The Mule Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Hello everyone. I have a Music Hall MMF 2.2 that I bought a few years back. I got it as a gift for my girlfriend, but I've been the one that has used it much more. I like it ok, but I don't love it. I've had problems with the cartridge dragging on the record and causing audible clunking sounds. Recalibrating the tonearm and resetting the tracking force fixes this but it's annoying to have to do that repeatedly. I also hate the mechanism for opening the plastic cover - it is very poorly constructed and I've had to rig it and attempt repairs on it several times. I'd also ideally like to have a turntable with automatic features, so I don't have to get up and lift the stylus off the record at the end of each side. And switching between 33 & 45 rpm is annoying - it involves lifting the platter off the plinth and moving the belt manually. So I'm curious to check out a better turntable that improves on the features as mentioned above, and might even offer better and more glorious analog sound. Obviously this is in large part a matter of personal opinion, but could anyone recommend a turntable that would represent a substantial upgrade from the MMF 2.2? Something with automatic capabilities, a nicer default cartridge and better reliability in terms of tonearm balance and a cover that doesn't fall off the hinges if you look at it funny. I'm open to eventually adding a nice tube preamp, but wouldn't be able to afford that immediately. Maybe I'd be better off just sticking with what we have for now, but I'm curious to know if an upgrade would really make my smile even bigger after dropping the needle on my favorite records. Let me know your thoughts. Any suggestions, recommendations, advice, etc., will be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeburns Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 (edited) A good second hand Technics 1200 series turntable will destroy the music hall. It is fully manual though so no automatic functionality, but less to go wrong. Get a good MM cartidge for it and you will be good to go. No functional turntable should have to have the setup done over and over. You should just have to do it once, and well, and that should be that. The stylus/cartridge should never ever drag. If your going to invest in better gear you will notice a profound improvement but you will need to check your setup process carefully as a bad setup can wreck both cartridge/stylus and records. On another note I wonder why anyone would bother continuing to listen to records (let alone purchase more) with such a bad sounding setup. Whats the point? Listening to vinyl really requires a minimum entry point for it to sound even close to as good as a basic digital setup. The payoff for getting a decent setup is high, but the cost is really prohibitive. I guess you need to decide on whether it is worth it or not. Have you heard a good vinyl rig before? That is the kind of sound you should always be aiming for. Good luck. It's a rabbit hole. Edited June 11, 2020 by mikeburns Additional info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mule Posted June 11, 2020 Author Share Posted June 11, 2020 Thanks, Mike. Funny you mentioned the Technics 1200 series. I actually picked up an SL-1500C shortly after posting this a little over a month ago. And for the record, I didn't say the Music Hall sounded that bad. It just had to be fiddled with every so often to get it to behave. I will say now that the Technics does indeed kick its ass though. I have both turntables side by side at the moment - my girlfriend didn't want to get rid of the MH because I got it as a gift for her. I of course never use it though. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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