MoFi UltraDeck / StudioDeck Owners and those interested

simpleKoala said:
yeah i also just noticed the thing attracts dust like. othing else … was completely clean when i got it … now underside of cartridge … has cat hairs …. and i dont have a cat.
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You know, I never had static issues with my UD, but when I sold it to @renpar61 he experienced similar to what you’re reporting. Not sure what his solution was, aside from maybe humidifying the room a bit.
 
kvetcha said:
You know, I never had static issues with my UD, but when I sold it to @renpar61 he experienced similar to what you’re reporting. Not sure what his solution was, aside from maybe humidifying the room a bit.
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I don’t really have static issues, but have to dust like twice a week to keep photos in what’s spinning from making you guys think I have a salt and pepper colored plinth.
 
kvetcha said:
You know, I never had static issues with my UD, but when I sold it to @renpar61 he experienced similar to what you’re reporting. Not sure what his solution was, aside from maybe humidifying the room a bit.
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I still do have static issues. I tried adding a humidifier in the room, changed power cord and interconnects, ground myself before touching anything, tried different record brushes... Nothing really seems to work and the problem is intermittent, sometimes completely disappears.
I'm convinced is somewhat generated in the platter bearing. Maybe a worn thrust plate? If I take the platter out and then re-set it or even just lifting it and repositioning it, 90% of times results in no static shocks when I change records (out or in) for a period of time, then the problem reappears.
For now I just make sure the volume is all the way down when i change records, so there's no loud static going through the speakers, and it's fine.

On a separate (or maybe not) note, I get a fairly loud sound through the speakers when I push the on/off button. Again, turning the volume all the way down resolves it.
All of this has nothing to do with the performance of the table, which remains outstanding.

However, sorry for the long post, I bought a pre-owned Hana SL with supposedly very low hours. Cart looked in pristine condition. I loved the sound, more dynamic and detailed than the Mastertracker, but the surface noise and the excess of pops and clicks with most records got me to the point I remounted the Mastertracker, quiet as a mouse. I'm still scratching my head about this.
 
renpar61 said:
I still do have static issues. I tried adding a humidifier in the room, changed power cord and interconnects, ground myself before touching anything, tried different record brushes... Nothing really seems to work and the problem is intermittent, sometimes completely disappears.
I'm convinced is somewhat generated in the platter bearing. Maybe a worn thrust plate? If I take the platter out and then re-set it or even just lifting it and repositioning it, 90% of times results in no static shocks when I change records (out or in) for a period of time, then the problem reappears.
For now I just make sure the volume is all the way down when i change records, so there's no loud static going through the speakers, and it's fine.

On a separate (or maybe not) note, I get a fairly loud sound through the speakers when I push the on/off button. Again, turning the volume all the way down resolves it.
All of this has nothing to do with the performance of the table, which remains outstanding.

However, sorry for the long post, I bought a pre-owned Hana SL with supposedly very low hours. Cart looked in pristine condition. I loved the sound, more dynamic and detailed than the Mastertracker, but the surface noise and the excess of pops and clicks with most records got me to the point I remounted the Mastertracker, quiet as a mouse. I'm still scratching my head about this.
Click to expand...
Just experienced this with one japanese abraxas from way back then …. many pops, but the record looks fine. All other records look fine.
 
renpar61 said:
I still do have static issues. I tried adding a humidifier in the room, changed power cord and interconnects, ground myself before touching anything, tried different record brushes... Nothing really seems to work and the problem is intermittent, sometimes completely disappears.
I'm convinced is somewhat generated in the platter bearing. Maybe a worn thrust plate? If I take the platter out and then re-set it or even just lifting it and repositioning it, 90% of times results in no static shocks when I change records (out or in) for a period of time, then the problem reappears.
For now I just make sure the volume is all the way down when i change records, so there's no loud static going through the speakers, and it's fine.

On a separate (or maybe not) note, I get a fairly loud sound through the speakers when I push the on/off button. Again, turning the volume all the way down resolves it.
All of this has nothing to do with the performance of the table, which remains outstanding.

However, sorry for the long post, I bought a pre-owned Hana SL with supposedly very low hours. Cart looked in pristine condition. I loved the sound, more dynamic and detailed than the Mastertracker, but the surface noise and the excess of pops and clicks with most records got me to the point I remounted the Mastertracker, quiet as a mouse. I'm still scratching my head about this.
Click to expand...
Very strange. Could it be related to the way the table is grounded?

Regarding the thrust plate, I wouldn’t think it had enough hours of usage to be significantly worn. Maybe my choice of lubricant?
 
kvetcha said:
Very strange. Could it be related to the way the table is grounded?

Regarding the thrust plate, I wouldn’t think it had enough hours of usage to be significantly worn. Maybe my choice of lubricant?
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I thought lubrican was a factor at first, but I tried a couple of different ones. No change.

