Sumiko Celebration 40 MC cartridge

The original Celebration phono cartridge was designed by Sumiko as "Celebration of Music". The design has improved over the years, but today we have something more specific to celebrate…

Celebrating our 40 years of excellence in analog technology, Sumiko is thrilled to present the latest revision of our award-winning Pearwood Celebration II, the new Celebration 40! We continued to incorporate proven and reliable design elements to ensure maximum rigidity and minimum unwanted resonance: a long-grain bur cantilever, a milled Teflon backplate, and the same MC oscillator, securely mounted on our anti-resonant aluminum frame. What we bring to the table, however, comes down to radically improved sound.

Celebration 40 now uses the same durable, ultra-light 75µm x 2.5µm Microridge stylus as our flagship Palo Santos Presentation. The addition of the Microridge stylus is a revelation when it comes to micro-detail and spatiality. Like its predecessor, Celebration 40 is not tiring, and you can completely immerse yourself in listening to music for several hours. The predominant characteristics are rich, smooth and warm, and lack analytical tendencies that can irritate the ear. Clarity, however, is not sacrificed for this tonal character. Microridge sharpeners that few others are capable of. It holds the groove adamantly and the tracking is thus flawless, portraying the music in a completely unconfusing way. Musicality, emotion, bass depth and slam with sweet mids and highs - that's what you need.

We chose a gorgeous plum wood body for the resonant characteristics we love. Like the pear tree, this flowering tree, we found, embodies the spirit of Celebration's design more accurately. It evokes a feeling of euphoria that invites you inside, reminiscent of the allure evoked by this vintage tube sound. To ensure the accuracy of the cartridge alignment procedure, we have modified the front face of the plum wood housing to clear the line of sight so that you can see the entire cantilever during installation.

Celebration 40 preamplification and loading is nearly identical to Celebration II. To get the most out of your cartridge, you need to work within the specified VTF and load ranges, but encourage your experimentation in this regard. You have a certain degree of control over how the Celebration 40 sounds in your system (like any audiophile cartridge) and we want you to find your own favorite spot. As enjoyable as this place is, we're sure Celebration 40 has something to offer any listener.