⌈ The Audio Note Japan, or Kondo (named so after its founder) is one of the most famous, even legendary brands producing exclusive, top tube amplifiers, line, and phono preamplifiers, phono cartridges and cables in the world. They rarely introduce new products to the market, but very recently they presented a new version of the IO cartridge originally introduced in 1979. We test the IO-XP (eXPerience) in a set with the SFz step-up. ⌋

HAVE BEEN A VINYL FAN FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. My passion started when I was a kid with my parents' Bambino. When it stopped playing the so-called musical postcards I even tried to repair it. I bought my first own turntable a bit later, as a teenager (probably 14 or 15), and it was a lot of fun for me to travel around Silesia to try and buy records. The times were what they were, so the availability of vinyl records, as well as of everything else, was very limited. I listened to each hard-won album using, looking at it from today's perspective, a rather poor quality, simple turntable with an even worse cartridge. Despite all that, I was hooked for life.

It was only when my reviewer’s adventure started several years ago, that I began to have a chance to listen to multiple turntables, tonearms, cartridges, and high-end phono preamplifiers in my system. For several years I have been the proud owner of one of the best turntables known to me, the J. Sikora Standard Max, which was later joined by the tonearm of the same brand, the fantastic Kevlar 12-inch KV12. The pride I am talking about comes partially from the fact that both of these products are made in Poland, in Lublin, to be precise. My admiration for their top class, however, does not come from the "patriotic" lack of objectivity, as they have been appreciated in many countries around the world, including the maybe toughest market of them all, the USA. It is not only a fantastic-sounding set but also an excellent tool for my reviewer’s duties. It is thanks to them that I can test phono cartridges from virtually any price level being sure they can display all their qualities, all their class.

Over the last few years, a lot of excellent cartridges have passed through the KV12 tonearm, many of which, although sold under various brands, were made by only two or three Japanese masters of this craft. The greater was my admiration for the head of the Audio Note Japan, Mr. MASAKI ASHIZAWA. As I had the opportunity to find out during an unforgettable visit to the Kondo’s headquarters, it is Masaki-san himself who builds IO pickups, which is a tedious, intricate, precise job requiring not only manual dexterity, but a great - despite the support of magnifying glasses - eyesight and also patience (more HERE).

It is not that different from the development of other products of the brand, as each is hand-built by highly trained, experienced crew members. Nevertheless, in the case of cartridges, the dimensions of the components require even greater precision from a man assembling them. All of this makes it easier to have someone else do it. It is not the case with Kondo - the company’s ethos requires that the hard work is done in-house, because only then one can be sure that the customer is getting the best possible version of the product. Let me remind you, I mentioned about it in the report, that during one day of intense, uninterrupted work, Mr. Ashizawa can make one or two pickups; at least it was the case with the previous model, the IO-M. As Masaki-san has a lot of other responsibilities as well, as you can imagine, the number of cartridges that can be made each year is limited.

After many auditions at various shows and at Kondo's headquarters, I also finally had the opportunity to test the IO-M combined with a proprietary step-up transformer and MM phono preamplifier, in my own system. You can find my report HERE. It was a great adventure, in many respects a very unique one, as the products (all that I know) from Kondo, in line with the company's philosophy, are primarily intended to faithfully convey the spirit of music, and thus also emotions. The SOUGA or the top KAGURA did that and more and provided me with unforgettable experiences.

The former is, for me, the quintessence of musicality, fabulously true, convincingly presented natural timbre of instruments, tangibility, even the presence of music/musicians in the room, and extremely vivid emotions. Kagura, in turn, is a reference product from Kondo, which with all its musicality is a more "audiophile" amplifier, more detailed, precise, and transparent. The IO-M cartridge, especially when combined with SFz the step-up, was for me the equivalent (in terms of the character of the sound) of Souga. Its test also showed me that although the cartridge itself is one of the best on the market, only the support of a dedicated matching transformer and phono preamplifier (KSL-M7) both designed following the same sonic philosophy allows you to hear its full potential and its fabulous sophistication.

