The RFC MC1 step-up is a relatively new product, hand built by Paul Coupe of Reference Fidelity Components.
This is what it looks like plumbed into my Puresound P10 MM valve phone stage, the source being a Linn LP12 with a Dynavector DV20X2-L MC cartidge.
Specifications are on the RFC website.
I was looking for an SUT as an alternative to my Lentek, the main reason being that the Lentek requires a 9v battery. I was finding that the performance of the Lentek degrades slightly unless the battery is fairly new, so a fully passive SUT seemed to be the solution and the RFC1 prototype had been extremely well received on AOS.
I feel it's important firstly to complement Paul on his communication and customer care. All emails were answered promptly, we discussed and agreed the appropriate gain settings for my cartridge, he kept me fully informed about how long it would take to manufacture (I believe the transformers are hand-wound by a supplier), I was offered a trial first and the unit was manufactured and delivered exactly as promised.
When I first plumbed everything in I had the dreaded issue of hum. This took a bit of tracking down, with a lot of help from Paul and a modification to the grounding arrangements inside the MC1 that was carried out extremely quickly and free of charge.
Now I have completely eliminated the hum (even at full volume it is silent) I have been enjoying experiencing what the MC1 can bring to the party. Describing what one hears is never easy, the sound stage is still there and very three-dimensional, the treble sounds clean and realistic (cymbals sound like cymbals) and the base is natural and well balanced. I am enjoying working through my record collection again, finding myself enjoying the music rather than listening out for the performance of different components. This for me is an excellent outcome.
Once again, I can't say enough about how helpful, polite and professional I have found RFC to be and heartily recommend the RFC MC1 for those of you wanting to use a low output MC cartridge into an MM phono stage.
Lawrence