The grounding doesn't seem to be a factor either. I have an AQ GroundGoody, but I also tried a different cable. I tried the connection to my phono stage and to my power conditioner. Since the connectors were cracked, I recently stripped to bare wire as well, to see if that could have been an issue. None of this changes produced any difference. It seems like the table is properly grounded, as there's no hum whatsoever.
 
renpar61 said:
...I bought a pre-owned Hana SL with supposedly very low hours. Cart looked in pristine condition. I loved the sound, more dynamic and detailed than the Mastertracker, but the surface noise and the excess of pops and clicks with most records got me to the point I remounted the Mastertracker, quiet as a mouse. I'm still scratching my head about this.
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I currently have the same cart on the same turntable and I get nothing like what you describe. Wish I could be more help, but I can at least assure you that there's nothing wrong with that particular combination.
 
budley007 said:
I currently have the same cart on the same turntable and I get nothing like what you describe. Wish I could be more help, but I can at least assure you that there's nothing wrong with that particular combination.
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So I heard. I bought the Hana after I read all the positive experiences on the Ultradeck.
Out of curiosity, what phono stage are you using? Settings?
At some point someone suggested to try a lower gain since my Jolida JD9 is quite aggressive in that department. It made things marginally better but didn't solve the problem completely.
 
renpar61 said:
So I heard. I bought the Hana after I read all the positive experiences on the Ultradeck.
Out of curiosity, what phono stage are you using? Settings?
At some point someone suggested to try a lower gain since my Jolida JD9 is quite aggressive in that department. It made things marginally better but didn't solve the problem completely.
Click to expand...
Currently Darlington Labs MP8B and SU-7 which tend to mitigate surface noise, but I've had other offerings in the chain and never ran into hot surface noise issues or static.

Seriously sorry to hear about your troubles, but if you get them cleared it up, you're going to love the results. My Mofi TT/Hana SL/DLabs combo is a killer setup and absolutely dead quiet. ~Best wishes
 
Portland Sheriff said:
While I’m waiting on my SAE 1000LT to be re-tipped, I reinstalled the Mastertracker on my UD. It’s a nice cartridge but it’s lumpy on the low end compared to the SAE.

For VTA, I used the basic “tonearm parallel to vinyl surface” method, and it sounds very good to my ears. VTA on the UD is frustrating bc it’s very hard to do a micro adjustment. The Allen bolt loosens in an “all or nothing” way so that the tonearm is either holding firm or completely loose. No middle ground. I used approx 2.5 decks of cards to prevent the arm from dropping like a rock and held the spindle and VTF weight with my left hand and loosened the Allen bolt with my right. This was the best way I could figure out how to make a micro adjustment up/down using my left hand.

Lastly, and the main reason for this post, I’m curious what else people do for VTA/SRA? Does anyone attempt to gauge or even measure SRA @ 92 degrees using a USB microscope camera (per Fremer here) or any other method other than simply listening and adjusting?
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I have a cheap usb microscope cam I got off Amazon and I'll just use to just get an idea of what angle the stylus rake is at. I don't measure but I just maje sure it's even in the groove and tilted the correct way....
 
budley007 said:
Currently Darlington Labs MP8B and SU-7 which tend to mitigate surface noise, but I've had other offerings in the chain and never ran into hot surface noise issues or static.

Seriously sorry to hear about your troubles, but if you get them cleared it up, you're going to love the results. My Mofi TT/Hana SL/DLabs combo is a killer setup and absolutely dead quiet. ~Best wishes
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What’s the benefit of using the SU-7 with the MP8B?
 
mindhead1 said:
What’s the benefit of using the SU-7 with the MP8B?
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Do you have a low-output MC cart? If not, there is no benefit and, as I understand it, the SU-7 would make no sense and be incompatible unless you’re using a LOMC. Darlington’s site has a lot of info in the FAQ and Support sections. Here is a small blurb about your question, but I think there’s a bunch more if you dig around, although I’m not certain of that bc, while I have the MP8B, I use high output MC cart primarily and my spare is MM. Lastly, if you think you want a SU-7 for whatever reasons, they’re about to release a new model SU-8. I don’t know what the differences will be.

Here’s the blurb:

Please note: The LOMC capabilities of the MP8B and MP7B ARE NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE THE SU-7 AND OTHER HEAD-AMPS. They contain very good LOMC step-ups inside, more than competitive with those offered by other vendors. However, because of the space and power supply limitations, we expect the SU series outboard head amps to provide a lower noise floor and superior overall sound quality.

Frequently Asked Questions about Darlington Labs RIAA Phono Preamps for Your Vinyl LP Records — Darlington Labs

We have a USA-designed audiophile quality solution for your vinyl LP playback needs. In addition to a turntable and a cartridge, most systems require a Phono Preamp to amplify the signal and apply RIAA Equalization. It is one of the toughest jobs to do well in all of audio! We have invested more
www.darlingtonlabs.com www.darlingtonlabs.com
 
is there a difference between the super heavy weight and super heavy weight champion except the weight?
In eneral is there a difference between 30€ nice metal weight and the ones from mofi? Is there some special sauce material or black magic going on with their stuff?
 
simpleKoala said:
is there a difference between the super heavy weight and super heavy weight champion except the weight?
In eneral is there a difference between 30€ nice metal weight and the ones from mofi? Is there some special sauce material or black magic going on with their stuff?
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I just use the nice metal weight and not the black magic version so I cannot compare . The one I have does its job .
 
simpleKoala said:
is there a difference between the super heavy weight and super heavy weight champion except the weight?
In eneral is there a difference between 30€ nice metal weight and the ones from mofi? Is there some special sauce material or black magic going on with their stuff?
Click to expand...
I have the sam question. I've been very tempted to splurge for the "black magic" myself (knowing I would probably be disappointed).
Does anyone here use one the Mofi weights?

I sent an email to Mofi about 10 days ago to address some minor issues. After the automated reply saying they opened a ticket, nobody has bothered to answer, so I'm not in a hurry to give them any money right now.:p
 
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