MoFi UltraDeck / StudioDeck Owners and those interested

The Denmarkian Wonder said:
One of many things lol *I really need to win the lottery*

It's mostly Star Wars with the occasional Batman or movie character exception 😬
Click to expand...

Haha....that hobby is definitely not cheap 😁
I’m a long time recovering Star Wars collector.
There was just so much stuff I couldn’t keep up. I’ve been collecting quarter scale pieces, mostly marvel and a few dc for 5 years now but I think I’m going to tap out. I feel like refocusing on the music side.
 
How good is MoFi Studio Phono designed by Tim de Paravicini compared to my AcousTech PH1 - Premium designed by Ron Sutherland for my MoFi Ultradeck + U ?
 
So glad to find this thread!

I've had the UD for about a year and it's a big upgrade from my project. Two questions if anyone can offer guidance...

Based on my setup below, what component would you recommend upgrading next to get the most bang for my buck and what would you upgrade to?

Second, any guidance on the optimal gain and loading input on my phono stage to get the best sound out of the current setup? Thanks for any help in advance :)

Turntable: Ultradeck/Super Heavyweight
Cartridge: Hana SL
Phono: Musical Surrondings Phenomena II
Amp: Rotel 1520
Speakers: Rega RS3
Power Conditioner: Panamax m4300
Cables: RCA- Blue Jeans LC-1
Speaker Cable: Blue Jeans
 
westcoastbias said:
So glad to find this thread!

I've had the UD for about a year and it's a big upgrade from my project. Two questions if anyone can offer guidance...

Based on my setup below, what component would you recommend upgrading next to get the most bang for my buck and what would you upgrade to?

Second, any guidance on the optimal gain and loading input on my phono stage to get the best sound out of the current setup? Thanks for any help in advance :)

Turntable: Ultradeck/Super Heavyweight
Cartridge: Hana SL
Phono: Musical Surrondings Phenomena II
Amp: Rotel 1520
Speakers: Rega RS3
Power Conditioner: Panamax m4300
Cables: RCA- Blue Jeans LC-1
Speaker Cable: Blue Jeans
Click to expand...
Honestly, if you're happy with everything and not trying to change something specific, I think you have a pretty well balanced set up. I would say your cables are probably your weakest link at this point. It might be worth experimenting with those. Obviously not everyone agrees.

Now if you want a specific change to your sound, there's going to be some suggestions. Or if you're ready to get on the upgrade merry go round you could start bringing everything up to the next tier. With that set up, moving toward the next tier I'd probably go phono, speakers/amp, cart (maybe?) and cables. I haven't heard all the gear in your system, but from what I've read/heard about everything I think you have a nice balance going unless you just want a different sound.
 
displayname said:
Honestly, if you're happy with everything and not trying to change something specific, I think you have a pretty well balanced set up. I would say your cables are probably your weakest link at this point. It might be worth experimenting with those. Obviously not everyone agrees.

Now if you want a specific change to your sound, there's going to be some suggestions. Or if you're ready to get on the upgrade merry go round you could start bringing everything up to the next tier. With that set up, moving toward the next tier I'd probably go phono, speakers/amp, cart (maybe?) and cables. I haven't heard all the gear in your system, but from what I've read/heard about everything I think you have a nice balance going unless you just want a different sound.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. I do like the sound but I'm always tinkering. Phono is first on my list, any recommendations under $1000?
 
westcoastbias said:
So glad to find this thread!

I've had the UD for about a year and it's a big upgrade from my project. Two questions if anyone can offer guidance...

Based on my setup below, what component would you recommend upgrading next to get the most bang for my buck and what would you upgrade to?

Second, any guidance on the optimal gain and loading input on my phono stage to get the best sound out of the current setup? Thanks for any help in advance :)

Turntable: Ultradeck/Super Heavyweight
Cartridge: Hana SL
Phono: Musical Surrondings Phenomena II
Amp: Rotel 1520
Speakers: Rega RS3
Power Conditioner: Panamax m4300
Cables: RCA- Blue Jeans LC-1
Speaker Cable: Blue Jeans
Click to expand...

Looking at the specs on the Hana, they recommend 400 ohms loading. But the impedance of the SL is 30 ohms, so I’d say start at 300 ohms loading and move up from there. You can tune this by ear. You also won’t hurt anything by exceeding 400 ohms.

As far as gain, I’m thinking 58-62 dB should be a good setting, but this is system dependent. Again you won’t hurt anything by going a little lower or higher.

I’m in agreement with @displayname - that’s a nice system. I would recommend a vacuum record cleaning machine if you don’t have one. It’s a game changer.
 
Splunders said:
Unless you buy used, $1k might be a pretty lateral move. You'll find a long list of folks here that love their Sutherland Insight for $1,400 though...
Click to expand...
If you search used, you can often find Sutherland gear for the same price as the next model down. A little patience can get you an Insight for about $900 or so (the same price as a K.C. Vibe).
 
westcoastbias said:
Thanks. I'm going to play with the gain a little and see what happens. Pulled the trigger on the Okki Nokki, I've got way too many records from the 70s and 80s that haven't been cleaned properly.
Click to expand...

As someone who spent all day cleaning records from the 70s and 80s, it’s shocking how good they can sound once the decades of cruft have been scrubbed away.
 
HiFi Guy said:
Looking at the specs on the Hana, they recommend 400 ohms loading. But the impedance of the SL is 30 ohms, so I’d say start at 300 ohms loading and move up from there. You can tune this by ear. You also won’t hurt anything by exceeding 400 ohms.

As far as gain, I’m thinking 58-62 dB should be a good setting, but this is system dependent. Again you won’t hurt anything by going a little lower or higher.

