STOW, OHIO, June, 2024 — Audio-Technica today announced the introduction of its new top-of-the-line phono cartridge, the AT-ART1000X Direct Power Stereo Moving Coil Cartridge. Hand built in Tokyo, Japan, the AT-ART1000X builds upon the engineering excellence of the previous rave-reviewed AT-ART1000 with improvements in design and materials, and threaded mounting holes for easier installation.
Innovative New Design
Unlike conventional moving coil cartridges, the AT-ART1000X’s Direct Power System places its dual moving coils on top of the stylus tip rather than at the base of the cantilever, enabling the cartridge to deliver extraordinary fidelity with greater musical detail. The AT-ART1000X’s coils are now rectangular rather than round, which positions more of their surface area in the magnetic field. This provides improved reproduction of record groove modulations, along with a higher output voltage for better signal-to-noise ratio and an expanded low-frequency range.
“By placing the moving coils, which convert the motion of the stylus and cantilever into electrical signals, directly on top of the stylus, the effects of the cantilever’s length and material type are minimized,” noted Yosuke Koizumi, Audio-Technica Cartridge Engineer. “This design and the additional refinements we’ve made to the AT-ART1000X achieve a new level of sonic realism, with remarkable resolution, tonal and spatial accuracy, and dynamic impact.”
Pure Copper Coils Make A Difference
Each of the AT-ART1000X’s two moving coils is made of 20 µm diameter PCOCC (Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting) wire, hand-wound in eight turns to create a 1.1 mm x 0.6 mm (0.043 in x 0.024-inch) rectangle. The coils are contained in an ultra-thin 25 µm (0.98 mil) special film and housed in an 0.5 mm (0.020-inch) gap of the powerful magnetic circuit (smaller than the previous 0.6 mm gap), enabling each coil to generate a higher 0.22 millivolt output with a 3.5-ohm coil impedance, despite having a non-magnetic core.
The AT-ART1000X employs a special line-contact stylus and solid boron cantilever for superb accuracy in tracking the record groove.
The support base for the magnetic circuit, stylus and cantilever is made from titanium. The base, and the cartridge’s aluminum housing and hard plastic cover all operate together to disperse any internal resonances that would otherwise affect sound quality. In addition, a special coating protects the magnetic circuit from corrosion. The musical result is rich, natural full-bodied reproduction of vocals and instruments, with weight, presence, and depth, presented on an expansive soundstage.
The Audio-Technica AT-ART1000X Direct Power Stereo Moving Coil Cartridge is now available at US$5,499.00/ CAD$7,574. For the Silo, Jamie Bobek.
When the Earth, Moon, and Sun line up in space, we can see an eclipse. NASA studies eclipses from the ground, in our atmosphere, and in space, influencing solar, planetary, and Earth science.
Today on April 8, the Moon’s shadow will sweep across the United States and Canada, as millions will view a total solar eclipse. For many, preparing for this event brings memories of the magnificent total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017.
The total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, was photographed from Madras, Oregon. The black circle in the middle is the Moon. Surrounding it are white streams of light belonging to the Sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona.
NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
In 2017, an estimated 215 million U.S. and Canadian adults (88% of U.S. adults) viewed the solar eclipse, either directly or electronically. They experienced the Moon pass in front of the Sun, blocking part or all of our closest star’s bright face. The eclipse in 2024 could be even more exciting due to differences in the path, timing, and scientific research.
Wider, More Populated Path
The path of totality – where viewers can see the Moon totally block the Sun, revealing the star’s outer atmosphere, called the corona – is much wider during the upcoming total solar eclipse than it was during the eclipse in 2017 and is expected to occur for viewers along the Great Lakes at 3:33pm EDT. As the Moon orbits Earth, its distance from our planet varies. During the 2017 total solar eclipse, the Moon was a little bit farther away from Earth than it will be during the upcoming total solar eclipse, causing the path of that eclipse to be a little skinnier. In 2017, the path ranged from about 62 to 71 miles wide. During the April eclipse, the path over North America will range between 108 and 122 miles wide – meaning at any given moment, this eclipse covers more ground.
