Home / Audio / Vinyl

Did a Japanese Hi-Fi Specialist Just Introduce a New Vinyl Grail for Audiophiles?

Reserved for the “best of the best” turntables.

Turntable cartridge with wooden body and metal top labeled "AR EX 700" on a vinyl record.Analog Relax
Add Gear Patrol as a Preferred Source on Google

By Tucker Bowe

Published

·

If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

For audiophiles with ridiculously high-end turntables, you’re likely familiar with Analog Relax. For most run-of-the-mill vinyl enthusiasts? Probably not so much.

The Japanese hi-fi company specializes in elite moving-coil (MC) phono cartridges meticulously handcrafted from natural woods. To give you an idea just how high-end we’re talking, its most entry-level phono cartridge, the EX-300, goes for $4,500, while its flagship model, the EX-2000, goes for $28,950.

Now, Analog Relax has introduced a new phono cartridge that falls somewhere between its entry-level and flagship offerings. For most of us, that means we can file it under the “vinyl grails” category.

Wooden AR EX 700 stylus cartridge with a metal front plate on a black background.
The EX-700 uses the same wood and classic oil varnish that was used on 16th and 17th-century violins.
Analog Relax

Classical wood

Analog Relax’s newest moving-coil phono cartridge is the EX-700. And its standout feature is that its body is made from the spruce harvested in the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy. This is the same source of the wood used for Stradivarius violins.

Close-up of a wooden AR EX 700 cartridge mounted on a silver tonearm playing a black vinyl record.
The EX-700 is made with the same spruce wood that Analog Relax uses for its flagship EX-2000 phono cartridge, which is more than twice as expensive.
Analog Relax

The company says the EX-700’s body is “coated with thin layers of ‘classic oil varnish,’ formulated with the same material blend used for violins in the 16th and 17th centuries.” This helps it achieve a more natural sound with greater resonance.

Analog Relax uses this same wood source for its flagship phono cartridge, the EX-2000, which costs nearly $30,000.

Wooden phono cartridge with metal pins and a black stylus on a black background.
Additionally, this is Analog Relax’s first (and only, so far) phono cartridge to feature a boron cantilever.
Analog Relax

Additionally, the EX-700 features a boron cantilever — which is a first for Analog Relax — which are known to be lightweight and super rigid, as well as super accurate for sound reproduction. 

Wooden AR EX 700 guitar pickup with a black top and brass label on a black background.
Despite costing more than $13K, it’s still nowhere near the company’s highest-end cartridge.
Analog Relax

Price and availability

The Analog Relax EX-700 MC phono cartridge costs $13,500, placing it firmly in the midrange category of the company’s offerings.

It’s available now from specialized audio retailers.

About the Author: Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. With a passion for consumer tech and hi-fi, he tracks everything from headphones and turntables to smartphones and wearables. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

Read More

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.

add as a preferred source on google
,