Urushi Sky Blue

About the Urushi Sky Blue

The Koetsu Urushi Sky Blue is a low-output moving coil phono cartridge featuring a Urushi-lacquered rosewood body, handcrafted in Japan by Koetsu's master artisans for both tonal refinement and controlled resonance. Its coils use silver-plated (silver-clad) ultra-high purity copper wire, drawn with a silver sheath over copper for improved conductivity and detail retrieval. The generator system employs a Permendur magnet according to Koetsu's current specification, combined with a boron cantilever and a high-quality elliptical stylus for precise groove tracking and low distortion. The cartridge delivers an output of 0.4 mV, with an internal impedance of about 3–5 Ω, and a specified frequency range of 20 Hz to 100 kHz, offering wide bandwidth, excellent channel separation, and very low background noise when properly matched. With a low compliance (around 5 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne at 100 Hz) and a weight of roughly 9–10 g, it is best partnered with medium to higher-mass tonearms and a tracking force around 1.8–2.0 g, along with an appropriate loading in roughly the 75–500 Ω range depending on the phono stage. Sonically, reviewers consistently describe the Urushi Sky Blue as luscious, richly textured, and highly musical, with a three-dimensional soundstage, natural timbre, and notably low surface noise, prioritizing tonal nuance and realism over aggressive leading-edge attack. It is supplied in a simple but elegant wooden presentation box that reflects the cartridge's artisanal nature.