MoFi UltraPhono Pro – Phono Stage Becomes More Affordable

The MoFi Electronics division of the American company Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has introduced a more affordable version of its flagship MasterPhono phono stage. The new model is called the MoFi UltraPhono Pro and features a single input. This version also offers fewer additional functions and does without the VU meters that give the flagship a touch of vintage character.

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has been known for more than forty years for its work in analog mastering, and the company carries that same attention to detail over to its MoFi Electronics line of audio components. With the UltraPhono Pro phono stage, MoFi aims to bring a significant portion of the “performance DNA” of the flagship MasterPhono into a more accessible price category.

The MoFi UltraPhono Pro phono stage was designed by industry veteran Peter Madnick. It is a one-input MM/MC phono stage built around the same ultra-low-noise circuits and high-quality components as the top-of-the-line MasterPhono. The goal was clear: deliver the core musical qualities, accuracy, and flexibility that vinyl lovers value – without unnecessary complexity and at a more attainable price.

Despite the “simplified” concept, the MoFi UltraPhono Pro does not look like a basic device at all. It provides up to 71 dB of gain while maintaining a wide operating bandwidth from 10 Hz to 50 kHz (±0.2 dB) and extremely accurate RIAA equalization (±0.05 dB). The noise level is claimed to be very low, allowing the music to be presented against a quiet, stable background.

Front-panel controls offer a solid set of features, including mono mode, mute, a subsonic filter, and adjustable front-panel illumination brightness. Cartridge matching is also flexible: multiple options are provided for MC cartridges, and gain can be selected for both unbalanced and balanced outputs.

The recommended retail price of the MoFi UltraPhono Pro MM/MC phono stage is USD 2,495. The flagship MoFi MasterPhono is offered for USD 5,995. Availability timing for the new model has not yet been announced.

Distinctive features of the MoFi UltraPhono Pro MM/MC phono stage:

– Single-input architecture based on the MasterPhono design

– Fully discrete input and output stages using J-FET and MOSFET transistors

– Fully balanced signal path

– Passive RIAA equalization with no feedback

– Seven-stage regulated balanced power supply

– Five selectable load impedances (front-panel switching via hermetically sealed “gold-on-gold” relays): 100 / 300 / 500 ohms / 1 kOhm / 47 kOhm

– Critical resistors with 0.1% or 0.5% tolerance

– Passive RIAA network using polypropylene film/foil capacitors, matched to better than 1%

– Thermally coupled critical components to minimize temperature drift