What Hi-Fi? Verdict
It’s hard to find a more exciting listen than this Roksan Corus
Pros
- +
Punchy and exciting
- +
great midrange
- +
good detailing
- +
excellent dynamics
- +
very easy to fit
Cons
- -
It’s a touch lean and has a slightly bright tonal balance
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Part of the Roksan range for more than a decade, the Corus Black is one of the easiest cartridges to fit thanks to its use of captive nuts to attach it to the arm, and the squared off edges to the shell that help its alignment.
After experimenting with different settings, we found a tracking weight of 2g offered a well-balanced sound.
Once bedded in, this cartridge makes for a punchy and exciting listen. It serves up a smooth and fluid bass, crisp treble and a smooth, accomplished midrange that handles vocals well.
Faced with Stravinsky's powerful and complex The Rite of Spring, the Roksan handled the many dynamic changes of the piece with ease and showed its skill with spot-on timing.
Detailing here is first-rate, there's a good soundstage and the Corus Black has a real sense of space and depth in its delivery.
The sound is a touch lean and a little bright in the treble, but when it's as transparent and packed with detailing and dynamics as this, not to mention being such an exciting listen, then five stars are required.
