Just received my new Music Hall MMF-5 TT and I wanna tell ya folks it's a hum-dinger! Complete with Goldring cart and arm for $439 brand new plus shipping on eBay no less! Break out Sckott's Record Cleaning Bible -I'm ready! Anyone else want to weigh in on what table they use, recommend, or desire? How about cartridges? Grado, Shure, Benz, Sumiko, who want's to share a few war stories? Best, Ben
Actually Ben, if you have just a Moving Magnet preamp (or just a regular phono in on your tuner...donno what you have) you might like the Rega Super Elys, the Dynavector 10X4 or even the Benz Micro ACE custom to your mV output, as depending on which one you buy, goes better with MC or MM pre's. All will sound killer on that TT. Check out Audioasylum if you want flooding opinions on any of those carts.
I have an Ariston Audio AR11, with a SME arm & Sure "V" series cart. that was specifically designed for each other (arm and cart.). The same designer went on to Linn after this TT was released. People call it the "prelude" to the Linn. I am very happy with it. I tried a Grado cart. once on this TT but found the sound dull and lifeless. Not sure if it was a poor match with the arm but I'll never buy a Grado again! I also have a stock Rega 2. Sckott do you think I can improve the sound in the AR somehow? Would an external phono preamp do anything for me? Which one? The TT goes into a McIntosh MX110 - sounds awfully good to me! [ November 07, 2001: Message edited by: Gary ]
Depends how you feel, Gary. I'm running a Carey-designed PH-1 from AES, which is a kit, tube driven with 6SL7's. The great thing about it, is the tube components make a noticeable difference as if you're switching carts. A lot of steadfast audiophiles go for seperate components, like with outboard DACs to their high-end CD player. Then, there are some people who have pre's and receivers with the MM pre built in, who feel the simplicity of using it is best. You see, I started out with a simple Adcom when I was going Dynaco-crazy, and those nice little units don't have a MM pre. Someday when you upgrade, you might be forced to look at an outboard pre, like I was...Most better pre-amps and now most receivers, mid-fi and high end don't have phono. I don't think that will come back. ...which led me to go tube for the sake of do-it-yourself, I didn't mind losing my mind above a soldering iron, and having an all analogue chain to vinyl playback was an interesting idea. I found the best tubes fairly cheap, and although my Rotel has a SS MM pre, I haven't used it once. I'm very pleased with the AES PH-1. Found here. It was perfect because it was inexpensive (still $400 though) for a high end class A pre, and very nicely built as far as design. I'd suggest taking the tubes they give you, and storing them as spares. Go out and get a nice pair of side-getter RCA black-bottom 6sl7's. I'm not crazy about Grados either. I'm real sorry, but I've said it before. I can't stand most of their products, and I've tried Grado at opportunities, but shake my head every time. But Gary, if [what you have] sounds very musical, rock solid, and very sensitive, you may feel such upgrade not to be cost effective to benefit reached. [ November 07, 2001: Message edited by: Sckott ]
Congratulations, Ben! I have tried Grado and thought their better cartridges were very good. My rig is a Sota acrylic mat table with Sumiko's "The Arm" (arm wrapped and headshell damped) mated to a Micro Benz 2. The Benz has more dynamics, bass foundation and detail than the Grado. The rest of my gear is Carey SLP-90, VTL and ProAc with silver cables throughout. My CD player is a Linn Ikemi. I do not have a SACD player yet. A good table is so great to have. It helps you discover old vinyl and what this hobby is all about - the music.
Congrats on the new Music Hall MMF-5 TT! A friend of mine has it and it sounds great. I have a VPI HW-19 mk III, with a modded Well Tempered arm, Dynavector 10x4 mkII and a AcousTech PH-1 phonostage. Vinyl is fun! Todd
Anybody can BUY a turntable. Real men build their own. http://home.earthlink.net/~ellenoler/teres.html Jeremy's Teres Turntable (Humor me, I know I'm insane.) -j [ November 07, 2001: Message edited by: J Epstein ]
Looks like pretty expensive landfill to me, Mr. Epstein! I'll bet it'll be easy for Sckott to do, though! I presume it sounds OK....