And now, after years of production, a new cartridge hits the market. Those of you who follow the activities of Audio Note Japan know very well that new products or newer versions are quite rarely introduced. It is due to several factors. The basic fact is that the components offered at any moment by Kondo are so refined, so - to tell it as it is - good that it is difficult (not impossible, mind you) to improve them or to develop new, even better ones. The second factor is that Kondo is not a big company and its products are assembled by hand, soldered, etc, so everyone, including Masaki-san, has their hands full to fulfill orders. Yet somehow they manage to find time to come up with new ideas, develop them into products, make prototypes, and test them, and make all necessary corrections. How do they do all that? I have no idea.

▌ IO-XP

LET'S START WITH A CLARIFICATION: the tested cartridge is not so much a completely new model, but rather a new, sixth generation of the IO cartridge, that has been in production since 1979. Over four decades of designing pickups have resulted in gathering knowledge and experience that are both gained not only from some books but also from practice. Both have allowed Kondo to design and develop a new, in principle: even better, cartridge.

On the manufacturer's website, you can read that one of the elements that have not changed in the design of this cartridge are the AlNiCo magnets. According to the manufacturer, low magnetic resistance provides significant benefits in terms of sound quality. The manufacturer also emphasizes the very important role of vibration damping, thanks to which it was possible to obtain even more precise tracking of the record groove by the stylus.

The cartridge body, its shape, and the materials it is made of play an important role. IO-XP’s body is made up of two flat, vertically aligned aluminum elements (side walls) that are tightly bolted together and with a wooden insert between them. The latter is best seen from the front of the cartridge, which may lead to the conclusion that it is only a decorative element, but it’s not. It is the role of this material, slightly softer than aluminum, with a different resonance frequency and vibration damping properties, that is the main reason for its use.

The cantilever, just like in the previous version, is made of aluminum, and at it supports a top-quality Line Contact stylus. The internal impedance of the cartridge, no surprise here, is very low and amounts to only 1 Ω, and the output signal reaches 0.12 mV. With such parameters, most MC phono preamplifiers are doomed to failure and to achieve optimal sonic results, one simply has to follow the route most often chosen by Japanese vinyl lovers, i.e. use a preamplifier for moving magnet (MM) cartridges and a matching transformer (step-up). Therefore, similarly to the previous review, the Kondo’s top step-up, the SFz was a part of this review, as well as, at least from some point on, the tube KSL-M7.

Before we move on to the sound of the tested cartridge, I would like to share with you some information about it, which was obtained from the manufacturer through the Polish Kondo distributor, Mr. Wojtek Szemis.

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| A few simple words…

KONDO

MAREK DYBA What are the differences between IO-XP and the Japan domestic version named IO-X?

KONDO Besides the model names, there is only a minor difference in appearance. The screws’ color of IO-XP is gold while that of the IO-X is silver. We planned to launch IO- X first for the domestic market. It was a result of COVID-19. During the development of IO-X (XP), there was a lockdown everywhere. It was impossible to go to international audio shows or to collect feedback from our partners personally. So we worked with local Japanese partners and reviewers, added with our understanding of the international market (emphasis ed.). Eventually, the design of IO-X was finished a few months ago.

It received good feedback from our local partners and we were so happy to share the news on our Facebook. Quickly almost all our international partners asked for orders and deliveries. They accelerated the finalization of IO-XP. We decided to send the 1st IO-XP for HK AV show to see the final comments. Feedback from the show was the same as our expectations. We are glad that the IO-XP has been widely accepted with every design detail we planned. The screws color finally became a simple identifier to distinguish domestic and international products.

MD What are the major IO-XP upgrades comparing to IO-M?

KONDO First of all, IO-XP and IO-M are using almost the same raw materials - Alnico magnet, pure iron core, aluminum-alloy body, cantilever, etc.. The only material change is the damper. We used a new and properly matched damper which greatly enhanced tracking. To be specific, the main upgrade of IO-XP lies in the refinement of the parts. For example, both the pure iron core and aluminum alloy body have been improved with precision machine cuttings. They reduced the gaps in the magnetic path and highly improved both the magnetic capacity and performance. In addition, IO-XP has a new body shape and internal structure to better control the main body resonance. You could hear a more natural and grander sound field.

