“Take the best and make it better,” has always been the driving motto of the Suchy family, the team behind the Clearaudio brand. And it’s one that applies to every product in the brand’s extensive range – from the ultra high-end to a small but growing collection of entry-level temptations.
Clearaudio have been engaged in ongoing research into moving coil (MC) technology since 1978. Still, their design team found themselves facing quite a challenge when tasked with developing a brand new cartridge that would improve on the existing entry-level Concept MC, but without breaking a key price point.
How did they do it? By taking the ‘essence’ of the Concept MC design and applying even more stringent parameters to key elements of its construction.
Like the Concept MC, the Essence MC’s body is constructed from an innovative high-density aluminium-magnesium alloy, which is then coated with a ceramic layer to minimize resonance.
Meanwhile, the boron cantilever, microline stylus and Clearaudio-patented moving coil generator with its hand-selected high-performance magnets have each been subjected to rigorous scrutiny in order to achieve tighter tolerances. The result? Improved dynamic performance, higher resolution and channel matching of better than 0.5 dB.
The Essence MC will partner with almost any MC phonostage, delivering delicious sound at a price that won’t break the bank. Its angular body shape with centre line at the front makes it easy to align, while threaded holes mean that you don’t have to fiddle with screws and nuts. It comes with a full cover stylus guard.
Technical specifications
Construction Aluminum-magnesium alloy with ceramic surface layer;
microline stylus; boron cantilever; OFC copper coils
Frequency response 20 Hz – 40 kHz
Output voltage 0.4 mV at 5 cm/s
Recommended tracking force 2.0 g (+/- 0.2 g)
Channel separation > 32 dB
Channel difference (balance) < 0.3 dB
Compliance 9/9 µ/mN
Cartridge impedance 11 Ω
Total weight 8.0 g
Pricing and availability
The Clearaudio Essence MC is available now priced at £795 (including VAT).
