Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

Perhaps hoping to replace the much-loved but-now-in-limbo Koetsu, fellow Japanese brand Analog Relax has developed into a range of five ‘artisan’ moving-coil cartridges. The EX700 sits exactly in the middle, above the EX500 and below the EX1000, at a no longer shocking £7288. Stop here if you find the pricing of cartridges (and cables) has no bearing on reality, but that’s now mid-priced for the high-end, whether we like it or not.

For a brand that’s a relatively new name to the hi-fi industry, Hana is already making big waves in the vinyl community. With four distinct cartridge ranges (moving-coil only) comprising the E, S and M models in both high- and low-output versions and topping out in the Umami series, it previously had options covering a price range of £419 to £3399. However, that selection has now been crowned by a no-compromise flagship, the £7995 Umami Black.

It can be difficult for a manufacturer to successfully span a wide price range. History reveals a handful that have come unstuck by either trying to move upmarket from affordable roots, or attempting to develop trickle-down versions of expensive designs. However, those companies that get it right across the board tend to find themselves very popular, and Pro-Ject’s new £10,599 Signature 12.2 is the latest offering from a brand that is a master of the art.

It never hurts to have a sibling manufacturer making phono stages when you’re also offering cartridges. Better still is having a range of tonearms and turntables in the family, too. In this case, the oh-so-Britishly-named Kensington Audio can boast being part of the Talk Electronics group, along with Edwards Audio and Kestrel Audio, so its quintet of cartridges is in good company.

Although we might conveniently ‘pigeonhole’ turntables into idler-drive, belt-drive and direct-drive types, there are subdivisions within each category. For example, idler wheels come in different orientations and might drive the outside, the inside or even the underside of the platter. Belt-drive decks can use DC, AC or induction motors and spin the platter through a flat, square or round belt, a nylon thread or even, in one example, a triangular belt!

With a selection of cartridges that runs to 90 models, you might wonder what a new range could bring to the Ortofon fold. That impressive figure includes the legendary SPU moving-coils, the once-futuristic but now-familiar Concorde and OM moving-magnet lines, the affordable 2M models, and high-end MCs costing well into the thousands [HFN Mar ’22 & Jun ’25]. This crowded house has now been expanded by the four-strong moving-coil MC X Series, and it will prove a relief to some that the truly exceptional top cartridge, the MC X40 reviewed here, costs £875. Yes: under a grand.

Timed to coincide with its 85th anniversary, Nagaoka is launching the MP-700 as the new flagship model of its longstanding MP series. Sidestepping the usual cartridge question – is it moving-magnet or moving-coil? – by answering ‘moving-permalloy’, this range is already well established.