I’m in agreement with @displayname - that’s a nice system. I would recommend a vacuum record cleaning machine if you don’t have one. It’s a game changer.
Click to expand...

I've been getting a little brightness listening to albums with a lot of treble like Leon Bridges. I'm not sure if I'm explaining it right but the higher pitches sound off to me. The soundstage also doesn't sound as big as I think it should be.

I've had the Hana SL for about a year, is it a symptom of the stylus being off? I adjusted the loading and gain to the above recommendations to see if it made a difference and it didn't effect either of those issues, although I do like the sound. I don't notice either issue as much when I'm playing Dead albums or more accoustic guitar leaning LPs. I do notice the guitars sound a little washed out when I'm listening to Foo Fighters and Nirvana.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong?
 
westcoastbias said:
I've been getting a little brightness listening to albums with a lot of treble like Leon Bridges. I'm not sure if I'm explaining it right but the higher pitches sound off to me. The soundstage also doesn't sound as big as I think it should be.

I've had the Hana SL for about a year, is it a symptom of the stylus being off? I adjusted the loading and gain to the above recommendations to see if it made a difference and it didn't effect either of those issues, although I do like the sound. I don't notice either issue as much when I'm playing Dead albums or more accoustic guitar leaning LPs. I do notice the guitars sound a little washed out when I'm listening to Foo Fighters and Nirvana.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong?
Click to expand...

Are you a heavy spinner? If so, it could be stylus wear. But I don’t think so.

If not, the stylus most likely isn’t worn, so it could be two more things:

Pressing/mastering quality. Those Warner Brothers/Rhino reissues sound awfully good- like your Dead albums. Many reissues don’t sound as good as those, and some are horrid **cough Friday Music cough***. Your system may just be highlighting the differences. You gotta take the good with the bad.

Or, the Hana isn’t to your liking. Just because reviews say it’s wonderful doesn’t mean that it is to you. Some rave about Eggplant Parmesan. Me? It’s irrelevant because I detest eggplant.

Edit: If the Hana is brand new, you have to give it time to break in. Figure 20-30 hours. Also I recommend tracking at or near the maximum that the manufacturer recommends. You’ll get better tracking and the extra wear will be negligible. Actually, you can cause damage to your records caused by mistracking from tracking too lightly.
 
HiFi Guy said:
Are you a heavy spinner? If so, it could be stylus wear. But I don’t think so.

If not, the stylus most likely isn’t worn, so it could be two more things:

Pressing/mastering quality. Those Warner Brothers/Rhino reissues sound awfully good- like your Dead albums. Many reissues don’t sound as good as those, and some are horrid **cough Friday Music cough***. Your system may just be highlighting the differences. You gotta take the good with the bad.

Or, the Hana isn’t to your liking. Just because reviews say it’s wonderful doesn’t mean that it is to you. Some rave about Eggplant Parmesan. Me? It’s irrelevant because I detest eggplant.

Edit: If the Hana is brand new, you have to give it time to break in. Figure 20-30 hours. Also I recommend tracking at or near the maximum that the manufacturer recommends. You’ll get better tracking and the extra wear will be negligible. Actually, you can cause damage to your records caused by mistracking from tracking too lightly.
Click to expand...

I've had a few hundred hours on the Hana now so it should be appropriately broken in and not yet wearing out. I hear what you're saying about the pressings and that might be it. Thanks for the feedback, I was looking to see if there was something obvious I was doing wrong or a symptom of stylus being off. Appreciate the help.
 
westcoastbias said:
I've had a few hundred hours on the Hana now so it should be appropriately broken in and not yet wearing out. I hear what you're saying about the pressings and that might be it. Thanks for the feedback, I was looking to see if there was something obvious I was doing wrong or a symptom of stylus being off. Appreciate the help.
Click to expand...

This might be a long shot, but it's free and relatively easy to do...have you checked the level on your turntable? Something similar happened to me where I was hearing what sounded like sibilance/treble breaking up (confirmed with multiple records). I thought maybe my stylus was damaged but on a whim, I checked the level and it was pretty off. I re-leveled and it solved the problem. BTW, when I redid it, I used a small level and placed it on the plinth in a few different spots instead of my MoFi Heavyweight.

Hope you're able to figure it out...I really like the Hana SL.
 
tomheo said:
This might be a long shot, but it's free and relatively easy to do...have you checked the level on your turntable? Something similar happened to me where I was hearing what sounded like sibilance/treble breaking up (confirmed with multiple records). I thought maybe my stylus was damaged but on a whim, I checked the level and it was pretty off. I re-leveled and it solved the problem. BTW, when I redid it, I used a small level and placed it on the plinth in a few different spots instead of my MoFi Heavyweight.

Hope you're able to figure it out...I really like the Hana SL.
Click to expand...
Nice tip. I'll give it a shot tonight👍
 
Is this only when playing vinyl? If you, say, stream the same recording over the system does it sound better?

Possible your speakers are out of phase?
 
kvetcha said:
Is this only when playing vinyl? If you, say, stream the same recording over the system does it sound better?

Possible your speakers are out of phase?
Click to expand...
Good call on the speakers. I plugged in my headphones and everything I was noticing went away.

Now i gotta figure out what to do with my speakers. My kids have knocked them over a few times and the tweeters have taken a few fingers to the face over the last 10 years. I have a feeling they're more beat up than out of phase.
 
Anyone have any luck with bluetooth adapters for a reciever that doesn't have a Bluetooth out? I have a few sonos and im thinking about a Naim speaker for an outdoor firepit seating arrangement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top