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
Bonus
Post a photo of a ticket stub with the vinyl!
Anyone who's followed me throughout my time at Massdrop knows that I love the Audio-Technica AD2000's (and Audio-Technica in general). They're notably excellent with presenting female vocals and Kate Bush is one of the most amazing vocalists to have lived; it's a perfect pairing! I was also lucky enough to attend one of her live shows in London—her first in 35 years!
I must say, in all honestly, that I don't spend much time listening to my vinyl with headphones. Maybe that's something to get into in the future.