Головки звукоснимателя — Clearaudio CONCEPT MC

The concept MC is the entry point to moving coil cartridges at Clearaudio, whose cartridges are built in Erlangen, Germany. Clearaudio presents it together with the concept MC Signature as two true MC designs for buyers on a tighter budget, and says a clever magnet arrangement lets it reach a level unusual for its class. Buyers of the standard concept MC can choose silver or black, while the Signature appears in a black anodised finish.

Key specs that matter

Output is 0.4 mV at 5 cm/s, from coils wound with copper wire. Internal impedance of the cartridge is 11 ohm. The frequency range spans 20 Hz to 20 kHz, channel separation is better than 28 dB and the channel balance deviation stays under 0.5 dB. Tracking ability is quoted at 80 µm, and Clearaudio recommends a vertical force of 2.2 g within 0.2 g either way. The stylus is a Micro Line diamond on a boron cantilever, and compliance is 9 µ/mN, lower than the 15 µ/mN typical of the brand's MM models. The complete cartridge weighs 8.0 g. The two-year warranty applies once the warranty card is returned within 14 days of purchase.

Engineering and use context

Its housing is made of an aluminium-magnesium alloy and finished with an anodised surface that Clearaudio lists as a ceramic coating. The low mass of that housing is why the maker says the cartridge can be used on many tonearms and in different applications. According to Clearaudio, combining a boron cantilever with a Micro Line diamond allows the cartridge to read fine groove information while bringing core MC technology down to an accessible price. The tight channel balance, together with the low impedance and high trackability, is what the maker cites for precise and stable playback. The Signature version shares the housing, the boron and Micro Line assembly and the total weight, but is selected for better than 0.3 dB balance and more than 30 dB separation.

Pairing

With its low output the concept MC needs a phono stage with a true MC setting or a step-up transformer, since a standard MM input does not provide enough gain. The low source impedance makes it suitable for step-up transformers with a low primary impedance and for MC stages with a low load setting.

Alternatives

The Clearaudio concept MC Signature is the hand-selected step-up version of this moving coil design within the same entry range.