Minimalist Design, Maximum Performance: Clearaudio Essence MC Phono Cartridge Features Advanced Body and Patented Generator, Delivers Wide-Scale Dynamics and Superb Resolution

The real essence of the Clearaudio Essence MC phono cartridge is its absolute minimalism. Minimal frills. Minimal angles. Minimal noise. All of which serve the function of maximum performance at and beyond its price point. Devised under stringent principles and with the tightest-possible controls, the handmade and German-built cartridge reproduces dynamics with wide-scale heft, gets inside the details lurking in LP grooves, and delivers the kind of acoustic resolution prized by the world's finest concert halls. True to its heritage, Clearaudio engineered Essence with electrical parameters that will seamlessly match those of nearly any MC phono preamplifier extant. You'll experience natural tones, three-dimensional soundstages, solid imaging, and liquid musicality.

From a technical perspective, Essence boasts a boron cantilever, micro-line stylus, and Clearaudio's patented moving-coil generator. On the exterior, an aluminum-magnesium alloy body with ceramic surface layer – the same used on Clearaudio's $5,500 daVinci model – ensures excellent damping and solidity. Essence weighs in at 8.0 grams and has an output voltage of 0.4mV at 5 cm/s. Stellar tracking, low crosstalk, and superb channel matching help round out an instrument that is the essence of rich, involving, high-end analog playback.