dB @1kHz (manufacturer)· Spatial naturalness
recreates instrumental textures Stereophile (Fremer) 2008 (Urushi line)· Harmonic texture
lush and romantic Stereophile (Fremer) 2008 (Urushi line)· Tonal body
slightly polite on top Stereophile (Fremer) 2008 (Urushi line)· Spatial resolution

How it scores

Clarity

  • Spatial resolution 70 from listening evidence

Voice

  • Tonal body 82 from listening evidence
  • Presence & articulation 71 from listening evidence
  • Harmonic texture 82 from listening evidence
  • Spatial naturalness 70 from listening evidence

LowerVolume

  • Tonal consistency 74 from listening evidence

Specifications

cartridge typeMC
output mv0.4
internal impedance ohm5.0
recommended load ohm75/500
tracking force g1.8/2.0
compliance dynamic um per mn8.5
weight g9.4
cantilever materialboron
body materialWajima urushi-lacquered rosewood
frequency response hz20/100000
channel separation db25.0
notes