Well Tempered Labs / Koetsu

About Well Tempered Labs / Koetsu

Well Tempered Labs and Koetsu are two distinguished brands within high-end analog audio, often used together for reference-level vinyl playback. Well Tempered Labs, founded by Bill Firebaugh in New Zealand, is known for its inventive turntable and tonearm designs, prioritizing novel engineering solutions like unique damped tonearms and monofilament belt drive mechanisms. Koetsu, a Japanese brand now led by second-generation master cartridge maker Fumihiko Sugano, is renowned for its handcrafted moving coil phono cartridges, prized for their musical, captivating sound and use of precious materials such as Urushi lacquer and rare stones. Both brands are celebrated among audiophiles, with Koetsu cartridges frequently matched to Well Tempered arms for their synergy and musicality.