Press Release
Audio-Technica Corporation Receives the Platinum A' Design Award for Hotaru Record Player in Audio and Sound Equipment Design
The international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Audio-Technica Corporation for audio and sound equipment design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 25, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Hotaru Record Player by Audio-Technica Corporation, designed for Audio-Technica, has been granted the Platinum A' Design Award in the Audio and Sound Equipment Design category. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Platinum A' Design Award Explained
The Platinum A' Design Award is recognized for honoring designs that stand at the forefront of creativity and innovation. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the A' Design Awards, acknowledging works that blend remarkable innovation with impactful societal contributions. These designs not only showcase exceptional artistic and technical proficiency but also highlight their creators' commitment to advancing the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Recipients of this award are celebrated for their role in shaping the aesthetics and trends of our time, contributing significantly to the enhancement of quality of life and promoting sustainable development.
About Hotaru Record Player
Transform your space with this stunning turntable. Its floating platter seamlessly merges sound and light, creating an immersive sensory experience. The minimalist cartridge and tonearm deliver pristine audio and visual elegance, while the concealed belt sub-platter drive minimizes vibrations for pure sound clarity. Crafted from premium acrylic, aluminum, and brass, this system not only offers exceptional audio quality but also serves as a striking centerpiece in any room.
About Audio-Technica Corporation
Since its founding in 1962, Audio-Technica has been a leading Japanese audio manufacturer, committed to innovation in sound technology based on its unique "analog" philosophy, which emphasizes that human sensitivity and humanity are the essence of richness. Starting with analog cartridges, the product lineup has expanded to include headphones, microphones, turntables, and wireless earphones. Its high-quality products, focused on sound quality, are beloved by audio enthusiasts around the world as well as engineers and artists working in professional environments. These products support music and sports events, as well as business communication.
Award Record
Audio-Technica Corporation is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Audio and Sound Equipment Design Award
The A' Audio Products Design Award is an international product design competition recognizing best audio equipment by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to audio product designers, sound equipment designers, industrial designers and product engineers from all countries. Entries typically include headphones, microphones, speakers, amplifiers, soundbars and turntables. Awarded audio products designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/audio-products
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/170557
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/170557
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!170557
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/366615
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Hotaru Record Player
- Function
- Record Player
- Category
- Audio and Sound Equipment Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Electronics & Appliances and Entertainment
- Colors
- Gainsboro, Dark Slate Gray, Black, Dim Gray and Light Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Audio-Technica
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Audio-Technica Corporation
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Platinum A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #170557
Credits
- Team
- Yuma Murakami, Yosuke Koizumi and Tomohiro Shiraga
- Image Credits
- Audio-Technica Corporation
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This strikingly designed turntable features a floating platter that seamlessly integrates into any space, creating an atmosphere of harmony and depth. Its innovative design fuses sound and light for a captivating sensory experience. The minimalist cartridge and tonearm, paired with a concealed belt sub-platter drive, ensure both sonic clarity and visual elegance. Crafted from premium materials like acrylic, aluminum, and brass, the system delivers an unparalleled audio experience.
- Inspiration
- We envisioned a musical experience that transcends the ordinary. We believe that the moment of listening to an analog record holds the potential for more than just sound - it can be a captivating spectacle. With its floating analog record and ethereal glow, HOTARU is designed to stimulate the senses and create an immersive world where every moment becomes a cherished memory. This is our vision - to elevate the act of listening to an unforgettable sensory experience.
- Research
- Speaker-integrated turntables typically use rubber or springs for vibration damping. But this time we considered a method of suppressing vibration by using magnetic repulsion to float the turntable from the speaker. Through repeated prototyping and signal analysis, we realized to achieve effects greater than existing structures. Generally, vibration suppression structures are internal mechanisms, but through these studies, we succeeded in sublimating this mechanism into an external design.
- Challenge
- The challenge was to make sure that the magnets used in the floating structure didn't affect the cartridge. This was especially important for cartridges, which contain strong magnets. If any magnetic energy leaked from the floating structure, it could directly lead to an unusual tracking force and sensitivity to movement. By using tools that analyze magnetic flux in product development and adding the right shielding materials to the case, we solved this problem.
- Realization and Technology
- The floating turntable, achieved through powerful magnetic repulsion, eliminates unwanted vibrations, unlocking the full potential of the cartridge. It also seamlessly blends function and aesthetics with a minimalist VM cartridge and carbon tonearm. Precision-crafted acrylic, a high-quality aluminum case with integrated speakers, and solid brass feet create a refined aesthetic. The meticulously engineered structure produces a depth and richness of sound that defies its compact size.
- Operation and Interaction
- It is operated using three knobs. The left knob selects the lighting mode, type, and brightness. The center knob selects the turntable speed. The right knob controls the speaker volume.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in December 2022 in Japan and will be exhibited in Milan Design Week in April 2025.
- Keywords
- analog, floating, turntable, record player, vinyl, music
