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KUROGAKI IS AWOOD THAT COMES FROM PERSIMMON TREES AND IS PRETTY SPECIAL
£3000 /audio-technica.com
Is that leopard print?
When was the last time you had your eyes tested? Get down the opticians, pick out a nice pair of specs and come back for a closer look. Done? Good, because what we have here is a long way from Pat Butcher territory. It’s kurogaki, a unique wood that comes from persimmon trees; drying it out isn’t a simple process, so it’s considered to be pretty special in its native Japan… which is probably why Audio-Technica has named these extremely luxurious over-ears after a Shinto god.
There’s a god called ATH-AWKG?
Not quite –they’re part of a range called Narukami, one of the names for the god of thunder and lightning who’s often depicted playing drums with a pair of hammers. You can be sure you’re in for an unforgettable listen with a pair of these, then. The range also includes a headphone amp; and considering these are the kind of cans you’re supposed to pair with an expensive armchair and an only slightly less expensive whisky, you’re advised to use one for optimum results.
So what’s behind the fancy wood?
Those closed-back cups contain 53mm drivers with German Permendur magnetic circuitry, which AT says delivers powerful and expansive performance, while the Double Air Damping System provides bass so deep that you’ll think our old friend Narukami is in the next room going to town on his drums. The fabric-braided cable is detachable, and you get both quarter-inch jack and four-pin XLR-M balanced plugs in the box, which is also made of kurogaki. The earpads aren’t, luckily: they’re sheepskin, because nobody wants to run the risk of getting splinters in their lugs.
Orc of the town
It feels abit like you can get Lego anything these days –Star Wars, F
