Audio-Technica launches two limited edition pieces for its 60th anniversary

Ten years after its Golden Anniversary, the Japanese company Audio-Technica has released two limited edition products; the brand new anniversary edition of the AT-MC2022 Dual Moving Coil Stereo Cartridge plus the ATH-W2022 Audiophile Closed-Back Dynamic Wooden Headphones.

Sixty years of phono cartridge research and development have come to fruition in the AT-MC2022; a gold cartridge bedazzled with a diamond stylus. Analogue audio enthusiasts will want to get their hands on its ability to produce a sharp, vibrant soundscape that allows you to hear every rich detail of the music — for the price of €10,000.

“One of the most outstanding sound characteristics of the AT-MC2022 is its fast transient response thanks to the vibration propagation of the diamond cantilever," mentions Yosuke Koizumi, Cartridge Engineer at Audio-Technica, explaining the standout feature of the 0,22 mm thin cantilever. Made from a single, lab-grown diamond, it welcomes a purer transmission of vibrations to the coils, eliminating distortion caused by the conventional bond of stylus to cantilever.

The AT-MC2022 also features design accents inspired by traditional Japanese cloisonné — an ancient shippo enamelling technique — and comes in a specially crafted walnut storage case with a flip lid and drawer where the product’s serial number and the 60th anniversary A-T logo are engraved on its acrylic window.

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Audio-Technica has also introduced its limited-edition ATH-W2022 headphones which celebrates 25 years of wooden headphone craftsmanship. The housings are crafted from Mizume (Japanese birch) and feature meticulous hand-painted designs of Sakura and a hou-ou phoenix. The price tag? A decent €9,000.

Included with the headphones are two detachable, cloth-wrapped cables made from high-purity 7N-class D.U.C.C (Dia Ultra Crystallised Copper). Both 3-metre cables have A2DC (Audio Designed Detachable Coaxial) connectors that securely attach to the headphones; one in a standard 6,3 mm gold-plated stereo plug, and the other features a 4-pin XLRM balanced connector, intended to achieve better channel separation using the latest high-fidelity equipment.

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The ATH-W2022 headphones also come with a commemorative storage case made of white paulownia wood and a Kiso cypress lid that complements the Irimoya styling of the headphone arms.

Audio-Technica will make both products available for purchase in Winter, limiting the gold cartridge to 60 units and the wooden headphones to 100 pairs.

Check out more details on both products here.