I love my new Music Hall MMF2.1 Turntable...

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by poweragemk, Jan 27, 2004.

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  1. poweragemk

    poweragemk Old Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    CH
    All,
    For many of you, I suppose, getting a turntable is either a continuation of a long held habit or a prodigal return to that which begat you during the 50's, 60's, 70's, and early-mid 80's (or earlier, in mud's case:D). For me, it was a first. I'm 22, and a child of the digital generation. Until discovering this site in September, I was of the opinion that remastered=better, vinyl=frustrating, and probably not in possession of a speaker system good enough to tell the difference.

    Then I discovered this site, and my mental framework changed quite a bit - confirming a theory I had about DCC discs being the shiznit, and those Judas Priest remasters being just sh*tty.

    I made myself a promise that, as soon as I got a job, I'd get a turntable. At Christmas, having been employed for a month and with cash burning a hole in my pocket for the first time in awhile, I took up prix on his generous sale offer. As he said, I "stole" my turntable, and I'm thanful to prix for answering my questions as well as saving me a bunch o' dough. :thumbsup:

    Of course, vinyl is a bit of an adjustment for those used to digital convenience (setup of equipment included...took me a good half an hour to figure out how to do the counterweight business). Most of those LPs that I bought for the cover to decorate my apartment were trashed, and with the exception of a sealed Bob Seger LP and a nice Apple-label "Ram," I was pretty much starting from scratch.

    I did start the process of learning how to clean LPs, but so far I have found it to be frustrating at best. I haven't got the trick yet, since most of the LPs I've cleaned sounded worse after I was done with them (Bencanas himself called this a neat trick, and who am I to argue?:D) With this, I was feeling a little discouraged until yesterday, with the high point being when I grabbed a minty All Things Must Pass for $30. :thumbsup:

    This changed last night when I invested in my first two "new" LPs: Sundazed's reissue of the Stooges' Fun House LP, and a _sealed_ Mercury original New York Dolls in Too Much Too Soon LP. These two albums have always been referred to by various influential (to me) opinions as "better on vinyl."

    And, well, you know what? They're absolutely right. It took about five seconds of "Puss In Boots" to make my jaw hit the floor and my air guitar to start playing. Great, fantastic sound - much better than the Dennis Drake CD, make no mistake. The MMF2.1 deserves some credit here too, as the LP was warped, though not badly, and the cart handled it flawlessly.
    The Stooges LP, while a more subtle improvement, was just as welcome. The CD has a very flat drum sound, which I liked plenty, but the LP sounds a bit more alive and warm. The saxophone stands out a hell of a lot more with the LP as well. The MMF2.1 handled this 180-gram pressing (an impressive hunk of vinyl!) flawlessly as well.

    So, I'm pretty much a convert, here. New vinyl = :thumbsup:
    Thanks again to everyone I've mentioned, and also to everyone who's encouraged this CD nut to go retro. I do very much appreciate it!

    --Michael
     
  2. Scarecrow

    Scarecrow Forum Resident

    I hear what you're saying. Until I started coming here (I lurk more than post) I would have never thought about getting a TT. With the advise I got here I ended up with a Rega Planar 3 and couldn't be happier. Although I'm still working on getting a BC-13 set which is what kind of started my TT adventure I've gotten lots of vinyl for next to nothing & enjoy it greatly.
     
  3. MikeT

    MikeT Prior Forum Cretin and Current Impatient Creep

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    I was the same way - after giving up on my turntable and albums about 10 years ago.

    I kept reading about vinyl being better than CD, in most cases, on this forum, but it wasn't until I went to a friends house (who also happens to be a forum member) to listen to some SACDs when I told him to play me some vinyl on the turntable he owned at the time - a Rega with a Dynavector cart.

    He put on Nirvana's Nevermind on CD, and then on a German import LP. He played the CD, sounded good on his Sony XA777ES. Then he played me the vinyl. I was SPEECHLESS. My jaw hit the the floor also.

    I knew I needed a turntable, but didn't want to spend a lot - so I got a Music Hall MMF-5. Now I had the daunting task of beginning to clean my thousands of albums that were in my mother-in-laws basement since they were ALL damaged in a flood caused by a hurricane that passed by our area in NJ about 4 or so years ago. I cleaned up the ones I wanted right away, and have also bought new vinyl.

