About Analog Relax
Analog Relax produces high end MC Cartridges and analog accessories based out of Japan. Lead product developer Yasushi Yurugi, started the company in 2016 with his vision for records having the best sound quality for listening to music. The company specializes in manufacturing handcrafted State-of-the-Art MC phono cartridges.
Product Line
NEW FROM ANALOG RELAX
EX-2000 Phono Cartridge
Analog Relax is pleased to announce the release of the flagship model ‘Analog Relax EX2000 Phono Cartridge’ which features a diamond cantilever.
The EX2000 uses the finest ‘spruce’ from the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy, where the material for the ‘Stradivarius’ is said to have been harvested. Its’ surface is coated with an ultra-fine powder allowing it to reproduce the natural sound.
A precision-machined “diamond” cantilever is used to seamlessly transmit the movement of the record’s grooves to the power generator, bringing out high-resolution sound. In addition, compared to diamond cantilever models of other manufacturers, by cutting out the diamond cantilever slightly thicker, we have achieved a more solid sound and improved traceability at a higher level.
The stylus is the ‘Ver. 3’ model, which is a further evolution of the well-received ‘SC stylus’ used for the EX1000. Of course, the stylus is custom-developed by Analog Relax. Although it basically has a line contact shape, a number of multi-faceted cuts are applied vertically, allowing it to reproduce sound with almost no ‘inner distortion’. In addition, the front and back of the stylus tip are cut with different curvatures, making it difficult to pick up the “crackling noise” peculiar to original records and old pressed records, enabling playback with a very high signal to noise ratio.
Cartridges with a diamond cantilever typically ‘pick up lots of information but with a tense and edgy sound’ which prevents the listener to enjoy the record. The EX2000 was completed by utilizing advanced assembly techniques to achieve a sound that has depth, range, and substance, while remaining the full amount of the groove information.
Specifications
Transducer：MC Stereo Phono Cartridge
Output voltage：0.4mv (1kHz)
Impedance：8Ω
Stylus：SC Stylus Ver.3 Special custom order made solid diamond
Cantilever：Special nude diamond
Coil material：High Purity 6N copper
Body：Finest ‘spruce’ from the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy Ultra-fine ‘powder coating’
Magnet：Multiple neodymium magnet
Weight：about 9.0g
Reviews
Awards
EX-1000
MC Phono Cartridge
Analog Relax is proud of their creation, The EX1000 cartridge, which has been carved from a rare piece of solid YAKUSUGI cedar that is over 2,000 years old. Its every component has been tuned to perfection.
The fine grain of the wood and the special resin content come together create a new cartridge with an organic and sensual sound the like of which has never been seen.
Research on tonewoods, wood used for musical instruments like violins or guitars, has shown that the speed at which sound travels through the wood, as well as the resin and other materials within the wood, affect the resultant sound.
Due to its fine 1-2mm grains and the special resin it holds, YAKUSUGI cedar produces a unique sound that cannot be replicated with any other wood.
The EX1000 uses its internal structure with these properties to produce a unique sound, especially when used with live instruments.
The clearest sound of a full orchestra—the sound of each instrument brings the image of the stage and instruments to the mind’s eye, the lustrous melody of the strings, the sound of the piano, almost as if it were right next to you.
This is a cartridge Analog Relax confidently recommends to all music fans and audiophiles.
Features
Beside the wood body from a 2000 year old Yakusugi Cedar, the Ex1000 also features:
Ruby Canteliver
Ruby is said to be the second hardest material after diamond. We have machined it down and used it as material for the cantilever. It transmits vibrations at high speeds, allowing it to read the information from the grooves on records quickly. Ruby is a corundum mineral just like sapphire, but they contain different components, with ruby containing chromium.
The Super Curve Line Contact Ver. 2 Stylus
The Super Curve Line Contact was newly developed when the Analog Relax EX1 phono cartridge was created, and has been very well received by customers. Ver. 2 is an upgraded version of this needle. It retains the advantages of the original, which has a line contact shape, with only the leading edge of the stylus tip having a curvature close to that of a round stylus, with additional design to pick up all of the information on the record using multiple angle cutting. It is particularly good at reproducing live instruments and human voices, creating a kind of sensual sound. Another great feature is that you will not feel any inner-groove distortion. t does not pick up the scratching sound of old original records, a worry for many record fans, allowing you to immerse yourself in the sound of the record. The stylus also is more resistant to wear and tear than run of the mill line contact stylus, giving it a longer lifespan.
Beeswax finish
To maximize the body’s resonance, we used beeswax for the surface finish. As a result, the color of the body will change over time, but we believe this will only enhance your enjoyment of this product.
