Cables and accessories

Sumiko

Sumiko has hand-built moving magnet and moving coil phono cartridges in Japan since 1982. Absolute Sound is the distributor for Sumiko in Singapore and Malaysia.

Hand-built in Yokohama since 1982

Sumiko today means one thing: the cartridge line, made by hand at Excel Sound’s workshop in Yokohama, using materials sourced within Japan. It was not always that narrow. For decades the Sumiko name also covered the separate business that imported turntables, tonearms and electronics into North America. That side of the company was renamed Fine Sounds Americas in 2022, specifically to stop the two being confused, leaving Sumiko to mean the cartridges alone. Since 2010, Sumiko has been part of the McIntosh Group, the same ownership group behind Sonus Faber, though design and manufacture have stayed with the Yokohama workshop throughout.

The Sumiko range

Sumiko phono cartridge with a terracotta-coloured body above a spinning record.
Sumiko phono cartridge with a blue stylus housing tracking a record against a teal background.
Sumiko phono cartridge with a yellow stylus housing above a record.

Oyster Seriesmoving magnet cartridges spanning the entry-level Rainier through Olympia, Moonstone and Wellfleet to the range-topping Amethyst, plus the moving-coil Blue Point No. 3.

Reference Seriesmoving-coil cartridges for the most demanding replay: Songbird, Starling and the flagship Oriole.

Model-by-model specifications live on the manufacturer’s site: sumikophonocartridges.com

Common questions about Sumiko

Is Sumiko still an audio distributor as well as a cartridge maker?

Not any more. Sumiko once also named the US business that imported turntables, tonearms and electronics; that company was renamed Fine Sounds Americas in 2022, specifically to end the confusion. Sumiko today refers only to the cartridge line.

Are Sumiko cartridges made in Japan or the United States?

Japan. Though the Sumiko name and its US headquarters trace back to an American import business, every cartridge has always been hand-built at Excel Sound’s workshop in Yokohama, using materials sourced within the country.
Yes, by ownership. Both have been part of the McIntosh Group since Sumiko joined in 2010, the same group behind Sonus Faber and McIntosh Laboratory, though each brand designs and builds independently.

What is the difference between the Oyster and Reference Series?

Oyster covers moving magnet cartridges from entry-level to the flagship Amethyst, plus one moving-coil model, the Blue Point No. 3. Reference is Sumiko’s moving-coil line proper, built for the most demanding replay.

Hear Sumiko for yourself

Come and hear Sumiko at our showrooms. Tell us what you would like to listen to and we will have it playing when you arrive.

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