Cartridges — Air Tight PC-1 Supreme

The PC-1 Supreme is an ultra-low impedance moving coil cartridge from Air Tight. It uses a boron cantilever supported by a step-taper duralumin pipe plus a semi-line stylus with a 0.1mm-square diamond and a 3 x 30 micron contact profile.

Key specs that matter

Output is 0.4mV at 1kHz and internal impedance is 1 ohm DCR. Frequency response is 10Hz to 50kHz, channel balance within 0.5dB and crosstalk better than 30dB at 1kHz. Dynamic compliance is 8 x 10-6 cm/dyne, recommended tracking force 1.9 to 2.2g, and the cartridge weighs 12g.

Engineering and use context

The magnetic circuit combines a neodymium #50 magnet with SH-uX high permeability core material. Thick coil wire keeps the number of turns low, which explains the very low internal impedance. The low output calls for a step-up device or a high gain MC phono input.

Alternatives

Air Tight's later PC-1 coda is the successor moving coil cartridge in the same series.