    As with other things Audio - vinyl can sure be addicting. :D
     
  4. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Welcome to the world of vinyl! I still need a new TT, but, for now, i'm enjoying my new Shure cart with my old TT.

    Well, an old TT is better than no TT!

    Michael, what is involved with changing the speed to 45 RPM? I play a lot of 45s too.
     
  5. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    I posted about getting a Music Hall MMF -5 and I love it. I'm still scared to clean vinyl too. After hearing some new vinyl and some old Kiss vinyl, I'm won over.

    I probably won't be getting anything from the 90's and beyond for new stuff since most recordings are recorded for the digital media now, not the analogue media.

    That will will save me some $$.
     
  6. poweragemk

    poweragemk Old Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    CH
    Take off the platter and move a belt up or down on a motor...very simple, actually. I have played my few 45's already (mono Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild...:thumbsup: ) and they sound great!
     
  7. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    I posted about getting a Music Hall MMF -5 and I love it. I'm still scared to clean vinyl too. After hearing some new vinyl and some old Kiss vinyl, I'm won over.

    I probably won't be getting anything from the 90's and beyond for new stuff since most recordings are recorded for the digital media now, not the analogue media.

    That will will save me some $$.

    Vinyl collecting is just fun, it's the thrill of the game to find that great copy like the Van Morrison vinyl I found.
     
  8. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    What impress me about well mastered LPs is that transparency you don't seem to get with most 16-bit CDs.
     
  9. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Oh no! Don't let that fool you! They crunch the sound when they master up the CDs. You can go only so far with the vinyl format when mastering, which means the sound won't be so hot, and some dynamics will survive. Later on today, i'm going hunting for new Santana vinyl.
     
  10. poweragemk

    poweragemk Old Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    CH
    I need to locate some Pearl Jam and Soundgarden vinyl. :thumbsup:
    I hear those EU Universal Nirvana LPs are pretty zowie, too.
     
  11. audio

    audio New Member

    Location:
    guyana
    Glad you like the table, man. If you need any help doing the vinyl cleaning thing, let me know. I've got it down to a science. You're using the disc doctor system, right? You've got the stylus cleaner as well I hope?
     
  12. Vinyl-Addict

    Vinyl-Addict Groovetracer Manufacturer

    Location:
    USA
    Ha, Ha, Ha, check out my moniker. :laugh:

    Seriously, congrats Michael for taking the plunge into vinyl. I recommend the Disc Doctor cleaning brushes and cleaner. It's about $65 for the pads and solution which will clean a whole lot of vinyl, and does a fantastic job.

    After you get some extra cash, consider buying an inexpensive vacuum machine. I have and recommend the bare bones Nitty Gritty machine at audioadvisor, sells for $200. The Disc Doctor used in conjunction with the vacuum machine will do the best job, IMO. It takes a little effort but the end result is well worth it.:)

    On a different note, I just received Nirvana's greatest hits on vinyl yesterday from Redtrumpet:thumbsup:
    This is my 1st Nirvana LP and although it's not reference material, it really rocks, better than any CD to be sure.
    Anyway I hope you enjoy the vinyl experience, take it slow, and enjoy spinning your LP's. :)
     
  13. CardinalFang

    CardinalFang New Member

    Location:
    ....
    Congrats Michael! I bought the MMF 2.1 a few months ago, and I've been really happy with it. I bought that Stooges record too... man, does it sound nice!

    I talked to the folks at Music Hall and they didn't recommend getting a clamp for the MMF 2.1. They said I'd see better results with a new mat. There's a Ringmat that goes for $100-150... John at Red Trumpet recommended it, as did the Music Hall folks. I'll probably get that next.
     
  14. Damián

    Damián Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Spain now
    Don't give up on the Disc Doctor thingies 'cause they WORK. It might take you some time to teach yourself a proper cleaning technique (I suppose there are as many as there are owners.. everyone does things a little different), but it'll be worth it in the end.

    PM me if you need some help, I'll be more than glad to help.
     
  15. tone ded freb

    tone ded freb Senior Member

    Location:
    Arizona Snowbowl
    Is this the version of Nevermind you're talking about?
     
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