Koetsu Urushi Vermilion
The Urushi Vermilion delivers a luxuriantly warm, wide-open moving-coil sound, pairing peerless midband detail with remarkably human vocals and plush, extended bass. Ken Kessler found its spatial scale and cohesion especially compelling, while the hand-lacquered rosewood body and distinctive silver/copper coils make this a deeply characterful analogue performer.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
90/100
Build Quality
75/100
Features Usability
78/100
Value for Money
85/100
Pros
Exceptionally natural vocal reproduction, transparent midrange detail and an invitingly warm overall balance.
Expansive, cohesive soundstage with plush, extended bass that remains free of artifice.
Cons
Can mistrack demanding inner grooves, occasionally adding a slight sizzle in the upper registers.
Measured response has a pronounced downward tonal tilt and reduced high-treble extension.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 90/100
The Vermilion is described as unmistakably Koetsu: warm, spacious and exceptionally persuasive through voices, midrange and bass. Its glorious openness and sense of cohesion are tempered by a notably rolled-off top end and less assured tracing on some demanding inner grooves.
Overall Sound
93/100
Ken Kessler found the Vermilion richly warm yet highly transparent through the midband, calling its fine detail there peerless. He especially praised its natural, human vocal presentation and plush, extended bass, while the lab report identifies a pronounced downward tonal tilt that begins from around 200Hz and continues into the treble.
Tracking Retrieval
82/100
The cartridge retrieves very fine midband information, but its tracing is a clear limitation in the listening report. It occasionally mistracked near the innermost grooves of several LPs, producing a slight upper-register sizzle where a comparison cartridge tracked cleanly.
Soundstage Imaging
96/100
The review strongly praises the Vermilion's portrayal of space, proportion and musical cohesion. Its presentation is described as instantly audible, expansive and almost overwhelming, with a particularly 'wide-open' character.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 78/100
Tonearm compatibility / system fit. This is a low-output moving-coil cartridge that calls for a suitably quiet, high-gain phono stage and careful loading, while its 9g mass and 1.8-2.0g tracking-force recommendation are otherwise conventional.
Tonearm Compatibility
78/100
At 0.2mV output, the Vermilion is best partnered with an MC phono stage or step-up transformer capable of providing clean high gain; the recommended 50-500 ohm loading also gives the system matching some importance. Its 9g body weight should suit many standard headshell and tonearm arrangements, but the reported inner-groove sensitivity makes precise alignment and setup worthwhile.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
75/100
The specifications describe an urushi-lacquered rosewood body, boron cantilever and silver/copper coil wiring. The available reviews say little about assembly quality, stylus finish, durability or long-term ownership experience.
Value for Money
85/100
The review places the Vermilion at £4,498, the same price as most of the Urushi range and above the Urushi Black. Although the reviewer calls the experience 'art' rather than merely hi-fi, there is no direct comparison of its value against competing cartridges at this substantial asking price.
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Specifications
- Specification
- Urushi Lacquered Rosewood Body
- Specification
- Double Coil - Silver / Copper Coil Wiring
- Specification
- Permendur Magnet
- Specification
- Boron Cantilever
- Specification
- 0.2 mV Output
- Specification
- 9g Net Weight
- Specification
- Recommended Tracking Force 1.8-2.0g
- Specification
- Recommended Load 50-500 ohms
Manufacturer's Description — Koetsu
The Japanese art of Urushi is a tradition dating back 10,000 years. This natural lacquer is sourced from the caustic sap of the indigenous Urushi trees. The Urushi is applied by the hands of select Japanese artisans. Once the lacquer cures it hardens around the natural rosewood body changing its resonant frequency.
All Koetsu Urushi models use silver cladded ultra-high purity copper coils. This process involves a silver sheath being slowly drawn over the copper. However, the Urushi Vermillion uses a unique combination of silver and copper wiring, with fewer turns than other Urushi models, resulting in lower mass and output. Sonically, the Vermillion is the fastest and most detailed sounding Urushi.
Many say the Urushi body Koetsus offer an even more exciting sonic signature compared to the standard Rosewood models.
"The music was so captivating and involving that time became irrelevant and the music was everything." 10Audio.com
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- In Living Stereo — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
- Resolution A/V — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
- A 10 Audio Room 4 Music — in-store — Amsterdam Nieuw-West, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (website)
- Absolute Sounds — in-store — London, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Alen Audio — in-store — Extramurs, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- American Sound — in-store — Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada (website)
- Ana Mighty Sound — online and in-store — Paris, Île-de-France, France (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
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