MoFi Electronics UltraPhono Pro MM/MC Phono Preamplifier

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The UltraPhono Pro distills the core architecture of MoFi's flagship MasterPhono into a streamlined, single-input phono stage at a price more serious analog listeners can reach. Fl agship DNA, Streamlined Focus Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab built its reputation on one foundational obsession: getting as close as possible to what the mastering engineer heard in the studio. That obsession drives MoFi Electronics, and it is the same philosophy that produced the award-winning MasterPhono. The UltraPhono Pro is what happens when MoFi takes that same circuit architecture, that same hand-selected parts philosophy, and that same ultra-low-noise topology and concentrates it into a single-input design. Designed by industry veteran Peter Madnick, the UltraPhono Pro is not a budget approximation of MasterPhono performance. It is a focused, deliberate implementation of its core principles, offered at $2,495 and made in the United States. The fundamental design goal is identical: extract maximum information from your cartridge with as little loss and as little editorializing as possible. No embellishments, no tonal shaping, no artificial warmth added to make records sound the way someone else thinks they should. What the UltraPhono Pro gives you is what is on the record, rendered with exceptional clarity, integrity, and truthfulness. For audiophiles who know what they want from a phono stage and need only a single input to get it, this is the product that answers that call without compromise. Discrete Topology: Why It Matters At the heart of the UltraPhono Pro is a fully discrete J-FET and MOSFET gain stage. This is a deliberate departure from the op-amp-based designs that dominate the affordable phono stage market. Op-amps are convenient, they are cost-effective, and they perform perfectly well at moderate performance levels. But at the level of resolution that serious analog listeners expect, the sonic advantages of a truly discrete circuit become audible. There is no integrated circuit in the signal path, no compromise in topology forced by the need to fit everything into a single chip. Every gain stage element is individually selected, and the result is a signal path that behaves with greater transparency and musical coherence. The RIAA equalization network is passive and operates with zero feedback, which is another choice made specifically to preserve what makes vinyl playback special. RIAA equalization corrects the deliberate frequency curve applied during the cutting of a record, and how that correction is applied matters enormously. A passive network with no feedback allows transients to resolve naturally, preserving the leading edge of notes and the decay of instruments in a way that active, feedback-based designs can subtly obscure. Precision film-foil capacitors, NOS polystyrene and polypropylene varieties selected for exceptional stability and accuracy, maintain RIAA correction to within plus or minus 0.05 decibels. All critical resistors in the circuit are held to 0.1% or 0.5% tolerance. These are professional metrology standards applied to an analog consumer product, and they matter because any deviation in the RIAA curve translates directly to tonal inaccuracy in playback. A Power Supply Worthy of the Signal A phono stage operates at extremely low signal levels. A moving coil cartridge may output as little as 0.2 to 0.5 millivolts, and even a moving magnet cartridge typically outputs only a few millivolts. At these levels, the quality of the power supply is not an afterthought. Noise that would be inaudible in a line-level component becomes audible hum, hiss, or grunge when amplified by the 40 to 71 decibels of gain a phono stage must provide. MoFi Electronics addressed this problem by building a seven-stage regulated balanced power supply into the UltraPhono Pro. Seven stages of cascaded voltage regulation strip away the noise that single-stage designs cannot fully eliminate. The power supply is also isolated from the signal chassis, and a dedicated signal grounding post on the rear panel allows careful control of ground loops, one of the most common sources of hum in analog systems. The result is an exceptionally quiet foundation from which dynamics and low-level musical detail emerge with ease. Front-Panel Control: Dialing In Your Cartridge One of the areas where the UltraPhono Pro most directly serves real-world listeners is its front-panel control layout. Gain is selectable among three settings for each output type: 40, 52, and 65 decibels on the RCA outputs, and 46, 58, and 71 decibels on the balanced XLR outputs. Five loading options, selectable via a front-panel knob, cover 100 ohms, 300 ohms, 500 ohms, 1k ohm, and 47k ohms. The 47k ohm setting is correct for virtually all moving magnet cartridges. The lower settings serve moving coil cartridges, and the optimal choice depends on your specific cartridge's internal impedance. Having all of these controls on the front panel rather than buried inside the chassis or accessible only via DIP switches is a significant practical advantage. You can adjust loading and gain during a listening session without tools, without pulling the unit out of a rack, and without interrupting the music. Additional front-panel controls include