MoFi UltraDeck / StudioDeck Owners and those interested

I've tried just grounding the turntable to the phono and just grounding the phono to the AVR but there is still a hum. 🙁

The phono stage doesn’t need grounding at all. It’s the turntable that needs grounding. There absolutely should be considerable hum if you had the phono connected to the amp with a ground wire but the table not grounded to anything!
 
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About 4 years ago when I got the conditioner and the couple of linear power supplies I also got a bundle that was one of fhese cables


Grounding my turntable into one of these in line AC purifiers


I knew you’d be here for the overkill 😂
I'm confused though. So let's say I wanted to ground my table, what plugs into what? Like I see the RCA Jack that goes into an unused RCA on the amp. But the other end of that cable looks like a AC plug? What's that for?
 
I'm confused though. So let's say I wanted to ground my table, what plugs into what? Like I see the RCA Jack that goes into an unused RCA on the amp. But the other end of that cable looks like a AC plug? What's that for?

Two options. Without the AC purifier. The little spade one goes on your tables ground lug and that connects to the RCA to IEC cable. You can then just use a power lead to ground it to the electrical ground on your plug or power strip.

With the AC purifier. Same spade on ground lug. Instead you connect the RCA to banana plug cable and the banana plug connects into the the top of the AC purifier.
 
Two options. Without the AC purifier. The little spade one on your ground lug and that connects to the RCA to IEC cable. You can then just use a power lead to ground it to the electrical ground on your plug or power strip.

With the AC purifier. Same spade on ground lug. Instead you connect the RCA to banana plug cable and the banana plug connects into the the top of the AC purifier.
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I've tried just grounding the turntable to the phono and just grounding the phono to the AVR but there is still a hum. 🙁
Stepping back abit , the system worked fine before you added the TT in? Were any other components or connectors added at the same time ? Try to isolate events to determine when the hum began . Could it be an issue with the TT itself? Is the system connected to just one outlet or more and did anything else change on the supply side or with connectors used ?

Reminds me of a a hum , static sound that I randomly have in the speaker , one side or the other . This has been happening on and off for years and I have tried everything . All my connectors are old so I cleaned them with Deoxit and the system worked fine for a year. I live with it because its random---a continuous hum is another issue .

The point being is that you have to keep at it as there is a cause/solution somewhere in your system and hopefully someone on the forum may have another suggestion to consider .
 
Yes only one ground is needed. If there’s still noise I’d experiment with what I was grounding to. I used to always ground to my amps because the ground lug on my phono stage is really fat and I’ve never had a spade satisfactory go around it and so using it always brought hum. Since I moved to the pre/power with no ground lugs I’ve used a more exotic grinding solution but I’m not recommending it because it’s a massive level of overkill.
Had the same problem with lug not fitting ie too small so took round file and enlarged in order to fit . Agree that hard to get good ground with lugs as they always appear to loosen in time ---my experience anyhow .
 
Stepping back abit , the system worked fine before you added the TT in? Were any other components or connectors added at the same time ? Try to isolate events to determine when the hum began . Could it be an issue with the TT itself? Is the system connected to just one outlet or more and did anything else change on the supply side or with connectors used ?

Reminds me of a a hum , static sound that I randomly have in the speaker , one side or the other . This has been happening on and off for years and I have tried everything . All my connectors are old so I cleaned them with Deoxit and the system worked fine for a year. I live with it because its random---a continuous hum is another issue .

The point being is that you have to keep at it as there is a cause/solution somewhere in your system and hopefully someone on the forum may have another suggestion to consider .AVR and that made a HUGE difference. There is very minor feeOʻdsļ


I grounded my TT to my AVR and it made a HUGE difference. There is still some very low and minor feedback I can notice above 75db when I put my ear to the speaker so while it's barely noticeable I'll be work on eliminating that.



Side note. I bought the Hudson Hifi VTA block to adjust the azimuth and now I notice surface or static pops when before there was none. Also records sounded better before. The default setting had it raised at the pivot point a bit.




















 
I grounded my TT to my AVR and it made a HUGE difference. There is still some very low and minor feedback I can notice above 75db when I put my ear to the speaker so while it's barely noticeable I'll be work on eliminating that.



Side note. I bought the Hudson Hifi VTA block to adjust the azimuth and now I notice surface or static pops when before there was none. Also records sounded better before. The default setting had it raised at the pivot point a bit.




















Going a little bit tail up or tail down is a personal decision. Some carts can be 'tuned' a little bit that way. The azimuth is important to get right, though.
 
