Mobile Fidelity - UltraDeck Turntable

Mobile Fidelity’s mastering-room discipline in a US-built belt-drive turntable, developed with analog authority Allen Perkins.

The UltraDeck was designed collaboratively by Mobile Fidelity’s engineering team and Allen Perkins, founder of Spiral Groove and one of the most respected turntable designers working today. It is built at MoFi’s own facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where in-house production lets the company hold the kind of tolerances its four-decade reputation is built on. The aim is direct: put the character of Mobile Fidelity’s mastering studio into your listening room, whether you are spinning an everyday pressing or an UltraDisc One-Step.

Nearly everything here is about killing noise before it reaches the stylus. The 1.3-inch Delrin platter, which MoFi describes as 75 percent thicker than the one on the StudioDeck, weighs 6.8 lbs and offers a natural impedance match to vinyl — the company credits it for the deck’s deep-black backgrounds and low noise floor. Three aluminum plates are bonded to the MDF body for constrained-layer damping, the 300 RPM AC synchronous motor is isolated and damped so its vibration never reaches the record, and the inverted bearing combines hardened steel, bronze and a sapphire thrust pad. Underneath, the anti-vibration feet were designed by Harmonic Resolution Systems.

The 10-inch Ultra tonearm is MoFi’s own design, machined in the USA from straight aluminum with a gimbaled bearing and high-quality ball bearings that keep friction low in both planes. It is wired with Cardas Audio cable straight through to gold-plated RCA connectors shielded in a copper foil box against RF. One practical note: this is a high-mass arm — dealer and independent lab figures put its effective mass in the 25 to 30 gram region, though MoFi does not publish the number — so it favours low-compliance cartridges. MoFi’s own Tracker series and the UltraGold MC are all designed around it.

Speed change is fully manual. The Delrin pulley has two positions, and you lift the platter and move the belt by hand — top for 33-1/3, bottom for 45. There is no electronic speed control at this price, which is worth knowing before you buy.

Writing in Stereophile in February 2018, Herb Reichert called it “one of the most lucid-, engaging-, and natural-sounding record players available for under $5000.” It went on to win Analog Component of the Year in Stereophile’s Products of 2018.

Choose your cartridge configuration above. This listing is offered three ways: the UltraDeck with no cartridge if you are bringing your own or want to specify something special; the UltraDeck with MoFi’s UltraTracker moving magnet cartridge factory-fitted; or the UltraDeck with the higher-performance MasterTracker moving magnet cartridge. Select the option you want before adding to cart.

Features

• Designed by Mobile Fidelity’s engineering team in collaboration with Allen Perkins of Spiral Groove
• Built in the USA at MoFi’s Ann Arbor, Michigan facility
• Belt drive with isolated, damped 300 RPM AC synchronous motor
• 1.3-inch, 6.8 lb Delrin platter for impedance matching to vinyl and a low noise floor
• MDF plinth with three bonded aluminum plates for constrained-layer damping
• Inverted hardened-steel bearing with bronze bushing and sapphire thrust pad
• 10-inch Ultra straight aluminum tonearm, gimbaled bearing, made in the USA
• Cardas Audio internal wiring to gold-plated RCA outputs in a copper-foil shielded box
• Anti-vibration feet designed by Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS)
• Speed changed by moving the belt on a two-position Delrin stepped pulley
• Removable hinged dust cover included
• Stereophile Analog Component of the Year, Products of 2018

Specifications

• Drive: Belt drive
• Motor: 300 RPM AC synchronous, isolated and damped
• Speeds: 33-1/3 RPM and 45 RPM
• Speed Change: Manual — two-position Delrin stepped pulley. Lift the platter and move the belt: top for 33-1/3, bottom for 45. No electronic speed control
• Platter: 1.3″ Delrin, 6.8 lbs
• Bearing: Inverted, hardened steel with bronze bushing and sapphire thrust pad
• Plinth: MDF with three bonded aluminum plates, constrained-layer damped
• Wow & Flutter: 0.017% – 0.025% (MoFi publishes this as a range; no measurement standard is stated)
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 74 dB
• Tonearm: 10″ straight aluminum, gimbaled bearing, made in the USA
• Tonearm Wiring: Cardas Audio, headshell leads through to gold-plated RCA connectors in a copper-foil shielded box
• Cartridge Weight Range: 5 g – 10 g. This is the cartridge mass the arm accepts, not the arm’s effective mass
• Overhang: 0.71″ (18 mm)
• Offset Angle: 22.8 degrees (±2 degrees adjustable)
• Feet: Anti-vibration, designed by Harmonic Resolution Systems, height adjustable
• Power Requirements: 120V 60Hz / 220–230V 50Hz / 100V 50Hz
• Power Consumption: Less than 5W
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 19.69″ x 6″ x 14.25″ (500 x 152 x 362 mm)
• Weight: 23.1 lbs (10.5 kg)
• Included: Turntable, tonearm, platter, belt, removable hinged dust cover
• Origin: Made in the USA
• Note: MoFi publishes no tonearm effective mass and no warranty term for this model. Dealer and independent lab figures put the arm’s effective mass at roughly 25–30 g, which is high — pair it with low-compliance cartridges