Anyone had a chance to try the MoFi Master Phono yet?

I’ve been curious about this unit as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BillK
I'm thinking of picking one up over the Rega Aura. I have the Rega P10.
 
The MoFi Masterphono should be shipping on Monday. The Aphelion 2 too.

Besides the rave reviews, I have to see what this phonostage can do against my Allnic.
 
This Master Phono must have some sort of weird stealth technology coating. No one’s ever seen one or heard one! :eek:;)
 
This Master Phono must have some sort of weird stealth technology coating. No one’s ever seen one or heard one! :eek:;)
Several have reported on Audigon ....they liked the versatility, however they didn't care for the "sound" reproduction... they eventually returned the units for a refund.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tony22
Several have reported on Audigon ....they liked the versatility, however they didn't care for the "sound" reproduction... they eventually returned the units for a refund.
Hmm, I’ll have to check that out. Thanks.
 
I bought it back in July along with the Aphelion 2 cartridge.
 
Sorry folks, I meant to re-review the differences between 2 phono stages, the Allnic H5500 and the MoFi and post but... I'm still in the process. It ain't easy. Hopefully this evening.
 
Sorry for the delay. Here's what I came up with.

Wishing to upgrade my vinyl gear, I purchased the Aphelion 2 cartridge and the MoFi phonostage. I thought long and hard about selling my Allnic H5500 and moving up the line to the H7000, but I wanted to hear a non-tubed phonostage that was well-regarded and offered a unique feature, 'current mode.'