I grounded my TT to my AVR and it made a HUGE difference. There is still some very low and minor feedback I can notice above 75db when I put my ear to the speaker so while it's barely noticeable I'll be work on eliminating that.



Side note. I bought the Hudson Hifi VTA block to adjust the azimuth and now I notice surface or static pops when before there was none. Also records sounded better before. The default setting had it raised at the pivot point a bit.




















As long as it's not severe just set the VTA to whatever sounds best.
 
I grounded my TT to my AVR and it made a HUGE difference. There is still some very low and minor feedback I can notice above 75db when I put my ear to the speaker so while it's barely noticeable I'll be work on eliminating that.



Side note. I bought the Hudson Hifi VTA block to adjust the azimuth and now I notice surface or static pops when before there was none. Also records sounded better before. The default setting had it raised at the pivot point a bit.




















Good news now enjoy the music . I would suggest that you go back to the default setting if that sounds better to your ears . Its all about how you enjoy the music .
 
While enjoying the Mastertracker on the Ultradeck, I would like to go the MC route sooner or later. My JD9 phono stage performs at its best with MCs.
Right now I have a Denon DL-110 with low hours and an older DL-103 re-tipped with elliptical stylus (I was thinking to go boron + micro ridge before buying the Ultradeck), which I used with my previous Denon turntable.
I found very little information about the Ultradeck with these carts. I don't want to go down the compliance calculations rabbit hole, feels like endless overthinking. Does anyone have direct experience with these on MoFi tts?
It's not my intention to keep swapping cartridges, so should I even bother mounting the Denons or should I get rid of them and get a Hana SL which seems to get a lot of consensus on the Ultradeck?
 
While enjoying the Mastertracker on the Ultradeck, I would like to go the MC route sooner or later. My JD9 phono stage performs at its best with MCs.
Right now I have a Denon DL-110 with low hours and an older DL-103 re-tipped with elliptical stylus (I was thinking to go boron + micro ridge before buying the Ultradeck), which I used with my previous Denon turntable.
I found very little information about the Ultradeck with these carts. I don't want to go down the compliance calculations rabbit hole, feels like endless overthinking. Does anyone have direct experience with these on MoFi tts?
It's not my intention to keep swapping cartridges, so should I even bother mounting the Denons or should I get rid of them and get a Hana SL which seems to get a lot of consensus on the Ultradeck?
The MoFi has a pretty heavy tonearm, and mates best with low- and mid-compliance cartridges. The Denons should work beautifully.
 
Longtime member here infrequent poster OCD luker. I have had an Ultradeck since 2017 played lots of different cartridges on it mastertracker, Hana EL/SL, AT OC9XML, SAE LT. Recently decided to trade in an old Grado 2 plantinum I had in a draw for a Sonata 3 and all I can say is the wood bodies are great on this deck. I remember my plantinum 2 sounding good but not like this, highly recommend getting into the 3 series woodies if you are on the fence. For reference my current set is Sonata 3 - Sutherland Insight- Rouge Sphinx V3 - KLH Model 5’s.

Just wanted to say not sure I would have tried it without all the information on this board. Most likely would have instead traded in either my Hana SL Or AT for a retip/mod, both of which are great fits as well. Just love the sound coming out of the Grado right now
Was curious what you liked about the sonata3 vs the Hana sl as I may have a beat on a decent deal on a Hana but was originally thinking sonata. Thanks in advance.
 
Hello All, I'm looking at a Mofi Ultradeck, cart and will also need a pre. Thinking about a Pro-Ject Tube S2. Thoughts on the pre and a reputable retailer to purchase from. I'm in South Carolina.
 
Hello All, I'm looking at a Mofi Ultradeck, cart and will also need a pre. Thinking about a Pro-Ject Tube S2. Thoughts on the pre and a reputable retailer to purchase from. I'm in South Carolina.
Audio advice, music direct and upscale are all great and should stock it. Upscale audio will have the best return policy. I believe b&h photo & crutchfield carry it as well. Not sure if you have a local but always worth checking them out as well.
 
Hello All, I'm looking at a Mofi Ultradeck, cart and will also need a pre. Thinking about a Pro-Ject Tube S2. Thoughts on the pre and a reputable retailer to purchase from. I'm in South Carolina.
Audio Advice has stores in S. Charlotte (Pineville) and Raleigh, which could be a benefit depending on where you are in SC.

Audio Advice is also a Sutherland and MoFi dealer.
 
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