MD What was the design objective of IO-XP?

KONDO The names "X" or "XP" stand for Experience. We want our fans to know what we achieved in terms of the sound of the KONDO cartridge. Although using very similar designs and materials, IO-XP surpassed IO-M's performance by a lot. It came from our sound knowledge and skills from Ginga (turntable) - ed.), G1000 (linestage - ed.), and GE-10 (phonostage - ed.). Just like with M1000MKII and G1000i, you should hear the same improvements with IO-XP. The good natural details, grand sound stage, micro-dynamics, and even the tracking accuracy. This big step forward sets up the foundation for our flagship cartridge that is coming next. We are going to have more than 1 cartridge in a few years.

MD The packing of the cartridge is very different from IO-M. Is there any message or story behind?

KONDO We wanted to improve both the performance of the cartridge and the first impression it offers to a customer. This is only a 50% joke! We "hope" a heavy package will attack (or catch) the customer's heart and cause them to expect good sound. Finally, Masaki-san found a good manufacturer in Tokyo for making beautiful small wooden boxes. We made them using beautiful walnut wood and hope it offers an elegant image from the very first moment our customer receives the IO-XP. ♦

▌ SOUND

˻ HOW WE LISTENED THE KONDO IO-XP was mounted in the J. Sikora KV12 tonearm, and of course it worked on the excellent J. Sikora Standard MAX turntable. At the beginning of the tests, for a few hours, I listened to the tested cartridge plugged directly into the MC inputs, first the recently tested Phasemation EA-320, then my GrandiNote Celio mk IV, and finally the ESE LAB Nibiru V 5.0 phonostages.

Then the signal was sent via the excellent Bastanis Imperial interconnect to my GrandiNote Shinai solid-state class A integrated or interchangeably to a 300B SET, the Allnic Audio T-1500 mkII. Each of these amplifiers drove the GrandiNote MACH4 speakers and were connected with them with excellent Soyaton Benchmark speaker cables. A bit later, a Kondo step-up, the SFz was added to the mix, and finally, Wojtek Szemis brought also the KSL-M7 MM phono preamplifier. Once all the three Kondo products found their way to the system they remained there until the very end of my listening sessions.

Nothing has changed in terms of the Japanese cartridge’s setup. Although this time I used a different tonearm (previously it was still the Schroeder CB), the process again took longer than I am used to with most cartridges. Perhaps the sense of responsibility made me try to do an even better job in this regard - after all, I couldn't let my negligence spoil all the hard work of Masaki-san and his team. Anyway, I tried to set the IO-XP as precisely as possible using a great tool, the SMARTractor from Acoustical Systems. After a few trials, I decided to set the VTF at 1.9 g. Having the KV12 with the "on the fly" VTA capability allowed me to play around with this setting to find an optimal one. Finally, I decided to put the stylus slightly „on the nose” instead of choosing a perfectly parallel position of the tonearm.

SAME AS THE FIFTH GENERATION of this cartridge, the IO-XP has a very low internal impedance (1 Ω) and a very low output signal (0.12 mV). Most MC phono preamplifiers do not offer enough gain to work with such a pickup. Nevertheless, I did experiment with the aforementioned Phasemation and GrandiNote, but mainly to have some comparison to the later phases of the listening sessions, in which I planned to use the MM input of at least one of them combined with Kondo’s step-up. The ESE Lab Nibiru, amplifying the signal in the current, not voltage, domain also this time worked best with the Kondo cartridge, which, considering the huge price difference, confirmed the uniqueness and high value of this device.

Increasing the volume in the amplifier does not fully compensate for the too low gain in the phono stage. The thing is not only in loudness as such but also in the lack of dynamics and proper punch. Therefore, using the MC inputs of the Phasemation and GrandiNote did not last too long, and based on my experience with IO-M, I gave up listening to Nibiru after a few hours.

Although once again, the latter was able to deliver a really good performance paired up with the IO-XP, I was still sure Kondo would sound even better with a custom step-up transformer. Only after adding the latter to the mix did I start the proper assessment.

