MoFi UltraDeck / StudioDeck Owners and those interested

The light is based on the platter speed. It's actually a nice feature with a bit of functionality.
The squeak is also the belt trying to catch but it has a little slip because of the platter weight. I give mine a little simultaneous hand start just before I hit the button.
This, and no motor noise here.........kind of odd, did you reach out to MoFi about it?
 
The light is based on the platter speed. It's actually a nice feature with a bit of functionality.
The squeak is also the belt trying to catch but it has a little slip because of the platter weight. I give mine a little simultaneous hand start just before I hit the button.

Same here.. I always give it a little hand start.. has become part of the process.
 
Mine does have a very faint noise, but it has never bothered me since I can't hear it from my seating position at all.. both of mine were the same so I figured it was just normal..
 
Mine does have a very faint noise, but it has never bothered me since I can't hear it from my seating position at all.. both of mine were the same so I figured it was just normal..

That makes me feel better. I think it only bugs me when I'm lightly brushing the record and it gets louder. As I said, I can't hear it in playback or from my listening position, so it's mostly a matter of me making sure the motor isn't failing.
 
That makes me feel better. I think it only bugs me when I'm lightly brushing the record and it gets louder. As I said, I can't hear it in playback or from my listening position, so it's mostly a matter of me making sure the motor isn't failing.
Just from your comment about it getting louder as you "brush the record", is it possible the hum is from the bearing? Maybe give it a shot of lithium grease?
 
Just from your comment about it getting louder as you "brush the record", is it possible the hum is from the bearing? Maybe give it a shot of lithium grease?

Well, it gets louder and the record visibly slows down and takes a little while to get up to speed.

Seeing as the table wasn't doing this while cold and the issue cropped up after several LPs, I'm willing to believe it might be related to the belt warming up. I guess as long as it doesn't affect the speed, that's fine.

edit: Used the RPM app to check speed and w/f - the table is pretty accurate, though slightly fast - 33.40 rpm. The measured wow/flutter, though, is higher than rated: 0.39%.

The guys at MoFi Electronics have offered to send a return authorization to have the table and motor examined and lubed up at the factory. Just waiting to hear back on how much that will cost and how long it will take.
 
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Just from your comment about it getting louder as you "brush the record", is it possible the hum is from the bearing? Maybe give it a shot of lithium grease?

Can someone expand on this a bit? I haven't given mine any lubrication at all. Should I do so? If so, where and how much?
 
Can someone expand on this a bit? I haven't given mine any lubrication at all. Should I do so? If so, where and how much?
The MoFi decks have a steel inverted bearing that shouldn't have any issues with hum, noise or whatever. When @kvetcha mentioned he heard it louder when brushing off the album I thought it might be due to the extra, although minor, pressure put on the platter, in turn maybe the bearing. It's not something documented anywhere, but a little shot of lithium grease isn't going to hurt and it will keep things running smoothly.

I use the spray version (I use the WD40 brand with the small yellow tube), I spray a little in the platter side, then wipe it around with a cotton swab, this will also pick up any excess grease so it doesn't drip back on to your plinth. The grease is also available in a tube/paste. ;)

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The MoFi decks have a steel inverted bearing that shouldn't have any issues with hum, noise or whatever. When @kvetcha mentioned he heard it louder when brushing off the album I thought it might be due to the extra, although minor, pressure put on the platter, in turn maybe the bearing. It's not something documented anywhere, but a little shot of lithium grease isn't going to hurt and it will keep things running smoothly.

I use the spray version (I use the WD40 brand with the small yellow tube), I spray a little in the platter side, then wipe it around with a cotton swab, this will also pick up any excess grease so it doesn't drip back on to your plinth. The grease is also available in a tube/paste. ;)

View attachment 17598 View attachment 17599

Thanks, much appreciated. I'll give it a little shot.
 
On another forum I saw yet another somewhat heated debated about the UD's tonearm effective mass and cartridge matching. These debates honestly always go way over my head, but it frustrates me when people claim that "by the numbers" the UD tone arm weighs to much and can't possibly be a good design. I only find it frustrating because I've heard it.

