Name: Mobile Fidelity StudioPhono™
Brand: Mobile Fidelity
SKU: 406STPHONO
Price: 349.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (50 reviews)

by Crutchfield's Eric A.

An adjustable preamp for analog audiophiles

To enjoy vinyl, you need your phono preamp to cleanly boost and equalize the signal coming from your turntable's tonearm. This beautiful phono stage from Mobile Fidelity lets you adjust input impedance, capacitance, and gain to perfectly match just about any moving magnet or moving coil turntable cartridge you prefer. That means you're in control, so you can get maximum warmth and detail out of every record you own.

KEEP READING

The Mobile Fidelity StudioPhono lets you customize your preamp settings to match your specific turntable cartridge.

An adjustable preamp for analog audiophiles

The Mobile Fidelity StudioPhono features a "mono" button to maximize your enjoyment of vintage records and monaural reissues. The "subsonic" button suppresses noise below 20 Hz for cleaner sound.

Make the most of any turntable rig

If you use your StudioPhono with Mobile Fidelity's excellent StudioDeck turntable, you can use the preamp straight out of the box with no tweaking required.

On the other hand, if you have, say, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, which comes with an Ortofon 2M Red moving magnet cartridge pre-mounted, you'll want to make a few changes to your settings. Pro-Ject recommends that you set input impedance at 47k and input gain at 40dB. You'll find 12 dip switches on the underside of the preamp that allow you to make those adjustments quickly.

Then, if you upgrade your system in the future, the StudioPhono is ready to match up with your next 'table and cartridge.

Need a cable?

This phono preamp does not come with an RCA cable to connect to your receiver or amp.

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Product highlights:

compatible with moving magnet and moving coil phono cartridges
vibration-resistant metal casing
match preamp settings to your cartridge to get the best possible sound
12 dip switches let you configure the preamp to match your phono cartridge
customizable parameters:
- variable input impedance: 75-47k ohms
- adjustable gain: 40-66dB
input capacitance: 100pF (picofarads)
subsonic filter controls rumble below 20 Hz
mono button for vintage records and monaural reissues
stereo RCA inputs and outputs
THD: <.01% (MM)/<.012% (MC)
3-3/4"W x 1-1/4"H x 6-5/8"D
warranty: 1 year
MFR # StudioPhono

What's in the box:

Mobile Fidelity StudioPhono™ owner's manual

Phono preamp
AC power adapter (attached 58" DC cord)
AC plug
Instructions

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Researched by Crutchfield's Stacey B.

Features & specs

Features
Cartridge Type	MM, MC
Subsonic Filter	Yes
Cartridge Loading	Selectable
Adjustable Resistance Load	Yes
Adjustable Capacitance Load	No
Vacuum Tube	No
Connections
RCA Inputs	1 Pair
XLR Inputs	No
RCA Output	1 Pair
XLR Output	No
USB Output	No
3.5mm Output	No
Optical Output	No
Coaxial Output	No
Specs
Signal-to-noise Ratio (MM)	Not given
Signal-to-noise Ratio (MC)	Not given

Product Research

Features

Phono Preamp (MM/MC): The MoFi StudioPhono is a phono preamp that has been engineered to work with a wide array of Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC) phono cartridges. The StudioPhono is factory set to operate with most high-output moving magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC) phono cartridges. If you are using a low-output moving coil (MC) cartridge, you will need to adjust the phono preamplifier's settings for best results.

Adjustable Gain & Loading: With selectable gain and loading, you will be able to tailor the MoFi StudioPhono to match nearly any moving-magnet (MM) or moving-coil (MC) cartridge on the market. A readily accessible bank of toggle switches can be found on the unit's underside to quickly make adjustments without the need for any tools.

Gain: selectable gain of 40dB, 46dB, 60dB, and 66dB for MM or MC
Load Impedance: adjustable load impedance of 75, 100, 500, 1k, 10k, or 47k ohms for MM, MM is fixed at 47k ohms

Mono & Subsonic Filters: Two selectable toggle buttons on the top of the unit can engage a Mono or Subsonic filter mode. The Mono mode will improve image stability and generate a richer tone for mono-recorded vinyl. The Subsonic filter controls low frequencies below 20Hz preventing ultra low rumble.

Stereo RCA Input & Output: The MoFi StudioPhono is outfitted with a gold-plated stereo RCA input and output. The input connects to your turntable's output, while the output connects to an analog input on your AV receiver, stereo receiver, or integrated amplifier.

