I have to admit this one hurts a little because I'm not in the market, but Kurt Doslu at Echo Hi-fi on Portland is currently selling this Koetsu Urushi Vermillion for just $1975. (It retails for $4200.) I sold my own Koetsu Rosewood Standard to Kurt a couple of years ago, and it sold quickly.
The Urushi was always the cartridge I intended to upgrade to when I owned the Rosewood. I was a sucker for the Sky Blue Urushi, which was the rare Koetsu that was wired with pure oxygen-free silver for a more extended high end...but I would have happily taken the Vermillion you see here. There's something about Koetsu cartridges that are quite special (and unequalled). Will I ever own another? I hope so. I've owned three in the past (a Black and two Rosewood Standards), and nothing I reviewed over the years surpassed their ability to capture a lush, romantic yet incredibly detailed sound.
Kurt also has this nicely restored H.H. Scott LK-72 integrated amplifier from the '60s for just $375. I owned the similar Scott 299B amplifier a few years ago (like the LK-72, it also uses 7591 output tubes), and although my ultimate conclusion was that it was a bit unstable during operation, it still offered a sound quality that was unmatched by most SS gear under $1000.
Again, if you're interested, check out echohifi.com for more information.
Marc,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up on the Vermillion. I finally got a hold of Kurt and placed the order for this Wednesday. It arrived yesterday, and we've run it through its paces on a number of LPs. Rock, Classical, Jazz, vocalists, etc. It's pretty incredible! To compare it to the 17D3 that I have is unfair, but it really does open up the music. And, while I found the EMT JSD6 to be more full on the bottom end, the Koetsu nails the mid and highs. I've NEVER heard some of the natural sounds from things like cymbals and even piano. Guitar strumming is eery.
J