TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ALTHOUGH the Music Hall MMF 2.1 is among the lowest priced quality turntables, calling it “entry level” is inaccurate.  It performs better than that description would suggest. 

Chances are you’ll have to pick up the MMF 2.1 through a mail order retailer, unless you know a stereo shop that stocks or special orders turntables.  If you can buy the turntable from a shop that will set it up for you, do so.  If you can’t, it’s not too big of a problem. The MMF 2.1 comes with the cartridge installed, leaving you to assemble only a few things.  Depending on your experience setting up turntables you should have it up and running in 30 minutes or less.

SETTING UP

The MMF 2.1 arrives tightly packaged.  I had to remove the dustcover, which is packed at the top of the box, to get to the plinth (i.e. the turntable chassis--DH).  I placed the plinth on the turntable shelf of my rack and removed the motor transport screws that protect the motor from damage during shipping. They’ re easy to find since they’re painted red.  I then retrieved the drive belt from one of the enclosed parts bags.  Music Hall thoughtfully provides a spare belt; make sure you put it where it won’t get lost.  Turntable belts don’t break or wear out easily, but you’ll be glad you have the spare stored away if you do have to replace the first one.  I slipped the belt over the upper tier of the motor pulley, for 33 1/3 speed and around the sub platter. [1],  I placed the platter and felt mat over the spindle on the sub platter.  The platter weighs 4½ lbs.; pretty hefty for a table as inexpensive as the MMF 2.1.

Then came the hard work--balancing the tonearm and setting the tracking weight.  I removed the red tonearm transport lock, which holds the tone-arm on its rest during shipping. I found the counterweight, used to apply the stylus’s downward force, tucked safely away in the packing material.  I lifted the tonearm from the arm rest, removed the stylus guard, and positioned the arm halfway between the platter and the arm rest.  I slowly twisted the counterweight onto the rear of the tonearm, until the tone-arm floated freely, parallel to the plinth.  I was sure to release the arm carefully as I checked that it floated parallel, so as not to let the stylus thump down on the plinth.

I put the tone-arm back in the arm rest.  As it was now balanced, I needed to set the tracking force indicator so that it read “zero,”  as in zero grams of downward force. This indicator is a ring around the tonearm that sits snug up against the counterweight.  So that I wouldn’t upset the tonearm’s balanced state, I held the counterweight still while I turned the indicator ring so that it read "0."  (As you can imagine, one slip of the fingers and the tonearm and stylus can easily crash against the plinth.  Consequently, I calibrated the tracking force indicator while the tone-arm was in its holder.)  I had to balance the tonearm a couple more times because my attempts to move the indicator to read “zero” caused the counterweight to shift—I mentioned that they sit snugly together. The tracking force indicator ring loosened a little by the third and final reset. 

Once I had the indicator reading “zero” and I could trust that the tonearm was truly set at zero grams of downward force, I turned the counterweight until the ring indicated that I had applied 1.7 grams of force.  Checking on the accuracy of this indicator ring, I measured the tracking force with a Shure stylus tracking force gauge. The gauge indicated a force a couple of tenths shy of 1.7, so I rotated the counterweight a notch to add a little more weight.

Finally, I set the anti-skating force.  (This prevents the needle from jumping out of the groove and sliding across the record.—DH)  Most inexpensive turntables use a spring-loaded anti-skate mechanism. The MMF 2.1 uses an anti-skate weight that hangs by a microfilament line at the back of the tonearm assembly, just above the arm itself. I hung the looped end from the prescribed notch--you hang the weight from one of three notches, according to tracking weight--and threaded the remaining microfilament line through the loop in the anti-skating lever (actually an angled piece of thin metal fixed at the tone-arm base).

I measured the stylus alignment before I played any records.  The turntable comes with a Goldring Elan cartridge installed and, according to my alignment tool, it was placed correctly in the headshell. The MMF 2.1 allows for azimuth and vertical tracking angle (VTA) adjustment, an almost unheard of fine-tuning capability in a ‘table of its price range.  The azimuth is the tracking angle of the cartridge when viewed head-on. It should be perfectly horizontal. Vertical tracking angle is the angle at which the cartridge tracks when viewed from the side.  Generally, the VTA is correct if the bottom of the cartridge is parallel to the record. Being able to fine-tune the VTA is a significant benefit, since cartridge dimensions vary.

I wanted to give the cartridge some break-in time before I listened carefully, but I also wanted to play a few LPs right off to give myself a point of reference.  As I dropped the stylus on the first record, I was impressed with the precision of the cueing device.[3]  It worked smoothly and allowed a gradual drop to the record surface.  As the stylus made contact with the lead-in groove I immediately noted how quietly the turntable played.  I heard no extraneous noise. My Dual 606, which cost me $250.00 15 years ago and didn’t include a cartridge, is positively clamorous by comparison during the lead‑in and between tracks (I use it in my basement system).  

The tone-arm on my old Dual picks up vibration through the plinth, which is made of molded plastic and is not well isolated from its base. The Dual’ s plinth is supported by a spring at each corner and each spring rests on a corner of the base of the turntable. By contrast, the plinth of the MMF 2.1 is made of a dense material that resists vibration and resonance and the drive motor floats on its own suspension, actually a heavy rubber band that stretches over four corner screws in a cavity just above and to the left of the sub platter. These elements, combined with the heavy platter, make the MMF 2.1 an astonishingly quiet ‘table for the money. 

