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Angeboten wird „Blue Lace“ von Koetsu als Gebrauchtgerät aus der Kategorie „Tonabnehmer MC“ bei audio-markt.de - dem Online-Marktplatz für High-End. Das Inserat mit der Nummer 6599273271 endet am 03.09.2026 um 14:10 Uhr.
At €11,000, the Koetsu Blue Lace is a fair price compared to the typical used market, sitting well above the 75th percentile of €5,870 but still below new retail prices that often exceed €13,500. While ambitious relative to the median of €3,494, it reflects the cartridge’s prestige and rarity in the high-end analog world.
This is a worthwhile buy for enthusiasts seeking top-tier sound quality, as Koetsu’s handcrafted stone-body cartridges deliver exceptional clarity, depth, and tonal balance. The Blue Lace, with its platinum signature and silver-clad conductor, offers a meaningful sonic upgrade over lesser models. A clean listing in EUR condition with original ownership adds timing value and trust, making it a compelling opportunity rather than a caution.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
Koetsu traces its origins to Japan in the late 1960s, founded by Yoshiaki Sugano, a remarkable polymath whose background as a boxer, artist, sword maker, and automotive executive fueled his passion for analog audio. Named after the 17th-century artist Honami Koetsu—a distant relative or inspiration—Sugano dissected existing phono cartridges to pioneer high-purity materials like 6N copper coils and rare platinum-iron magnets, driven by his love of Western classical music. He hand-built the first models, such as the Onyx, Rosewood, and Black, retiring from his Toyota/Ford career to perfect their musicality. Sugano passed away in 2002 at age 94, passing the craft to his son Fumihiko, who continued the tradition until his own recent passing, after which the family ceased production.
The brand focuses exclusively on handcrafted moving-coil phono cartridges, blending technical excellence with natural beauty through exotic bodies of stone, rare woods, and Urushi-lacquered finishes. Each cartridge features advanced components like boron cantilevers, line-contact diamond styli, samarium-cobalt magnets, and silver-clad copper windings, all voiced to Sugano's exacting standards on vintage turntables like the Garrard 401. Limited in quantity and available only through select retailers, these sonic masterpieces prioritize vinyl playback refinement over broader categories like amplifiers or speakers.
Koetsu commands reverence in the ultra-high-end market as the pinnacle of cartridge artistry, cult-favored for their poetic tonal delicacy, harmonic resolution, ethereal treble, and authoritative bass—qualities that redefined luxury analog in the 1970s at prices like $800 per unit. Though production has ended, originals remain legendary collector icons, blending generational Japanese craftsmanship with emotional fidelity that divides yet captivates discerning audiophiles.
See all Koetsu listings on RADAR.
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