Audio-Technica is celebrating its 60th anniversary by announcing two limited-edition, analog-based audio products. But along with the products’ limited runs are high prices, ones that most people would not be willing to pay unless they were extreme audiophiles.
First up is the ATH-W2022, which combines innovative tech and artistry by incorporating hand-painted cherry blossoms into the design.The ATH-W2022 is sourced and assembled entirely in Japan and features 58mm dynamic drivers as well as a titanium dome pressed to thirty microns. “The housings are expertly crafted from Mizume (Japanese birch) and finished with traditional urushi lacquer – just like our first wooden headphones, the ATH-W10VTG – to deliver pure tone quality with natural reverberation,” the ATH-W2022’s webpage reads. The ATH-W2022 will be individually numbered and will cost an enormous $9,000.
The second product is the AT-MC2022 Dual Moving Coil Stereo Cartridge, which uses a unified stylus cantilever formed from a diamond that is only 0.22mm thick. The cartridge’s body has an aluminum base but a titanium housing, and it comes with gold plated terminal pins. The AT-MC2022, like the ATH-W2022, features Japanese design accents. On the product’s webpage, Audio-Technica says, “The AT-MC2022 has been designated an Audio-Technica Excellence Product, a recognition that identifies products that meet our highest standards of high-fidelity performance.” The AT-MC2022 will also cost $9,000 and will come in a walnut case with an acrylic window engraved with its serial number and Audio-Technica’s 60th anniversary logo.
