MoFi UltraDeck/UltraTracker early review

Having a $2K budget to spend on a new turntable is a great thing. Although when you are coming off the analogue train ride that had stops in Clearaudio, VPI, SME, EAT, and Dr. Feickert Analogue, a $2K budget could be considered a compromise. But for the reasons that I don't want to specify here, I've decided to find a good stopping point in my hobby and find myself the last vinyl spinning setup that doesn't look (and cost!) like a time machine, but still satisfying for an audiophile. The task of choosing my last turntable wasn't very difficult. With the high anticipation of Rega Planar 6, I pretty much had already bought it in my mind, picturing how it's going to sit atop my audio rack with its new power supply to the right.

And then there was this email from MusicDirect that changed everything for me. With a subject "Introducing MoFi Electronics", it instantly captured my attention. Doing some web browsing afterwards I learned that the news of this venture by the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab go back to early 2016. I have to admit that despite trying to stay on top of what's happening in the audiophile world, I was completely out of the loop on this one.

Back to that email. It listed two models of new turntables from MoFi electronics, the StudioDeck and the UltraDeck, and three new MM cartridges, the StudioTracker, the UltraTracker, and their flagship, the MasterTracker. I was instantly attracted to the design of all products, and in the following several days my top Google searches were "MoFi UltraDeck" and "MoFi Electronics review".

After briefly speaking to a couple of MusicDirect sales people and asking for their personal opinion on the UltraDeck (which wasn't always positive, BTW), I decided to take the plunge and bought it. Two days later FedEx delivery guy knocked on my door and there it was, the UltraDeck with factory pre-mounted UltraTracker, both in flesh in my mancave, ready to do their thing.

As much as straight-forward the setup was, it sure wasn't without the hiccups. First thing I noticed when I unpacked the table was that the arm was rotated too much to the right -- so much that the cartridge pretty much sat exactly above the start button. And because of that, the arm didn't have range wide enough to reach the last tracks on the records. I slightly loosened the arm-fixing screw and carefully rotated the arm clockwise until it was exactly parallel to the right side of the plinth. Problem fixed. But there was more. The fishing line that the anti-skate weight was attached to was accidentally (I assume!) melted flat about 1/2 inch above the weight, so this melted area wasn't sliding freely in the anti-skate weight groove. A quick call to MusicDirect, and a replacement anti-skate weight was on its way. Another area where I would have liked the improvements was the feet of the the UltraDeck. Although they do amazing job at reducing vibration, the deck doesn't have a "grip" with the surface. A slightest touch, and the table is sliding all over the top of my audio rack. I assume a thin layer of silicone or rubber-like coating would fix that. But after I mounted the deck on top of a heavy platform that I've had for years, this problem never surfaced again (pun intended!). It took the platter several hours to "sit" to its proper position, however it was clearly described on the note that came inside the packaging of the platter, so I expected that and it didn't bother me at all.

I finally had a brand new MoFi UltraDeck ready to play, and I couldn't stop looking at it. Something instantly clicked between us, there was some kind of a microclimate that drew me to the deck and made me stare at all that it had to offer. Everything about it made sense to me and made me feel right at home -- the very "clean" minimalist look; the 10 inch arm; the amazing start button, that shone some light onto the cartridge making it visible in my dimly lit room, which made cleaning the stylus pretty easy; the IEC connector, making wall warts and AC adapters stay away from my audio setup; the yellow platter belt (nice touch!), the super quiet operation and smooth mechanics of the arm. All that, and I haven't even mentioned its primary asset -- the sound.

Coming from a musical family, I was no stranger to various reel-to-reel decks since I was very little. I know very well the sound of a 1/4" tape. So when I experienced my first needle drop with the UltraDeck and UltraTracker, what I heard was the sound that I knew too well. I won't get into surgical details of what it sounded like, but I'll mention that there was this "togetherness" that drew me into the listening. No over-exaggerated treble (and bass for that matter), plenty of detail but not over-analytical at the same time, smooth and involving, this was the sound of a well recorded master reel that I rarely experienced with a turntable before. Don't get me wrong, I know what an SME table can do, however the consistency of the UltraDeck and UltraTracker in its performance across many music genres that I have in my vinyl collection made me decide that this is my last turntable. I felt at home with this deck, and in the last several days I only turned it off overnight.

