The top of Koetsu's stone-body range: the platinum-magnet generator in a blue stone body.
Koetsu presents the Blue Lace as the pinnacle of its cartridge design. Its body is machined from a block of blue stone (Koetsu lists it as blue onyx), chosen for its natural grain and polished to a very fine finish, so each one looks slightly different. Inside is the stone-series generator: rare platinum-alloy magnets, tightly matched silver-plated copper coils and cores, and a boron cantilever. Koetsu was founded by Yoshiaki Sugano and carried on by his son Fumihiko; after Fumihiko's death in 2023 the brand was revived in 2025, with the original craftsmen and suppliers again building the cartridges by hand in Japan.
Koetsu quotes Hi-Fi+ describing the Blue Lace as harmonious and cohesive. Reviews of the Onyx Platinum, which uses the same generator, describe a rich, lush midrange, deep and controlled bass, and a smooth, natural balance with real rhythmic drive. At 12.5 g it belongs in a rigid, medium- to higher-mass tonearm, and at 0.3 mV it needs a quiet MC phono stage with about 65 dB of gain or a good step-up transformer.
| Type | Low-output moving coil (MC), stone body |
| Output | 0.3 mV |
| Recommended load | 75–500 Ω |
| Tracking force | 1.8–2.0 g |
| Weight | 12.5 g |
| Body | Blue stone (listed by Koetsu as blue onyx) |
| Coils | Silver-plated copper, tightly matched coil and core sets |
| Magnet | Platinum alloy |
| Cantilever | Boron |
| Also available | Onyx Platinum and Tigereye Platinum (same generator, different stone bodies) |
Pearl Audio is an authorized Koetsu dealer. Call or visit our Portland showroom to talk about matching a cartridge to your tonearm and phono stage.