Let me be clear about one thing if I haven’t been so far, - a step-up is a necessary condition to hear what the Japanese cartridge has really to offer. That is why, even though I’d tested it already together with the IO-M, also this time the SFz became a part of the test. Yes, I know it bears a considerable cost, but in the case of the IO-XP, if you say "A" you just have to say "B", and preferably also "C", as proven by the Kondo’s phono stage. Another high-class transformer may also work well with the Kondo cartridge, but all my experiences with this brand’s products suggest that combining them produces a synergy effect.

A few years have passed since my last contact with Kondo products (High End in Munich and Audio Video Show in Warsaw 2019, if I'm not mistaken). So although the experiences with the company's products seem unforgettable, distant memories are not the same as a direct contact/experience, especially in one’s own system. Let me start my report not with the first album I listened to with the IO-XP because in the beginning there were a lot of trials and errors searching for optimum settings, and very little listening to the music. So I will start from the stage, when all the settings were correct (from my perspective) with the cartridge and the SFz in the system and Prince's unusual album with recordings from his home studio, entitled Piano and microphone 1983 on the platter. The recordings are of unequal quality, I'm talking about the technical aspects, and the reason was that they were not meant for publishing, the artist was playing for himself. They are though absolutely extraordinary in terms of music and unique, „home”, so to speak, atmosphere.

IO-XP, despite all the improvements and changes in sound, I shall point out in a moment, turned out to be still a true, pure Kondo. I did not doubt it from the first minutes of (actual) listening. Thus, in an extraordinary, true, and convincing way, it conveyed emotions that were abundant in PRINCE's voice. Although, as I have already mentioned, these were not the highest possible quality productions, the insanely natural timbre and texture of the vocals, plus the convincing illusion of being in one room with the artist, created a unique performance, engaging from the first to the last note. The voice, however, was only one special element of these recordings. The second was the piano played by the artist himself. And it was with this instrument that I clearly heard the aforementioned changes in the character of the sound compared to the IO-M (as I remember them).

In the test of the latter, I wrote that it is a proposition primarily for music and emotions lovers, i.e. those who love the high-class sound, but most of all, natural, coherent, and fluid one. As another example of a top cartridge, I gave the Murasakino Sumile with its amazing resolution (especially in the treble), a perfect insight into the deepest layers of recordings, clarity, and transparency straight from the highest level I know (the test of the Sumile with the company's own step-up that I did later presented an even higher level, sky-high level of performance).

With these recordings, I heard so clearly for the first time that the IO-XP offered a sound that I would put somewhere in the middle between the IO-M and Sumile, or referring to the Kondo amplifiers, between Souga and Kagura. Smoothness, fluidity, and naturalness remained, but the dynamics (in comparison, let me emphasize once again that it was based on memory and notes) in these tracks, primarily, but not only, on the micro-level, with the new Kondo cartridge reached the next level.

All, even the smallest changes in the way and strength of hitting each key or the pedal's work were perfectly audible. The piano sounded incredibly deep, the point is in the saturation and density of the sound, and properly extended and weighted sound down to the lowest octave. It was extremely vibrant and open, full of air. The IO-XP pulled out of the disc groove every, even the tiniest piece of information stored therein, and at the same time, the level of pops&cracks and the noise was extremely low, which must be appreciated considering how much gain you need to use for a cartridge with such a low output signal.

It was this wealth of information, excellent reproduction of even the smallest changes in timbre and dynamics, which made the piano (and vocal) sound so incredibly real and true, despite the imperfections of recordings that were sometimes audible. I felt like I was sitting in the studio with Prince, just a few meters away from him, listening to a private, extremely intimate concert including the brilliant (like many other, but mostly live) version of the Purple rain.

After Prince, I moved to a concert with two guitar geniuses, PACO DE LUCIA and AL DI MEOLA from 1987, i.e. the two-disc Live at Montreux album. This is another not quite perfect technically production, certainly a bit worse than the famous Friday Night in San Francisco, especially on the Impex Records release, which I also listened to with Kondo (I had to!). Yet, in a way, it is easier to impress with perfect recordings/releases than with those less perfect ones. The Live at Montreux was bursting with energy, and captivated my attention with the dynamics and mastery of both musicians. This still-existing, slightly more romantic side of IO-XP made both the music and performance absolutely immersive, absorbing me completely, so much so that I applauded each piece together with the audience, and the performances of Paco and Al, „seeing” how much fun the gentlemen had on stage, brought a smile to my face again and again.

