Like the Analog Relax EX2000 cartridge, we 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, realizing a sound reproduction with a more natural resonance.
The Finest Spruce Harvested from the Same Forest as Stradivarius
For the body, we 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.
Photo by Bachmann Tonewood
South Tyrol is the forest region said to be the source of the materials for the legendary Stradivarius. We utilize 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.
Photo by Bachmann Tonewood
Photo by Bachmann Tonewood
Photo by Bachmann Tonewood
Using Violin Varnish on a Cartridge Body
When we obtained this finest-quality spruce for the cartridge body material, we naturally envisioned a model finished with the same varnish as a violin. If possible, we 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, we contacted researchers studying the oil varnish formulas of that era and violin makers to discuss the formulation. We repeatedly applied the varnish and conducted listening tests. However, we 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 we knew it, three years had passed.
Boron Cantilever and Stylus Hold Plate
Additionally, we 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, we 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. We believe you will enjoy an organic and musical record playback experience that was not possible with previous cartridges.
- Product name & number：Analog Relax EX700 AR-MCC-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 9.0g
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- 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 color of the grains will change with age.