My turntable is a Rega P10. I use DH-Labs Revelation balanced cables, but with Cardas balanced-to-single-ended adapters at the phono inputs. The MoFi can accept balanced cables, but the Allnic cannot, so I used the adapters for both.
Having both the Allnic H5500 and the MoFi Master, I’m running the balanced outputs from the Allnic, followed by the MoFi into the Wavelet II, taking advantage of the Bohmer room correction inherited in the Wavelet. The sound is well-balanced, extraordinary in dynamics while still being nuanced and gentle when called for. Both my wife and I have been enjoying this combination and continue to refine it when we have time. We split our listening between digital and vinyl, and although both formats sound equally great, I couldn't shake the nagging thought that I was taking an analog signal from the phono preamp and sending it to a DAC inside the Wavelet for room correction processing. Some might call that sacrilegious—myself included.
I began a break-in process with the MoFi, giving it perhaps 50 hours (not much, I know, but this turned out to be a long process), and then rotated between voltage and current modes. Between the two modes, I felt the current mode wasn’t a good match for my setup—it was awful—and I settled on voltage mode. Between the Allnic and the MoFi, I felt the Allnic had the edge in space with a touch of sweetness, a kind of bloom, while the MoFi seemed to offer a more precise presentation, though both were amazingly close overall. A quick switch between the two would have been ideal, but that simply couldn’t happen. A nagging feeling returned: the fact that there’s DAC conversion in the Wavelet. Perhaps I’m wasting my time—and yours—because I’m not properly comparing phono stages with a DAC at the end of the chain. I need to separate the powered bass section of my Aeris speakers, allowing for analog-only signals to play through the mids and tweeters.
The Wavelet is necessary not just to feed signals to the amplifiers embedded in the Legacy Aeris speakers, but also to process the room-corrected signal for which these speakers are known. It works very well, taming most of the bass reflections that occur in nearly all rooms. By using the integrated (Allnic 30th Anniversary) while bypassing the powered subs in the Aeris, I can use a preamp’s outputs to deliver the signals needed for both room correction in the subwoofer domain and analog signals to my integrated amp, bypassing the Wavelet DAC. Best of both worlds. Additionally, the pair of REL Carbon subs that arrived during this time were now able to use their high-level inputs directly from the amplifier’s binding posts—another big win.
Now, I’ve achieved the purity I was looking for. That’s the sound of an analog turntable, and it’s so much better in this configuration.
Going back to the Allnic phono stage, I noticed that the dynamic range now surpassed that of my digital setup. Purity too, the expression of music, the flow was just right. Often, I think of musical notes as timing—leading edge, trailing edge, speed, PRAT, whatever—but with my vinyl setup, it’s just how the music flows. Of course, it has those traits, but I don’t cling to those descriptors. It’s simply very immersive. This doesn’t mean my digital setup is obsolete; it sounds amazing in its own right, with much more to explore, especially given the expansive capabilities of the HiFi Rose 130, which brings music from around the world at your remote control.
Switching to the MoFi in voltage mode, I was hard-pressed to discern the differences between these two very different phono stages. The time spent switching cables made it difficult to localize the differences. Both sounded beautiful, and if I were to characterize the difference overall, I’d say the MoFi may be the most accurate in terms of separating notes—perhaps “speed” is the right term—while the Allnic just seemed to have a slight advantage in space, depth, and width, all while keeping the overall picture intact. I’m splitting hairs here, so let’s try the current mode, which I didn’t like initially.
OK, I get it now. In current mode, music is pushed out from the speakers. It’s bigger, with greater separation. It’s wider, taller, enveloping, and warmer. It doesn’t shy away from the details; it just presents them differently. They are there, but perhaps less noticeable in the overall picture. This worked well on some recordings, but I thought it was a bit much on others. I noted with Natalie Merchant's Paradise is There (The New Tigerlily Recordings), that the mid-to-low bass seemed a bit exaggerated, whereas David Gilmour's Luck and Strange recently released LP had no issues and sounded well-balanced. Zero 7’s The Garden showcased young Sia’s vocals very well.
Enter my wife. She can be brutal if she hears anything she feels is out of place. A great audiophile in her own right, if there’s anything she doesn’t like, she’ll let me (well, me) know—often followed by arguments about what should and shouldn’t be. Isn’t that what love is all about?
We started with the MoFi in voltage mode. She was happy with the sound, citing no negatives while appreciating a stable stage and smooth delivery. Switching to current mode, she really liked how “big” the music sounded, and if there were any issues with the bass, let me tell you, she’ll let me know. Again, current mode sounds amazing—just warms up the room with beauty while keeping the audiophile happy with the details. Then we switched back to the Allnic.
We sat back and listened as Luck and Strange continued to play. My brain reattached to the Allnic sound, which was balanced—not showcasing anything but presenting the music in such a way that it just sounds right. Analog at its best, based on what I’ve owned—though really not a lot, considering my nearly 60 years in this hobby. After a minute, my wife said, “Now this is the sound I like.” I said, “Can we let the song play through a bit before passing judgment?” Love. So we listened and thoroughly enjoyed the evening with the Allnic in charge.
I woke up this morning thinking about the differences between these two very fine phonostages. The MoFi still nagged at me, wanting another listen. Starting with the Allnic, I went back in, grabbing a few albums, including one with a song I’m very familiar with. First up was Robert Plant’s Shaken ‘n’ Stirred. The first track is called “Little by Little.” I find this track very well-recorded, extremely dynamic, giving so much air, playing so large and begging to be turned up to unreasonable levels. As a bonus, the bass guitar line descends from mid-bass to low-bass without being buried in the mix, nor is it featured (I gave the recording engineer a big hug). It’s impossible not to follow along, with its pace and rhythm, especially with the drummer at the back hitting his drum hard, which trails off into space. With 1000Wpc in each Aeris speaker, two 12” bass drivers, one passive radiator, and two REL Carbons, music often doesn’t get more immersive than this.
Playing through the MoFi in current mode, it did not disappoint. It was exciting and jaw-dropping at times, as had been the case with this song over the years. But now, I would say it played with even greater dynamic range and texture. The drums in the song were playing with more—not grip, we’re way beyond grip here—fullness and texture without bloat. These aren’t ‘deep’ drum strikes, rather just hard-hitting, and that bass line. I kept the album playing and discovered a new favorite, “Sister and Sevens” on the same album side. I had to play that track twice. I had to take a short walk after that. I then switched to Cello, an album called Three Wishes and a Rose, a Japanese pressing I purchased at an audio show. I’m no expert with these instruments, but I can say that playing both sides of an album with just a cello and piano (talk about extremes) was not something my patience would normally allow—but I got it. I understood how a cello could sound so textured and beautiful. I’ll play this again too, and I did for my wife.
Winner?
The Allnic wins in its ability to create a balanced landscape, not sounding at all solid-state. In true Allnic fashion, it gives you the best of tubes—sweetness without sacrificing anything else.
The MoFi wins in its flexibility, with voltage and current modes, and a third custom mode to tailor to specific cartridges, with no tubes to worry about. It didn’t hurt that in my system, current mode is addictive.
Summing up, which phono stage did we prefer: the Allnic H5500 or the MoFi Master phono?
My wife picked the Allnic, but she liked the MoFi as well. MichaelHiFi loves the MoFi but wouldn’t sell the Allnic except for another Allnic, maybe the H7000 or above.
I’m no expert here, I don’t have much experience with ownership of turntables or phono stages. The first turntable I purchased was my Technics SL1800 back in 1987 (still in play), followed by the VPI Scoutmaster and my Rega P10. I’ve also owned a PS Audio GPCH and a few other well-regarded phono stages that sold for perhaps half the price. I never warmed to either the VPI or the former phono stages I’ve owned. I am far from knowledgeable within this forum regarding this topic, so take it with a grain of salt. But these two I’ve been playing with are extraordinary to my ears. As I say in my signature, “a student of audio.”
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0079.jpeg
    IMG_0079.jpeg
    820.6 KB · Views: 40
  • IMG_0082.jpeg
    IMG_0082.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 35
  • IMG_0081.jpeg
    IMG_0081.jpeg
    1.2 MB · Views: 35
Sorry for the delay. Here's what I came up with.