The other, "new" side of the XP version, effortlessly, in an unforced, but extremely convincing way, showed (significantly different) temperaments of both musicians, but also the equally great commitment of both of them. Their instruments seemed to erupt with energy time and time again. The differentiation, tonal saturation, and richness of details were simply amazing. The new Kondo cartridge easily kept up with even the fastest, most complex passages, perfectly differentiating each string pluck/strike, allowing them to fully decay, whenever it was needed. There was a little bit less „wood” in the sound of the guitars, but it was a matter of recording and playing style, which the Japanese cartridge also showed flawlessly.

I already wrote about the IO-M that this was not a "fat" sounding pickup, although rich and saturated. The XP goes one step further in this direction while shifting the accent a bit more towards transparency and sonic purity without losing any of the density. Maintaining this fabulous coherence and fluidity of the sound, its naturalness, saturating the instruments with timbre, keeping the spirit of this music, so to speak, the new version of the IO also allowed me, if I felt like it, to take a closer look at each musician's different playing techniques or sound of each of the instruments.

Although there wasn’t any tendency to try to owe me with the amount of information read by the stylus from the groove, as soon as I decided to break away from the very events on the stage (which was extremely difficult!), to break away from the music played/reproduced in such an organic way, this wealth of information, of musical „plankton”, was immediately evident. It is from its mass, so to speak, that the so organic, immersive, ear-catching, electrifying (albeit acoustic) sound of both guitars, as well as the hot atmosphere of the concert, were carefully and flawlessly woven.

Continuing my adventure with excellent live performances, I reached for the Get that motor runnin' by BLICHER HEMMER GADD Trio. The Kondo IO-XP showcased its dynamic capabilities again. I'm a huge fan of Steve Gadd, so listening to every single album he recorded, regardless of all other musicians, I focus heavily on the drums. Part of it was, of course, the matter of the method of recording, microphones placement, etc., but the tested cartridge also contributed to giving me a chance to study every hit of a drumstick against the drum membranes, greatly differentiating their strength and speed, emphasizing their plasticity. So I felt as if I was sitting in the first or second row in a small club, in front of the drums set placed on the stage no more than 3-4 meters away from me.

Of course, the playing energy was not as high as at the actual concert, but relatively to the IO-M or many other cartridges, its level was very high. So especially when the master of drums was starting his solos, I sat at the edge of my chair shaking my head in disbelief that my system with Japanese "additions" sounded in such a perfectly realistic, so enjoyable way.

Of course, Kondo did not overlook the other instruments. The saxophone spoke with an unusually deep, colorful voice, full of air, and the details of the musician's breathing or the work of valves added to the exceptional level of realism of the presentation. Just like the excellently presented vocals appearing in some tracks. Listening to them I felt (once again) like being at a concert not just listening to the music in my room. I did not think about whether the system correctly reflected the timbre, texture, or whether the presentation was expressive or dynamic enough because I never do that when attending a concert, there is simply no need for that.

Just like when being there, also now, in my own room, I just accepted everything my system delivered as it was, without doubting it, pointing out any weaknesses. For me, it sounded exactly as it should have. With (my imagination) I saw the singer about three meters away from me, swaying to the rhythm of the music, sharing his emotions, and I, along with the rest of the audience, simply enjoyed this extraordinary, real (as far as reproducing music could be) spectacle, rocking with him to the rhythm of the music and tapping it out with all my limbs.

The last day with IO-XP and SFz (and KSL-M7) I spent looking for all my favorite operas by MOZART, BIZET, PUCCINI, and ROSSINI and listened to one after another. I was supposed to only listen to Le Nozze di Figaro conducted by Currentzis, but I just could not end there. This genre perhaps even better presented the full range of Kondo’s qualities and features. The best voices of opera’s divas sounded brilliant (including my favorite, wonderful Leontyne Price!), as well as the divine tenor of one and only Luciano Pavarotti.

