MC-1B

About the MC-1B

The Jan Allaerts MC-1B is a moving coil phono cartridge featuring a boron cantilever equipped with a specially polished diamond tip. Its motor unit is based on an EMT design but extensively modified, with hand-wound coils on a soft iron square core. The cartridge housing is made of solid brass with a 0.3mm thin brass cover coated with 24ct gold foil, acting as a Faraday cage to reduce interference. It outputs a healthy 0.5mV signal and is designed to be used with a 100 Ohm load, either with an active phono stage or a 15:1 step-up transformer. Sonically, it offers a neutral but slightly smooth top end, a subtle midband emphasis, and excellent bass performance described as refined rather than heavy or punchy. The MC-1B is praised for its natural, fluid tonal quality and is suitable for a wide range of music genres, including metal, jazz, and vocals. It requires careful setup and a compatible phono stage to avoid coil damage due to its delicate coil construction.