The 2024 eclipse path will also pass over more cities and densely populated areas than the 2017 path did. This will make it easier for more people to see totality. An estimated 31.6 million people live in the path of totality this year, compared to 12 million in 2017. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path of totality.
This map shows the path of the 2017 total solar eclipse, crossing from Oregon to South Carolina, and the 2024 total solar eclipse, crossing from Mexico into Texas, up to Maine, and exiting over Canada.To see a map showing which areas will experience the partial solar eclipse and which areas will experience the total solar eclipse today April 8, 2024, click the arrows.Ernest Wright/NASA’s Scientific Visualization StudioThis map illustrates the paths of the Moon’s shadow across the U.S. during the 2024 total solar eclipse. Today April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North and Central America creating a path of totality. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon completely blocks the Sun while it passes between the Sun and Earth. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk and those standing in the path of totality may see the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) if weather permits.To see a map comparing the 2024 eclipse and the 2017 eclipse paths, click the arrows.NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio/Michala Garrison; Eclipse Calculations By Ernie Wright, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
You don’t need to live within the path of totality to see the eclipse – in April, 99% of people who reside in the United States will be able to see the partial or total eclipse from where they live. Every contiguous U.S. state, plus parts of Alaska and Hawaii, will experience at least a partial solar eclipse.
Longer Time in Totality
Today, totality will last longer than it did in 2017. Seven years ago, the longest period of totality was experienced near Carbondale, Illinois, at 2 minutes, 42 seconds.
For the upcoming eclipse, totality will last up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds, in an area about 25 minutes northwest of Torreón, Mexico. As the eclipse enters Texas, totality will last about 4 minutes, 26 seconds at the center of the eclipse’s path. Durations longer than 4 minutes stretch as far north as Economy, Indiana. Even as the eclipse exits the U.S. and enters Canada, the eclipse will last up to 3 minutes, 21 seconds.
During any total solar eclipse, totality lasts the longest near the center of the path, widthwise, and decreases toward the edge. But those seeking totality shouldn’t worry that they need to be exactly at the center. The time in totality falls off pretty slowly until you get close to the edge.
Heightened Solar Activity
NASA/ESA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured this video of a coronal mass ejection on March 13, 2023.NASA/ESA/SOHOSome prominences are seen as the Moon begins to move off the Sun during the total solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, above Madras, Oregon.NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
Every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field flips, causing a cycle of increasing then decreasing solar activity. During solar minimum, there are fewer giant eruptions from the Sun, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. But during solar maximum, the Sun becomes more active.
In 2017, the Sun was nearing solar minimum. Viewers of the total eclipse could see the breathtaking corona – but since the Sun was quiet, streamers flowing into the solar atmosphere were restricted to just the equatorial regions of the star. The Sun is more magnetically symmetrical during solar minimum, causing this simpler appearance. During today’s 2024 eclipse, the Sun will be in or near solar maximum, when the magnetic field is more like a tangled hairball. Streamers will likely be visible throughout the corona. In addition to that, viewers will have a better chance to see prominences – which appear as bright, pink curls or loops coming off the Sun.
With lucky timing, there could even be a chance to see a coronal mass ejection – a large eruption of solar material – during the eclipse.
Expanded Scientific Research
The third rocket launched on Oct. 14, 2023, during the annular solar eclipse leaves the launch pad.
WSMR Army Photo
During the total eclipse in 2024, NASA is funding several research initiatives that build on research done during the 2017 eclipse. The projects, which are led by researchers at different academic institutions, will study the Sun and its influence on Earth with a variety of instruments, including cameras aboard high-altitude research planes, ham radios, and more. In addition to those projects, instruments that were launched during the 2023 annular solar eclipse on three sounding rockets will again be launched during the upcoming total solar eclipse.
Two spacecraft designed to study the Sun’s corona – NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA’s Solar Orbiter – have also launched since the 2017 solar eclipse. These missions will provide insights from the corona itself, while viewers on Earth see it with their own eyes, providing an exciting opportunity to combine and compare viewpoints.
To learn more about the 2024 total solar eclipse and how you can safely watch it, visit NASA’s eclipse website.
