Koetsu Black MC Phono Cartridge - Serviced

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General:
Koetsu is one of our favorite brands of cartridges, and we haven't come across a model yet that didn't perform wonderfully. 

The Koetsu Black is a serious moving coil model. Features include a boron cantilever, strong Samarium cobalt magnet, and a beautiful anodized aluminum body.

Best of all, this particular Koetsu Black just came back from the experts at VAS where they serviced and checked over this excellent cartridge for maximum performance. 

Under our shop microscope, it is hard to see any wear on the stylus. This cartridge is ready for many more hours of music playback.

From a review in Stereophile by Art Dudley:
"At the very least, Koetsus were the very first artisanal phono pickups to make an impression on the American and English hi-fi scenes. As such, and regardless of who came first—a question that probably can't be answered—Koetsu paved the way for all other such things, including the Kiseki, the Kondo, the Miyabi, and the delightfully named Goldbug.
Koetsu cartridges are made in small quantities by Fumihiko Sugano—the son of Koetsu's founder, the late [Yoshiaki Sugano]. The elder Sugano, who came and went with the 20th century, created the basic Koetsu cartridge design, pioneering the use of high-purity metals in particular, and naming the company after his ancestor and role model, the 16th-century artisan Honami Koetsu."

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
some very small marks on the cartridge body, stylus and cantilever are in excellent condition.

SkyFi Technical Notes:
Just came back from VAS where it received a clean bill of health. Cantilever is perfectly centered, coils measure spot on. Stylus has no signs of wear.

Ownership:
Second Owner

General Sound:
Smooth, uncolored, undistorted natural and clean

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

Included:
Just the Unit

Packing:
Will be packed using our highly developed in-house process and custom packing materials.Shipping:
In Store Only

Specs:
Output: 0.4 mV
Tracking Force: 1.8 - 2.0 gram
Loading: Approx.30-100 Ohms
Output Impedance: 5 Ohms
Cartridge Mass: Approx. 9 - 10g
Cantilever: Boron

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.