Sumiko Celebration 40 Phono Cartridge

SUMIKO Celebration 40 MC

The original Celebration phono cartridge was designed by Sumiko as a “celebration of music.” The design saw enhancements over the years, but today we’ve got something a little more specific to celebrate…

Commemorating our 40th anniversary of excellence in analog, Sumiko is enormously excited to introduce the latest refinement of our award-winning Pearwood Celebration II – the new Celebration 40! We’ve continued to implement the tried & true design elements lending to maximum rigidity and minimal unwanted resonance: a long-grain boron cantilever, milled Teflon back-plate and the same MC generator securely fixed to our anti-resonant machined aluminum cradle. However, what we’re bringing to the table amounts to radically improved sonics.

Celebration 40 now implements the same solid, ultra-low-mass 75µm x 2.5µm Microridge stylus as our flagship Palo Santos Presentation. Adding the Microridge stylus is revelatory when it comes to micro detail & spatiality. Like its predecessor, Celebration 40 is free of fatigue and you can immerse yourself in listening as hours breeze by. Prevailing characteristics are rich, smooth and warm, lacking analytical tendencies that can become grating on the ear. Clarity, however, is not sacrificed for this tonal character. The Microridge tracks like few others are capable. It holds the groove unyieldingly and tracking is thus impeccable, portraying music in a manner that’s entirely unconfused. Musicality, emotion, bass depth & slam with mid/high sweetness are what you’re in for.

We’ve selected the gorgeous plumwood body for resonance characteristics that we adore. Like pearwood, it’s a blossoming tree that we’ve found more accurately embodies the spirit of the Celebration design. It lends a sense of euphoria that invites you in, reminiscent of the charm evoked by the likes vintage tube audio. To ensure accuracy in the cartridge alignment procedure, we’ve modified the front face of the plumwood housing, clearing the sightline so you can view the entire cantilever in setup.

Pre-amplifying and loading Celebration 40 is all but identical to Celebration II. We ask that to get the absolute most from your cartridge, you operate within the specified VTF & loading ranges but encourage your experiment therein. You have a degree of control over how Celebration 40 sounds in your system (like any audiophile cartridge), and we want you to find your own sweet spot. Whatever that sweet spot may be, we are confident that Celebration 40 has something ear-opening to offer most any listener…

…and perhaps we should mention it doesn’t cost a penny more.

Hand-Crafted in Japan

From Oyster to Reference, each Sumiko phono cartridge is crafted by hand in Yokohama, Japan — near the waters where our namesake Oysters dwell. We’ve selected by ear the finest metals, diamonds & resin compounds that combine to deliver performance that has enlightened generations of listeners. Each design is thoroughly auditioned until perfected. Production is then executed by world-class cartridge makers with a collective eye for precision & quality. The result is a full horizon of cartridges eager to introduce themselves to your analog system — we firmly believe there’s a perfect cartridge for you here.