Mobile Fidelity - UltraGold MC Phono Cartridge

MoFi’s reference moving-coil cartridge: a nude Shibata stylus on a boron cantilever, PCOCC Ohno continuous cast copper coils around a neodymium magnet and permendur yoke, built in Japan and voiced by Spiral Groove founder Allen Perkins.

The UltraGold MC is manufactured in Japan under precision quality controls and uniquely voiced by Allen Perkins, founder of Spiral Groove and the designer behind MoFi’s turntables. MoFi’s stated goals for the cartridge are true-to-the-source faithfulness, lifelike separation, surgical accuracy and clean tracking — and in service of those it delivers exceptionally wide frequency response, clear high-frequency transients, stunning dynamics and rich detail.

The nude Shibata stylus and boron cantilever pairing is responsible for the cartridge’s low-end reproduction and transient responsiveness: the Shibata’s broad vertical contact area reads more of the groove wall while boron’s stiffness-to-mass ratio keeps the cantilever from smearing leading edges. The generator uses a neodymium magnet with a permendur yoke and coils wound from Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting (PCOCC), and frequency response extends to 35kHz.

Setup is refreshingly straightforward. The aluminum body carries threaded mounting inserts, so installation takes just two screws — no fumbling with bolts and nuts above a suspended platter. At 7.3g it is light enough to balance in a wide range of tonearms. MoFi publishes the load as a minimum rather than a range: 100 ohms or greater.

Features

• Nude Shibata stylus for enhanced low-end reproduction and transient responsiveness
• Boron cantilever
• Neodymium magnet with permendur yoke
• Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting (PCOCC) coils
• Aluminum cartridge body with threaded mounting inserts — two-screw installation, no nuts
• Voiced by Spiral Groove founder Allen Perkins
• Manufactured in Japan under precision quality controls
• Wide 20Hz–35kHz frequency response

Specifications

• Type: Dual moving coil stereo
• Stylus: Nude Shibata
• Cantilever: Boron
• Magnet: Neodymium with permendur yoke
• Coils: Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting (PCOCC)
• Body: Aluminum with threaded mounting inserts
• Output Voltage: 0.4mV
• Frequency Response: 20–35,000Hz
• Tracking Force: 1.8–2.2g
• Recommended Load: 100Ω or greater. MoFi publishes this as a minimum, not a range
• Internal Impedance: 12Ω
• Static Compliance: 40 x 10^-6 cm/dyne
• Dynamic Compliance: 10 x 10^-6 cm/dyne. MoFi does not state the measurement frequency
• Weight: 7.3g
• Colour: Gold
• Origin: Precision-crafted in Japan
• Note: MoFi publishes no channel separation or channel balance figure for this cartridge, and no recommended tonearm effective mass or warranty term