"...the optical cartridge offers a more open, dynamic, pacey and detailed sound, delivering excitement and energy while capturing subtle nuances in the mix and individual musicians’ contributions."
AUGUST 13, 2025
"The Umami Red is the best-sounding cartridge to come from the Excel factory, and I've heard a number of them...the Umami Red provides deliciously enjoyable class-leading performance compared with cartridges in the same price range."
Andre Jennings, The Absolute Sound | 2021 Golden Ear Awards
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"Sonically, the III has a wider dynamic window, lower noise, greater headroom, gain, transparency, detail, and resolution, with a new-found impression of roundedness, dimensionality, and density of tone and body."
AUGUST 7, 2025
"An upgraded version of the original and widely hailed Grand Master optical cartridge, it offers a rarefied experience, one not subject to the usual limitations of vinyl playback. Instead, it ascends to lofty Everest-like peaks of musicality that more fully access the hidden treasures buried in the black grooves of an LP."
AUGUST 7, 2025