From the first record, I was struck by the music’s transparency and by the precise placement of images within the soundstage.  I played an old, fairly noisy copy of The Hawk Swings, a Coleman Hawkins LP from 1960. The instruments came out from the speakers, well separated from the background pops and clicks.  More important, they were separated enough from the background noise to enable me to hear the timbre of the instruments. Thad Jones ’s trumpet and Eddie Costa’s vibes in particular rang out clear and true.     

The cartridge took about 20 hours to burn in to the point that an initial brightness I’d heard in pop vocals was completely gone.  I listened to “Grass, ” the second track on XTC’s Skylarking.   That track is particularly revealing of cartridges in the under $50 dollar range, which produce so much sibilance on this track that they’re unlistenable. The supplied Goldring cartridge, which costs about $60, placed the vocals in "Grass" and in other, less demanding tracks, dead center and slightly forward, without sibilance.

The Goldring Elan performed well across a broad spectrum of music.  I demo’d the turntable for a friend of mine who wants to replace his old ‘table.  I played a Japanese pressing of Abbey Road that is one of the quietest pressings I’ve ever heard; there’s absolute silence in the lead in groove and between cuts. The tonal differences in the various drums during the solo near the end of the suite on side two are more pronounced on that LP than on any other format I’ve heard, including the CD.  The Elan reproduced those tones distinctly, perhaps not as distinctly as my usual cartridge (an Ortofon OM30, which costs about four times as much), but very well for the price.

My friend brought along a UK, yellow-vinyl pressing of Yellow Submarine.  I was especially impressed with the almost textural feel of the ocean waves on the title track.  Similarly, the MMF 2.1 and the Elan reproduced the crickets and birds in Skylarking on a beautifully layered soundstage.  Walking away from the speakers I imagined a bird alighting on my shoulder.     

The Elan has a very rich and detailed midrange. I played Reinforcements by Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, and was pleased with the sound of the Hammond B3 on the opening track, "Brain Damage." I could almost feel the air from the Leslie speaker.  The trumpet and sax on a Blue Note Connoisseur 180 gram mono pressing of J.R. Monterose’s self-titled LP sounded vivid and detailed.  Ira Sullivan’s trumpet solos had a smooth, open tone and there was a pleasing grain to the sax solos.

I was impressed overall with the speed and accuracy of the cartridge. It had no trouble handling the transients in "No Pasaran" from Joe Jackson’s Will Power. The sudden bursts of brass came through sharply and sustained well. Art Blakey’s cymbal work on the Monterose LP was remarkably clear without being bright or shimmery and showed no hint of decaying too quickly.  During the intro to "Out of Time" from a mono pressing of the Rolling Stones’ Flowers, I found myself smiling as I heard the rasp of the finger snaps and the reverb that accompanied them.   

I did feel that the cartridge had slight problems revealing detail in some symphonic recordings. A playing of an RCA "shaded dog" pressing of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1 displayed a pleasing, satiny warmth overall and a beautiful large hall ambiance, but I had a little trouble identifying individual instruments in the lower register during densely orchestrated passages. A London records pressing of Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra from 1988 yielded similar results, while a Columbia Masterworks mono pressing of Mozart’s Four Horn Concertos, which has fewer low register passages than the other two LPs, was more detailed overall.

I also found that the attack on the stand‑up bass on one or two acoustic jazz recordings was a tiny bit less than I’m used to hearing, although there was plenty of bass presence.  I should point out, however, that on the J. R. Monterose LP, Wilbur Ware’s bass solos came through with striking detail and I could hear the strings interacting with the wood of the instrument.  My turntable rests on a wooden platform that is supported by a series of polymer balls (a cheap tweak I got from the web).  Removing the platform and placing the MMF 2.1 directly on my audio rack actually tightened up the bass a bit without adding any vibration induced noise--go figure.

I had an unexpected opportunity to push the MMF 2.1's tracking abilities to their limit. I picked up a used copy of Happy Moods by Ahmad Jamal in an original Argo pressing.  I’m always excited to find Jamal’s records, particularly the Argo pressings, so I was disappointed that the record had a significant warp.  I decided to give it a shot anyway, and the MMF 2.1's tonearm rode over it like a champ. That’s one area where Dual’s ULM tonearms excelled;  they could ride all but the most extreme warp. The Music Hall arm gives them a run for the money.  I didn’t even detect any tonal variation (wishful thinking, perhaps, on my part).

SUMMARY

The few and slight limitations, attributable to the cartridge, didn’t diminish my enjoyment of this turntable.  I listened for a couple of hours at a time, minimum, and never became fatigued.  Still, for those seeking more Goldring makes a number of cartridges ranging in price from the Elan to the Excel VX, a moving coil cartridge that fetches about a grand.  However, Roy Hall at Music Hall notes that the tone arm bearings on the MMF 2.1 preclude use of a moving coil cartridge.  Aside from that proviso, I can’t imagine this turntable not doing justice to a very good, very revealing cartridge.3  While you save for that cartridge, you’ll get plenty of enjoyment from the Music Hall MMF 2.1 as is.

After having the MMF 2.1 around for a couple of months, I decided it was time to retire my Dual ‘table. It gave me close to 20 years of reliable service, but, after living with the Music Hall ‘table for a while, it seemed like a compromise.  I bought the MMF 2.1 to take its place. 

JOSEPH's REVIEW SYSTEM

Yamaha AX-592 Integrated Amp
Audioquest Jumper Cables
Ohm K2 speakers
Monster Cable 12 gauge speaker wire