Welcome!
The belt turns less orange as it ages. And the new belts are more orange than my original belt.
My serial number is 20080. I bought mine at Crutchfield as well.
MoFi UltraDeck / StudioDeck Owners and those interested
- Thread starter AnthonyI
- Start date
The belt turns less orange as it ages. And the new belts are more orange than my original belt.
My serial number is 20080. I bought mine at Crutchfield as well.
kvetcha
Well-Known Member
Mine is also from Crutchfield! Serial 20370.
Looking at serial numbers and knowing when I bought mine, I’ll bet Ultradeck serial numbers started at 20001.
I wonder what a Studiodeck serial number looks like.
Pergo
Active Member
31211 on my StudioDeck purchased about a year and a half ago.
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Thanks for the info. i think i probably got the newer version. Another thing i think is different is the power switch light. Mine is more red/orange than yellow. I did read something in another forum that Mofi made some improvements to their turntables around 2019. i just want to make sure i got the latest version for my own peace of mind.
thanks.
thanks.
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
fiftydegrees
New Member
An excited newbie here! My Ultradeck / MasterTracker just arrived. It's burning a hole in its box while I try to finish my workday. I can't wait to get it set up. S/N 0022396.
The Ultradeck replaces an entry level Pro-Ject RPM 1/Sumiko Pearl. At its best, the Pro-Ject was ok, but I was never able to tame its tendency toward inner groove distortion/sibilance. No amount of tweaking seemed to help. I'm hoping the Mofi does better.
I plan to upgrade to a better phono stage later this year. Has anyone had experience paring a Mofi deck with the Parasound Zphono XRM? It seems like it should be pretty flexible.
Turntable: UltraDeck
Cartridge: MasterTracker
Receiver: Rotel RX950AX
Speakers: Paradigm Monitor 9
Cassette Deck: Nakamichi 480, Denon DRM650S
CD Player: Marantz CD5000
The Ultradeck replaces an entry level Pro-Ject RPM 1/Sumiko Pearl. At its best, the Pro-Ject was ok, but I was never able to tame its tendency toward inner groove distortion/sibilance. No amount of tweaking seemed to help. I'm hoping the Mofi does better.
I plan to upgrade to a better phono stage later this year. Has anyone had experience paring a Mofi deck with the Parasound Zphono XRM? It seems like it should be pretty flexible.
Turntable: UltraDeck
Cartridge: MasterTracker
Receiver: Rotel RX950AX
Speakers: Paradigm Monitor 9
Cassette Deck: Nakamichi 480, Denon DRM650S
CD Player: Marantz CD5000
kvetcha
Well-Known Member
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
Welcome, we need pics when you're ready
fiftydegrees
New Member
A very interesting evening setting up the Ultradeck! There were some things that surprised me.
The anti-skate setup was rather difficult. I needed my phone's camera to see precisely which slot the thread belonged to. Like many others, I had to do the anti-skate setup before setting the tracking force.
My biggest concern is with how high the cue lever goes. The cartridge just barely clears the platter--as seen in the pictures--unlike other tonearms which maintain a bigger gap. Is this a defect--and if it is--can it be fixed at home with simple VTA adjustments? I also think the tonearm is not perfectly horizontal.
Once the initial setup was done, I cued up Bryan Ferry's "Bete Noire". I was shocked at how musical and involving the Ultradeck is.
Every part of the mix, from percussion to guitars, has its own place in the soundstage. I'd never heard anything quite like it.
I am hugely looking looking forward to hearing more from this deck.
The anti-skate setup was rather difficult. I needed my phone's camera to see precisely which slot the thread belonged to. Like many others, I had to do the anti-skate setup before setting the tracking force.
My biggest concern is with how high the cue lever goes. The cartridge just barely clears the platter--as seen in the pictures--unlike other tonearms which maintain a bigger gap. Is this a defect--and if it is--can it be fixed at home with simple VTA adjustments? I also think the tonearm is not perfectly horizontal.
Once the initial setup was done, I cued up Bryan Ferry's "Bete Noire". I was shocked at how musical and involving the Ultradeck is.
Every part of the mix, from percussion to guitars, has its own place in the soundstage. I'd never heard anything quite like it.
