MoFi UltraDeck / StudioDeck Owners and those interested

The StudioDeck won first place in a shootout in UK’s HiFi Choice magazine- September 2020.

Second place went to the Rega P6
Third place went to the Pro-Ject Classic EVO
Fourth Place was the Technics SL-1200GR
Fifth was the Marantz TT-15S1
Sixth was the Avid Ingenium
 
HiFi Guy said:
The file is too big to upload. They said all of the turntables were good, just some were better. They singled out the Marantz for being fiddly and the Avid for being overpriced.
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Yeah it seems that one of the things they’ve knocked it back slightly on (you’re right the scores are excellent across them all) is value but they’re also quoting a price that’s £250-300 more than I could get it for! Also that pro-ject is one pretty deck. By far the best looking there. With it rating around the rest, being the cheapest, and being able to be bought for about £200 less again without a cart it’s an appealing prospect. £1050 plain and £300 for an opus3 doesn’t sound bad!
 
displayname said:
Me too, but I can see where the value isn't there by comparison. Especially with the Rega at UK pricing. Just imagine this same shootout done at US pricing. That brings the UltraDeck+ in line with the P6/Ania combo.
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Yeah they’ve over quoted the technics price. I don’t know if that’s the official list but that deck doesn’t cost above £1300 to £1350 at any UK dealer that I’m familiar with.
 
Joe Mac said:
Yeah they’ve over quoted the technics price. I don’t know if that’s the official list but that deck doesn’t cost above £1300 to £1350 at any UK dealer that I’m familiar with.
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The StudioDeck price for some reason includes a £200 record weight when you can find a functionally identical substitute for £20.
 
kvetcha said:
The StudioDeck price for some reason includes a £200 record weight when you can find a functionally identical substitute for £20.
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I think Mofi/HRS would beg to differ on those being identical. Mofi doesn't do much to justify the cost, but if you look at HRS (who makes those weights for Mofi) you'll see them justifying the cost with specific geometry, tight tolerances, and propriety polymer. HiFi has a point above.
 
displayname said:
I think Mofi/HRS would beg to differ on those being identical. Mofi doesn't do much to justify the cost, but if you look at HRS (who makes those weights for Mofi) you'll see them justifying the cost with specific geometry, tight tolerances, and propriety polymer. HiFi has a point above.
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The MoFi is the only weight that I’ve tried that made an audible difference.
 
kvetcha said:
I believe you, but at the same time I think this is a situation where I would require some blind A/B testing to justify the expense.
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Has anyone tried this? I have to admit that I am hard-pressed to notice a difference between using and not using a Big Ben on a StudioDeck. Yet, the Big Ben has very similar specs to the MoFi Super HeavyWeight.

Big Ben is made of an aluminum alloy, has a leather pad on the bottom, weighs 13.40 oz and measures 3" x 1.5"

Super HeavyWeight has an aluminum outer shell, with some magical polymer in there and a soft polymer underside. Weight is 12.96 oz, dimensions 3" x 1-3/8"
 
kvetcha said:
I remain skeptical. For this application it really seems like mass is mass.
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I think it's fair to be skeptical. I will say it's certainly more of a tweak than a must have item. I wouldn't push anyone to spend the money on one unless they are interested. Having said that, I have zero buyers remorse with mine.

But I will say this, "mass is mass" sound an awful lot like "wire is wire" and "bits are bits." Record weights may not be the height of technology, but this is generally an oversimplification.
 
displayname said:
I think it's fair to be skeptical. I will say it's certainly more of a tweak than a must have item. I wouldn't push anyone to spend the money on one unless they are interested. Having said that, I have zero buyers remorse with mine.

But I will say this, "mass is mass" sound an awful lot like "wire is wire" and "bits are bits." Record weights may not be the height of technology, but this is generally an oversimplification.
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I could see the resonant frequency of the weight having an impact depending on the setup and listening volume, perhaps. But I’d still like to see some measurements.

I mean, the craft of the thing is certainly nicer than the $23 Big Ben, and that might be reason enough for some.
 
Record weights, power cables, interconnects, etc... These audiophilia accessory debates rage on and on. Subjectve or objective...pick your poison. It's a fun hobby saturated with passion.

I own 3 record weights and 1 on order. I like the designs. I've never noticed a difference, but then again, I've never critically listened for a difference. My ignorance is bliss.

Although there is one thing that I can definitively state as gospel truth with regard to record weights: If you don't own at least one with a bubble level in it.........you're a putz. 😎
 
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