MoFi Electronics PhonoStages

A French retailer review stated the StudioPhono was actually more impressive with MC carts than with MM carts. Retailer reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt, of course, but if the guy was strictly shilling, he'd shill the "whole package", surely.

 

Right, I trust retailer reviews about as much as I trust reviews from the big magazines - not much.

 

The most informative review of inexpensive phono stages would probably be a "round-up" (or collection) of different units in roughly the same price bracket, used with a couple of phono cartridges commonly in use on one table also commonly in use at a reasonable price point. I think Fremer did one a while ago, before these MoFi units were released. It's a time-consuming undertaking for a reviewer, especially when the magazines (online or in print) and their reviewers typically want to cover more expensive exotic stuff.
You should be able to get a decent, quiet phono stage for little money--my experience with more costly phono stages is that they all voice differently and offer different presentations that may or may not be synergistic with a given system; add the variable of the sonic character of each different cartridge and you've got a lot to play with.

 

Is the StudioPhono 110v or 220v? Both?

 

It is 110v, I believe. I am not sure if the company plans to offer one with a 220v adapter.

 

A few people have done those shootouts IIRC. HiViNyws on YouTube did a big one.

The problem with all those shootouts and reviews is that they are system dependent, and often fail to address major shortcomings of certain units that may not be apparent in certain settings. For example, HiVi voted the Schiit Mani #1 in his shootout. Now I think it's a good unit but it is susceptible to RFI for people that live near radio stations while other units may not be. If HiVi didn't live near a radio station or test it at a friend's place that did, there is no way he, or anyone else would know this. However, if you do some digging online the problem is relatively common. Not just with the Mani either, but with some other phono stages as well.

RE: phono stage voicing, IME it's the same with the more reasonably priced units IME. I've had four different sub-$300 phono stages in my system in the last 5 years. None of them sound the same with my main cartridge.

 

The StudioPhono is sold in Europe with a 220v wall plug (shown on the retailer website I linked to earlier).

 

Fair points- I haven't played with any of the modest or budget priced models. Are you saying that "HiVi" rated the Schitt #1 in spite of acknowledging the RFI issue?
I think we agree that there are a lot of variables in this, but probably the same in some ways as with any component, very system dependent, and as I think most here agree, you look at phono as a combination of components- TT, arm, cartridge and phono stage, so it is a little more complex than any other component (although speaker-amp relationship is also critical).

 

No, he rated it #1, but I do not know if he knew about the RFI issue or not.

 

I just sent my Phono Box DS+ back to CF. The PSU (wall wart) is a POS. I'd imagine it would sound fine if the RFI noise could be filtered out. I just couldn't see spending another $150-200 on top of the $299 I already spent on the DS+ for an aftermarket PSU. I've ordered the MoFi StudioPhono as a replacement, so I should know soon how it performs.

 

Yikes, I almost bought one of those but ended up getting the StudioPhono instead. Sounds like I made the right choice. Maybe you just got a bad one, or maybe they are all like that. RFI is something that bugs me too.

 

Just pulled the trigger and ordered one. Should be here mid week, can't wait to test it out.

 

I got The DS and it lifted the upper mids and made listening to records an unpleasant experience. I went with the Lounge and it’s been really good. I may upgrade next year to Suspiro as I’ll have an all Odyssey system. I can and do recommend the Lounge to everyone.

 

My delivery came a day earlier than expected. So far I'm liking it. Glad I'm off tomorrow to try a bunch of different records on it.

 

Listening to my mono copy of The Classic Della Reese and it definitely is an improvement. The strings are more detailed and the mono switch did make a difference. Overall for the price you can't beat it.

 

The Schiit mani destroys the Mofi studiophono. I do miss the studiophono's punchy bass, and midrange, but the mani with treble, soundstage, dynamics, etc., with a swagman labs psu, a very, very nice sound. And i have been thru quite a few phono preamp at this point.