Sumiko Celebration 40 Cartridge

• Superior sound
• Extreme sampling capability
• Micro-ridge diamond cut
• Boron needle carrier
• Plum wood cabinet

•  Celebrating music: the Sumiko Celebration 40

The original Celebration cartridge was designed by Sumiko as a "celebration of music". The design has undergone improvements over the years, but today we have something special to celebrate: to mark the 40th anniversary of our outstanding analogue products, Sumiko is very pleased to introduce the latest evolution of the multi-award winning Pearwood Celebration II - the new Celebration 40! We've retained the tried-and-tested design elements that ensure maximum rigidity and minimal unwanted resonance: a long-fibre boron boom, a machined Teflon backplate and the same MC generator securely attached to our low-resonance machined aluminium bracket. What we bring to the table, however, is radically improved sound.

The Celebration 40 now features the same ultra-low-mass 75µm x 2.5µm Microridge needle as our flagship Palo Santos Presentation. The Microridge diamond is a revelation when it comes to micro detail and spatiality. Like its predecessor, the Celebration 40 is fatigue-free and you can spend hours immersed in listening. The predominant characteristics are rich, smooth and warm, with no analytical tendencies that can get on the ear. Clarity, however, is not sacrificed for this sonic character. The Microridge follows the grooves as few others can. It maintains the groove relentlessly and the tracking is impeccable, so the music is reproduced completely unadulterated. Musicality, emotion, deep and rich bass and sweet mids/trebles are what you can expect. 

We have chosen the magnificent plum wood body for its resonance characteristics, which we value highly. Like pearwood, it is a flowering tree that we feel best embodies the spirit of the Celebration design. It gives a feeling of euphoria that invites you in and reminds you of the charm of old tube instruments. To ensure accuracy when aligning the cartridge, we have modified the front of the plumwood cabinet so that you can see the entire cantilever when setting it up. 

To get the most out of your cartridge, we ask that you stay within the specified VTF and loading ranges, but we encourage you to experiment a little. Like any audiophile cartridge, you have some control over how Celebration 40 sounds in your system, and we want you to find your own sweet spot. Whatever that sweet spot may be, we're confident that Celebration 40 has something to open the ears of almost any listener.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

• Output voltage: 0.5mV
• Amplifier connection/termination: Phono MC/100Ω - 1kΩ.
• Weight: 7g
• Dynamic needle compliance, lateral: 12μm*.
• Sensing diamond: MicroRidge (r/R 2.5 x 75μm)
• Boron needle carrier
• Rosewood housing
• Tracking force: 2g

 * Needle compliance measured at 100Hz