AnalogRelax EX500 Phono Cartridge
The EX500 brings creamy midrange, harmonic colour and an effortlessly inviting flow to vinyl, while preserving an impressively even tonal balance. Alan Sircom found its vocal clarity, bass-to-treble extension and deep, spacious soundstage unusually accomplished. A refined moving-coil choice for jazz, voices and richly recorded acoustic music, it also resolves energetic tracks with poised musicality.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
89/100
Build Quality
80/100
Features Usability
79/100
Value for Money
85/100
Pros
Rich, clear midrange gives vocals and acoustic instruments exceptional harmonic presence.
Remarkably even tonal balance with convincing extension into lower bass and high frequencies.
First-rate stereo separation and excellent stage depth, even with complex recordings.
Handles a broad range of music well, including energetic material, without sounding edgy.
Cons
Its relaxed, tonality-led character is less suited to listeners whose tastes centre on flat-out rock or aggressive attack.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 89/100
The EX500 is presented as an unusually balanced, musically relaxed MC cartridge, with a particularly rich and convincing midrange. It combines strong spatial performance with an even tonal balance and enough extension to handle a broad range of music.
Overall Sound
92/100
Alan Sircom calls the EX500 a fine all-rounder, praising its remarkably even tonal balance and powerful midrange. Its creamy, inviting presentation is especially effective with jazz, while energetic recordings remain well resolved without turning edgy or overly analytical.
Tracking Retrieval
84/100
The review says the cartridge resolves energetic material well and notes extension into both lower bass and the high-frequency range. There is little direct comment on difficult-groove tracking, inner-groove distortion, sibilance, or surface-noise behavior.
Soundstage Imaging
93/100
The EX500's stereo separation and spatial presentation are described as first-rate, producing a convincing soundstage across a wide variety of recordings. Stage depth is specifically praised as excellent even when the music becomes complex.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 79/100
Tonearm compatibility / system fit.
Tonearm Compatibility
79/100
With low compliance specified at 6µm/mN and a 0.55mV moving-coil output, the EX500 is likely best partnered with a suitably matched medium- to higher-mass arm and a capable MC phono stage. Its standard 2.1g tracking-force requirement is straightforward, but arm resonance and phono-stage loading deserve careful setup attention.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
80/100
The published specification lists an aluminium cantilever, a special elliptical stylus, and a gold-plated coil arrangement. Reviewers provide little direct comment on body construction, assembly quality, stylus execution, or long-term durability.
Value for Money
85/100
At roughly $5,000-$6,750, the EX500 sits in a serious high-end cartridge segment. The review frames it among the good cartridges available at this price, but offers little direct comparison with competitors or detailed judgement on whether it represents exceptional value.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
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Specifications
- Product name & number
- Analog Relax EX500 AR-MCC-EX500
- Transducer
- MC Stereo Phono Cartridge
- Output voltage
- 0.55mv (1kHz)
- Impedance
- 4Ω
- Tracking force
- 2.1g(本訂指定)
- Channel Separation
- 27dB 或 以上 (一kHz)
- Channel Balance
- 中一 0.5dB (一kHz)
- Compliance
- 6μm/mN (100Hz)
- Stylus
- 特 雑 現角 スタイラス
- Cantilever
- アルミヌル
- Coil material
- 給金体 金車を用ったコイル
Manufacturer's Description — AnalogRelax
The body is made with hand-selected tone wood maple, a wood used specifically for violins
Analogrelax insists on using only all natural wood for the bodies of our cartridges. Why?
Making cartridge bodies with resin or metal produces much greater yield, and is more efficient at manufacture.
Why would we go out of our way to use wood?
It is because we believe that cartridges are instruments to play records in their own right.
What are most famous musical instruments made with? Yes: they are made with wood.
And this is nearly inevitable.
This is because, as you know, each and every cell within wood is surrounded by a cellular wall made with cellulose. The cells lose their water when the wood is dried, but the cellular walls allow them to maintain their form, leaving uneven spaces (holes) throughout. Air vibrating within these holes creates an organic sound.
This is why wood always was, and remains the main material used in musical instruments to this very day.
Resins and metals result in an even material, but do not produce the same sound as wood.
It is for this reason that we insist on using wood for our bodies.
The body of the EX500 uses the finest hard maple, which is used in the necks backboards of violins.
It is made with the finest hand-selected maple wood for instrument manufacture, found primarily in Romania.
Enjoy a tone only possible with tone wood selected specifically for instruments.
The EX500 cartridge nourishes the heart
It uses custom hyper elliptic stylus, which are polished more precisely than standard products, with coils carefully wound with pure silver wire.
The sound obtained from the unique resonance of the body's hard maple tone wood will fill resonate throughout any room and bring it a refreshing atmosphere.
Experience the sounds of raw instruments and vocals.
You will hardly be able to suppress a smile at the unexpected appearance of the real stage spreading out before you.
It produces sound that will nourish your soul.
Take the opportunity to experience it for yourself.
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for AnalogRelax EX500 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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