Koetsu Onyx

Koetsu Onyx

The Koetsu Onyx represents the pinnacle of Koetsu cartridge design. Koetsu builds its stone-body cartridges from carefully selected blocks of high-quality natural stone. Each block has its own grain and character. The company then machines and polishes the stone to a beautiful, fine finish.

The Onyx Platinum combines this exceptional stone body with rare materials and precise internal construction. As a result, it delivers the refined and ethereal sound that has made Koetsu a legend in high-end analogue.

Exceptional Onyx Stone

The Onyx stone body gives the Onyx Platinum its distinctive appearance and character. Koetsu carefully selects each stone for its natural grain. The company then shapes and polishes the body with great attention to detail.

Furthermore, the solid stone construction creates a strong foundation for the cartridge’s generator. It reflects Koetsu’s long-standing focus on carefully chosen materials and meticulous craftsmanship.

Rare Platinum Magnet

Inside the Onyx Platinum, Koetsu uses only tightly matched components. The cartridge features silverplated copper coil wiring and carefully selected cores. A rare platinum magnet completes the generator.

Together, these materials create the distinctive Koetsu presentation. Music sounds smooth, rich, and highly resolved. At the same time, the cartridge maintains a strong sense of natural flow.

Colour, Texture and Musical Detail

The Onyx Platinum does more than uncover fine detail. It brings out the colour and texture of each performance. Voices sound expressive and natural. Instruments retain their individual character. Meanwhile, bass notes remain clear and precise.

Art Dudley highlighted these qualities in his December 2018 Stereophile review. He praised the cartridge for its wealth of colour and texture. He also noted its exceptional pitch certainty, even with the lowest bass notes.

Dudley further praised the Onyx Platinum for revealing colour, texture, touch, and musical nuance to an exceptional degree. These qualities help the cartridge create a presentation that feels both detailed and deeply musical.

Harmonious and Cohesive

The Onyx Platinum keeps individual details connected to the complete performance. You can follow subtle musical lines with ease. Yet the music never loses its sense of unity.

Hi-Fi+ described the result as “harmonious and cohesive”. The review also praised the way the music unfolds. It gives the listener more time to explore the individual elements within the whole.

The Koetsu Stone-Body Experience

The Koetsu Onyx Platinum brings together natural stone, platinum, silverplated copper, and a boron cantilever. Each element plays an important role in Koetsu’s approach to analogue reproduction.

The cartridge delivers 0.3 mV output and weighs 12.5g. Koetsu recommends a tracking force of 1.8–2.0g. The recommended load range is 75–500 ohms.

Key Features

• Onyx stone body: Koetsu selects each natural stone block for its grain and character before machining and polishing the body.
• Silverplated copper coil wiring: Carefully matched coils help preserve the detail, colour, and texture of the musical signal.
• Platinum magnet: The rare platinum magnet supports the refined and spacious sound of Koetsu’s stone-body cartridges.
• Boron cantilever: The boron cantilever provides precise groove tracking and accurate musical retrieval.
• Koetsu craftsmanship: Careful material selection and meticulous construction define every part of this high-end cartridge.

Natural stone, rare platinum, and uncompromising craftsmanship. The Koetsu Onyx Platinum reveals colour, texture, precision, and musical nuance with extraordinary naturalness.