Nice job for a first table, I must say. I can't wait to buy a MoFi clamp, which for some reason isn't available yet. And I'm looking forward to many years with this terrific deck. Oh yeah, and screw you, MusicDirect's 60-day-return-policy, because I am keeping this baby.


Cheers gentlemen, hope this was helpful.

A.

 

Nice review. Shame the pictures didn't come through.

I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing this table earlier this year and I was impressed. I'm no expert in this analog area, but I liked what I heard and saw.

Please give us a follow up review after break in, when you have spent some quality time together. Good luck and happy listening!

 

Please repost pictures.

 

You can just right click on the img tag and select view image. Looks pretty nice.

 

Nice looking deck; the initial issues you had would worry me however. Keep us posted

 

+1

 

Few more day in -- no more issues. Spinning nonstop and it works and sounds fantastic. I removed the heavy platform, just for the aesthetic purposes. The UltraDeck now sits directly on the audio rack. I bought a generic record clamp, so I'm looking forward to receiving it and enhancing (hopefully!) the performance. Also, a new tonearm cable has been ordered to match the rest of my system and the Cardas wiring inside the arm.

The sound is getting even more enjoyable. I forgot to mention another great thing about the UltraDeck/UitraTracker combo -- it is very forgiving. The inner groves on all records sound terrific. The scratched records are very listenable. And even the bad pressings sound somewhat okay, definitely more enjoyable that with my past setups, where some cartridges cost more than my new MoFi table.

I'll post more pictures soon...

 

Andrei, what non-positive things did the MD guys bring up?

 

I should have put it differently... Their comments weren't negative. More like neutral in comparison to the other more expensive turntable that I was inquiring about.

I don't want to get anyone in trouble, so I'd prefer to omit the details about my conversations with them. Please give them a call.

 

Thanks for the review! My Ultradeck should arrive tomorrow and I'll share my experience as well.

 

And what did they say about the studiodeck ? How would it compare against a rega rp6 ?

 

I would love P6 vs UltraDeck & P3 vs StudioDeck shootouts.

 

I'm also very interested in StudioDeck reviews!

 

While we await further reviews from forum users or stateside reviewers I came across this Stereonet review some here might find interesting.

Mobile Fidelity (MoFi) UltraDeck Turntable Review | StereoNET

 

My Ultradeck arrives on Wednesday. Can't wait.

 

We welcome your review and opinion after break in! Hope it exceeds your expectations and you get to spend countless hours in vinyl nirvana!

 

The only thing I'm not sold on is the cartridge. If I wanted a non user replaceable stylus, I'd get another MC. So you might be hearing about my Ultradeck with a new Nagaoka on the business end of the arm.

 

I purchased the Studio Tracker, had it for about 6 or 7 weeks......you get a lot of great sound for the $199.

 

I remember you talking it up big time in several threads. Do you not still have it? Why was it not a keeper?

 

Sorry for the confusion.....I still have it. I've had it for about 6 or 7 weeks. Its a keeper.

 

I am almost certain my next turntable, and the one I plan to use for at least ten years, will be one of these so I’d also love a shootout.

 

wow this turntable would never have been on my radar. the ultradeck is nice but the studio deck seems like an amazing value, looks like the same tonearm as the ultradeck, is this true?
regardless- here is the kicker- the studio deck at $999 offers VTA and azimuth adjustment on the tonearm, although many pro-ject decks offer this as well.

 

I'm thinking the Ultradeck has upgraded arm wiring (at least.) Agreed on the Studiodeck as well.

 

From the Mofi website: Turntables

Studio Tone Arm
Custom developed and manufactured in the USA, this 10-inch straight aluminum gimbaled bearing tonearm delivers the ideal balanced of rigidity and low tracking error, so all you hear is what is in the grooves. Tweak to your heart's delight with provisions for adjustable tracking force, VTA, azimuth, and anti-skate.

Ultra Tone Arm
Custom-developed and manufactured in the USA, the 10-inch Ultra tonearm uses smooth, high-quality ball bearings for low friction in the vertical and horizontal plane so all you hear is what is in the grooves. Cardas Audio wiring maintains signal purity from the headshell leads all the way through to the high-quality, gold-plated RCA connectors.

 

Well this is exciting news! Can't wait to hear how it stacks up to your current set up.