AnalogRelax EX300 Phono Cartridge
The AnalogRelax EX300 brings warm tonal richness, clear yet smooth treble and a wide, immersive soundstage to discerning vinyl systems. Adam Smith found its weighty, nuanced presentation especially compelling with jazz, acoustic and vocal recordings, while the walnut-bodied moving-coil design combines artisanal appeal with straightforward alignment.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
89/100
Build Quality
87/100
Features Usability
83/100
Value for Money
85/100
Pros
Warm, richly detailed balance delivers natural midrange presence without softness or woolliness.
Expansive lateral soundstage projects information convincingly between and beyond the loudspeakers.
Treble combines clarity and metallic definition with an agreeably smooth character.
Tapped top plate and square front face make mounting and alignment straightforward.
Cons
Can become less sure-footed and less spatially open during dense, complex musical passages.
Soundstage height is somewhat curtailed, while depth is good rather than exceptional.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 89/100
The EX300 is presented as a warmly balanced, richly communicative MC with smooth but clear treble and an especially expansive lateral presentation. It is at its most convincing with quieter, more sophisticated music; very dense material can make it sound less assured.
Overall Sound
91/100
Hi-Fi News found the EX300 relaxing and detailed, with warmth that avoids softness or woolliness. Its upper-midrange richness, weighty yet fruity bass and treble balance of insight and smoothness made a particularly strong case with acoustic and considered recordings.
Tracking Retrieval
85/100
Treble detail remained clear and cymbals retained a convincing metallic ring, while a funk bass line was described as deft and propulsive. The reviewer noted that the presentation became a little less sure-footed as a long, busy track intensified, limiting its confidence with the most complex passages.
Soundstage Imaging
90/100
The EX300 projected a majestic spread of information between and beyond the loudspeakers, described as a particular strength. Front-to-back depth was good rather than outstanding, and image height was said to be slightly curtailed.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 83/100
Tonearm compatibility / system fit.
Tonearm Compatibility
83/100
The EX300 worked successfully in an SME 309 arm, and its 0.5mV output should be manageable for many MC phono stages; the reviewer states that a conventional 100-ohm MC input should be suitable. Its low compliance and moving-coil requirements nonetheless make careful arm and phono-stage matching more important than with a broadly plug-and-play MM design.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
87/100
The walnut body, beeswax finish and solid-diamond elliptical stylus give the cartridge an unusually artisanal specification. Hi-Fi News specifically praised the practical metal top plate with tapped mounting holes and found the square front face helpful for straightforward alignment.
Value for Money
85/100
At £2,698 in the UK, the EX300 occupies a serious high-end price bracket. Hi-Fi News did not directly compare its value against rivals, but called it a newcomer worth seeking out for an audition, particularly for listeners who value its refined and relaxed character.
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Specifications
- Product name & number
- Analog Relax EX300 AR-MCC-EX300
- Transducer
- MC Stereo Phono Cartridge
- Output voltage
- 0.5mv (1kHz)
- Impedance
- 4.5Ω
- Tracking force
- 2.1g(放式)
- Channel Separation
- 27dB 或 more(1kHz)
- Channel Balance
- within 0.5dB(1kHz)
- Compliance
- 6μm/mN(100Hz)
- Stylus
- Ellipse stylus Solid Diamond
- Cantilever
- Aluminum
- Coil material
- High Purity copper
- Body
- Tone wood walnut shaving out of solid wood Beeswax finish
- Weight
- 現垒 10.0g
Manufacturer's Description — AnalogRelax
Adoption of newly developed "IF adhesive" stylus tip fixation for precise and powerful sound
EX300 adapted newly developed "IF adhesive" technology for stronger integration of the stylus and cantilever, also the body housing consists of high-grade walnut that is often used to the neck, back and sides of a guitar and is shaving out from the solid wood.
Previously, no attention was paid to fixing the stylus tip and cantilever. It's natural because it is a world where is invisible to the naked eye. However, it is an undeniable fact that considerable pressure has been applied on the fixed part of the stylus tip and cantilever over a long period of time during playing a record. Therefore, reviewing the fixed part of stylus tip and cantilever was the starting point of this time development. What we found during the test was that although it is micro level, there is adverse effect on the sound due to wobbling at the junction of the stylus and cantilever. And the result of trial-and-error, we have developed new adhesive material and bonding procedure of "IF adhesive". IF adhesive is a new adhesive method in which very fine diamond particles are mixed with a special adhesive to fill the space between the stylus tip and the cantilever hole. By integrating the stylus tip and cantilever firmly, it is possible that the amount of information and the presence can be improved dramatically.
Tone Wood for musical instruments Solid walnut used for body
We also obsessed about the wood material of the body housing for this time too as other models. The body housing adopted carefully selected from solid walnut, which is the tone wood used for the guitar. By using beeswax derived from nature for finishing, a deep color peculiar to walnut is created, which makes you feel even more excited.
It is suitable to payback any kind music category, it is characterized by sound precision and powerful sound reproduction with a solid foundation in the mid to low frequency range. It goes especially well with guitars made of the same wooden material.
・All products are made by artisans within Japan.
・The solid wood body is made with natural materials, there will be differences in color, grain, weight, etc. between products.
・The body color of the grains will change with age.
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for AnalogRelax EX300 Phono Cartridge
- The ASOC Gallery of Fine Audio — in-store — Stratford, Ontario, Canada (website)
- Absolute Hi End — in-store — Ormond, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Absolute Sounds — in-store — London, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Audio Venue — online and in-store — London, England, United Kingdom (website)
- House of Stereo — online and in-store — Jacksonville, Florida, United States (website)
- Imacustica — online and in-store — Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, Portugal (website)
- Jaguar Audio — online and in-store — Bellevue, Washington, United States (website)
- Loud & Clear — in-store — Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom (website)
- Martins Hi-fi — in-store — Norwich, England, United Kingdom (website)
- The AUDIOBARN — in-store — Harlow, England, United Kingdom (website)
and 1 more verified dealer
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