Discrete & Balanced
The MoFi Electronics MasterPhono is Masterful
Designed by Peter Madnick and made right here in Los Angeles.
"Do you remember the McD.L.T. from McDonald's?" asks Lenny Mayeaux of MoFi Distribution. "Keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool? That's the MasterPhono."
Lenny, who is MoFi's national specialty audio manager, is referring to the "single box, dual chassis" construction of MoFi Electronics' new $5,000 phonostage. Look at the unit from the top and see that those wooden side panels unite a two-box design with the boxes separated by a 3-inch air gap (that some marketing departments would have dubbed a "moat"), connected via three copper pipes. The front box contains the power supply as well as the control and display electronics (we guess that would be the "hot side"), and the back is all cool-side, cathedral hush, with the signal circuits in their shielded, galvanically isolated chamber.
"This keeps it very quiet," breathes Lenny.
The MasterPhono is the newest creation of renowned engineer Peter Madnick, founder of Audio Alchemy and previously with Constellation and ELAC. As Lenny puts it, "It's the culmination of everything he's learned." Peter's goal was to capitalize on the dead silence of solid-state circuits while imbuing them with the richness and layering ability of tube phonostages.
Vinyl is Alive and Kicking
Many people believe that vinyl technology peaked about 50 years ago, and new products are simply variations on an established theme. This is simply not true. As Lenny corroborates, tonearms are getting more accurate, cartridges are picking up more resolution, and even the amount and quality of information on records is that much richer. Modern analog manufacturers are embracing new materials, turning higher engineering tolerances to great advantage, and working on ever more high-tech bearings, arms, wiring, spindles, platters... the world of vinyl is absolutely not sitting still. Our recently acquired analog brands, Reed tonearms, and Pure Fidelity turntables, drive this point home.
Analog today is practically a new medium, "and that's where this phonostage really shines," says Lenny. He describes its sound as ultra-low noise with lots of resolution, neutrality, and "big sounding with big dynamic punches."
"Images have a lot of density," says Lenny, "you can walk up to and around the singer, they have flesh and bone."
He explains the sonic neutrality of the MasterPhono by describing how its sonic characteristics follow those of your cartridge. "If you have a warm cartridge, it's warm-sounding. If your cartridge has a lot of detail, that's what you get."
In terms of features and technology, the MoFi MasterPhono is a rare beast. It has three inputs, allowing you to have three tonearms in your system, whether on the same table or separate decks. One of these inputs is a transimpedance design, allowing you to use low-impedance MC cartridges.
Our analog manager, Sean-Paul Williams, is very excited about the transimpedance input and adds, "It's also literally EVERYTHING for $5k. Current driven, voltage driven, mono switch, up to 70 dB of gain for every cart on the planet, XLR in's and out's, split chassis, and you'll be able to upgrade the software over USB."
Oh, and don't forget the feature that makes even the most jaded audiophile smile... We'll quote Sean-Paul on this one: "IT'S GOT METERS."
"The Midrange is Absolute Perfection"
Earlier this month, we shared the video in which Kevin dug into the Revel F226Be with a tuning fork revealing its tasty innards and technology, especially praising how the speaker handled his "hot button," the mid-band. We had a customer call in saying he loved the video, but was worried that the F226 was a little small for his room. We had a ready answer: the Revel F228Be.
The F228 has all of the same technology as the F226, just that it has a bigger cabinet and two 8" woofers over the F226's 6.5" drivers. This takes low-frequency response down to 27 Hz, and Revel's Deep Ceramic Composite aluminum cones mean this bass is fast and detailed. Couple that with the 1" beryllium tweeter, and you have a speaker that delivers tons of detail. And if you're worried it may be bright, watch the video and see how Kevin was drawn to Revel's Performa range because of how well it played the Rolling Stones in our demo room.
To be honest, Revel can be a bit of an overlooked brand, and there is absolutely no good reason for this. Speak to one of our experienced sales staff and find out if the F228Be is your next perfect loudspeaker.
New Video: What's in the Coffin, Kevin?
The all-new, beautiful, flagship Pathos InPol Legacy Integrated Amplifier has arrived from Italy (where it's made), and the Upscale crew, including Kat and Kevin, are super excited to unbox it, but did someone already do that?! Kevin uncovers the truth!
Here are the noteworthy sales and offers we have going right now. Note: there are further terms and conditions; this is just a summary. To get all the details, contact our sales crew on website chat, via email (info@upscaleaudio.com), or call 909-931-9686.
Going On Right Now:
For the last days of Upscale Audio's 4th of July Sale, we take an additional 10% off all used, blemished, open-box, and refurbished products. The savings you find could be massive. We're adding more products to this massively discounted collection daily, so keep checking back in!
Until August 15: GoldenEar's 'Two Subs Are Better than One' offer. Buy a pair of subs at a significant discount.
Until August 31: JBL L100 on sale.
Until September 4 Wharfedale Linton stands are included with the purchase of the speakers.
Until September 4: JBL L82 on sale.
Until September 21: Arcam summer sale. 20% and more off the SA10, SA20, SA30, and PA410.
Until September 30: Balanced Audio Technology is offering a full original retail price trade-in on your old stereo electronics for any new BAT product.