発電方式：MC型
出力電圧：0.35mV
適正針圧：1.75～2.0g
インピーダンス：6.0Ω
質量：15g
A creator’s passion brings music vividly to life
A premium model featuring a diamond cantilever
For the first time in IKEDA's history, a diamond cantilever has been adopted.
The stylus tip features a micro-ridge profile for exceptional groove tracing.
Both the base and body are precisely machined from titanium alloy,
while the inner base utilizes a high-damping special alloy engineered for outstanding vibration absorption.
Its exterior is finished in pink gold via ion plating after meticulous polishing.
Newly adopted PCOCC wire is used for the coil leads.
Through IKEDA’s craftsmanship—shaped by the past, refined in the present, and advancing into the future—
this model draws you into the very heart of the great music etched onto your records.
Written in 2022.
After taking over IKEDA Sound Labs. in 2012, I reached my tenth year at the helm.
To mark this milestone, I felt a strong desire to create something that would stand as a lasting legacy—crafted using the very best technology and materials available to me at the time.
The result was a cartridge featuring a diamond cantilever and a micro-ridge stylus tip.
The base and body are precision-machined from titanium alloy, and the surface is polished and finished in pink gold.
For the yoke base, we employed a specially engineered damping alloy with exceptional vibration and acoustic absorption characteristics.
The process of fine-tuning the sound through different plating methods and material combinations took more than six months.
But in the end, I was able to create a product that I truly wished to share with our customers.
The deeper you dive into this craft, the more you realize there is no such thing as “finished”—there’s always more to explore.
And that’s the beauty of analog: it keeps expanding the joy of listening.
This cartridge is named Akiko, a name I had long reserved in my heart.
It carries my passion, and my gratitude, embedded in every note it brings to life.
The scale of expression is immense. When a signal is fully captured and nothing is lost in transmission, this is the kind of energy that emerges. This is a level of fidelity that clearly sets itself apart from what we’ve heard from records until now—undeniably a different dimension of analog reproduction.
Consider the elasticity and texture of Baroque music here—the warmth, the density, the tactile softness. Has such a sound ever truly existed before?
The balance between low strings and violins is exceptional, shifting effortlessly from weighty gravitas to airy lightness. The range of expression is simply beyond words. The more I listened, the more deeply the richness of each note resonated within me.
The piano, in particular, feels startlingly real. The low registers are rich, solid, and full of weight—yet never muddy or smeared. There’s no unwanted resonance clinging to the sound; everything is clean and clear, with a beautiful sense of release.
Even the finest upper-register passages are colored with lush reverberation, yet remain sharply defined. It’s as if the piano is right in front of me, the sound utterly unaltered.
I could almost see the studio space with my eyes—it’s that vivid.
Chamber music overflows with warmth and liquidity. The string tones dance lightly and gracefully through the air. There is no shortage of the signature density and springiness of bowed instruments, but across the full frequency range, the detail is astonishing—subtle textures and tonal shading bring a remarkable depth to the expression.
As for orchestral works—one word: electrifying. Strings, flutes, trumpets, timpani—each rises with fierce clarity, sharp and precise in attack. That immediacy only enhances the sense of realism.
It felt as though every detail from the record’s grooves had been fully brought to life in sound.
The true potential of the diamond cantilever has been fully realized. Its impact is felt in every aspect of the listening experience. The emotion it evokes is deeply stirring—utterly captivating.
Product Name: Akiko
Generator Type: MC (Moving Coil)
Output Voltage: 0.35 mV
Recommended Tracking Force: 1.75–2.0 g
Impedance: 6.0 Ω
Weight: 15 g
