A Story about a Defective Signature Platinum


Last week I was listening to music at a healthy volume while sitting at my computer. I have an auto lifter (Little Fwend) and after the arm lifted I noticed a static noise with occasional popping coming out of the left channel about 40 dB down. At first I thought it was a bad tube but it disappeared when I turned the volume down. It is in front of the Preamp. None of the other sources had the noise. Swapping tonearm cables did not seem to change the sound but then I noticed that the sound was also in the right channel just farther down. Disconnecting the tonearm stopped the noise. I change over to an MC Diamond, no noise. Same with the Atlas, no noise. Swapped back to the MSL, noise is back.

The cartridge is exactly one year old but it rotates with two other cartridges and might have 75 hours on it. I called the dealer who told me to contact MoFi distribution, the US agent for MSL. Turns out the cartridge only has a 90 day warranty and I was told I would have to send it in for a rebuild for $6000! Can't they just fix the problem for maybe $500, No. Can't I just send it in for evaluation?  The stylus and cantilever are brand new. No, a rebuild is the only option and you have to do that through the dealer, click!  Most very expensive cartridges have a 2 year warranty on them not to mention that most companies would cover such a defect even off warranty as in the absence of physical damage it is obviously a manufacturing defect, a bad solder joint or maybe just two wires rubbing together. This is very disappointing and as far as customer service goes Home Depot is better than MoFi, Sears is better than MoFi! MoFI is right up there with Anthem Blue Cross! The service rep could have offered to look into it. Maybe communicate with MSL and get their opinion. I am sure if MSL knew about it they would gladly fix it and actually be embarrassed. The Japanese are like that. There is no way I can find to get directly in touch with MSL.   

$6000 is not an option. I am not going to throw good money after bad. I am also not going to off a defective cartridge on someone else. I am going to take the cartridge apart and reflow the solder joints and make sure the wires are separated. If that doesn't fix it, it goes in the trash.

Mistakes and defects happen, it is what you do about them that counts. MoFi failed dismally in this regard. MSL makes a fine cartridge but I would only get another one if they changed agents and increased their warranty. Obviously, I will avoid buying any other MoFi products myself and warn others about their customer service. I have no further use for the dealer who did nothing to help. I have had superb service from Musical Surroundings, Soundsmith, B+H Photo and the Cable Company. All handled issues with ease. Has anyone else had trouble with MoFi? What companies have provided you with excellent service when the sh-t hit the fan?

 

 

128x128mijostyn

@lewm 

A mans got to know his limits:-)

@ghdprentice 

I have been taking things apart since I was four years old. One of my mother's favorite stories was about me taking apart a broken electric can opener fixing it and putting back together. She says I was 6 at the time. Whenever anything broke I was put into action. My father did not know which end of the screwdriver to use. I have no idea how I got this way. I am not worried about taking the back cover off the cartridge at all. The magic to doing things like this is holding the object in a fixed position, in this case a model maker's vise. Then the right lighting and finally the right tools. I will also be using very strong loops. Working under magnification is magic. Working with tiny little things is easy. 

@mijostyn

This is Newton from Cleveland, Ohio .

I cleaned the needle, checked the tonearm set up again, but the mistracking still happens. My friend gary, who also has the msl set up on a Kronos discovery tonearm, has the same problem with the same track in the mofi , brothers in arms album.

I am inclined to think the problem is with the record and the Lyra is an exceptional tracker .

good luck with your project fixing the cart . Please do keep us posted .

@mijostyn Presumably you bought the MSL from an authorized dealer?

If so, this is where I think the ’pressure’ has to come from...and not from you dealing with MoFi ( the distributor). When I had a problem with my new Lyra, my dealer was all over it, and at the time, Audioquest were pro-active about the issue...so no problem for me.

If your dealer is unwilling to go to bat for you, then I think you need to find another dealer.