Головки звукоснимателя — MoFi Electronics STUDIOSILVER MC PHONO

The StudioSilver is a moving-coil cartridge for turntables from MoFi Electronics, precision-built in Japan by a third-party maker that the company does not name, and sold at USD 999, or GBP 1,049 in the UK. MoFi presents it as a design aimed at bringing the feel of the recording studio into a home listening room through vinyl playback, using a nude MicroLinear diamond on a high-grade boron cantilever to follow the fine detail of the groove. The current MoFi Electronics cartridge catalogue holds five models, two of them moving-coil designs and three moving-magnet models called StudioTracker, UltraTracker and MasterTracker.

Key specs that matter

Output measures 0.35 mV, and the internal impedance is 12 ohm. The recommended load is 100 ohm or higher. Frequency response extends from 20 Hz to 33 kHz. Static compliance is 40 x 10-6 cm per dyne, dynamic compliance 10 x 10-6 cm per dyne, and the tracking force range is 1.8 to 2.2 g. The cartridge weighs 7.2 g.

Engineering and use context

MoFi classes the generator as a dual moving-coil stereo type. A neodymium magnet supplies the field, and the yoke uses permendur, an alloy of cobalt and iron selected for its high magnetic saturation. The coils are wound with PCOCC wire, meaning pure copper produced by the Ohno Continuous Casting process. The generator assembly follows a layout similar to the cutting heads used to produce vinyl records. The body is machined aluminium fitted with threaded inserts, a construction MoFi specifies to minimise vibration. Several details are aimed at easier installation. The stylus protrudes further from the body than on most cartridges, which makes it easier to see when lowering it into position, and the parallel sides of the body help when lining the cartridge up against a protractor. The connector pins are tapered, and a tool set comes in the box.

Pairing

Given its moving-coil generator, the StudioSilver connects to the MC input of a phono stage. Vinyl playback products at MoFi Electronics, the cartridge range included, fall under a division overseen by Allen Perkins, founder of Spiral Groove.

Alternatives

The MoFi UltraGold MC is another dual moving-coil model that is also made in Japan, fitting a nude Shibata diamond to a boron cantilever and rated at 0.4 mV output.