Analog Relax EX700
Moving Coil Phono Cartridge
Like the Analog Relax EX2000 cartridge, they are proud to announce the release of the EX700, featuring a body crafted from the finest spruce harvested in the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy—the very area said to be the source of the wood used for Stradivarius violins.
The body surface is coated with thin layers of “classic oil varnish,” formulated with the same material blend used for violins in the 16th and 17th centuries, realising a sound reproduction with a more natural resonance.
The Finest Spruce Harvested from the Same Forest as Stradivarius
For the body, they use the finest spruce harvested as “tonewood” for violin tops in the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy.
This is the same material used in the EX2000, the flagship model of Analog Relax cartridges.
South Tyrol is the forest region said to be the source of the materials for the legendary Stradivarius.
They utilise the finest spruce that has been strictly cultivated and managed in this region, with equally strict controls during the drying stage.
After being cut to sizes suitable for crafting violins and cellos, the wood is aged for an average of 20 years before being shipped
Using Violin Varnish on a Cartridge Body
When they obtained this finest-quality spruce for the cartridge body material, they naturally envisioned a model finished with the same varnish as a violin.
If possible, they wanted to finish it using the same varnish formula from around the 16th and 17th centuries when Stradivarius violins were made.
However, that path turned out to be a continuous series of hardships…
First, they contacted researchers studying the oil varnish formulas of that era and violin makers to discuss the formulation.
They repeatedly applied the varnish and conducted listening tests.
However, it was discovered that the same painting method used for violins was unsuitable for cartridges.
The problem was that the magnitude of vibration is completely different between a violin and a cartridge.
During standard violin crafting, varnish is applied in over a dozen layers.
Since a violin is played by rubbing strings with a bow, creating powerful vibrations in the body, the instrument resonates sufficiently even with a thick coating of varnish applied more than 10 times.
However, a cartridge deals with minute vibrations.
If the coating film is too thick, it absorbs the vibration of the cartridge body.
As a result, the reproduced sound became completely unappealing.
From there, through repeated trial and error, we arrived at a method of applying extremely thin layers of oil varnish.
Before they knew it, three years had passed.
Boron Cantilever and Stylus Hold Plate
Additionally, they have adopted a “boron cantilever” for the first time at Analog Relax.
Due to the nature of boron cantilevers, it is difficult to drill the small hole required to insert the stylus, so the standard method has been to attach the stylus using only adhesive.
However, this physically makes the stylus prone to detaching.
To address this, they have attached an ultra-small, ultra-thin metal plate with a hole—the “Stylus Hold Plate”—to the tip of the boron cantilever to reinforce the stylus retention.
Aiming for More Organic Record Playback
Spruce is famous as a top material for violins, but it is also a wood often used for the soundboards of guitars and pianos.
As you can imagine, the compatibility with string instruments is outstanding, but we hope you will play all genres of music with this cartridge.
They believe you will enjoy an organic and musical record playback experience that was not possible with previous cartridges.
Specifications: Analog Relax EX700
Transducer：MC Stereo Phono Cartridge
Output voltage：0.45mv (1kHz)
Impedance：4.5Ω
Tracking force：2.2g（Recommended）
Channel Separation: 27dB or more（1kHz）
Channel Balance: within 0.5dB（1kHz）
Compliance: 6μm/mN（100Hz）
Stylus：Special line contact solid diamond
Cantilever：Solid Boron
Coil material：High Purity copper
Body：Finest ‘spruce’ from the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy
‘Violin Varnish Finish’
Weight：about 10.0g
All products are made by artisans within Japan.
The solid wood body is made with natural materials, there will be differences in color, grain, weight, etc. between products.
The body colour of the grains will change with age.
Yurugi says, “I am currently developing products that solve the difficulties associated with living in an analogue record milieu and delivering them to fans of analogue records around the world.
Analog Relax cartridges are made with care by wonderful Japanese craftsmen.
They not only pursue the opportunities afforded by different materials for improving their cartridges’ performance, but give top priority to bringing joy to those who use them.”
Analog Relax cartridges exist to elevate the pleasure of listening to vinyl.
They transform the state of the art, leaving behind what were commonly considered the finest cartridges available.
For those eager to hear LPs as they’ve never heard them before, Analog Relax provides not only the next step on the journey.
They provide the destination.
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