News

Audio-Technica has a long tradition of producing headphones in a variety of woods, including everything from the alpine cherry of the ATH-W10VTG to the ATH-W1000Z’s (HFC 402) teak. Now it has added the £1,700 Kokutan and £1,300 Asada Zakura to its flagship wooden range.

The closed-back dynamic Asada Zakura (above) is made from a rare Japanese wood said to have excellent acoustic properties. Its 53mm driver has a diamond-like coating called DLC for improved frequency response, a quoted sensitivity of 99dB/mW and claims to produce a rich sound with a gentle low range alongside crisper mid and high frequencies.

The darker striped ebony housing of the Kokutan is split into two separate acoustic chambers for smoother bass reproduction in a proprietary Double Air Damping System that AT has dubbed DADS. Its 53mm driver employs Permendur magnetic circuitry for a wider soundfield and its responsive titanium flange is said to allow the diaphragm to react to audio signals with supreme accuracy. Another closed-back dynamic offering, it claims 102dB/mW sensitivity.

The Kokutan and Asada Sakura are expected to be available any day and you can find out more about them on Audio-Technica's website.