Specifications:
Transducer: MC Stereo Cartridge
Coil: High purity copper
Cantilever: Ruby
Stylus: Super Curve Line Contact Ver. 2 (Pure diamond)
Body: 2,000 years old YAKUSUGI cedar (beeswax finish)
Electric output: Over 0.5mv (1kHz)
Internal impedance: 15Ω
Tracking force: 2.0g
Magnet: Neodymium multi magnet
Weight: about 9.0g
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.
Reviews
» Stereophile – Michael Fremer, Nov 2021 “The sonically sensual vocal presentation oozes “velvet” ”
» Audiophilia – Anthony Kershaw, Nov 2024 “It is by far the finest phono cartridge I’ve heard”
Awards
EX-500
MC Phono Cartridge
Analog Relax EX500 cartridge nourishes the heart. Experience the sounds of raw instruments and vocals.
The body of the EX500 uses the finest hard maple, which is used in the necks backboards of violins.
It is made with the finest hand-selected maple wood for instrument manufacture, found primarily in Romania.
Enjoy a tone only possible with tone wood selected specifically for instruments.
It uses custom hyper elliptic stylus, which are polished more precisely than standard products, with coils carefully wound with pure silver wire.
The sound obtained from the unique resonance of the body’s hard maple tone wood will fill resonate throughout any room and bring it a refreshing atmosphere.
Experience the sounds of raw instruments and vocals.
Specifications
Coil Material: Pure silver
Cantilever: Aluminum
Stylus: Special ellipse stylus Solid Diamond
Body: All natural Romanian hard maple solid wood (violin tone wood)
Output voltage: Over 0.5mv (1kHz)
Impedance: 15Ω
Tracking force: 2.0g
Magnet: Multiple Neodymium Magnet
Weight: ~10.0g
EX-300
MC Phono Cartridge
EX300 adapted newly developed “IF adhesive” technology for stronger integration of the stylus and cantilever, also the body housing consists of high-grade walnut that is often used to the neck, back and sides of a guitar and is shaving out from the solid wood.
Adoption of newly developed “IF adhesive” stylus tip fixation for precise and powerful sound
Previously, no attention was paid to fixing the stylus tip and cantilever. It’s natural because it is a world where is invisible to the naked eye. However, it is an undeniable fact that considerable pressure has been applied on the fixed part of the stylus tip and cantilever over a long period of time during playing a record. Therefore, reviewing the fixed part of stylus tip and cantilever was the starting point of this time development of EX300. What we found during the test was that although it is micro level, there is adverse effect on the sound due to wobbling at the junction of the stylus and cantilever. And the result of trial-and-error, we have developed new adhesive material and bonding procedure of “IF adhesive”. IF adhesive is a new adhesive method in which very fine diamond particles are mixed with a special adhesive to fill the space between the stylus tip and the cantilever hole. By integrating the stylus tip and cantilever firmly, it is possible that the amount of information and the presence can be improved dramatically.
Tone Wood for musical instruments Solid walnut used for body
Specifications
Coil: 6N high purity copper
Cantilever: Aluminum
Stylus: Elliptical pure diamond with IF adhesive bonding
Body: Tone wood walnut shaving out of solid wood Beeswax finish
Output voltage: more than 0.5mV (1KHz)
Impedance: 15Ω
Tracking force: 2.0 gram
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.
Analog Relax Anti-Static Brush for Audio Equipment
Sound quality is affected by static electricity…
The world’s first antistatic brush made exclusively for audio equipment, made with ultra fine “static neutralizing” fibers with a 0.03 diameter for the finest quality of softness, assembled at the hands of Kumano Brush craftsmen.
The “Analog Relax Anti-Static Brush for Audio Equipment” will effectively remove any electrostatic charge from your audio equipment and brush out any accumulated dust.
The “Analog Relax Anti-Static Brush AR-ASRB1” was specially tailored for ease of use to clean audio equipment, and has also been well received for its use on vinyl records.
(Although it is labeled “for audio equipment,” you can also certainly use it for “software” such as vinyl records and CDs.)
The production of this brush was entrusted to the “Kumano Brush” craftsmen, famously known for their luxury cosmetic brushes in Japan.
Along with the finest quality of softness and the perfect R (curved surface) made by the tip of the brush hairs, the finishing touches of this product make it incredibly easy to work with.
Do not delay and remove the electrostatic charge and dust from your audio equipment with certainty using this brush.
And restore the original capabilities and sound quality of your beloved equipment.
We developed this brush with the goal to remove “dust accumulated by static electricity on vinyl records,” but the feedback we received was unexpected.
Our customers, of course, praised the effectiveness of our product at removing electrostatically accumulated dust from vinyl records, but we received a great number of comments saying that the brush “improved the sound quality of our records!”
Specifications
Fiber Material: Antistatic Acrylic Fiber
Handle Material: Aluminum and Wood
Brush Size:
Length: 187 mm,
Fiber Length: 55 mm,
Metal Fixture Width: 30 mm
Exclusive Cosmetic Storage Case Size: 230 mm x 58 mm x 28 mm
Ultra-Fine Anti-Static Record Groove Brush
Analog Relax anti-static brush is optimized for record cleaning, but can be used for static elimination in various ways.
- For the disc surface of your CDs, DVDs, BDs.
- For audio equipment such as tonearms, connecting ports, etc.
- For PC keyboards, LCD screens
- For TV screens
- For plastic models before painting
The brush uses ultra-fine static elimination fibers with only 0.03mm in diameter. When the brush touches the record surface, it neutralizes the static charged on the disc in a corona discharge mechanism.
The material was developed by Japanese high-tech textile manufacturer, for industrial applications, and is often used for eliminating static in clean rooms or in the process of removing dusts before painting in many electronic devices factories.
Analog Relax anti-static brush is the first consumer product using this special fiber material. The size of a typical LP record groove is 0.05mm. The thin fiber of our anti-static brush is only 0.03mm in diameter and well capable of sweeping out the tiny dust particles in the groove.
The microscopic indentions on the surface can effectively capture the static dusts, both fibrous and granular. (Does not work on sticky dirt such as oily stain, mold, fingerprint, etc.)
Ultra-light weight: 20g
We made the brush ultra light for easy and comfortable brush handling on the records.
Safe design
Conventional anti-static brushes for audio equipment use 2 types of fibers in general.
Carbon fiber
Fiber with conductive coating: These types are highly conductive, causing troubles like a short circuit when a piece of fiber comes off the brush and gets inside the equipment.
Analog Relax anti-static brush is designed to deliberately keep the conductive rate low enough to avoid short circuit even when a fiber piece comes into the audio equipment.
On Youtube
Emotional Lead Wire
Selected vintage wires and polishing technology
The EMOTIONAL LEAD is a shell lead wire designed to elevate your vinyl recordings.
EMOTIONAL LEAD was created using thorough polishing techniques. The wire surface, where solder is applied, is processed to a mirror finish using a variety of polishing techniques to match material of the wire, pushing the surface to the limit. The layer of solder alloy is controlled to ideal proportions to achieve the intended sound. Tamahagane blades, which were used for Japanese swords, are used for the polishing.
Analog Relax has produced 2 items for head shell lead wire:
・EMOTIONAL LEAD AR-LW-EMOM1: This piece has the maximum in gloss, and is especially suitable for live instruments such as violin and piano, and vocals.
・EMOTIONAL LEAD AR-LW-EMOS1: This piece provides thick, dense, powerful, and yet delicate sounds, making it ideal for high-end rock and jazz playback.
An additional shell lead wire is included in case of accidental wire breakage or other problems during installation. (The wire with the transparent coating on the terminal is the extra shell lead wire.)
JP Lead Wire
JP shell lead wires are made using only materials invented entirely in Japan. It utilizes cable made of the most advanced materials and made for enthusiasts who are passionate about analog audio.
Cables invented in Japan
The JP LEAD uses two state-of-the-art cables, both of which were invented in Japan.
1) PC Triple C: OFC copper wire manufactured using proprietary forging methods that remove micron-sized impurities. It is even purer than PCOCC.
2) PC Triple C/EX: The surface of the PC Triple C is coated with a dual-layered 5N pure silver structure. The high-frequency band passes through the silver, allowing for wider bandwidth transmission.
There are two items in the product lineup:
JP LEAD Standard AR-LW-JPS1: Made with PCTripleC cables, which were invented in Japan, and domestic silver soldering. Experience a wider range through a next generation conductor with specifications that exceed PCOCC.
JP LEAD Advance AR-LW-JPA1: Made with PCTripleC/EX cable, which is PCTripleC coated with 5N pure silver. High conductivity for even greater dynamic range and shine.
JP LEAD Standard AR-LW-JPS1
Wire material: PC Triple C (diameter 0.6mm single line)
Solder material: Solder with Japanese silver
JP LEAD Advance AR-LW-JPA1
Wire material: PC Triple C/EX (PC Triple C at the center, 5N pure silver at the outside)Diameter 0.3 mm x 7 wires Twisted wire
Solder material: Platinum Gold Nikkas Contains natural pine resin
New Cartridge: The EX700
According to Analog Relax, a new cartridge model is currently in development. It is to be positioned below the EX1000 in the product lineup. The development of this new model is part of the Company’s ongoing product expansion.
Terms of Analog Relax Warranty
For warranty service and technical support, please contact to your local Analog Relax distributor. Any Analog Relax products bought on the internet/gray market or across the border in an area where we have an official distributor, will not receive any after sales service.
The Analog Relax warranty is not valid worldwide, but is limited only to the country, in which the product was purchased by the first original purchaser.
Each Analog Relax phono cartridge is serial numbered, this number is printed on the body of the cartridge shell. If the serial number has been removed or intentionally obscured, the cartridge will not be covered under the Analog Relax warranty or after-sales service will not be applicable.