Wishing to upgrade my vinyl gear, I purchased the Aphelion 2 cartridge and the MoFi phonostage. I thought long and hard about selling my Allnic H5500 and moving up the line to the H7000, but I wanted to hear a non-tubed phonostage that was well-regarded and offered a unique feature, 'current mode.'

My turntable is a Rega P10. I use DH-Labs Revelation balanced cables, but with Cardas balanced-to-single-ended adapters at the phono inputs. The MoFi can accept balanced cables, but the Allnic cannot, so I used the adapters for both.
Having both the Allnic H5500 and the MoFi Master, I’m running the balanced outputs from the Allnic, followed by the MoFi into the Wavelet II, taking advantage of the Bohmer room correction inherited in the Wavelet. The sound is well-balanced, extraordinary in dynamics while still being nuanced and gentle when called for. Both my wife and I have been enjoying this combination and continue to refine it when we have time. We split our listening between digital and vinyl, and although both formats sound equally great, I couldn't shake the nagging thought that I was taking an analog signal from the phono preamp and sending it to a DAC inside the Wavelet for room correction processing. Some might call that sacrilegious—myself included.
I began a break-in process with the MoFi, giving it perhaps 50 hours (not much, I know, but this turned out to be a long process), and then rotated between voltage and current modes. Between the two modes, I felt the current mode wasn’t a good match for my setup—it was awful—and I settled on voltage mode. Between the Allnic and the MoFi, I felt the Allnic had the edge in space with a touch of sweetness, a kind of bloom, while the MoFi seemed to offer a more precise presentation, though both were amazingly close overall. A quick switch between the two would have been ideal, but that simply couldn’t happen. A nagging feeling returned: the fact that there’s DAC conversion in the Wavelet. Perhaps I’m wasting my time—and yours—because I’m not properly comparing phono stages with a DAC at the end of the chain. I need to separate the powered bass section of my Aeris speakers, allowing for analog-only signals to play through the mids and tweeters.
The Wavelet is necessary not just to feed signals to the amplifiers embedded in the Legacy Aeris speakers, but also to process the room-corrected signal for which these speakers are known. It works very well, taming most of the bass reflections that occur in nearly all rooms. By using the integrated (Allnic 30th Anniversary) while bypassing the powered subs in the Aeris, I can use a preamp’s outputs to deliver the signals needed for both room correction in the subwoofer domain and analog signals to my integrated amp, bypassing the Wavelet DAC. Best of both worlds. Additionally, the pair of REL Carbon subs that arrived during this time were now able to use their high-level inputs directly from the amplifier’s binding posts—another big win.
Now, I’ve achieved the purity I was looking for. That’s the sound of an analog turntable, and it’s so much better in this configuration.
Going back to the Allnic phono stage, I noticed that the dynamic range now surpassed that of my digital setup. Purity too, the expression of music, the flow was just right. Often, I think of musical notes as timing—leading edge, trailing edge, speed, PRAT, whatever—but with my vinyl setup, it’s just how the music flows. Of course, it has those traits, but I don’t cling to those descriptors. It’s simply very immersive. This doesn’t mean my digital setup is obsolete; it sounds amazing in its own right, with much more to explore, especially given the expansive capabilities of the HiFi Rose 130, which brings music from around the world at your remote control.
Switching to the MoFi in voltage mode, I was hard-pressed to discern the differences between these two very different phono stages. The time spent switching cables made it difficult to localize the differences. Both sounded beautiful, and if I were to characterize the difference overall, I’d say the MoFi may be the most accurate in terms of separating notes—perhaps “speed” is the right term—while the Allnic just seemed to have a slight advantage in space, depth, and width, all while keeping the overall picture intact. I’m splitting hairs here, so let’s try the current mode, which I didn’t like initially.
OK, I get it now. In current mode, music is pushed out from the speakers. It’s bigger, with greater separation. It’s wider, taller, enveloping, and warmer. It doesn’t shy away from the details; it just presents them differently. They are there, but perhaps less noticeable in the overall picture. This worked well on some recordings, but I thought it was a bit much on others. I noted with Natalie Merchant's Paradise is There (The New Tigerlily Recordings), that the mid-to-low bass seemed a bit exaggerated, whereas David Gilmour's Luck and Strange recently released LP had no issues and sounded well-balanced. Zero 7’s The Garden showcased young Sia’s vocals very well.
