Following Jasmine's turntable and tonearm, we also had Mr. Nagai, representative of Bakoon Products, evaluate the cartridge. This is my impression after using it for about 2 months.
Jasmine offers four types of MC cartridges: the affordable MM cartridge M series, and the mid-priced Nature series, which are named "Wind", "Forest", "Fire", and "Mountain". and traditional ChineseceramicThe B&W Ceramics series of high-end MC cartridges with celadon bodies is an ambitious cartridge series modeled after four types of mythical beasts: "Seiryu", "Byakko", "Suzaku", and "Xuanwu", and the manufacturer itself is very conscious of Chinese tradition and the latest technology.
This time, we asked Mr. Nagai for his impressions on the MM cartridge M2 and the Jasmine ceramic series MC cartridge."White Tiger"There are two types of TIGER.
CurrentlyBakoon ProductsIn our listening room, we use Jasmine's belt drive turntable, Jasmine's long straight tone arm, and air bearing tone arm for listening purposes and research and development of new products. We are also asking people to post their experiences and impressions on Facebook.
jasmine Click here for MM Cartridge Series - M2
https://exclusive-audio.jp/products/jasmine-m2
This is a Jasmine MM cartridge. The company's MM cartridges come in three types: M1, M2, and M0. The M2 is a mid-range product that features a bonded elliptical stylus mounted on a hard-coated aluminum cantilever. While Japanese-made bonded stylus typically have a diamond tip bonded to a titanium metal base, the Chinese-made version has a transparent base, which suggests it might be sapphire. The recommended tracking force is 2.5g. If it is sapphire, its specific gravity is lower than titanium, so it might work to an advantage. What impressed me about Jasmine cartridges is that the signal pin layout matches the head shell's pin layout 1:1, so there's no need to swap left and right or top and bottom; it can be connected straight away. The weight is very light at 4.8g, so depending on the tonearm, balancing may be difficult. For Jasmine’s dynamically balanced tonearm, the minimum cartridge weight was 5g, so this falls below that, requiring the weight to be adjusted as close to the arm center as possible to achieve balance. Additional weight may be necessary depending on the situation. For reference, a 1-yen coin weighs 1g, so adding one to the shell increases the weight by 1g. The sound is high in resolution and has a flat feel, allowing for unbiased playback across all genres.
Jasmine For the Jasmine MC Cartridge B&W Ceramics Series 'TIGER,' click here.
https://exclusive-audio.jp/products/jasmine-tiger
Jasmine has two series of MC cartridges and one series of MM cartridges. 'Byakko' is one of the four gods in the high-end series. This series is named after the Four Gods that guard the four directions: Seiryu, Byakko, Suzaku, and Genbu, and each is housed in a ceramic case with its respective symbol depicted on it. The cantilever for each is composed as follows: Seiryu uses boron, Byakko uses sapphire, Suzaku uses pure aluminum, and Genbu uses an aluminum pipe. The styluses are all Japanese-made: Seiryu has a micro-ridge diamond, Byakko has a Shibata needle, and Suzaku and Genbu have elliptical needles. When auditioned with the company's turntable and a dynamically balanced tonearm, the sound is extremely detailed and tight. It does not have the soft sound typically associated with analog; it gives an impression similar to playing high-quality hi-res sources. However, the tonearm requires precise adjustment, including arm height, shell tilt, overhang adjustment, and inside canceller adjustment; otherwise, the sound can be distorted. Customers who come to audition this sound consistently say that it changes their entire perception of analog records. That is how powerful this cartridge is, but without the proper arm and turntable and precise adjustment, its true value cannot be realized.
That is all, but if you access Mr. Nagai's Facebook, you can find further impressions. It is extremely gratifying to see that customers who come to audition are uniformly astonished at the performance of Jasmine products.
Here is Mr. Nagai's Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/nagai.akira
Bakoon ProductsKazuma Nishino, who frequently visits the listening room, has featured Jasmine's turntable and Byakko in his blog 'Audio Nishikata Paradiso.' The following is an excerpt.
So, shall we try changing the cartridge...
Mr. Nagai replaced the DL-103 with Jasmine's high-end ceramic series cartridge.
Details of this ceramic series are here:Jasmine Audio MC Cartridge B&W Ceramic Series 'TURTLE' – ExAUDIO (exclusive-audio.jp)
After adjusting the tracking force and other settings, now, let's listen…
Oh! This is something completely different! The sound coming out of the SATRI flat speaker with ceramic cartridge and adapter is so vivid that you'll feel like you've never heard analog sound like this before! The sound is already lively and bouncing...
While I was groaning, it was time for me to go home...
Lastly, I will listen to an old classic.
This is a recording from the 50's, but the sound is so fresh, it's hard to believe it's more than 60 years old, and the sound comes back to life so vividly. Now this is a time machine...
Click here for Kazuma Nishino's blog "Audio Western Pure Land"https://ameblo.jp/audioniravana/entry-12780795504.html?frm_src=favoritemail&fbclid=IwAR3vWbdSy3-Mk9iNVE-v-mRh5QyCsFjpZxAsABDpbj96SjJwAXuSTpgAJaw
Click here for Jasmine Forest Stereo MC Cartridge Nature Series
https://exclusive-audio.jp/products/jasmine-forest
At Jasmine Audio, we use high-end cartridges.In addition to the B&W ceramics series, we also offer four types of cartridges called the Nature series: ``Wind'', ``Forest'', ``Fire'', and ``Mountain''. This Forest is a mid-range stereo cartridge in the series. The body is made of copper and aluminum and has a beautiful vapor deposition finish. Forest's wide band and high SN ratio do not make you feel that the f-range is narrow according to the specs. Until the aging process progresses, the sound does not become sleepy and distorted, but as the aging process progresses, you will hear a high-resolution, precise sound. The playback sound is pure and natural, with no muddiness or distortion components within the playback band, and no coloration or sense of coordination. It realistically reproduces the delicacy and quietness of the soft notes of stringed instruments. It also accurately brings out the dynamism of the powerful ensemble.
It has the ability to bring out the true expression of music with minute grooves carved into it.
