Kondo IO-J MC Phono Cartridge

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General:
The Kondo IO-J is a rare top-of-the-line Japanese MC (Moving-Coil) cartridge. It had an MSRP of a whopping $15,000 when new.

Made of the finest materials at the time, it still a very formidable cartridge. This particular example is in excellent shape with its original box.

It just came back from the experts at VAS who checked it over and gave it a clean bill of health. Ready for many more hours of music playback

From Kondo/Audionote. 

The Sound of Silence is the Charm of "IO"

The beauty of analog disk is the capability of expression pianissimo (pp). Based on this idea, we push the limit by maximizing the beauty of lowest level signals.

The amplitude of a standard recording sound track (in 3.75cm/sec) is about an average of 50μm. At around -80dB recording level, the vibration amplitude become 0.005μm. A cartridge recovers this micro vibrations into electrical signals.

Needle traces the grooves of the record. Together with the cantilever they tell the generator coils about the vibrations. We paid high attention to the body structure of the cartridge since the cantilever is supported by a unit called the yoke which is fixed to the main body. 

Connecting everything firmly seems to be a straight forward solution, but considering the vibration amplitude of only a few mircons and the resonance of the body structure, picking up pp is not possible in this way. Therefore we focus on the structure designs of both the yoke and the main body so that inherent resonance will be under controlled and highly reduced.

With this structure, music reproduced steadily from pp to ff (fortissimo). "IO"' unique airy and ethereal music presentation is obtained.

Here are the secrets our cartridge. Audiophile appreciations to "IO" is increasing constantly since it was debuted, with especially Europe.

The Birth of IO-J
In 1997, IO-J was announced to improve the oscillating issue of IO-II. The silver wire used for IO-J was aged for 20 years, with very natural tonal and low distortion characteristics. Moreover, the special design cantilever structure help reproduce music with rich extensions to both sharpness and the sweetness of sound.

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
Very small signs of use and its age on box.

Ownership:
Single Owner

General Sound:
Neutral sound with little to no coloration

Cosmetic Condition:
8/10 = Very Good. Excellent front faceplate, one minor flaw on chassis side or top. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

Included:
Exactly as pictured and described above.

Packing:
Original Manufacturers Packing

Specs:
System: Moving-Coil
Magnet: Alnico
Body: Silver with rosewood
Stylus: Nude elliptical
Cantilever: Tapered titan
Coil: Silver
Coil imp.: 1 ohm
Output voltage: 0.05mV/cm
Output: Silver lead-out with female tips
Tracking force: 1.8 - 2 grams
Tracking ability: 80 micron / 315Hz / 2 gram
Weight: 19 grams

Approximate Age:
1997

Testing Process:
We start by doing a detailed physical inspection under light magnification to asses the cantilever condition, its position in the cartridge body, and the condition of the suspension.

We also inspect any coil wires and the output connections to make sure it hasn't been strained. We then perform a light cleaning with specialized agents and very carefully blow dry with compressed air.

Following that, we conduct a thorough examination using our Wild Heerbrugg professional microscope. From there we can asses the wear and quality of the stylus and determine how much use it has seen, and if there are any mechanical issues. We can also identify if it needs further cleaning or care.

We then move the cartridge to a digital microscope where we take photos of the cantilever and stylus for future reference.

Next we move to the test bench where we can check for continuity of each channel and resistance.

On certain cartridges (or if the technician feels necessary) we install the cartridge on a turntable and run several test records to ascertain tacking ability, distortion, and compliance.