Analog Gear News

Le Son SL1 MKII MC Phono Cartridge

Mike Mettler  |  Sep 23, 2024

We’re all about seeking out affordable cartridges, which is but one reason why coming across Le Son’s SL1 MKII MC (moving-coil) phono cartridge is such a fine sight to see.

First, some background. The Shanghai-based Le Son is the brainchild of general manager Gregory de Richemont, a French expat who was gifted with a Thorens TD150 MKII turntable and “a trove of vinyl records” from his parents in the ’70s. He further cites that it was Pink Floyd’s seminal March 1973 LP The Dark Side of the Moon that ignited his passion for pursuing high fidelity sound. de Richemont eventually connected with noted audio designer and consultant Dr. Ted Tsai at an international audio show, and not long thereafter, Le Son was born, circa 2015.

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And now, back to Le Son’s new cart. The SL1 MKII features a line-contact stylus, boron nitride cantilever, and ultra‐light coils. It also boasts threaded socket holes and straight sidelines for a “hassle‐free” setup.

Additionally, the cart’s high output of 2.5mV at 1kHz, 5cm/s, is said to allow “seamless compatibility” with any MM (moving-magnet) phono preamp. Le Son adds that the SL1 MKII has been engineered to “perfectly match medium to medium‐light tonearms found on most turntables.”

Other specs for the SL1 MKII cart include a frequency response given as 10 to 40,000Hz, channel separation as >28dB at 1kHz, dynamic compliance as 16μm/Dyne at 10Hz, and recommended tonearm effective mass as 7g to 25g.

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Accessories for the SL1 MKII cart include a hexagonal screwdriver, stylus brush, stylus guard, mounting screws, and washers. Le Son also offers a 60-day money back guarantee, “no questions asked.”

Finally, the cost of the Le Son SL1 MKII MC phono cartridge is currently set at a special launch SRP of $499 for its current, initial three-month introductory period. After that promotional period ends, the SRP will be $890, including customs duties.

For more about Le Son International, go here.
To purchase the SL1 MKII MC cart directly from Le Son, go here.

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COMMENTS
Anton D's picture
Submitted by Anton D on Mon, 2024-09-23 13:40

I've never heard this line, looking forward to listening impressions.

volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on Mon, 2024-09-23 17:34

Great website, bookmarked it. They even sell refurbished DL-103s with line contact styli. Now I am really interested in this company.

Anton D's picture
Submitted by Anton D on Tue, 2024-09-24 07:32

Kind of Zu like!

volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on Tue, 2024-09-24 15:41

Didn’t even think of that.

Glotz's picture
Submitted by Glotz on Tue, 2024-09-24 11:49

and great to see that introductory price so aggressive! Kudos!

rl1856's picture
Submitted by rl1856 on Thu, 2024-10-03 10:25

Le Son also sells and upgraded Denon 103. There is some internet speculation that the SL1 is based on the 103. Any way to confirm ?

alucas's picture
Submitted by alucas on Thu, 2024-10-24 10:51

And it makes my 2mBlue sound like a steel needle. The first second of playing, my jaw dropped. I am using a marantz 2230 and a Thorens TD-160, thats all. The marantz was redone with both caps and transistors and I had a spare marantz that was also redone, a model 27, and it had that beautiful sound. Oh the box it came in looked like a $50.00 item. no hum, quieter than my MM cartridges! I only had to increase the volume one notch, my volume went from 8 o'clock to 9 o'clock. Great highs, forward and the mid follows close to that, and the bass is very tight. There is a wide sound stage, almost 180, the sound has space between all of the instruments. Everything that I ever would like to have heard in a new MC, perfect cartridge, was there! Like a heavy curtain was opened and all was crystal clear and in my face. No harshness from the high end! the cymbles and hi-hat were up front. I wanted to stomp on my 2m Blue and kick it out the door! And to think that just two weeks ago, I thought that I could live with the 2m Blue for the rest of my life??? ThenI saw this and all of the improvements and the introductory price of $500.00. I bought it right away...plus I didn't need an expensive preamp, and still could keep my tone controls for those little tweaks. My 2m Blue has been kicked to the bottom of the list, that's how great the new one is. I almost bought another one, but I was told that it would only be 200 to retip it, and the life span is 1500 hours. I play lps 3 hours a night....There is your review on this big jem!

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