Audio-Technica

Audio-Technica Corporation
株式会社オーディオテクニカ
Private KK
Industry Audio equipment manufacturing
Founded Shinjuku, Tokyo (1962 (1962))
Founder Hideo Matsushita
Headquarters Machida, Tokyo, Japan
Key people
Kazuo Matsushita (President)
Website audio-technica.com

Audio-Technica Corporation (株式会社オーディオテクニカ, Kabushiki-gaisha Ōdio Tekunika) is a Japanese company that designs and manufactures professional microphones, headphones, phonographic magnetic cartridges, and other audio equipment.

Company history

ATH-M50 headphones

Audio-Technica was established in 1962 in Tokyo, Japan by Hideo Matsushita as a phonograph cartridge manufacturer. Its first products were the AT-1 and the AT-3 MM stereo phono cartridges. Business rapidly developed and Audio-Technica expanded into other fields.[1]

In 2008, the company celebrated the 20th anniversary of supplying microphones for US Presidential Debates. For their 50th anniversary, Audio-Technica celebrated at Consumer Electronics Show 2012, debuting their AT-LP1240-USB USB DJ Turntable[2] and ATH-CKS55i.[3] Their booth also featured a dubstep dance video, "Audio 911",[4] by dancer Marquese "Nonstop" Scott produced by video production company The DVI Group.[5]

Awards and notable uses

  • In 1965, the company received an award from the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology for its AT-1001 tone arm package.
  • In 1969, the company began exporting phono cartridges worldwide and launched the first microcassette recorders.[6]
  • In 1972, Audio-Technica established its US arm in Fairlawn, Ohio and started shipping VM phono cartridges to European manufacturers.
  • In 1974, the company's first headphones are launched, the AT-700 series.
  • Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Audio-Technica microphones and cartridges received numerous awards.
  • In 1992, the AT4033 condenser microphone is chosen the best microphone of 1991 at the Audio Engineering Society convention.
  • Audio-Technica was one of the earliest manufacturers of headset microphones for stage use, starting in 1990.
  • Audio-Technica has been supplying all the microphones for the Grammy Awards for the last 10 years[7] as well as providing audio solutions for television shows, for example, the American version of Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, as well as the Olympic and Winter Olympic Games in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012.[8]
  • In 2017, Audio-Technica Pure Digital Drive Wireless Headphone ATH-DSR9BT received CES Innovation Honoree Awards[9] by using Trigence Dnote® Technology.[10]

Technology

One of their most famous products was a battery-operated, portable record player called Mister Disc that was sold in the U.S. in the early 1980s.

In 2005, Audio-Technica developed "Uniguard", a method for making microphones resistant to radio frequency interference from cell phones, Bluetooth devices, wireless computer networks and walkie-talkies. 13 patents were involved in bringing the feature to fruition, as company engineers modified many different elements of microphone construction and operation. Over 50 existing Audio-Technica microphone models have been upgraded with the new RFI-resistant technology.[11][12][13]

An Audio-Technica AT815a shotgun microphone
An Audio-Technica AT-95e MM phono cartridge

Notable products

  • Audio-Technica AT770 (Mister Disc) - a unique portable vinyl record player
  • Audio-Technica AT2020 - a medium-diaphragm cardioid condenser microphone
  • Audio-Technica ATH-WS55 - over-ear consumer Solid Bass headphones
  • Audio-Technica ATH-WS99BT - over-ear consumer Solid Bass headphones (53mm drivers, Bluetooth 3, Class 2)
  • Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - over-ear professional studio monitor headphones
  • Audio-Technica ATH-M50x - over-ear professional studio monitor headphones (Successor to the ATH-M50)
  • Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7 - over-ear headphones and first in its class to offer high fidelity sound
  • Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT - On-Ear Wireless High-Resolution Audio Headphones
  • Air Dynamic Series - circumaural audiophile open air headphones
  • Audio-Technica ATH-AD500 - 40mm drivers
  • Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 - 53mm drivers, angled
  • Audio-Technica ATH-AD900 - 53mm drivers, reduced bass roll off
  • Audio-Technica ATH-R70x - 45mm drivers
  • Audio-Technica ATH-CKS55 - Consumer Solid Bass in-ear buds
  • Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB - Popular mid-range turntable
  • Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB - USB DJ Turntable
  • Audio-Technica AT-95e - Turntable cartridge for Hi-Fi setups
  • Audio-Technica AT11E - Turntable cartridge for Hi-Fi setups
  • Audio-Technica ATH-DSR9BT - Pure Digital Drive Wireless Headphones

See also

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-11-03. Retrieved 2009-11-25. Retrieved April 3, 2014
  2. Fenlon, Wesley (2012-01-12). "Article about Audio-Technica's 2012 CES presence". Tested.com. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  3. "Audio Technica 2012 CES Press Release about ATH-CKS55i Headphones". Audio-technica.com. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  4. ""Audio 911": Audio-Technica's Consumer Headphones Release Video. Marquese 'Nonstop' Scott". Youtube.com. 2012-01-24. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  5. "Press Release of Audio-Technica debuting 'Audio 911'". Audio-technica.com. 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  6. "Audio-Technica". www.gearogs.com. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  7. http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/news/047d03074d1474f3/index.html Retrieved April 3, 2014
  8. "Audio-Technica - About". Audio-Technica. Archived from the original on 3 November 2009. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  9. "Audio-Technica's ATH-DSR9BT Pure Digital Drive Wireless Headphones and AT-ART1000 Direct Power System Phono Cartridge Win CES 2017 Innovation Honoree Awards". Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  10. "Dnote Technology, 'Pure Digital' Audio". Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  11. "Sound & Video Contractor, January 1, 2006. John McJunkin. ''Audio-Technica UniPoint Line'': New improvements to a solid and reliable line of microphones". Svconline.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  12. Audio Courses dot com. Audio-Technica Provides UniGuard RFI Protection for New Engineered Sound Integ Archived September 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  13. "Audio Technica. ''Audio-Technica's UniGuard technology'': Protection from Radio Frequency Interference". Audio-technica.com. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
Official Audio-Technica Links
Audio-Technica Reviews & News
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