a mono switch, a subsonic filter, a mute function, and a dim control. The mono switch is particularly useful for playing older mono records pressed before the stereo era, collapsing the two channels into a single, centered signal that can reduce groove noise and improve clarity. The subsonic filter removes very low-frequency rumble below the audible range, which can cause woofer excursion and intermodulation distortion in systems with full-range speakers or subwoofers. These are not cosmetic features. They are practical tools that serious record listeners reach for regularly. How the UltraPhono Pro Compares to the MoFi MasterPhono The MoFi MasterPhono occupies the top of the MoFi Electronics phono stage lineup and is the reference from which the UltraPhono Pro was derived. The MasterPhono offers multiple inputs for listeners who run more than one turntable or cartridge, and its power supply and circuit implementation represent the absolute ceiling of what MoFi Electronics builds. The UltraPhono Pro makes a deliberate trade: it accepts a single input and concentrates all of its engineering resources into optimizing that one path. For listeners who have one primary turntable and cartridge combination, this trade produces no sonic penalty whatsoever. The core circuit topology is the same, the passive zero-feedback RIAA network is the same, and the parts quality philosophy is the same. The MasterPhono is the right choice if you switch between turntables or cartridges frequently. The UltraPhono Pro is the right choice if you have found your cartridge and want the most focused, optimized implementation of that investment at a more accessible price point. Made in America, Built for the Long Term The UltraPhono Pro is manufactured in the United States. Its chassis is constructed from rigid steel, topped with brushed aluminum panels that provide both shielding from electromagnetic interference and the kind of physical presence that communicates serious intent. At 7 pounds and 17 inches wide, it occupies a standard component bay in any rack. Hermetically sealed gold-on-gold relays handle switching throughout the signal path, chosen for their long-term reliability and their near-zero contact resistance. The AC power input is auto-switching from 100 to 260 volts, making the UltraPhono Pro compatible with power standards anywhere in the world. This is a component built to be a permanent fixture in a serious analog system, not a stepping stone to something else. KEY SPECIFICATIONS Price: $2,495.00 USD Input: RCA jack, voltage mode, single-ended Gain (RCA outputs): 40dB, 52dB, 65dB (front-panel selectable) Gain (Balanced XLR outputs): 46dB, 58dB, 71dB (front-panel selectable) Cartridge Compatibility: Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC) Loading (Resistive): 100 ohms, 300 ohms, 500 ohms, 1k ohms, 47k ohms Output Impedance (Balanced): 230 ohms Output Impedance (Unbalanced): 115 ohms Maximum Output: 10 Volts RMS at 1% THD THD (10mV at 1kHz, 40dB gain): 0.005% A-Weighted THD (10mV at 1kHz, 65dB gain): 0.005% A-Weighted THD (1mV at 1kHz, 40dB gain): 0.010% A-Weighted THD (1mV at 1kHz, 65dB gain): 0.013% A-Weighted RIAA Accuracy: Plus or minus 0.05dB Frequency Response: 10Hz to 50kHz, plus or minus 0.20dB S/N Ratio, Balanced 40dB gain: 82dB / 93dB A-Weighted S/N Ratio, Balanced 65dB gain: 78dB / 85dB A-Weighted S/N Ratio, RCA 40dB gain: 75dB / 83dB A-Weighted S/N Ratio, RCA 65dB gain: 69dB / 75dB A-Weighted Power Supply: Seven-stage regulated balanced power supply AC Input: 100VAC to 260VAC, auto-switching Inputs: One RCA input pair Outputs: Single-ended RCA and balanced XLR Front Panel Controls: Gain, Loading, Mono, Subsonic, Mute, Dim Grounding Post: Yes, rear panel Chassis: Rigid steel with brushed aluminum top and front panel Dimensions: 17"W x 2.0"H (2.5" with feet) x 9.875"D (11.375" with knobs and jacks) Weight: 7 lbs WHY BUY FROM ALL ELITE AUDIO All Elite Audio is an authorized MoFi Electronics dealer. When you purchase the UltraPhono Pro from us, your product comes with full manufacturer warranty coverage, genuine factory support, and the assurance that you are buying new, authentic merchandise from a source MoFi Electronics trusts. We carry the complete MoFi Electronics lineup and our staff can answer technical questions, help you match the UltraPhono Pro to your cartridge and system, and demonstrate the product in our Timonium showroom. Call: 443-402-5055 Text: 443-402-5064 Visit: 1921 York Rd, Timonium, MD 21093 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Does the MoFi Electronics UltraPhono Pro work with both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges? Yes. The UltraPhono Pro is a full MM/MC phono preamplifier designed to handle both cartridge types. Moving magnet cartridges typically output between 3 and 6 millivolts and load correctly at 47k ohms, which is one of the five loading positions available on the front panel. Moving coil cartridges output significantly less signal, sometimes as little as 0.2 millivolts for a low-output MC, and require more gain and lower loading impedances. The UltraPhono Pro's 65dB gain setting on RCA outputs and 71dB on balanced XLR outputs provide ample amplification for virtually all moving coil cartridges on the market, and the four lower loading settings of 100, 300, 500, and 1k ohms cover the full range of MC loading requirements. If you