Analog Relax · EX
EX700 Phono Cartridge
Italian spruce coated in classic violin varnish yields organic, expressive vinyl playback.
The Analog Relax EX700 brings the ancient art of violin making into high-end analog playback. Carved from twenty-year-aged spruce harvested in Northern Italy's South Tyrol region—the legendary tonewood forest sourced by Stradivarius—it treats mechanical resonance as an instrument builder treats soundboard acoustic behavior.
Positioned in the middle of Analog Relax's premium EX series, the EX700 shares the flagship EX2000's South Tyrolean spruce body material but introduces a specialized violin oil varnish coating. Developed over three years of trial and error, this ultra-thin formulation breathes alongside the tonewood rather than stifling it under dense lacquers.
Paired with a solid boron cantilever, high-purity copper generator coils, and a special line-contact solid diamond stylus, the EX700 presents music with natural weight and spatial coherence. Acoustic instruments and vocals display rich, organic timbre alongside precise micro-dynamic tracking, resulting in an inviting soundscape entirely free from artificial glare.
Key Features
01
Aged South Tyrolean Spruce Body
Hand-carved from violin-grade spruce aged for twenty years, offering identical acoustic tonewood qualities to fine string instruments.
02
Traditional Violin Oil Varnish
Coated in ultra-thin micro-layers of classical 16th-century style oil varnish to allow natural wood resonance without absorbing mechanical vibrations.
03
Solid Boron Cantilever
Combines high rigidity and low mass for instantaneous signal transfer and fast micro-dynamic response across complex groove passages.
04
Stylus Hold Plate Technology
Features a custom miniature metal plate designed to securely reinforce and anchor the special line-contact solid diamond stylus to the boron cantilever tip.
Chapter 01
Stradivarius-Grade Tonewood
The housing of the EX700 is milled from spruce timber sourced directly from the South Tyrol forests of Northern Italy. Cut and naturally seasoned over two decades, this wood exhibits tight growth rings and exceptional acoustic energy transfer. By utilizing the exact tonewood chosen by historic luthiers, Analog Relax allows the cartridge body to act as a harmonious acoustic soundboard.
Chapter 02
Three Years of Varnish Formulation
Applying protective coatings to a cartridge body typically dampens delicate mechanical energy, dulling musical air and nuance. Analog Relax spent three years refining an oil varnish recipe matching classic 16th-century violin finishes. Applied in microscopic layers, this varnish seals the timber while preserving its organic vibration profile.
Chapter 03
Reinforced Stylus Topology
Because solid boron is notoriously difficult to join to a diamond tip, Analog Relax engineered an ultra-thin Stylus Hold Plate. This metal reinforcement plate locks the special line-contact solid diamond stylus into position at the end of the cantilever, maximizing mechanical energy transfer into the high-purity copper generator coils while eliminating stylus displacement risk.
Specifications
Product name & numberAnalog Relax EX700 AR-MCC-EX700
TransducerMC Stereo Phono Cartridge
Output voltage0.45mv (1kHz)
Impedance4.5Ω
Tracking force2.2g（Recommended）
Channel Separation27dB or more（1kHz）
Channel Balancewithin 0.5dB（1kHz）
Compliance6μm/mN（100Hz）
StylusSpecial line contact solid diamond
CantileverSolid Boron
Coil materialHigh Purity copper
BodyFinest ‘spruce’ from the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy ‘Violin Varnish Finish’
Weightabout 10.0g