Audio-Technica is pleased to introduce the AT-ART20, the latest cartridge in our ART Series that will allow you to experience a new world of sound. As with previous magnetic core cartridges in our high-end lineup, we had two main goals in developing the AT-ART20: provide superlative analog performance and offer sound reproduction that matches the life-like expressiveness of non-magnetic core cartridges. Based on cartridge technologies and know-how cultivated over our long history, and employing the best materials and advanced processing techniques, we created a magnetic core moving coil cartridge that’s optimally structured to reproduce sound with the full expressiveness of a live performance.

The high-frequency range of the AT-ART20 is expansive and detailed, while the low-frequency sound, which cartridges tend to bury, is reproduced with full clarity and force. Vocals come through with all the variety and expressiveness of the human voice even at low volumes, and the full character of the sound source blossoms anew for the listener with extended sound depth and rich spatial expression that convey the original environment of the performance.

Like its predecessor, the AT-ART1000X features a direct power system that places the dual moving coil directly above the stylus tip, ensuring that the audio quality does not suffer the negative effects normally introduced by the cantilever's length and material type. Having the coils move in such close proximity to the stylus tip allows the cartridge to vividly render even the most subtle sonic details and provide unsurpassed transient response. The newly developed coils for this model are rectangular, however, not round, in order to position more of their surface area in the magnetic field. This enables the cartridge to more accurately reproduce strong modulations, resulting in improved output voltage and an expanded low-frequency range.

Each non-magnetic core coil is constructed of 20 μm (0.79 mil) diameter PCOCC (Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting) wire handwound eight turns to create a 1.1 mm × 0.6 mm (0.043" × 0.024") rectangle. The coils are contained in ultra-thin 25 μm (0.98 mil) special film and placed in the tiny 0.5 mm (0.020") gap of a powerful magnetic circuit, enabling each coil to generate an output voltage of 0.22 mV with a coil impedance of 3.5 Ω, despite having a non-magnetic core.