are unsure which settings are optimal for your specific cartridge, contact us and we can help you match the gain and loading to your setup. What is the difference between the MoFi Electronics UltraPhono Pro and the MoFi MasterPhono? The MasterPhono is the flagship phono stage in the MoFi Electronics lineup, and the UltraPhono Pro was designed by the same engineer using the same core circuit architecture and parts philosophy. The primary differences are in the number of inputs and the depth of implementation. The MasterPhono offers multiple inputs, allowing you to connect more than one turntable or cartridge simultaneously and switch between them. The UltraPhono Pro accepts a single input, which concentrates all engineering resources into optimizing one signal path. For listeners who run one turntable with one cartridge, the UltraPhono Pro delivers essentially the same circuit approach at a significantly lower price. The MasterPhono is the right choice for listeners who frequently swap between cartridges or want every available option. The UltraPhono Pro is the right choice for listeners who have committed to a single high-quality analog front end and want it served at the highest possible level of execution for the price. Does the UltraPhono Pro have a headphone amplifier output like the original MoFi UltraPhono? No. The original MoFi Electronics UltraPhono included a built-in headphone amplifier, which made it a versatile unit for listeners who wanted a combined phono stage and headphone solution. The UltraPhono Pro is a dedicated phonostage with no headphone output. This is a deliberate design choice. By removing the headphone amplifier circuit, MoFi Electronics eliminated a potential source of noise and interference in the signal path and focused every engineering decision on the purity of the phono amplification function. If headphone listening is important to you, the UltraPhono Pro will need to be paired with a separate headphone amplifier or an integrated amplifier that includes a headphone output. In exchange for that tradeoff, you get a phono stage that is purpose-built for one task and does it with considerably more sophistication than its predecessor. What do the loading settings mean and how do I choose the right one for my cartridge? Loading a cartridge correctly is one of the most impactful and most overlooked adjustments in an analog system. Every cartridge has a specified optimal load impedance that affects how it behaves electrically. Loading too high or too low can produce a bright, aggressive top end or a soft, rolled-off one, even from an otherwise excellent cartridge. For moving magnet cartridges, 47k ohms is the industry-standard loading and is almost always correct. For moving coil cartridges, the optimal load is typically calculated as a multiple of the cartridge's internal coil impedance, often somewhere between 10 times and 100 times that impedance. A cartridge with a 5-ohm coil impedance, for example, often sounds best loaded between 50 and 500 ohms. MoFi Electronics recommends starting with the 100-ohm setting and auditioning upward from there if the sound feels closed-in or lacks air. The most important thing is to trust your ears and compare the settings during actual listening sessions on real records. If you would like guidance based on your specific cartridge, give us a call at 443-402-5055 and we can discuss the options with you. What gain setting should I use for my cartridge? The correct gain setting depends entirely on the output voltage of your cartridge and how sensitive your line-level preamplifier or integrated amplifier is. As a general guideline, moving magnet cartridges with outputs of 3 millivolts or higher typically work well at the 40dB gain setting on the RCA outputs or 46dB on balanced. Medium-output moving coil cartridges, those outputting between 0.5 and 2.5 millivolts, usually pair best with the 52dB or 58dB settings. Low-output moving coil cartridges, those below 0.5 millivolts, will generally require the 65dB RCA setting or 71dB balanced to reach an appropriate listening level without cranking your volume control to its limits. If you are getting excellent dynamics and musicality with your current setting, there is no need to change it. If the sound feels compressed or your volume control is uncomfortably high, try the next gain step up. We can also calculate the ideal gain based on your cartridge specifications if you call or text us with the details. Does the UltraPhono Pro have balanced XLR outputs? Yes. The UltraPhono Pro includes both single-ended RCA outputs and balanced XLR outputs, and both are active simultaneously. Balanced operation is a professional audio topology that rejects common-mode noise by carrying the signal on two conductors at equal and opposite polarities. In a home system, this most often becomes significant over longer cable runs between components or in environments with elevated electrical interference. The balanced outputs on the UltraPhono Pro provide slightly more gain than the RCA outputs: 46, 58, and 71dB versus 40, 52, and 65dB on the RCA side. If your preamplifier or integrated amplifier has balanced inputs, connecting the UltraPhono Pro via XLR will give you the benefit of that additional gain headroom and the noise-rejection properties of balanced operation. If your amplifier has only RCA inputs, the single-ended