09.2021 - Audio Emporium

Mo-Fi Studio Deck + $1400

Mo-Fi’s Studio Deck+ is a built in Ann Arbor, TANK of a turntable. Turntables, like all audio components, make a difference in the sound of your system.

The sound of StudioDeck+ is distinctly warmer and less bright, or brittle, than the popular brands we’ve all heard of. The background is quieter and there’s less rumble.

StudioDeck+ starts as heavy mechanism with HRS absorbing/leveling feet. It uses two plates of steel on the top deck. The tonearm is a precision built 9” arm with high quality wire. The cables are plug in on the rear, in case you go nuts and want to upgrade tonearm or power cables. The platter is almost four pounds of Delrin, which is much less resonant than metal or glass.

Studio Deck+ comes with Mo-Fi’s StudioTracker MM cartridge. StudioTracker produces an output of 3.5mV and runs into the MM input of your phono section. It has a single piece cantilever which assures the best transfer of energy from stylus (elliptical) to magnet structure.

You can buy StudioDeck for $1200 without a cartridge.

Or better yet, get StudioDeck+ which includes the StudioTracker cartridge.

Mo-Fi Ultra Deck+ $2500

UltraDeck is StudioDeck’s big brother. Everything about UltraDeck is carried out to a greater degree. It uses leveling HRS feet. There are three, heavier steel plates on the record deck. The platter is almost seven pounds of dense Delrin. The Cardas arm cable is a cut above. If you can find another grand under your mattress, you’ll want UltraDeck.

UltraDeck+ comes with Mo-Fi’s cut above UltraTracker cartridge. It’s better than StudioTracker

in that the body is made of billet aluminum instead of polymer. It has a better, more precisely cut E stylus and yields better definition. It has Mo-Fi’s V-Twin dual magnet playback structure which more closely emulates the performance of the cutter heads used in making LPs.

UltraDeck runs $2000 if you don’t need a cartridge.

Mo-Fi MasterTracker Cartridge $800

Our favorite MM cart, MasterTracker, starts with superior copper wire (Ohno) within. It has Mo-Fi’s V-Twin dual magnet system and metal billet aluminum body. It uses a precision ground Micro Linear stylus. It has output of 3.0mV. It employs Mo-Fi’s one piece cantilever system for best energy transfer. For MM performance, it doesn’t get any better than the MasterTracker.

MoFi Phono Preamps

MoFi makes two of the best phono preamps in our biz. Please don’t tell them we said so- but they’re TOO CHEAP!

First and foremost, these units sound very good. Designed by Tim Paravicini of EAR, both units start with an excellent MM noise floor. Both support MC with the Ultra pushing the best phono preamps out there.

Both units have a SUBSONIC button! Every phono section should have this. When your records aren’t flat, and we all have some warped records, your woofers will wave like a flag and waste power.

Both units also have a MONO button. Every serious record collector has some mono discs. This button is indispensable when playing them.

Studiophono $300

Studiophono is a great bang for the buck phono preamp. It is terrific for MM and good for MC. If you’re running an MC cartridge for about a grand like the Ortofon Black S, then you should step up to the Ultraphono below.

Ultraphono $500

Ultraphono is a marvelous phono preamp that supports top echelon MC performance as well as MM designs. With 10 dB better quieting than Studiophono for MC, please go with this model if you’re a serious MC listener.

Ultraphono also is in outstanding headphone amp.