Behind the Lens

REVIEW
Beginning the audition with a less than
perfect record, in this case, the MoFi version
of Rickie Lee Jones’ Pirates, instantly
captivates. The signature digital edge of
this recording is still present, but the inner
detail of this previously ignored record
is staggering, from beginning to end.
Cymbals remain slightly crispy, but the
midband is full of warmth, palpability and
almost a fourth dimension of liveliness. If
you’re the type of audio enthusiast who
wants a “reach out and touch it” experience
from your records, the Koetsu delivers
the goods. Switching to a better recording,
like Shelby Lynne’s classic, Just a
Little Lovin’, is otherworldly, and if the rest
of your system is up to snuff, this cartridge
brings Lynne diabolically close to performing
between your speakers. It’s that good,
that exciting, that involving.
Aside from the extra-steady hand required
with a cartridge of this magnitude,
like the other Koetsu cartridges we’ve
used, the Onyx Platinum is straightforward
to set up. As a relatively low compliance
cartridge, a higher mass tonearm
is required for this cartridge to deliver the
maximum dynamic range. As with past
Koetsus, the SME V arms mounted to a
few of our reference tables prove a wonderful
match as well as the JMW 10.5 arm
on the VPI Classic tables.
The test bench
We settle on three major combinations
for the Koetsu, all good, yet different. The
SME 30, AVID Acutus Reference SP and
our highly geeked out Technics SL-1200 –
all featuring the SME V tonearm. The SME
table proves the weightiest of the three,
with the AVID a very close second, yet
the Acutus SP proves quicker and more
nimble, allowing the Onyx Platinum to
sound more open than you might expect.
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156 TONE AUDIO NO.75