Transformers have much more benign distortion characteristics than active circuits and they are capable of producing a truly sublime soundstage with detail and separation unsurpassed by the more common transistor and op-amp alternatives. Don't be misled that transformers are an audio anachronism long since made obsolete by the wonders of modern solid state technology - they're not. The reason that they are so rarely seen nowadays is that transformers are incredibly expensive compared to transistors and chips. A complete moving coil compatible phono stage is obviously more convenient than a separate transformer and moving magnet phono stage, and a moving coil phono stage made entirely with solid state circuitry is considerably cheaper to produce than one with transformers, hence the rarity of moving coil step-up transformers. This is shame because many audiophiles have never even heard a transformer coupled moving coil cartridge and don't know how good it can sound.

The MCL uses transformers supplied by Lundahl of Sweden and is a superb step-up transformer designed specifically for modern low output moving coil cartridges and optimised for use into moving magnet phono stage inputs. It features very wide bandwidth, low distortion and carefully designed primary and secondary loading networks to optimise the performance and give beautifully reproduced transients, free from ringing. The core materials and winding techniques employed in the manufacture are unsurpassed and feature multiple primary and secondary windings configured to cancel hum pickup from external sources as well as minimise inter-winding capacitance and maximise bandwidth. The step-up ratio makes it compatible with a wide range of cartridges and our proprietary loading networks maintain a 100 ohm input impedance, also compatible with a wide range of cartridges.

Technical Specifications:

• Turns Ratio: 1:20
• Voltage Gain: 26dB (x20)
• Core Material: Cobalt Based Uncut Amorphous Strip
• Input Impedance*: 100 ohms
• Optimum Load Impedance**: 47k + 150pF
• Bandwidth: 8Hz - 75kHz (+0/-3dB)
• Cartridge Compatibility (o/p): 0.2mV - 0.7mV
• Cartridge Compatibility (imp.): Internal Impedance <20 ohms
• Dimensions: 60 x 155 x 92 mm
• Weight: 580g

* This is the load presented to the cartridge.

** This is the optimum load for the transformer, ie the input impedance of the phono stage that the MC1 feeds into.