Finding your groove: getting into vinyl with Audio-Technica
I’d like to think that I could’ve been friends with the late Hideo Matsushita, founder of Japanese Hi-Fi powerhouse Audio-Technica. If I could, I’d travel back in time to 1960’s Tokyo, where a young Matsushita curated “vinyl listening sessions” at the Bridgestone Museum of Arts, exposing visitors to the sounds and possibilities of high end audio and the warmth of vinyl records. I imagine sitting with him in a mod coffee shop, listening to the stories of what he witnessed in those sessions, the conversations he had with visitors, and what ultimately motivated him to head back to his small apartment above a ramen restaurant and start an audio company of his own. In the histories I’ve read regarding AT’s humble beginnings, Matsushita’s motives seem clear. Produce high end audio at affordable prices, bringing audio excellence into spaces and to customers that simply didn’t have access to it before. His first two products, the AT-1 and AT-3 phono cartridges did exactly that, and...
Dec 6, 2023
Sample track to give you an idea: https://studiomdhr.bandcamp.com/track/junkyard-jive
First listened to it with my Gustard X20U DAC ->STAX SRM-323S driver unit -> KossESP950.... twas incredible experience with all the detail, speed, and imaging.
Currently listening with my DFR -> Schiit Loki (switch on bypass for TH-X00PH) -> modded Gustard H10 (custom vented top, heat sinked internals, Burson V6 vivid opamps) -> modded TH-X00PH.... DAT SWEET SWEET PRESENTATION OF PERCUSSION , BRASS, AND PIANO!
Picture of setup below: