Air Tight PC-1 Supreme Mono

Mono MC Phono Cartridge

The AirTight PC-1 Supreme Mono is another cartridge with real ‘provenance’. A classic favourite among audiophiles around the world, the PC-1 Supreme Mono takes the virtues of Coda and extends them further. Years of development have resulted in a cartridge that embodies an optimal combination of low impedance and high output.

The new Hi-µ core material has been described as ‘epoch-making’ with respect to its performance. Known as ‘SH-µX’, it offers high µ characteristics which enable it to synergise with high-efficiency magnetic circuitry.

The wiring is at an optimum thickness to assist in reducing the number of coils thus achieving astoundingly low internal impedance. The resulting expanded bandwidth & extended dynamic range present a clearer life-like soundstage, whilst improvement in transient & phase characteristics reproduces ultra-heavy bass with very high resolution.

AirTight cartridges are renowned for reproducing music with great energy and extension. The PC-1 Supreme Mono has forged a reputation as a cartridge with great all-round strengths and no weaknesses, which is why it graces the turntables of many discerning music lovers. Ultra-versatile and super capable, the PC-1 Supreme Mono is one of the best investments that can be made in the enjoyment of a mono vinyl collection.

Awards

Reviews

Positive Feedback, Marshall Nack, 2017

What fantastic string tone! It was sweet and warm, all of it cut from the same cloth, and with a consistent tonal color—and that color sure ain’t grey! I, and many others, think the PC1s is great in this area, but the Supreme made clear by its absence there was a subtle, pervasive distortion imparting a mechanical veneer—and now it was gone! The Supreme enriches timbres, making wooden instruments sound more woody. The treble has a rounded edge, possibly a little rolled off, so it’s not as incisive—but also not harsh. Everything was done the right way. Most impressive was how the Supreme suppressed your awareness of the mechanical process and pushed down the hallmarks a reproduction.

High Fidelity, Wojciech Pacuła, 2009

No, AirTight does not sound light, it is not thin – this is just another league. It is simple – when bass in a recording is thin, like on the Monk and Mulligan disc, then it will be thin and that is it. But there will be no impression of any shortcoming. I perceived it as a kind of a characteristic of this recoding, an asset, not as a flaw. It was the same case with the piece Techno Pop Kraftwerk – power, fullness, vibration. But only when it was coded into the groove. With Autobahn the midrange ruled, with Tour de France bass pressed us into the sofa. This is the best cartridge I have heard in my life. One, I would like to own… The Supreme will sound only as good, as the recording, turntable and the rest of the stereo system will be. It will not modify anything; will not make anything more pleasurable, or coloured. Do we need anything more?