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Got this cartridge from my Japanese friend who is a retired Koetsu engineer and cartridge collector.World famous,Koetsu Urushi Sky Blue Moving Coil Phono Cartridge.This is a treasure that has been kept for years, like new condition, beautifully crafted with excellent detail, the speed of sound is faster, and the mid-bass is really tightened and solid, wide dynamic ranges, very sweet and musical, stylus still sharp, cantilever and suspension is also in excellent condition. Used under 200 hours.The Urushi cartridges are probably the most striking in the whole Koetsu lineup because it encompasses the traditional art of Japanese lacquerware in the production of the cartridge body. Even without reproducing music, the Urushi is itself, a work of art.Every audiophile music lover knows of the legendary sound of Koetsu phono cartridges from decades past. Those old enough to have experienced Sugano's Koetsus retain the memory of a musical experience unequaled. Few were privileged to own and enjoy a Koetsu. Many of the converted searched out second and third Koetsus, assuring a long, cherished relationship.Now, in analog's Golden Renaissance and through the efforts of Sugano's sons, Koetsu phono cartridges are again available. Though limited in quantity due to their personal, hand built nature, the Sugano family offers a range of models including the Rosewoods, the Urushi, and the ultimate Koetsu, the Onyx Platinum.To fully appreciate Koetsu, we must know Yosiaki Sugano, artist, musician, swordsman, calligrapher, business executive and creator of the world's most renowned phono cartridges. In his youth, choral singing introduced him to western music, He pursued sword making, dueling, calligraphy and painting, emulating his hero, the 17th century Japanese landmark figure, Honami Koetsu. In postwar Japan, Sugano rose to prominence in one of Japan's largest industrial companies, yet continued to pursue his passions, now including hi-fi.In the 1970's, Sugano began to experiment with phono cartridges by substituting his own parts in commercially available models. His keen ear and deductive reasoning, combined with an artist's sensibilities, led to the creation of what would become a legend in audio. Sensing the moment, Sugano named his cartridge after his hero, Koetsu.Sugano's quest led him to enlist universities, specialized industries and master craftspeople to create the special parts to go into his masterpieces. One of the first to use 4 nines copper (99.99% pure), current production uses 6 nines copper (99.9999% pure). Platinum signature models feature silver cladding of the 6 nines copper, a process where a silver sheath is slowly drawn over the copper conductor.Ultra-pure iron square plate formers were sourced for their most predictable magnetic characteristics and lowest oxidation. Pre-aged to the perfect consistency, rubber suspension parts are sourced under license with a rubber damper manufacturer. Special magnetic materials, including Alnico have been featured. Today, samarium-cobalt is used with platinum magnets reserved for the flagship models. Japanese craftsmen carve the rosewood bodies, lacquer coat the Urushi bodies, or cut stone for the onyx Platinum. Styli are specially designed and precision ground for Koetsu.Today, Sugano's sons have revived his art and continue to create musical masterpieces under the watchful eye of the old master. For every music lover, your journey to musical nirvana is incomplete without a Koetsu phono cartridge in your system."The hauntingly realistic level of three-dimensionality the Koetsu brought forth stunned me."Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio“How can a phono cartridge's tiny stylus tracing an LP's microscopic grooves make great sounding music? To me it's a magic trick that never gets old with just about any decent cartridge, but with the Koetsu Urushi Sky Blue cartridge it happens on a wildly higher level, so musical epiphanies occur on a regular basis.”"I went out of my way to play records of questionable sound quality, a lot of Motown, Stax and very early Rolling Stones LPs that were more than 50 years old, and the 'Blue always made them sound better than I'm used to."Steve Guttenberg, cNetPlease watch the YouTube videos:Specifications:Body: Rosewood with Urushi LacquerType: Moving CoilCoil Wiring: Silverplated CopperMagnet: samarium-cobaltCantilever: Boron CantileverOutput Volts: 0.4mVRecommended Tracking Force 1.8-2.0gFrequency Range: 20Hz to 100kHzChannel Seperation: 25db/1kHzInner Impedance: 5 OhmChannel Balance: 0.5db/1kHzRecommended Ioad: 75-500 OhmWeight: 9.37gCompliance: 5 x 10-6 cm/dyne at 100 hzOriginal price: $8695.This cartridge comes with Original box, Specifications, stylus guard ,tool and screws.I have sold a lot of cartridges and got a lot of good feedback, please check them out.And please take a look my other items.Thanks!WayneWayne's Audio
US$4,280 is a fair asking price, sitting just above the US$4,080 median and below the US$4,380 75th percentile for recent comparable listings. It is not a bargain, but neither is it meaningfully overpriced for a Sky Blue in properly documented condition.
This is a desirable Koetsu for its rich, smooth presentation, strong midrange presence, low surface-noise emphasis, and beautifully finished Urushi body. Its low-compliance design suits a medium-to-high-mass tonearm, while the roughly 0.4 mV output calls for a capable MC phono stage with substantial gain. At this price, confirm stylus wear, cantilever condition, channel balance, and any rebuild history; a clean, lightly used example with its protector, hardware, and packaging would make the asking figure quite reasonable.
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.
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