Although in such recordings the singers are presented from a certain perspective and there is no such close contact with them, the power and depth of their voices truly electrified my attention no less than in previous recordings from the way smaller venues, where the vocalists seemed to be at arm’s length. Each opera is also a kind of theater, and storytelling is usually accompanied by great emotions, so beautifully conveyed by the IO-XP. The good recordings of the genre include also the movement of the singers on the large stage, which I could follow effortlessly with the Japanese Kondo set with laser precision.

The orchestras accompanying the singers are also important elements. In terms of the momentum and power of their performances, the Kondo cartridge was on the one hand slightly better than its predecessor, offering a greater scale and delivering music in an even more effortless way, on the other though, it seemed to me, it was slightly inferior in these regards compared to the Murasakino Sumile that I’ve mentioned many times before. At the same time, Kondo showed each orchestra a bit more as a color-shimmering, breathing, lively whole. A whole made up of lots of wonderfully coherent elements.

With all the richness and the power of the sound, the orchestra never stepped out of line, so to speak, did not dominate the singers, did not distract my attention from the events on the stage, taking the lead only when the latter fell silent. So I listened to each of the operas from the first to the last note, only during the times when I had to flip a record or replace it with the next one from the set, I had time to wonder how much time had passed since the last actual visit to the opera (way too long! is the answer). As soon as the stylus dropped into the groove, I immediately forgot about the pandemic regrets, letting myself be absorbed in the rest of the story, as every one of them was so beautifully told I didn’t want to lose a single second of it.

▌ SUMMARY

AFTER EACH ADVENTURE with a Kondo device I feel like I should write the same: the world of music, but also life, becomes more beautiful with Kondo. When it comes to the new version of the cartridge, the IO-XP, combined with the company's SFz step-up, this beauty comes from ensuring that the somewhat romantic, incredibly coherent, fluid, and musical side taken from its predecessor, is combined with higher dynamics and better insight into deeper layers of music, and with more powerful, even better-sounding bass. So while in the case of the IO-M I suggested that it was one of the best possible choices for acoustic music, the IO-XP should also appeal to fans of (especially older) rock, electric blues, and jazz, and, maybe even more, to the lovers of big classical music, particularly those who fancy operas.

The Japanese set has something in it that is characteristic for the top-high-end devices. Something that makes the music played from the recordings communicate with a sensitive soul of the listener, a true music lover in a way that in this respect doesn’t fall behind live music that much. Masaki-san - chapeau bas! Yet another fantastic product - congratulations!

Let me remind you that the information sent from Kondo reveals that there is a new flagship cartridge on its way. On the one hand, I can't wait to hear it, on the other, I don't know what else can be improved in this sound without losing any of the qualities already offered. Long story short - for fans of Kondo and their previous IO cartridges, the IO-XP should be on the „must listen to" list. Others, who did not experience „Kondo charm” yet but belong to the most demanding fans of the vinyl records (and have deep pockets) should also check what this pickup can offer particularly when combined with the phenomenal SFz step-up. Don’t hesitate and check it out for yourselves. It's worth your time! ■

▌ Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer):

˻ IO-XP
Cartridge type: Moving Coil
Coil type: Pure silver wire
Cantilever: High-strength aluminum alloy
Stylus shape: Line contact
Internal impedance: 1Ω
Output voltage: 0.12mV (1kHz, 5cm / sec)
Channel balance: within 1dB ( 1kHz )
Channel separation: >25dB ( 1kHz )
Compliance: 6.0 × 10-6 cm/Dyne
Tracking force: 1.7〜2.0g
Weight: 12g

˻ SFz
Primary impedance:
• 1.5Ω (1～10Ω cartridges)
• 30Ω (11～40Ω cartridges)
Gain: 34dB (1.5Ω) | 20dB (30Ω)
Output impedance: 47kΩ
Output cable: fixed LS-41 (pure silver) 1 m / RCA
Dimensions: 126 x 96 x179 mm (W x H x D)
Weight: 3.1kg