Audio-Technica’s new headphones use ‘historical wooden’ to supply distinctive sound

Want to deal with your self – and I imply actually indulge your love of music by splurging on one thing so unique (and admittedly, costly) it may’t even get entangled in our audiophile-friendly greatest wired headphones information? Stay with me. 

Audio-Technica has simply unveiled a set of headphones referred to as the ATH-AWKG high-fidelity picket headphones. This new mannequin blends the model’s famed Japanese craftsmanship (which spans the whole lot from the iconic vinyl-playing Sound Burger to cheap LDAC earbuds and on to $10,000 / £8,900 W2022 headphones) with cutting-edge expertise and superior audio. 

But to date, so Audio-Technica, proper? Yes, the brand new headphones are handcrafted within the coronary heart of Tokyo and sure, they boast distinctive sound high quality alongside a hanging design. But what is the USP? And how on earth are they in a position to justify their $4,200 / £3,000 (round AU$6,365) asking charge? 

Every day is a studying day, and what I’m about to elucidate entails the acquisition, drying and lacquering of a really particular kind of wooden that is solely present in bushes over a century previous. So strap in, music-lovers, we’re heading again in time…   

Audio-Technica ATH-AWKG: what are they? 

In the only sense, the ATH-AWKG are very costly and delightful wired headphones. But Audio-Technica is sitting on over 60 years of hi-fi heritage right here, the corporate has earned the best to flex a bit. 

When Hideo Matsushita based Audio-Technica in Japan in 1962, (the corporate is run to this present day by Kazuo Matsushita, his son) he did so with the philosophy that high-quality audio must be accessible to all. In a small Shinjuku house above a ramen retailer, he started creating cartridges, impressed by vinyl listening classes he attended on the Bridgestone Museum of Arts in Tokyo. His first two merchandise, the AT-1 and AT-3, achieved success meant Hideo may open a bigger headquarters in Machida, the place the corporate nonetheless operates at this time. 

While the corporate made its identify manufacturing phonograph cartridges and tonearms, I believe Hideo can be proud to see his firm’s output of cheap audio merchandise such because the improbable (and refreshingly inexpensive) ATH-SQ1TW earbuds, the Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT entry-level turntable and the Audio-Technica S220BT low cost headphones with big battery, to call however a couple of.

But the ATH-AWKG headphones are nothing like these merchandise. These cans are constructed utilizing wooden – which Audio-Technica has really been doing for 28 years now, though the wooden used right here is one thing else once more. For an instance of Audio-Technica’s flagship over-ear picket efforts thus far, I’d level you in the direction of the Audio-Technica ATH-WP900, however even these can’t be in comparison with these. 

So let’s dig down into what makes them value shouting about… 

Audio-Technica ATH-AWKG: what makes them particular?

Every day is a studying day, is not it? Until at this time, I’d by no means heard of Kurogaki, a kind of wooden solely present in bushes over 100 years previous and billed as a cherished materials. Audio-Technica says that it "reveals black ink-like patterns", and since the drying course of "requires intensive data and experience, it’s one thing that’s revered throughout Japan". 

The firm says that ATH-AWKG’s hand-applied lacquer end will emphasize the richness of the wooden grain – a magnificence that Audio-Technica says "will solely deepen with age".

It’s paired with sheepskin within the the ATH-AWKG’s earpads, for a standard and all-natural mixture.

But that is Audio-Technica and nonetheless good the picket construct is, you continue to want superior drivers to get audiophile-grade sound, proper? Don’t fear, the ATH-AWKG headphones are outfitted with unique 53mm drivers that includes German Permendur magnetic circuitry to boast "exceptionally correct audio with an expansive sound area", in keeping with A-T.

These headphones additionally are available a storage field that is lined in Kurogaki wooden, with braided headphone cables stop tangling – two removable 3m cables with A2DC (Audio Designed Detachable Coaxial) connectors on the headphones; one with a 6.3 mm (1/4") gold-plated stereo plug, the opposite with a 4-pin XLR-M balanced connector.

Audio-Technica ATH-AWKG: are they value it?

Let me be utterly clear: in case you solely hearken to Spotify Free (I’d level you to the welcome information that Tidal simply acquired a worth lower and its audio high quality vastly exceeds something Spotify can provide) in your smartphone, these headphones won’t make a lot sense – and never as a result of only a few smartphones sport an precise headphones jack as of late (the Sony Xperia 1 V, aka my decide for the best-sounding smartphone, and the brand new the brand new ZTE Nubia Music Phone are the 2 major exceptions).

If, nonetheless, you are ready to put money into one of many greatest hi-res audio gamers or a streaming DAC/headphone amp similar to the wonderful FiiO R9 (with all the headphone ports on the entrance of it you would want for) together with a paid-for subscription to a number of of the greatest music streaming companies, these are aimed squarely at your audiophile hungry wants. 

Maybe you’ve gotten a separate devoted analogue hi-fi setup, ideally subsequent to a snug listening chair the place you wish to relaxation your headphones. The Audio-Technica ATH-AWKG could be simply what you want, good friend. 

I have not had the pleasure of testing the ATH-AWKG (I doubt that may occur; they’re actually very costly and accessible solely in restricted portions) however the idea resonates with me. Audio-Technica is not alone in in search of to harness the distinctive acoustics offered by a picket design – look to Canadian specialist Riverwood Acoustics (a agency that employs native "eco divers" to retrieve timber felled by Canadian lumberjacks greater than 100 years in the past, to then use in its audio system. I lined this for TechRadar’s sister publication, What Hi-Fi? in 2019) or the Sivga Oriole, for a couple of notable examples. 

Ultimately, Audio-Technica’s been a frontrunner in hi-fi for greater than 60 years and has been crafting picket headphones for the previous 28 of these, so if ever you had been going to put money into a picket design, A-T’s expertise and revered craftsmanship speaks for itself.