Audio-Technica Kokutan / ATH-AWKT

We’ve long been fans of Audio-Technica’s premium series of wooden, closed-back headphones. The new range-topping Kokutan simply reinforce that positivity. Kokutan is the Japanese name for the striped ebony hardwood – claimed to have good self-damping properties – used for the earcups, although in some markets they also go under the somewhat less characterful name of ATH-AWKT.

At 405g, these headphones aren’t flyweights,