Hey, Sicko! How'd you get that linear arm, or was it taken from another source? I was hastely looking though the sites and I was curious on how that arm works (LOOKS like it's linear) and how'd ya work it into a DIY.... Thanks J. Keep being ill. And you're using RS drivers too, you crazy SOB. Now I don't feel 1/2 off my tree! Yesss!!! I'm not nutty!! [ November 07, 2001: Message edited by: Sckott ]
(Now that you've found it, allow me to remind you what I keep saying, over & over & over & over . . . .) That arm is the best DIY project there is. Cheap? Oh baby. Good? Ay caramba! -j
the turntable looks great. i know people can be negative about grado but i have a micro seiki with grado gold and it sounds amazing. micro's are built like a tank. found a nina simone record, charly records (never heard of them), played it last night unbelievable i had no idea seemed audiophile to me, cost 50 cents.... also picked up rolling stones "through the past darkly", hexagonal cover, british 60's pressing, stereo version, what can i say such depth i had never heard the stones like that, cost $1. Gee, i love living in south africa people think vinyl is junk here
I liked the Grado quite well and for many years, but I moved on to a Denon moving coil cartridge and it is quite a bit better. Charly is a terrific label, they were releasing some amazing stuff from the Sun label archives back in the 80's and their quality is usually excellent in my experience. Also whoever compiles their albums seems to really know their stuff, especially Colin Escott, their (THE) Sun expert. -j [ November 08, 2001: Message edited by: J Epstein ]
I just have MM cartridges in my TT's. I've always heard that MC were better. In my HK, I have MC capability which has remained untapped. The only thing that holds me back is that I was told, a long long time ago, that MC cart. really wore down your vinyl and your records would have a shorter lifespan. Is this true? Any comments will be appreciated!
I think that, a "long long time ago" most MC cartridges tracked heavy and had low compliance = stiff suspensions. These days that is not quite as extremely the case - my MC cartridge tracks at a recommended 1.5g for example, about the same as most MMs. Compliance is low/medium as opposed to low. So, anyway, a modern MC should not carry any record-wear penalty with it. Potential drawbacks include requiring more gain in your phono stage but you seem to have that covered. The "plus" side of the equation centers around MC cartridges having lower effective tip mass so they can achieve better high frequency reproduction & faster transient response. -j
Jeremy was a smaat feller. He built his toobe PH stage with plenty of gain. MC coolness in like a Dynavector 10X4 is fine with most MM cart stages because it's really sensitive and the mV output is almost perfect. The PH-1 I have is perfect but my kit didn't come with an attenuator for a little extra gain. It would have come in handy, as I agree that most RIAA stages, even ones I had in recievers don't match the gain output in CD line stages. It's kinda annoying.
i was just noticing you had a shuggie otis album in the photo. i dig shuggie. and the table looks interesting.
Hey, my girlfriend said the turntable on that photo (I guess what she meant were the different layers of wood, stone, carpet. etc.) looked "like a club sandwich" ... I guess she nailed the point! Greetings from another sicko Thomas
parabola - that shuggie album is da bomb!!!! club sandwich eh? You're making me hungry! The layers from top to bottom are: Lettuce, mayo, turkey, bacon - oops! Wrong sandwich. TOP: kitchen counter excess - particleboard with Formica skin. Next, two layers of recycled rubber flooring material. Then, another layer of the p-board w/Formica (no Formica on the edges, which is why it looks different) which has levelling feet installed There is a small coaster of the rubber mat visible under the front foot, Then a shelf of particleboard/Formica. But the most impotant layer is at the very bottom (you can just see the end of it sticking out the front): A bicycle inner tube filled with vegetable oil and its ends knotted off. GREAT isolation device, try it, you'll like it! -j [ November 14, 2001: Message edited by: J Epstein ]
