Edwards Audio MC-1 Phono Stage

**Winner of the Prestigious 2011 BLUE NOTE AWARD by enjoythemusic.com [MC-1 Plus]**
**Winner of stereomojo.com PRODUCT OF THE YEAR**
**Winner of HIFI News OUTSTANDING PRODUCT 2009**

The MC1 is our entry level moving coil and moving magnet RIAA phono stage. It is unique at the price, with its fully RoHs compliant gold plated custom made double sided PCBs, natural anodised extruded aluminium case and high quality internal parts like its use of 1% thin film resistors Vishay resistors plus Wima and Vishay capacitors throughout. The RIAA. Equalisation accuracy is within 0.5dB across the audio band and signal to noise is low at -65dB. Our psuedo balanced discrete input technology gives you the option to optimise grounding to reduce the possibility of Hum/noise. The circuit topology has a fully discrete input transconductance gain stage followed by our unique op-amp based active/passive RIAA filter which is followed by a totally buffered output section with a very low output impedance. This helps to reduce cable effects and improve output current and drive. It will easily drive a 600 Ohm load!! It features standard gain for both MM at 36dB and MC adding an additional 22dB, these were chosen so that the MC1 can be used with the majority of normal pre-amps which have at least an addition 6dB of gain. For those who prefer to use passive pre-amps directly into power amps then there is the MC2 which has further improvements as well as the higher gain - 40dB MM and 73dB (max) MC, please visit the MC2 link for more information.

Attention to detail also extends to the custom made plug top power supply, which with its use of a split rail design benefits from using + and - DC power outputs for better rejection of RF noise. It also uses a gold plated custom made PCB with high quality diodes and optimised snubber caps. This is no normal off the shelf PSU as used by the competition.....

Not just a pretty face, it also delivers in the sound department as well, with expansive and detailed sound staging, drive and dynamics that are normally associated with more expensive phono stages. It can be further upgraded through the use of the dedicated PSU1 outboard Power supply .

In the recent July 2009 issue of Hi-Fi News the MC1 was awarded the Outstanding Product award for representing the pinnacle of sound at the price.

Noel compared the MC1 directly with a highly regarded Graham Slee Gram Amp 3 'Fanfare' MC phono stage priced just £17 less. Within just a few bars of music I was bowled over by the MC1, it being immediately apparent that it was a 'class act'. The MC1 Phono stage from Edwards Audio looks like becoming something of a reference at £250

Hi-Fi World in their Jan 2010 issue said of the MC1 and PSU2 combo This Edwards Audio pair seemed to combine the sense of timing of the A.N.T Kora, with the definition of the Trichord Diablo, with NC,PSU both of which are more than double the price, high praise indeed.