Customer Reviews

Music Hall MMF-5 Audiophile Turntable

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a real turntable capable of high end performance. It out performs anything else on Amazon, except for its bigger brothers, models 7 and 9 (but they are not offered directly). If you can go for them, you should. But for the money, this is the real thing. The model 9 is three times as much, but not three times better. You would hear the improvement certainly, but it is fractional. Let your budget guide you.

The other real turntable line Amazon offers is Thorens, the venerable German firm. They are making a comeback after three decades of neglect because record sales have increased fifteen straight years. New turntables sold each year here top 300,000. Music Hall is better unless you really want the beautiful wood available on Thorens.

In any case, stay away from Denon. They are direct drive, not belt. In a blind test, I picked the little brother of this table over the top of the line ten times out of ten. So if this turntable is too expensive for you, get the MM3.

These tables have proved themselves for over a decade now, and Roy Hall makes sure that the price points make sense. Just remember the law of diminishing returns. Above all, take advantage of this turntable. I give it 4 stars only because of ultra high end options that soar into the dozens of thousands. This one lets you have the real quality of records.

I have owned this turntable for several years now and it has performed flawlessly. This is audiophile equipment for those on a budget. I bought it after months of reading reviews, many stating that this sounds better than others costing 2-3 times as much. Although I have to admit that I can't hear all the nuances that many of the elitists claim to hear, I will say that I was willing to pay more but fortunately did not have to. Now I do not have the luxury of owning several top end turntables to compare this directly to, but I have had many over the years and this is on par with the best as far as I can discern. I did buy this to replace a Sony turntable (which was cheap, and sounded like it too) and there is a clear difference. The Sony was the first piece of equipment I've ever owned that I couldn't wait to get rid of. To say the least, I did lots of research to make sure I didn't make that mistake again, and in this case it paid off. For the money you can't go wrong with this turntable. It will satisfy your inner "audiophile on a budget" instincts, while making you feel a bit smug over all those that paid $1500 to $2000 for something equal or perhaps just a tiny bit better.

Although the picture doesn't show a dust cover, it does come with one. It also comes with an excellent cartridge installed and adjusted. The platter is about 1/2" of CocaCola glass with a felt mat. It also comes with a record clamp. It is simple and yet sophisticated at the same time as it is completely adjustable. It has a "dual plinth" design which allows the motor to be seperated from the tonearm/platter area. All in all a well thought out turntable.