Audio-Technica 12S (c. 1973)
Little is documented about the Audio-Technica 12S, and what survives calls it the AT12S. The one solid record is an advertisement, not a review. Audio-Technica's own advertising in High Fidelity (December 1973, p.62) described the AT12S as a phono cartridge with a genuine Shibata diamond stylus and Dual Magnet construction. It claimed response flat to 45 kHz and listed a suggested retail price of $49.95. The ad pitched it for use with both stereo and four-channel records.
Beyond that ad, essentially nothing else has surfaced. There is no independent test report, no service literature and no confirmed production dates. From the wording of the advertisement, it appears to have been one of Audio-Technica's early-1970s cartridge designs using a Shibata stylus.
Known from the period ad:
- Phono cartridge, Dual Magnet construction
- Genuine Shibata diamond stylus
- Claimed frequency response flat to 45 kHz
- Suggested retail: $49.95
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