Audio-Technica continues to celebrate its 60th anniversary, this time with the introduction of the AT-MC2022, an MC cartridge that has become the pinnacle of the company’s technology. The entire history of “cartridge building” is marked by a struggle for the rigidity of the “needle-needle holder” system, and this parameter is always limited by the fact that a diamond (hardest) needle must be glued to a needle holder, for example, from boron (a very, very hard material) – and the rigidity of this systems are still limited.
In the AT-MC2022, the stylus and needle holder are made from a single piece of lab-grown diamond. As a result, the entire system, according to the assurances of the developers, “provides an extremely high propagation speed and fast transient response.”
The novelty fulfills the frequency range from 20 to 50,000 Hz with an output voltage of 0.55 mV (1 kHz, 5 cm / sec.) The cartridge is assembled in a titanium and aluminum case with an elastomer bottom cover. The case is finished in gold with black accents. The design is inspired by traditional Japanese shippo cloisonné enamel. The packaging is an elegant walnut box.
In Europe, the Audio-Technica AT-MC2022 MS cartridge costs 10,000 euros.