outputs of the UltraPhono Pro are more than capable of delivering exceptional performance. What does the subsonic filter do and when should I use it? A subsonic filter removes very low frequency content below the audible range, typically below about 20Hz. Records can contain ultra-low-frequency energy from a variety of sources: warped vinyl, acoustic feedback between speakers and the turntable platter, or the minor imperfections in tonearm tracking that become amplified at the frequency extremes. None of this content is audible as musical information, but your amplifier and speakers will still try to reproduce it, which wastes amplifier power, causes unnecessary woofer excursion, and introduces intermodulation distortion that can cloud the midrange and treble. Activating the subsonic filter on the UltraPhono Pro prevents this content from reaching your amplifier, which is especially useful with warped records, with turntables that have resonant tonearms, or with full-range speaker systems and subwoofers that are capable of producing very deep bass. Many listeners find that the subsonic filter improves apparent clarity without affecting the musical content of recordings, and it can be switched in or out during listening to compare. What is passive RIAA equalization with zero feedback and why does it matter sonically? When a record is cut, the audio signal is processed through a specific frequency curve defined by the Recording Industry Association of America. Low frequencies are reduced and high frequencies are boosted during cutting to keep groove width manageable and to reduce surface noise. During playback, a phono preamplifier must apply the inverse of that curve to restore flat frequency response. The method used to apply that correction matters. In an active RIAA network, feedback is used to shape the frequency response of an amplifier stage. This is effective and highly accurate in technical measurements, but feedback can introduce subtle audible artifacts, particularly in the way transients resolve and in the character of the harmonic structure. A passive RIAA network applies the equalization curve using only passive components, without any feedback, which means the gain stages operate in a more linear and uncolored manner. The result, in the ears of many experienced analog listeners, is a presentation that sounds more natural, more immediate, and more tonally accurate. MoFi Electronics chose the passive zero-feedback approach specifically because it aligns with the sound they hear from master tapes in their studio, and it is one of the most significant engineering choices that distinguishes the UltraPhono Pro from less carefully designed competitors. What else do I need to use the UltraPhono Pro in my system? You will need a turntable with a phono cartridge already installed, and the UltraPhono Pro connects between that turntable and your line-level preamplifier or integrated amplifier. The UltraPhono Pro does not include a cartridge. Most turntables come with a cartridge, but if you are upgrading to a high-performance moving coil, you will purchase the cartridge separately. If your integrated amplifier already has a built-in phono stage, the UltraPhono Pro replaces it by connecting to any available line-level input. You will also need RCA interconnects from your turntable to the UltraPhono Pro, and from the UltraPhono Pro to your amplifier. If you want to use the balanced XLR outputs, you will need balanced interconnects as well. The rear panel grounding post accepts a wire from your turntable chassis for establishing a proper system ground, which is important in eliminating hum in systems where the turntable chassis is not already grounded through its RCA connections. If you are assembling a new analog front end or adding the UltraPhono Pro to an existing system and want guidance on cabling and setup, our team at All Elite Audio is glad to help. What is the warranty on the MoFi Electronics UltraPhono Pro, and why does buying from an authorized dealer matter? MoFi Electronics backs the UltraPhono Pro with a manufacturer's warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship. That warranty is only valid when the product is purchased from an authorized dealer. All Elite Audio is an authorized MoFi Electronics dealer, which means every UltraPhono Pro we sell comes with full factory warranty coverage and manufacturer support. Purchasing from unauthorized sources, including third-party marketplace sellers without explicit manufacturer authorization, may void your warranty and leave you without recourse if a problem arises. For complete current warranty terms, contact us directly or visit MoFi Electronics at mofielectronics.com. Where can I buy the MoFi Electronics UltraPhono Pro? You can purchase the MoFi Electronics UltraPhono Pro directly from All Elite Audio, an authorized MoFi Electronics dealer in Timonium, Maryland. We can complete your purchase in our showroom, by phone, or by text. Our team is happy to answer questions about the UltraPhono Pro, discuss how it fits your existing system, or arrange an in-store demonstration if you are local to the greater Baltimore area. We encourage you to reach out before purchasing any component at this price point so we can make sure it is the right fit for your system. Call: 443-402-5055 Text: 443-402-5064 Visit: 1921 York Rd, Timonium, MD 21093 Show more