External Power Supply: The included external power supply will need to be plugged into an AC wall outlet, surge protector, or power conditioner.

Placement: The StudioPhono will operate at its best when properly installed in a location that's free from magnetic fields like those generated by equipment with power transformers (such as an amplifier), and within a reasonable distance between your turntable and audio component(s).

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3 questions already asked

What settings would work best with a Sumiko Olympia cartridge? I'm not sure what any of the toggles at the bottom Indicate!

renato May 29, 2021

3 answers

I use an Olympia (output 4 mV) and had the same experience at the other person who answered the question -- the dynamics really seemed lacking with the out-of-the-box settings, even compared to my cheaper integrated pre-amp. The directions say to use the 40dB gain setting with a cartridge like this, but I tried the 46 dB setting. It sounded much better; there was the improvement I was hoping for. I know there is the possibility of distortion at this setting with 'hot' cut records, but I haven't heard any yet. Perhaps the Olympia it putting out less voltage than its specs would suggest. Sounds great now though!

matthew Jan 15, 2023

The toggles at the bottom can be confusing. MoFi preamp comes preset for standard moving magnet cartridges. I found that setting to be lacking dynamically in comparison with my Schiit Mani preamp, which made me wonder because the MoFi preamp was much more expensive. What I did was to try the very next setting to the standard MoFi setting, and the sound became more dynamic. The tricky part is moving the right toggles according to the instructions. It's actually very simple to change the settings, but it's one of the cases where it's easy to do the opposite of what is instructed. I tried the third setting but the sound became somewhat distorted, so I left it on the next stetting from the preset settings. The MoFi ended up sounding smoother than the Schiit Mani to be, so I use the MoFi. The MoFi has settings for higher end cartridges and moving coil cartilages, which is great if you want to upgrade. Don't be afraid to experiment with the toggles. Just go by the setting guide provided by MoFi. In fact the guide is on the bottom of preamplifier itself. Try the 8500 ohms setting. It's next to the last on the bottom of the list.

paul May 30, 2021

The Olympia (rated at 5mv) will have optimal performance with the standard 40db of gain. You can attempt 46db, but this will most likely bring some pressings into the point of saturation and introduce audible distortion.

christina a May 29, 2021

Does the mono function make a stereo recording to play monoaural?

sebastian Mar 20, 2021

4 answers

Yes. That is the purpose of the mono switch so prominently displayed on the device.

gregg Mar 20, 2021

If you depress the mono switch when playing a stereo record, then yes, it will sum the left and right channels and therefore play in mono. However, I can't think of a reason anyone would do that. The purpose of the mono switch is for playing mono records with a stereo cartridge. In this case, using the mono switch will significantly reduce the amount surface noise you would otherwise experience with a mono record. The difference is not subtle. If you intend to play mono records with a stereo cartridge, then somewhere in your signal chain (preamp/receiver/phono preamp) you need a mono switch for optimum performance.

deborah Mar 20, 2021

The mono function is used to combine the left and right channels of a mono pressing. This is done to reduce surface noise, and other artifacts. Combining the left and right channels of a stereo pressing with this feature will cause cancellation at certain frequencies.

christina a Mar 20, 2021

Yes. It combines the L and R channel signals and sends the identical signal to both channels. However, that's not really what the mono feature is designed for. You should engage it when playing monaural records, like The Beatles white apple box.

john Mar 20, 2021

Could I use a Ortofon Club Concorde Mk II Turntable Cartridge and Stylus with this pre-amp or do I need to use a different stylus?

ryan Jul 07, 2019

2 answers

Yes. Reason I chose MoFi phono pre is that it has a variety of GAIN and IMPEDANCE loading choices via dip switches easily accessible on the bottom. This will allow me (and you) to set properly for your current Ortofon cartridge, as well as how anyone might upgrade in the future. When my current moving magnet cartridge needs replacing, I'm considering moving up to a moving coil type, which the MoFi phono pre can accommodate.

glen Jul 18, 2019

Yes, that cartridge presents no problems. You have ample gain settings range for a good match to the 6mV output of the Ortofon. For DJ use, you will likely want to engage the subsonic filter. This phono preamp sounds far better than its price suggests. It coexists in my Hi-Fi systems with phono preamps costing $2-4K without losing credibility.

phil Jul 18, 2019

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