Enter my wife. She can be brutal if she hears anything she feels is out of place. A great audiophile in her own right, if there’s anything she doesn’t like, she’ll let me (well, me) know—often followed by arguments about what should and shouldn’t be. Isn’t that what love is all about?
We started with the MoFi in voltage mode. She was happy with the sound, citing no negatives while appreciating a stable stage and smooth delivery. Switching to current mode, she really liked how “big” the music sounded, and if there were any issues with the bass, let me tell you, she’ll let me know. Again, current mode sounds amazing—just warms up the room with beauty while keeping the audiophile happy with the details. Then we switched back to the Allnic.
We sat back and listened as Luck and Strange continued to play. My brain reattached to the Allnic sound, which was balanced—not showcasing anything but presenting the music in such a way that it just sounds right. Analog at its best, based on what I’ve owned—though really not a lot, considering my nearly 60 years in this hobby. After a minute, my wife said, “Now this is the sound I like.” I said, “Can we let the song play through a bit before passing judgment?” Love. So we listened and thoroughly enjoyed the evening with the Allnic in charge.
I woke up this morning thinking about the differences between these two very fine phonostages. The MoFi still nagged at me, wanting another listen. Starting with the Allnic, I went back in, grabbing a few albums, including one with a song I’m very familiar with. First up was Robert Plant’s Shaken ‘n’ Stirred. The first track is called “Little by Little.” I find this track very well-recorded, extremely dynamic, giving so much air, playing so large and begging to be turned up to unreasonable levels. As a bonus, the bass guitar line descends from mid-bass to low-bass without being buried in the mix, nor is it featured (I gave the recording engineer a big hug). It’s impossible not to follow along, with its pace and rhythm, especially with the drummer at the back hitting his drum hard, which trails off into space. With 1000Wpc in each Aeris speaker, two 12” bass drivers, one passive radiator, and two REL Carbons, music often doesn’t get more immersive than this.
Playing through the MoFi in current mode, it did not disappoint. It was exciting and jaw-dropping at times, as had been the case with this song over the years. But now, I would say it played with even greater dynamic range and texture. The drums in the song were playing with more—not grip, we’re way beyond grip here—fullness and texture without bloat. These aren’t ‘deep’ drum strikes, rather just hard-hitting, and that bass line. I kept the album playing and discovered a new favorite, “Sister and Sevens” on the same album side. I had to play that track twice. I had to take a short walk after that. I then switched to Cello, an album called Three Wishes and a Rose, a Japanese pressing I purchased at an audio show. I’m no expert with these instruments, but I can say that playing both sides of an album with just a cello and piano (talk about extremes) was not something my patience would normally allow—but I got it. I understood how a cello could sound so textured and beautiful. I’ll play this again too, and I did for my wife.
Winner?
The Allnic wins in its ability to create a balanced landscape, not sounding at all solid-state. In true Allnic fashion, it gives you the best of tubes—sweetness without sacrificing anything else.
The MoFi wins in its flexibility, with voltage and current modes, and a third custom mode to tailor to specific cartridges, with no tubes to worry about. It didn’t hurt that in my system, current mode is addictive.
Summing up, which phono stage did we prefer: the Allnic H5500 or the MoFi Master phono?
My wife picked the Allnic, but she liked the MoFi as well. MichaelHiFi loves the MoFi but wouldn’t sell the Allnic except for another Allnic, maybe the H7000 or above.
I’m no expert here, I don’t have much experience with ownership of turntables or phono stages. The first turntable I purchased was my Technics SL1800 back in 1987 (still in play), followed by the VPI Scoutmaster and my Rega P10. I’ve also owned a PS Audio GPCH and a few other well-regarded phono stages that sold for perhaps half the price. I never warmed to either the VPI or the former phono stages I’ve owned. I am far from knowledgeable within this forum regarding this topic, so take it with a grain of salt. But these two I’ve been playing with are extraordinary to my ears. As I say in my signature, “a student of audio.”
thank you for such a great review!
 
