Sumiko Celebration 40 MC Cartridge 0.5mV

Next-Gen Reference Moving Coil Phono Pickup

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

Commemorating their 40th anniversary of excellence in analog, Sumiko is enormously excited to introduce the latest refinement of their award-winning Pearwood Celebration II – the new Celebration 40! Sumiko 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 their anti-resonant machined aluminum cradle. However, what Sumiko is 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 Sumiko's 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.

Sumiko selected the gorgeous plumwood body for resonance characteristics that they adore. Like pearwood, it’s a blossoming tree that they'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, Sumiko 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. Sumiko 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 they want you to find your own sweet spot. Whatever that sweet spot may be, Sumiko is confident that Celebration 40 has something ear-opening to offer most any listener…

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