Audio-Technica ATH-AWKT Kokutan

A special listening experience thanks to rare, premium wood 

The small-batch Audio-Technica ATH-AWKT Kokutan over-ears are the latest and greatest in Audio-Technica's storied line of premium real-wood headphones. They are meticulously assembled by hand in the company's Tokyo headquarters. And I made the clutch move of bringing them home right before our extended stay-in-place reality. I've used them for months as my go-to headphones for focused listening, and it still feels like an event every time I put them on. 

You'll certainly want to connect them to a headphone amplifier to hear them at their best. But they are efficient enough to be driven by a wide variety of amps with 1/4" unbalanced connections. I paired them with the iFi ZEN DAC/headphone amp, and found the combination worked really well — particularly with iFi's bass boost engaged for extra oomph. 

Unique wood earcups provide eye-catching looks and pleasing sound

Audio-Technica has made headphones with wood earcups for years, but this is the first time they've worked with kokutan. This rare, striped ebony wood only grows in Japan. Because of its nature, no two sets of headphones look exactly alike. But each earcup is sculpted, sanded, and finished to strict specifications.

They didn't just choose kokutan for its good looks. This durable hardwood can take centuries to mature, and is known for its high density and acoustic damping. And Audio-Technica's specially designed drivers deliver wide-open, finely detailed sound.    

Talk about "wow" factor

Looking back to when I initially received these striking headphones, you couldn't ask for a better first impression. They arrive practically gift-wrapped inside a befitting large wooden display box lined with velvet. It was the kind of presentation that screams, "there's something special inside here!" And there is.

They look like a piece of art when sunken into that pillow-soft velvet lining. Then, the feel — and even the smell — of the wooden earcups and sheepskin leather ear pads exude another layer of quality. Those oversized earcups have some heft, but they were smooth to the touch and felt much lighter on my head than they looked. 

Relaxed, yet secure fit

A split-style headband helps distribute the weight across the crown of your head. On my head, it clamped a bit on either side, just above my ears, but felt relaxed around the jaw. The headphones felt secure and stayed in place just fine for me, but I could see them being too loose around the jaw for people with smaller or narrower heads. 

Sheepskin lines both the headband and ear pads. While the pads are soft, they are pretty thin compared to other headphones of similar size. But they are angled to properly direct the drivers to your ears, which helps shape the extra spacious soundscape.