EXCEL SOUND "ETSURO LACQUER COBALT BLUE" MC CARTRIDGE

Achieves high sound quality at a lower price than the previous work
The Etsuro Urushi COBALT BLUE is the second product in the brand's Etsuro Urushi cartridge released in November 2015, and inherits many of the features of the original model, such as an 80μm stylus tip, a sapphire pipe cantilever, and an ultra-super duralumin (A7075) housing. It is a cobalt blue coloring that was adopted as a result of examination with Sakamoto Otozo Shoten, which performs lacquer processing of traditional Japan crafts for finishing.

Based on ultra-super duralumin (A7075 material)

By changing the cartridge base (the black part in the product image) from sapphire to ultra-super duralumin, we have achieved an affordable price.

The stylus tip uses a "Microline Diamond tip" with a curvature of 80 μ on the contact surface for the sound groove of the record. Achieves high reproduction characteristics in a wide sound band. The cantilever is made of φ0.4mm ultra-precision sapphire pipe material, and sapphire boasts a hardness second only to diamond, and has no distortion, excellent high-speed guidance and transmission, and a clear sound.

The magnetic circuit is based on a combination of electromagnetic soft iron and samarium-cobalt magnets, and achieves magnetic characteristics that are in harmony with coil vibration. The cartridge housing and base are made of ultra-super duralumin (A7075), and the housing is lacquered, a traditional Japan craft, after a special strengthening treatment. When lacquer hardens, a strong coating film that can withstand high heat is formed, and it adheres firmly to the housing, so it can suppress the squeak peculiar to duralumin. The stunning luster and texture of lacquer is truly a small work of art. When the craftsmanship, which has more than half a century of achievements and experience, encounters a project that aims for the supreme, analog records begin to walk in a new era.

Magazine Evaluation
It seems to pick up and accurately convert to music signal without compromising the abundant amount of information of direct cutting disk directly containing master sound source. The soulful female vocals are reproduced with a moderate upheaval and a loud voice, and the brass sessions are shining and spreading. The shot of the drum also rises quickly, and the feeling of torso and energy is realistically reproduced. The chorus and the groove feeling of the baseline are also drawn faithfully, and the music is felt to be better. The remastered sound source has an enlarged f range compared to the original, but Etsuro and lacquer COBALT BLUE accurately reproduced the difference and listened to the fresh sound. The piano has a natural texture that has no habit, and the powerful attack sound and the scale of the concert increase the realism.