Головки звукоснимателя — Koetsu Black Goldline

The Black Goldline is the least expensive moving coil model offered by Koetsu, the Japanese marque whose hand-built cartridges were created by Sugano-san in the late 1970s and are today made by his son, second-generation master Fumihiko Sugano. Although it opens the catalogue, it shares many parts with the costlier versions, and its body is anodised aluminium rather than wood or stone. The US list price has been USD 1,980, and in Europe it rose from about EUR 1,600 to between EUR 2,100 and 2,500 over roughly ten years up to 2019.

Key specs that matter

Output is 0.4 mV. Frequency response is listed as 20 Hz to 100 kHz, channel separation as 25 dB at 1 kHz and channel balance as 0.5 dB at 1 kHz. Compliance is quoted at 5 x 10-6 cm/dyne at 100 Hz. Recommended tracking force is 1.8 to 2.0 g, and the suggested load spans 75 to 500 ohm. Koetsu gives a weight of 10.2 g. A samarium cobalt magnet drives copper windings mounted on a boron cantilever.

Engineering and use context

The windings use 6N pure copper, and the coils measure 5 ohm DC resistance, the same value found throughout the catalogue. Its diamond tip is a proprietary line contact shape supplied to Koetsu by Ogura of Japan, and the magnetic circuit keeps a traditional yoke construction. The stone-bodied cartridges move up to platinum magnets, and the Rosewood Signature and the Urushi versions use permendur. Silver-plated copper windings are kept for the Urushi and stone models, so the Black Goldline and the Rosewood are the two current Koetsu cartridges wound with plain copper. Hand assembly means a worn unit can go back to Japan for a complete rebuild, which Sugano-san completes in about two or three months. Above this model the catalogue continues with the Rosewood family, five lacquered Urushi variants (Black, Wajima, Sky Blue, Vermilion, Tsugaru), and the stone group. The Urushi Vermilion differs from the rest by combining silver and copper in a double coil and dropping output to 0.2 mV.

Pairing

Its low signal should go to an MC phono stage with enough gain or via a step-up transformer feeding MM circuitry, with loading set inside the recommended range. At its light weight the cartridge suits most medium mass tonearms and does not demand a heavy arm. Its samarium cobalt magnet gives it the same motor type as the standard Rosewood, which sits one step higher in price.

Alternatives

Within the Koetsu catalogue, the Rosewood moves one rung higher with a natural rosewood body, the same output and a weight of 8.25 g.