Analog Relax · EX
EX500 Phono Cartridge
Romanian hard maple tonewood meets pure silver coils for organic analog warmth.
The Analog Relax EX500 brings an artisan woodworking tradition to moving coil cartridge design, built around the core belief that a phono cartridge is a musical instrument in its own right. By utilizing natural tonewood rather than synthetic resins or damped metals, it allows record playback to vibrate with natural, organic resonance.
Serving as a vital cornerstone of the EX line, the EX500 features a body carved from hand-selected Romanian hard maple, the precise wood used for centuries in the backs and necks of fine violins. Inside this resonant enclosure sits a precision generator engine built with high-purity silver coils and a multiple neodymium magnet structure.
On listening, the EX500 displays a liquid, expressive mid-range that renders vocals and string sections with realistic body and warmth. Highs are articulate yet smooth, and low frequencies carry natural elastic weight, creating an expansive, non-fatiguing soundstage that puts musical communication first.
Key Features
01
Romanian Hard Maple Tonewood Body
Hand-crafted from selected violin-grade Romanian maple, leveraging cellular wood cavities for natural acoustic resonance.
02
Pure Silver Coils
Precision wound with high-purity silver wire to capture dynamic nuances and preserve micro-detail across the frequency spectrum.
03
Solid Diamond Hyper-Elliptical Stylus
Features a custom polished solid diamond stylus profile mounted to a rigid aluminum cantilever for faithful groove tracing.
04
Multi-Neodymium Magnet Array
Utilizes powerful neodymium magnets to maintain stable coil excitation and deliver wide dynamic range with low distortion.
Chapter 01
Violin-Grade Tonewood Construction
Rather than attempting to deaden all cartridge vibrations using mass-loaded metals or uniform synthetic resins, Analog Relax selects natural woods whose porous cellular walls vibrate organically. The EX500 body is milled from Romanian hard maple—the exact timber harvested for violin backplates and necks.
Hand-crafted by Japanese artisans, each wooden body carries unique grain patterns and undergoes natural tonal changes over time, aging gracefully like a fine wooden instrument.
Chapter 02
Silver-Wound Moving Coil Engine
Beneath the maple housing, the EX500 houses a high-efficiency generator utilizing pure silver windings. The use of silver coils provides fast transient energy transfer while maintaining low internal impedance, allowing delicate micro-dynamic shifts in the music to pass through without coloration.
Combined with an aluminum cantilever and a solid diamond hyper-elliptical stylus, the assembly tracks complex passages with steady confidence and very low surface noise.
Chapter 03
Sonic Character & Presentation
The defining characteristic of the EX500 is its communicative, mid-range-rich presentation. Human voices display breathtaking presence and warmth, while acoustic instruments present realistic texture and wood-body decay.
High frequencies are open and articulate without tilt or glare, ensuring that long listening sessions remain entirely free of listening fatigue while preserving convincing soundstage depth.
Specifications
Product name & numberAnalog Relax EX500 AR-MCC-EX500
TransducerMC Stereo Phono Cartridge
Output voltage0.55mv (1kHz)
Impedance4Ω
Tracking force2.1g（Recommended）
Channel Separation27dB or more（1kHz）
Channel Balancewithin 0.5dB（1kHz）
Compliance6μm/mN（100Hz）
StylusSpecial ellipse stylus Solid Diamond
CantileverAluminum
Coil materialPure silver
BodyAll natural Romanian hard maple solid wood (violin tone wood)
Weightabout 10.0g