Music Hall Updates Turntable Line For 2016

Music Hall's Roy Hall stepped away long enough from the sauce to show me the significantly updated 2016 turntable line.

First up was the $499 MMF 2.3 featuring a new fixed-in-place, though still elastomer isolated D.C. motor that produces greater speed stability. The new carbon fiber arm tube arm differs from the one Pro-Ject uses on the Debut, according to Mr. Hall (whose brother Robert once ran a successful discount haberdashery chain in the N.Y. metro area) by being thicker and featuring four rather than two gimbaled bearings. The 'table comes with an installed Audio-Technica sourced $100.00 Spirit cartridge as well as a dustcover. An extra $50 gets it in either red or white. An "SE" edition planned for later in the year will incorporate built in electronic speed control as well as a wood veneer base. Projected price will be between $700 and $800 (BTW: that is not a cake baked atop the 2.3's platter. It is an optical illusion produced by the room lighting).

Next, Hall showed the new $1095 MMF 5.3 SE featuring a Sorbothane-damped split wooden base and Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridge. The standard 5.3 at $875 includes the Ortofon 2M Blue.

The updated $1599 MFF 7.3 shown above, features a new all carbon fiber arm tube and free-standing D.C. motor with electronic speed control plus Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridge. The one model above the 7.3, the 9.3, was not ready in time for the show. On that basis, Mr. Hall shouldn't have appeared either.

Also new from Music Hall was the extremely versatile PA 2.2 USB Phono preamplifier, featuring stereo/mono and phase inversion switches as well as a built-in headphone amplifier, two phono inputs and a line input. It also features both fixed and variable line outputs, which means it can be used as a preamplifier. MC loading is fixes at one hundred ohms. The unit costs $399, which is amazing given its versatility.

COMMENTS
Ktracho's picture

I hope you offer your opinion on its sound in the near future. What does the USB part of it do?

Michael Fremer's picture
Because it has a built-in A/D converter, the USB connects to a computer and the bitstream goes to the computer... so you can produce edited files using software like Pure Vinyl or Vinyl Studio.
Ktracho's picture

Do you know if it can convert its line input to digital, or only its phono input? What is the sample rate and depth? I'm hoping this is a step up, in terms of sound quality, from $200 phono preamps with built in A/D converters.

Michael Fremer's picture
I believe it's 96/24. I assume it will convert the line input as well. I will check.
Steelhead's picture

Like em.

Roy is going to have to rename them MMS (Make Money Slow) pretty soon if he keeps kicking them out the door.

Kirby's picture

Looks like a bar stool seat for a record mat, Hmmmm a 3" thick foam isolation mat. I think i'm on to something!!! LOL

Kirby's picture

The mmf-7.3 is a beautiful looking turntable for $1700, did you get a chance to hear it?

Michael Fremer's picture
Static display
JMT's picture

Haven't had much interest in the Music Hall tables until now. I agree that the 7.3 looks great and am curious to see the 9.3.

davebecker's picture

I was so put off after meeting this guy at a past CES Show...vulgar and a know it all. Never considered his products after that.

Michael Fremer's picture
He's really a sweetheart....what you got was a "put on".... but no doubt not everyone responds positively.
Catcher10's picture

I have the 7.1, and recently added the 9cc arm and the Cruise Control 2.0 unit. The 9cc arm is a bit lower mass than the 9c arm which is standard on the mmf-7.1. Bass/lower end is now more defined than the 9c arm setup, some of the "thickness" is gone but the bass is a better bass, I hear much more detail from bass guitar and kick drum. The new motor is the key though, would love one of those as it is a DC motor, but will not work with the Cruise Control 2.0, the plinth is the same....Decisions, decisions..
I love my 7.1

X