Sorry for the delay. Here's what I came up with.

The Allnic wins in its ability to create a balanced landscape, not sounding at all solid-state. In true Allnic fashion, it gives you the best of tubes—sweetness without sacrificing anything else.
The MoFi wins in its flexibility, with voltage and current modes, and a third custom mode to tailor to specific cartridges, with no tubes to worry about. It didn’t hurt that in my system, current mode is addictive.
Summing up, which phono stage did we prefer: the Allnic H5500 or the MoFi Master phono?
My wife picked the Allnic, but she liked the MoFi as well. MichaelHiFi loves the MoFi but wouldn’t sell the Allnic except for another Allnic, maybe the H7000 or above.
I've just bought one of these. It replaced an RCM Sensor2 Mk2 and Whest Two.2 Discrete. So I had three boxes, now one.

Boxes ticked are:
- One slim box
- Handles two tonearms
- The required gain and impedance options
- Separate power supply
- No valves/tubes
- Lots of shielding
- Controls on the front
- Comes in black
- Adjustments via remote on the fly
- Clearly a very quality build

Added bonuses
- Balanced inputs
- Transimpedance input

Grumbles
- Don't like the VU meters
- Don't like orange lights - but can be switched off
- Feet don't seem great. Is sitting on Stack Audio Auva EQ

This thing really provides flexibility for a range of cartridges, with the transimpedance option for low impedance MC (I have Dyn XX2 Mk2, Ikeda 9TS and Koetsu Urushi Gold), high impedance MC (DL 103R etc.) and MM or MI (I have SoundSmith Zephyr Mk3 and Ortofon SPU 1S).

It is totally quiet with RCA into transimpedance circuit. The SS MI into unbalanced was a bit noisy, but into the balanced inputs with a modest Zavfino Majestic XLR cable was dead quiet and very satisfying performance. Never heard that cartridge give such a full-bodied, slamming and detailed/airy performance.

The transimpedance with the XX2 Mk2 was a cut above. The reviewer in Stereophile also used one - it's a great cartridge, mine is 12 years old now with a paratrace tip. My unbalanced cable for that arm is in the post to be reterminated as balanced.

So for me it's not just one sound, it seems to allow different cartridges to provide maximum performance. I've not yet tried the SPU or the Koetsu. The latter is about 20 years old, got broken a few years ago and rather than sell for parts has it completely rebuilt with a Fitz Geiger on ruby cantilever. It's a good replacement, near identical impedance but tracks best at 1.6g.

This is the current analogue department, with a streamer in the middle.
IMG_4839.jpg
 
I’ve been quiet about this since my initial post in this thread, but for the last few months I’ve been listening to a few multi-input phono stages, including the Masterphono. It turns out the Masterphono is, for me, a darned fine phono stage. Without naming the others I tried, the MP (as I’ll abbreviate it) provides a fluid, musical, dead quiet, flexible solution that I’m very happy with. Excellent soundstaging, excellent frequency extension, excellent image placement and dimensionality, excellent resolution (again, IMO). It bettered the others I was trying in all these areas, and only by a tiny fraction was bettered in pure dynamics by one of the others I was using. And when I say a tiny fraction, it was just that. But at this level these tiny things can sway a decision one way or another, so for someone else the choice may have gone in another direction. But for me, my SS MIs, Benz MCs, Miyajima Mono, Ortofon A95, and more modestly priced MM carts all played better to my ears with the MP than the others. What it does well (as described) it does very well (cost aside). Where it was challenged, it fared closely enough for me to make its strengths easily outweigh what would otherwise be its unnoticeable shortcoming if not doing a side by side comparison. IOW, I feel it is highly recommendable. I’d go so far as to say it’s a fabulous phono pre for the price.

Oh, two other things. Steven is right regarding the feet. I’m using IsoPods to better effect. Second, I find I cannot agree with the Audiogon posts feeling as though the MP wasn’t good enough to keep. But again, my opinion.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: andy_s and mtemur
Will the MasterPhono be competitive to a comparable tube phono? Does it check the boxes of liquidity, tone, saturation etc. or is it more solid state sounding overall?
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing