- Rosewood Standard
- Rosewood Signature
- Urushi Signature
- Rosewood Signature Platinum
- Onyx Platinum
- Jade Platinum
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There are currently
6 models in the Koetsu cartridge lineup
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| Rosewood Standard
/ Rosewood Signature
The Rosewood Standard and Signature are very similar in construction. Electrically, the Signature offers a more closely matched core and coil set. Cosmetically, the Standard is distinguished by a sloped base when viewed lengthwise while the Rosewood Signature is rectangular-shaped like the other Koetsu cartridges. The Rosewood Standard/Signature is also sometimes referred to as the Red/Red Signature. Note : Earlier Red/Red Signature may not have the updated core and coil set of the current Rosewood Standard/Signature. |
| Urushi Signature
The Urushi Signature comes in 3 cosmetic finishes (Wajima, Tsugaru and Vermillion). The Wajima finish encrusts the whole cartridge body with gold flakes and is the most expensive to produce. The Tsugaru starts with a base piano-black finish and has bands of gold speckle along its sides. The Vermillion is finished in a less striking reddish lacquer color. The Urushi cartridges are probably the most striking in the whole Koetsu lineup because it encompasses the traditional art of Japanese lacquerware in the production of the cartridge body. Even without reproducing music, the Urushi is itself, a work of art. |
| Rosewood Signature
Platinum (Pro IV)
The Rosewood Signature Platinum looks very much like the Rosewood Signature. The similarities however, stop there. The body of the Platinum model is made from aged Rosewood which gives it a darker color tone. The greatest difference though, is inside. The coils of the Pro IV are made of 6N copper wire, painstakingly clad with a silver jacket. The magnets are made of the proprietary (and very expensive) Platinum alloy which accounts for the higher price. These powerful rare-earth magnets allow the cartridge to respond aptly to even the most subtle movements in the cantilever/stylus assembly resulting in the reproduction of delicate nuances in the music. However, output for the Platinum models is lower than the others (0.25mV vs 0.6mV) and a good MC phono-stage is recommended to demonstrate the cartridge’s true capabilities. |
| Onyx Platinum
The first non-wooden bodied Koetsu. The body of the Onyx Platinum is machined from a block of high quality Onyx stone. Each block is carefully selected for natural grain and polished to a very fine finish. The use of Onyx results in the cartridge being one of the heaviest at 12g. The coils and cores are very tightly matched among the production models. The Onyx Platinum is also the only cartridge with tapped mounting holes. Note : The Onyx Platinum is very different from the earlier Onyx series of cartridges which do not have the Platinum alloy magnets. This makes for a world of difference in terms of performance. However, owners of non-Platinum Onyxes need not depair for it is possible to rebuild these units with the same Platinum innards as the Onyx Platinum. |
| Jade Platinum
The latest release from Koetsu in over a decade. As with all the Platinum series of Koetsu cartridges, it uses a set of very tightly matched Platinum-alloy magnets. The body of the cartridge is carved out of a solid block of Jade. For such delicate work, Koetsu Japan specially commissioned a craftsman to handle the task. The final design was chosen after assessing many prototypes. Koetsu Japan had long held the belief that the best way of eliminating interface issues between the stylus and cantilever is to build the complete assembly out of a solid piece of material. They decide to pursue this belief by crafting the stylus/cantilever assembly out of a solid piece of DIAMOND! Evaluation of this "monocoque" structure inside a Jade Platinum convinced Sugano-san that this is the ultimate interface between record and cartridge. This solid diamond stylus/cantilever assembly is now available as an option on the Jade Platinum . |
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