JICO, the great Japanese specialist of the cartridge and stylus, offers today a top-of-the-range MC cartridge! We no longer present the experience and the know-how of this manufacturer for more than a century, which offers more than 2300 styluses in its catalog!
The JICO Seto-Hori MC cartridge was born following a desire to offer a top-of-the-range MC cartridge at a very affordable price that meets the requirements of music lovers.
JICO SETO-HORI: BODY
From the outside, it is already very beautiful!
The body is made of molded ceramic. It has an original pattern, directly inlaid in the mold. This one is not drawn directly with the brush but with the mold.
This technique is called HORI-TSUKE and is part of SETOMONO's art. In addition to giving an aesthetic look, these peach net patterns help to remove resonances on the surface of the phono cartridge.
The use of ceramics, combined with a walnut support, gives a compact structure, without parasitic resonance. This structure is rarely used because it is hard to obtain. Indeed, ceramic shrinks a lot when it is molded.
The process required two years of research with the cooperation of a private laboratory.
JICO SETO-HORI: STYLUS
The stylus chosen for this Seto-Hori cartridge has a Micro Ridge profile. Its polyhedral profile gives perfect tracking, while limiting surface noise and distortion.
It is assembled on a boron cantilever. It offers low mass and high rigidity.
These characteristics particularly allow a more accurate reproduction of the low frequencies. JICO's craftsmen and technicians adjust the product by hand with precision. All Seto-Hori are controlled, measured and listened to before shipment.
JICO SETO-HORI: ASSOCIATION
Its 2mV output level allows it to be associated to a phono preamplifier with a gain of about 46dB.
Its quite high internal impedance requires a minimum load of 1000 ohms.
JICO SETO-HORI: TEST AND LISTENING
One of the characteristics of the JICO Seto Hori is its ability to transcribe hard passages with precision, while minimizing record surface noise.
Noise reduction due to imperfections and wear of the record, is appreciable on LPs bought in second-hand, and having lived a little. We find this characteristic in the whistles and sibilants.
This high output MC cartridge is able to highlight all the dynamic nuances and contrasts of a recording. We find an incisive mid-range with excellent precision and remarkable note clearness.
Of course, the restitution shows afineness and nuance that seems to characterize the JICO Seto-Hori.
This phono cartridge offers a superb balance with very few coloration, that make it accurate on recordings and is quite versatile.
This JICO Seto-Hori MC cartridge is a real surprise for us. Its manufacturing quality, musicality and unbeatable price make it one of the best choices of this range!
Recommended product!
FranckOutput voltage: 2mV
Channel balance: <1.5dB / 1kHz
Tracking force: 2.0 g
Channel separation: 25dB / 1kHz
Frequency response: 15-32.000Hz
Internal impedance: 130Ω 1kHz
Cantilever: boron
Stylus profile: Micro Ridge
Weight: 11 g
Housing: walnut and Seto ceramic
Customer reviews
Étonnante
Pas certain de bien vouloir une MC haut niveau, j’ai tout de même tenté le coup avec cette curiosité.
Tout d’abord le montage et le réglage sont très aisés, et ensuite c’est une expérience sonore impressionnante.
Sur ma P6, elle remplace une nagaoka, une exact, et une dl103 avec une clarté, des timbres et du détail remarquables même après seulement quelques heures d’écoute.
Il y a plus de tout et en mieux !