Quadratic Audio · Moving-Coil Step-Up Transformer
Quadratic Audio MC-1
The Quadratic Audio MC-1 is a passive moving-coil step-up transformer that boosts the tiny output of an MC cartridge to MM levels — adding gain without the noise penalty of an extra active stage.
A step-up transformer in a league of its own.
$1,795
In stock · ships free in the USA
Passive — no power, tubes or cords required
Custom CineMag transformers, hydrogen-annealed laminates
Selectable gain: +28 dB (high) / +22 dB (low)
Faraday shields, mu-metal cans, hum-bucking design
About this piece
Engineered by Jam Somasundram with transformers custom-wound by CineMag to specifications beyond their standard catalog, the MC-1 uses hydrogen-annealed laminates for extended bandwidth and mounts each channel on its own ground plane for maximum separation and minimal noise pickup.
Faraday internal shields (floatable or grounded via jumpers), mu-metal cans and a hum-bucking transformer design give it exceptional common-mode rejection and an unusually low noise floor for a transformer-based solution. Impedance-matching jumpers let you optimize gain and loading for a wide variety of MC cartridges.
Reviewers consistently describe it as transparent and organic — a “grain remover” that loses no detail, with excellent spatial definition and a dead-quiet background.
Made in the U.S.A. (Simi Valley, CA)
Specifications
- Type
- Passive moving-coil step-up transformer
- Gain
- +28 dB (high) / +22 dB (low)
- Reflected Impedance
- 70 Ω (high) / 200 Ω (low) at a 47 kΩ input
- Turns Ratio
- 1:12 (high) / 1:24 (low)
- Frequency Response
- 10 Hz – 100 kHz
- Connectors
- RCA in/out with substantial ground post
- Dimensions
- 6.5" W × 8.0" D × 3.0" H
- Weight
- 4.2 lbs
- Warranty
- 3 years
“We've tried a number of different step-up transformers over the years… but the Quadratic MC-1 is in a league of its own.”
“Perhaps one of the most articulate SUTs I've had the privilege to audition — commendably quiet, both hum-free and with very low hiss.”
Questions & Answers
What is a moving-coil step-up transformer?+
It passively boosts the very low output of a moving-coil phono cartridge up to moving-magnet levels, so it can drive a standard MM phono stage — adding gain without the noise of an extra active amplifier stage.
Will the MC-1 match my cartridge?+
Most likely. It offers selectable high/low gain (+28 / +22 dB) and impedance jumpers, letting you optimize loading for a wide range of MC cartridges.
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