MoFi Electronics PhonoStages

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by MIA2RDU, Jul 18, 2017.

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  1. MIA2RDU

    MIA2RDU Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Phonostages

    I saw else where that these are shipping now and I'm curious about them. Anybody purchased one yet and care to share their thoughts?

    I may be in the market for an upgrade to the Schiit Mani soon and was considering the Lounge LCR III but these have caught my eye as well...
     
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  2. Doc Diego

    Doc Diego Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nevada
    If I hadn't just bought a Mani I would have given the MoFi a test drive. Music Direct has a good return policy and the loading flexibility and mono switch at $249 are a killer deal. Enjoying the Mani though...
     
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  3. clhboa

    clhboa Forum Resident

    Interesting. Thanks for sharing!
     
  4. Cyclone Ranger

    Cyclone Ranger New old stock

    Location:
    Best Coast USA
    Am curious about those MoFis as well...

    Oh, and wouldn't it be cool if MoFi called its phono stages "MoPho's"? ;)

    .
    .
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2017
  5. amgradmd

    amgradmd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Richmond, VA
    How is it that the MoFi tables and phono stages have been out for a little now and there are no reviews out there? Strange.
     
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  6. Cyclone Ranger

    Cyclone Ranger New old stock

    Location:
    Best Coast USA
    It's only been like three weeks, yes?

    .
     
  7. amgradmd

    amgradmd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Richmond, VA
    Yeah, but usually it's common to ship review units to reviewers early so that there's a little press when they release them. Plus nobody on this forum has an opinion? I do find that strange. They will come, though. They will come!
     
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  8. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Well, there's another much bigger thread where a lot of advance opinions were given, but I don't know if they have actually shipped any units yet, there's been lots of announcements, but are they available to buy? And even if review samples were shipped a couple weeks ago, I'd be leery of a "real" review showing up this quickly. Usually you just see tech blurbs quoting the ad copy for quite awhile with no real comparative quality assessments.
     
  9. amgradmd

    amgradmd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Richmond, VA
    Yeah, you're probably right. I'd imagine that is the tables and stages were out already, we'd see the unpacking and first impression threads. Not to mention the "Woohoo, I got my new MoFi Table!!" thread. ;)
     
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  10. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    And it kills anything under $3000!

    :)
     
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  11. Mrtn77

    Mrtn77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Paris
    The thread Davey mentionned is this one here.

    The closest thing I've found to useable first hand experience is a "dealer review" from French retailer maplatine.com.
    Both units seem to be in stock now.

    Quick translations follow :

    StudioPhono :

    Sound quality is surprising, even bewildering! Because at this price, few phono stages offer such presence and dynamics ! The level of detail is impressive and you can see the different instruments, even on a complex piece. Of course this is dependent on the quality of the phono cell and the associated turntable. I must confess that it is in MC that the StudioPhono pleased me most. It has enough gain and, above all, it is silent enough to disappear. All the nuances, subtleties and realism associated with this technology are apparent.

    The MoFi StudioPhono phono preamp is definitely the best deal of the moment, if you put in the balance its possibilities, its settings, its versatility, its mono function ... and its price.



    UltraPhono :

    The sound quality of this phono preamp is similar to that of the MoFi StudioPhono. This is normal because their circuitry is identical. We took special notice of the headphone output which, I must admit, also surprised us! It is every bit as good as the phono stage is and lets it shine. It is possible to listen for several hours without fatigue. Its quality and power make it possible to power a wide range of Hi-Fi dynamic headphones, even difficult models ...

    If you take into account its capacities as a phono preamplifier (MM, MC, mono ...), its quality and versatility as a headphone amplifier, its settings, its versatility ... and its price, the phono preamplifier MoFi UltraPhono Is certainly the deal of the moment!



    While these short pieces will never make the equipment review hall of fame, I do find it interesting that he heard no difference in sound quality between the two models on offer.
     
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  12. HiFi Guy

    HiFi Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lakeland, FL
    I figured the phono stages were the same, the only difference being the headphone amp on the Ultra.
     
  13. Mrtn77

    Mrtn77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Paris
    Official specs (from MoFi's own website) offer such different THD values that I assumed they used different innards as well :

    StudioDeck
    THD < .01% (MM) / < .012% (MC)

    UltraDeck
    THD < .006% (MM) / < .055% (MC)
     
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  14. ThorensSme

    ThorensSme Forum Resident

    Location:
    Spokane
    These look super interesting. I wonder how they will compare to say the iPhono 2? The StudioPhono
    Is only $250, that is crazy cheap if it is as good as expected.

    Can the UltraPhono at $499 really be the same phono pre just with a headphone amp added?
     
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  15. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Actually I was referring to the big one at Mobile Fidelity enters the turntable market (UPDATE: phono stages and cartridges, also)* , but doesn't matter, the point was that there have been a lot of opinions offered around here, just nothing substantial yet. They are apparently in stock and shipping now at Music Direct, as you'd expect from their main distributor, so time will tell. I was kind of surprised at the high level of interest here, but I guess that middle $1000 to $2000 market is pretty weak on the USA manufacturing side now. It's not really clear to me yet what they bring that's new or innovative, but will be interesting to see how it unfolds in the upcoming months.
     
  16. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    The THD values on the Ultra are 1/2 of what they are on the cheaper unit. Otherwise all the same.
     
  17. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Sometimes the higher-end unit will also have a higher S/N ratio. MoFi does not list the S/N for either unit, though, so, the only metric we can go by that is different is the THD. But, even on the Studio, I think it's low enough for regular use by a mere mortal.
     
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  18. Kevin M

    Kevin M Well-Known Member

    Location:
    New York

    Hi, I don't have the phonestage but I do own the Studiodeck Turntable, here is my demo
     
  19. Cyclone Ranger

    Cyclone Ranger New old stock

    Location:
    Best Coast USA
    Nice. What do you think of its build and sound quality?
    .
     
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  20. Rentz

    Rentz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    The ultra looks mighty tempting since it's also a headphone amp
     
  21. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    I have doubts it can compete with stand-alone headphone amps. For $200 (the difference between Studio and Ultra) you can get a DarkVoice tube headphone amp on Massdrop - that's a serious piece of equipement. For less than that you can get the Little Dot Mk II - also a very good amp. I'd go with the Studio, and get a separate HP amp - let every piece do its dedicated function, this way they do a better job than having many functions cramped into one chassis.
     
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  22. Kevin M

    Kevin M Well-Known Member

    Location:
    New York
    Definitely a solid table. I upgraded from a U-Turn orbit so the difference is night and day. The bass is very heavy (which I like) and the vocals are loud and crisp. Drum dynamics could be better but I think that will improve with break in. For the price ($1150) its a damn good table.
     
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  23. MIA2RDU

    MIA2RDU Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Bumping to see if anyone on the forum has pulled the trigger on either of the phono stages and wants to share their thoughts.
     
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  24. MIA2RDU

    MIA2RDU Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Another bump. Surely someone on the forum has heard the phono stages in person and cares to share their thoughts? I wonder if these just aren't selling well or what?
     
  25. Seancito

    Seancito Forum Resident

    Location:
    Richmond, Virginia
    I'm interested in purchasing the StudioPhono (cheaper one) phono stage. I currently have a Rogue Audio Sphinx integrated amp. While I like the Sphinx's phono stage, I would be intrigued to get the Mofi phono stage to experiment with moving coil cartrdiges. Does anyone know if this works - connecting my turntable to the MoFi phono stage and then connecting the MoFi to the Sphinx? Or would it be better to just upgrade the Sphinx? I really enjoy the Sphinx though!
     
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