Anyway, I emailed MoFi about it, and got back the most detailed answer I have seen so far. I wanted to share that with everyone here in the event of wanting to try other carts with the MoFi.

From a Technical Service Manager at MoFi:
The UltraDeck Tonearm Effective Mass is 25.14g. We have mounted many cartridges from Ortofon, Grado, Hana, Audio Technica, Denon, and others that work great with both of our turntables. You want to avoid any cartridges that are specified as high compliance but the majority of today’s cartridges are either medium or low compliance and will work great with your turntable.


The compliance of our cartridges at 100Hz is available;

Studio Tracker

Static compliance : 35 x 10e-6/dyne

Dynamic compliance : 8 x 10e-6/dyne


Ultra Tracker

Static compliance : 35 x 10e-6/dyne

Dynamic compliance : 10 x 10e-6/dyne

Master Tracker

Static compliance : 40 x 10e-6/dyne

Dynamic compliance : 10 x 10e-6/dyne
 
On another forum I saw yet another somewhat heated debated about the UD's tonearm effective mass and cartridge matching. These debates honestly always go way over my head, but it frustrates me when people claim that "by the numbers" the UD tone arm weighs to much and can't possibly be a good design. I only find it frustrating because I've heard it.

Anyway, I emailed MoFi about it, and got back the most detailed answer I have seen so far. I wanted to share that with everyone here in the event of wanting to try other carts with the MoFi.

From a Technical Service Manager at MoFi:
The UltraDeck Tonearm Effective Mass is 25.14g. We have mounted many cartridges from Ortofon, Grado, Hana, Audio Technica, Denon, and others that work great with both of our turntables. You want to avoid any cartridges that are specified as high compliance but the majority of today’s cartridges are either medium or low compliance and will work great with your turntable.


The compliance of our cartridges at 100Hz is available;

Studio Tracker

Static compliance : 35 x 10e-6/dyne

Dynamic compliance : 8 x 10e-6/dyne


Ultra Tracker

Static compliance : 35 x 10e-6/dyne

Dynamic compliance : 10 x 10e-6/dyne

Master Tracker

Static compliance : 40 x 10e-6/dyne

Dynamic compliance : 10 x 10e-6/dyne
Numbers aren't always the end all be all, so all those who still poo poo the effective mass issue need to get over it. My problem are the people who go beyond discussion, they get bull headed and argumentative. But, it's great they gave you some more info. The deck has been out for what, almost 2 years to pretty much nothing but positive feedback....yet some still like to argue.
 
Numbers aren't always the end all be all, so all those who still poo poo the effective mass issue need to get over it. My problem are the people who go beyond discussion, they get bull headed and argumentative. But, it's great they gave you some more info. The deck has been out for what, almost 2 years to pretty much nothing but positive feedback....yet some still like to argue.
You are so right about the argumentativeness of the numbers crowd. I've never understood it. They speak to people as if your ears don't matter if the math doesn't add up from age old formulas. And they are so quick to dismiss highly respected designers. I always wonder how much they are missing out when they dismiss highly regarded gear so quickly.
 
So, um, I think my Ultradeck motor may have just had a stroke. I made a recording of the motor noise I've been hearing, and pretty soon after, the record I was listening to spun down to something like 20 rpm, and the deck sounded like it was struggling to maintain even that.

Motor noise:

Slow spin:

The worst part of all this is that sending it in for repair means going without the table for a few weeks.
 
So, um, I think my Ultradeck motor may have just had a stroke. I made a recording of the motor noise I've been hearing, and pretty soon after, the record I was listening to spun down to something like 20 rpm, and the deck sounded like it was struggling to maintain even that.

Motor noise:

Slow spin:

The worst part of all this is that sending it in for repair means going without the table for a few weeks.


That sucks. Sorry you’re dealing with that! Hopefully they can get it turned around quickly.
 
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