I am hugely looking looking forward to hearing more from this deck.
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AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
The platter may need to settle a bit on the bearing, but you can also adjust the height by loosening the set screw on the tone arm. Be warned, hold the tonearm when loosening this screw, nothing is supporting it and it will drop strait down
For future reference, it's easier to adjust the AS with the weight off the tone arm.
I’m Just Ken
The Man Behind The Tan
Do you need to adjust the height of the tone arm? I never did with mine.
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
It should be good from the factory, but I would always recommend checking. The tone arm should be parallel to the platter/album when the arm is down and stylus touching the album.
Indeed. I do it with the weight on, but it's super heavy and requires a bit of a learned way to hold it at the bottom. In all my clearance is relatively low as well. I would worry about the arm being at the right VTA more than clearance.The platter may need to settle a bit on the bearing, but you can also adjust the height by loosening the set screw on the tone arm. Be warned, hold the tonearm when loosening this screw, nothing is supporting it and it will drop strait down
For future reference, it's easier to adjust the AS with the weight off the tone arm.
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As a new StudioDeck+M owner, I'm really glad I found this forum and thread! I really like my deck so far, but have noticed a few unique characteristics that I'd like to check with this group on. I'm coming from a second-hand Pro-Ject Carbon Debut, so this is my first high quality deck, and some principles may be over my head.
- As others have mentioned, the motor does make a small hum, but goes away once I am about a foot away from the table. I have also not heard this translate to the speakers or headphones. At this point, it's just a minor annoyance. Has anyone found a way to reduce it? Maybe adjusting the screws on the motor?
- The rubber band does not stay in it's groove on the platter. RPMs aren't affected as I'm getting a steady 33.54 RPM, but intermittently I hear a click as the rubber band goes in an out of the platter grove. I'm thinking it may need to just break in a bit?
- When I start the deck up, the rubber band squeaks as if it's slipping on the motor. I sometimes give the platter a little kickstart by hand, but to me it sounds like perhaps I've handled the rubber band too much. Maybe clean it with isopropyl alcohol and reset it?
- The tonearm clearance is LOW. If I drop a 180G vinyl on there, there needle touches the record without even lowering the arm. I'm not using a slipmat, and the arm is level to the platter, it's just a bit odd.
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
First off, Welcome
Did you buy your StudioDeck new?
- As others have mentioned, the motor does make a small hum, but goes away once I am about a foot away from the table. I have also not heard this translate to the speakers or headphones. At this point, it's just a minor annoyance. Has anyone found a way to reduce it? Maybe adjusting the screws on the motor? I have an UltraDeck, but I have heard this hum thing come up here and there, I have no such issue. I would reach out to Mobile Fidelity and ask about it before trying to fix it.
- The rubber band does not stay in it's groove on the platter. RPMs aren't affected as I'm getting a steady 33.54 RPM, but intermittently I hear a click as the rubber band goes in an out of the platter grove. I'm thinking it may need to just break in a bit? It should, maybe give it a little time, but it should move into the groove and stay there........maybe add it to your list of MoFi questions
- When I start the deck up, the rubber band squeaks as if it's slipping on the motor. I sometimes give the platter a little kickstart by hand, but to me it sounds like perhaps I've handled the rubber band too much. Maybe clean it with isopropyl alcohol and reset it? This is normal, I give the platter a small nudge as I turn it on.
- The tonearm clearance is LOW. If I drop a 180G vinyl on there, there needle touches the record without even lowering the arm. I'm not using a slipmat, and the arm is level to the platter, it's just a bit odd. You're the second person to have this "issue", which is odd from the factory. That said, this can be adjusted, see my post a few up (MoFi UltraDeck / StudioDeck Owners and those interested
I’m Just Ken
The Man Behind The Tan
I wonder if the humming is specific to the StudioDeck?
dansomeone
Well-Known Member
I've had a Studiodeck for over 20 months now, and to echo @AnthonyI , there's no motor hum, the belt stays in place, and I start the platter with my thumb as I hit the power button. So I would contact MoFi, they will make it right for you. A brand new unit with that many issues makes me think you should ask for a replacement with the VTA properly set.
The motors appear to be the same on both models.