Handcrafted Sumiko Celebration 40 Moving-Coil Phono Cartridge Offers Impeccable Tracking, Compelling Bass Depth, and Superb Midrange Clarity

It is only fitting that the phono cartridge experts at Sumiko would commemorate their revered company's 40th anniversary by introducing an exquisite, moving-coil masterpiece: the Celebration 40 MC Phono Cartridge. Sumiko proudly designed this model as a refinement of its award-winning Pearwood Celebration II. The Celebration 40 cartridge delivers ultra-precise, impeccable tracking; compelling bass depth, weight, and slam; and superb midrange clarity. The innovative design allows for maximum rigidity and minimal unwanted resonance. Key design characteristics include a long-grain boron cantilever, a milled Teflon back-plate, and an MC generator securely fixed to the anti-resonant, machined-aluminum cradle.

Decades of engineering expertise have resulted in significantly improved sonics. Celebration 40 uses the same solid, ultra-low-mass Microridge stylus as the flagship Palo Santos Presentation. Adding the Microridge stylus is revelatory when it comes to extracting micro-detail and conveying a sense of space. Like its predecessor, Celebration 40 delivers truly fatigue-free listening, so you can explore your record collection for hours at a time. Precise clarity, rich authenticity, and balanced tonal character are the name of the game here.

The Microridge tracks like a champ, holding the groove unyieldingly, allowing you to experience unexpected nuances in albums you may have heard dozens of times. Sumiko's engineers designed Celebration 40 to deliver cohesive musicality, deep emotion, engaging midrange texture, and sweet, soaring high frequencies. Pre-amplifying and loading Celebration 40 was done essentially the same way as that of the Celebration II.

The gorgeous plumwood body was chosen for its sonic character. Like pearwood, it's a blossoming tree that embodies the celebratory spirit. It generates a sense of euphoria that invites you in—reminiscent of the charm evoked by classic, vintage-tube audio.

To ensure accuracy in the cartridge-alignment procedure, Sumiko modified the front face of the plumwood housing, clearing the sightline so you can view the entire cantilever during setup. To get the most from your cartridge, Sumiko recommends operating within the specified vertical tracking force (VTF) and loading ranges, but you can experiment to get the sound that suits your preferences. Indeed, you have a degree of control over how Celebration 40 sounds in your system.

Order a Celebration 40 today, or, if you have any questions, contact a Music Direct audio consultant to learn how a high-quality Sumiko phono cartridge can make a world of difference in the performance of your turntable.

Japan-Based Sumiko Offers Hand-Built Quality

Since the production of its first model in 1982, Sumiko has focused on creating phono cartridges that combine state-of-the-art technical performance with the practical requirements of superb tracking, as well as a musical, non-fatiguing, sonic presentation. Each design is thoroughly auditioned until it has been perfected. All Sumiko cartridges are hand-built in Japan by exceptionally skilled artisans, with an emphasis on precision, exquisite build quality, and fantastic sonic performance.