Product DNA
About Etsuro Urushi
The Etsuro MC cartridges series was jointly developed by Mr. Masao Okada, CEO/CTO of Excel Sound Co., Ltd., which has more than half a centuryʼs experience manufacturing MC cartridge, and Mr. Etsuro Akiyama of Dai-Ichi Shoji Co., Ltd. which has been exporting audio equipment including phono cartridges and electronic measuring instruments since the 1970’s. The two companies started manufacturing the Etsuro MC Cartridge series to aim for the highest Japanese quality, which has never existed in the past, and to challenge high-end audiophiles around the world with this work of art.
President Okada of Excel Sound created the Etsuro model by focusing on the high-fidelity characteristic of the sound being transferred from the groove of the record to the audio equipment while being a low output MC Cartridge. With this characteristic, the cartridge is able to extract natural sounds from the record with transparency in all sound ranges. You will be able to enjoy the reality of multiple atmospheres, ranging from an orchestra playing classical Western music to a piano, vocals, a brass band, indoor music, and a symphony played by an orchestra in a concert hall.
The founder of Dai-Ichi Shoji opened access to a home that did not suffer damage during the Second World War to create an office and established a trading company with fellow alumni specializing in exporting cotton products. Later on, in the late 1960s, Dai-Ichi Shoji developed a range of compact electronic measuring instruments with partner companies to export them to various areas around the world.
Dai-Ichi Shoji began exporting OEM phono cartridges around the same time. In the 1980s, Dai-Ichi Shoji also imported and sold Obelisk, Magnepan (speakers), Oracle (turntables) and Conrad Johnson (amplifiers) from the United States, and opened a showroom to enable people to listen to the products at Tokyo Shimbashi. Established in 1970, Excel Sound commenced the production of its own branded cartridge. From 1975 to the 1980s, Excel Sound manufactured OEM products for Japanese audio manufacturers (Pioneer, Sansui, Trio, and Sanyo) as well as overseas audio manufacturers. At its peak, the production volume of MM cartridges was 50,000 pieces per month.
The gold leaf or lacquer coating applied to the surface of the housing has been finished in a way that expresses the tradition of Japanese culture that has been passed down to the present from ancient times in Japan. These crafting techniques are used all over Japan for shrines and temple architectures, art objects, and furniture, and have been carried out from over 1,000 years ago to the present.
The Etsuro series is a masterpiece created as a result of the combination of Excel Sound’s technology and Japanese ancient traditional crafting technology that has sought to revive the memories of sounds cut in record grooves. It is their passion and mission to deliver the Etsuro Series products to analog music enthusiasts around the world.
