Phono Cartridge Manufacturers​, Moving Coil (MC)

  • Air Tight - A Japanese manufacturer of quite expensive moving coil (MC) phono cartridges.
  • Acoustic Signature - A German manufacturer of high-end turntables, tonearms, Moving Coil (MC) Cartridges, Phono Preamps and record weights and clamps. Acoustic Signa­ture was foun­ded in 1996 by designer Gunther Frohn­hoefer and his wife Jacqueline.
  • Audio-Technica (MC) - A Japanese company founded in 1962 by Hideo Matsushita with the vision of producing high-quality audio for everyone.  The company manufactures, headphones, turntables, turntable accessories, microphones, both moving magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC) phono cartridges, as well as a whole line of commercial equipment.  The link above is for the moving coil cartridges.
  • ​Clearaudio Electronics - A German family-owned company that was founded in 1978 by Robert Suchy.  Clearaudio has become a byword for analogue precision in vinyl reproduction. They manufacture high-end Turntables, Tonearms, both moving magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC) cartridges, Record Cleaning Machines, Phono Preamps, a line of recordings on vinyl and CD, as well as a line of accessories.
  • DaVinci Audio - Swiss manufacturer of turntables, tone arms & a moving coil (MC) cartridge for connoisseurs world wide. Exquisite systems for vinyl collectors.
  • Denon (MC cartridges) - A Japanese company that manufactures a wide range of audio and A/V equipment. Their product line includes, A/V receivers, power amps, preamps, CD players, turntables, MC phono cartridges, headphones, Mini systems, Home Theater loudspeakers, and wireless, multi-room audio systems.
  • ​Dynavector - A popular Japanese company that manufactures moving Coil (MC) cartriges, tonearms, a turntable and a phono stage.
  • EMT HiFi - A German company that manufactures high-end moving coil (MC) cartridges, turntables, tonearms, a step-up transformer and a vacuum tube-based phono preamp.  The company was founded in 1940 by Wilhelm Franz.  Their manufacturing plant is in Switzerlnd.
  • Goldring - A UK-based manufacturer of both Moving Coil (MC) and Moving Magnet (MM) phono cartridges, as well as a number of record care accessories.  The company has been in business since 1906.
  • ​Hana - A highly regarded Japanese manufacturer of moving coil (MC) phono cartridges.  The name Hana translates as “brilliant and gorgeous”.  
  • Koetsu - Founded in the mid-1970s by Yosiaki Sugano, Koetsu phono cartridges are painstakingly handcrafted in Japan by master cartridge builder Fumihiko Sugano, son of the Koetsu founder.  Koetsu pairs space-age materials like 6N copper and rare platinum iron magnets with old-world Japanese craftsmanship.  Koetsu cartridges are quite expensive, but are highly sought after worldwide due to their ethereal sound and limited production.Through extensive experimentation, Yosiaki Sugano pioneered the use of high purity materials for his phono cartridges.
  • Lyra Analog - A Tokyo-based company, founded in 1985 that manufactures high-end moving-coil (MC) phono cartridges.  The cartridges are based on a design by Jonathan Carr and developed and hand-built by Yoshinori Mishima.  Lyra phono cartridges are distributed in the US by AudioQuest.
  • MoFi Electronics (Cartridges) - An American company that manufactures turntables, tonearms, phono preamps and both moving coil (MC) and moving magnet (MM) cartridges. 
  • My Sonic Lab - A Japanese manufacturer of quite expensive moving coil (MC) phono cartridges.
  • Nagra - A Swiss company located in the Lake Geneva area founded in 1951. Their Reference Line includes the Nagra Reference Anniversary Turntable and the Nagra Reference MC cartridge.​
  • Ortofon - A Danish company founded by two Danish Engineers, Axel Petersen and Arnold Poulsen in 1947 that manufactures both Moving Magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC) cartridges, as well as tonearms, MC step-up transformers, cables, headshells and record playing accessories.​  The company's beginnings actually go back to 1918, but at that time the company was involved in the synchronization of sound in the film industry.
  • Rega Research (Cartridges) - A highly regarded British manufacturer of audiophile components including both moving magnet and moving coil phono cartridges.  Rega is widely known for their turntables, cartridges and tonearms.  All Rega products carry a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.  The company was founded in 1973 by Roy Gandy and Tony Relph.
  • Sumiko - A Japanese company founded in 1982 that manufactures both Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC) Phono Cartridges.
  • TechDas A Japanese audio manufacturer of high end turntables operating since 2012.  They also manufacture analogue accessories including 2 Moving Coil (MC) Cartridges, the TDC01 and the TDC01 Ti.
  • Thorens - Originally a Swiss company, they moved to Germany in 2018.  They manufacture Turntables, Tonearms, Moving Coil (MC) Phono Cartridges and Phono Stages.  They are primarily known for their Turntables.
  • van den Hul - A Netherlands-based company founded in 1980.  They manufacture precision handmade Moving Coil (MC) Phono Cartridge masterpieces. All van den Hul cartridges are hand built and tuned by Dutch Master cartridge designer A.J. van den Hul and his son William van den Hul. They also manufacture Cables, Phono Preamps, a Mono-Block Power Amp and Preamplifiers.  
  • Vertere Acoustics - A British manufacturer of Turntables, Tonearms, 2 Moving Coil (MC) and 3 Moving Magnet (MM) Phono Cartridges, motor drives, phono preamps, cables, a full line of record player accessories, as well as their own record label.
  • VPI Turntables - VPI Industries manufactures audiophile grade turntables, tonearms, a Moving Magnet (MM) and 3 Moving Coil (MC) cartridges and record cleaning machines.  The company was founded in 1978 by Harry and Sheila Weisfeld in Cliffwood, New Jersey.
  • Well Tempered Lab - A company dedicated to the analogue vinyl record, this company manufactures high-end audiophile Turntables, Tonearms, a Moving Magnet Phono Cartridge, a Moving Coil Phono Cartridge (MC) and 3 different Phono Preamps.
  • ZYX - A Japanese company founded in 1986 by chief engineer and the Presiden Hisayoshi Nakatsuka.  They manufacture moving coil (MC) phono cartridges, as well as headshells, and a line of record playing accessories.