MoFi Studiodeck First Impressions

[sal]

I recently decided to delve back into the world of vinyl. I had originally purchased a Schiit Sol, only to find it was backordered until April 27th (2021). I go a bit antsy and couldn't wait. Also, I know they have had some production reliability issues in the past and I thought the chances of me getting an on-spec table were not 100%. I started doing some research and ended up on the MoFi Studiodeck. I ordered from Music Direct (who I believe owns the Mobile Fidelity brand), and it shipped promptly. The TT is assembled in the USA for what that is worth and retails for $1199 without a cartridge. You can opt for a few levels of pre-installed MM MoFi cartridges, which are actually produced by AudioTechnica - that's not a bad thing.

I opted for the sans-cartridge version and also order a Sumiko BPS EVO III cartridge. I will not be going into the sonic characteristics of the table itself, as it *should* not have any. That is function of the cartridge and VTA/Azimuth adjustments, the latter of which I will touch on.

The Good:

• Off the bat, the packaging was excellent. I will try to add some pictures later.
• The deck itself is of a solid build, MDF married to aluminum, and feels like it's worth the price tag.
• The platter is of Delrin construction, a high density carbon (plastic). I was a bit worried about that as I have no experience with Delrin, but I can say It is pretty impressive. It feels more like a chunk of metal than plastic. It does not come with any kind of platter mat, and I don't think it needs one either. The center spindle is embedded in the platter and is not directly connected to the plinth, also probably a good thing.
• The AC motor is smooth and quiet. The power supply for the motor is internal (if there is one), no wall wart here. the supplied three prong power cable is hefty. They did not cheap-out.
• Tracking force was easy to dial in. The counterweight was a bit stiff to turn, but in a predictable fashion. This made it easy to make very fine adjustments. I dialed in to 1.950g in just a couple of minutes, and checked the tracking force after an hour's worth of play time and it hadn't moved.
• The unit has RCA connectors on the back, not an integrated phono cable like other manufacturers. This is a major plus for me. The cable is now a serviceable part, rather than having to service the entire tonearm when something shorts out.

Good and Bad:

• The unit comes with height adjustable "anti-vibration feet" installed. Now I don't not have the ideal listening area, hardwood floors (not on the foundation either). Also, I do run my system with a subwoofer (at a moderate level) to fill out the low end of my tower speakers. The feet seem to do a fine job. Even at high listening levels, I did not get any perceivable rumble or bass feedback. My one gripe with them is that the bottoms of the feet are slippery. When making adjustments to the TT, the table did slip around on my butcher block. They did not pass the footstep test. Between tracks, I could here my footsteps come through the system. So if you're listening area is like mine, you might still be doing the "TT shuffle". Your mileage may vary.
• VTA adjustment was straight forward, but it is not "on the fly".

The Cons:

• Azimuth adjustment was not so pleasant. The head shell is attached with a friction locking system using a small hex screw. When tightening the screw to lock in the adjustment, the head shell moves out of adjustment. I had to give my adjustments some "lead" and then tighten the screw until it was correct.
• The phono leads are just a tad too short, or I should say the stiff insulators on top of the connectors are a bit too long. With the cartridge I purchased, it is pushed far back in the shell when in proper adjustment, this causes some stress on the phono wires themselves. (I will try to add some pictures)

Conclusion: A good turntable for the price. Not perfect, but I don't feel like I got rooked. A good value in my opinion. For those who do not want to go through the adjustment process and its associated headaches, the units with installed factory cartridges are adjusted at the factory.

The first track I played was "Old Man", Track 1 - Side 2 of Neil Young - "Harvest". I soon remembered why I wanted to get back into vinyl

 

[oohora]

I bought a Mofi studiodeck. I agree with everything but the motor. I got unlucky with a rumbling motor.