Audio-Technica AT-ART20 — Magnetic-core moving coil cartridge with Special Line Contact stylus

The AT-ART20 is the magnetic-core moving coil with which Audio-Technica crowns its ART series. The housing combines an aluminium base, a titanium cover and an elastomer undercover: three materials with different resonances that, together, spread vibration instead of concentrating it. The titanium is machined with the cutting and polishing techniques of Sabae's optical industry in Fukui Prefecture, which allows a curved profile and a very thin wall without losing stiffness, and hence a body of just 9 grams.

The magnetic circuit starts from the AT-ART9XI, with the front yoke 0.6 mm thicker to raise flux density; efficiency climbs enough to gain more than 15% output voltage without adding coil turns, which is exactly what would have increased mass and impedance. The stylus is a nude Special Line Contact mounted on a rectangular shank in a 0.28 mm solid boron cantilever, with a titanium stylus reinforcement plate that keeps the assembly light. Output is 0.55 mV, the coil is 12 ohms and 25 µH, recommended load is 100 ohms or more, and response reaches 50 kHz with 30 dB separation.

This is a cartridge for a finished high-end system: it wants a low-noise MC phono stage with 60-65 dB of gain and a load of at least 100 ohms — not the 47 kohms of a moving magnet — and a medium-mass arm able to control its 9 grams. Tracking force is 1.8 grams, between 1.6 and 2.0 g, and the integrated M2.6 threads make mounting easy on headshells and integrated arms. Like every MC from the house, the stylus is not user-replaceable and Audio-Technica offers a paid repair service; this is a piece to listen to for years, not to swap every season.

Technical specifications:

• Type: magnetic-core moving coil (MC), 1/2 inch mount
• Stylus: nude Special Line Contact, rectangular shank, 1.5 × 0.28 mil
• Cantilever: solid boron, 0.28 mm
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 50,000 Hz
• Channel separation: 30 dB (1 kHz)
• Output voltage: 0.55 mV (1 kHz, 5 cm/s)
• Coil impedance: 12 ohms (1 kHz)
• DC resistance: 12 ohms
• Inductance: 25 µH (1 kHz)
• Recommended load: ≥ 100 ohms
• Tracking force: 1.6-2.0 g (1.8 g standard)
• Vertical tracking angle: 20°
• Static / dynamic compliance: 23 / 13 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne
• Dimensions: 17.3 × 16.8 × 26.6 mm (W × D × H)
• Weight: 9.0 g
• Accessories: non-magnetic screwdriver, brush, 2 washers, M2.6 screws of 5, 8, 10 and 12 mm, protector