Cartridge suggestions mmf-7.1

Has nothing to do with the table, yes you need a cart.... Go with an Ortofon for very powerful rock and roll, go with a Denon if you really want a super sweet and good natural more analog sound.. Both powerful carts on these tables and arms.

By the way a scout or rega would not in my opinion step up at all if you can setup a music hall table with care, maybe invest in a good Digital stylus gauge to really start tweaking the sound, oh and getting a 3" thick maple block to set you table on and level it will be a killer upgrade, along with dumping any thin cheesy felt table mat, get a Herbies way excellent mat, about 60 bucks, but will sound like a 600 dollar upgrade and get rid of your static!

Good luck

Thanks for the replies. I was kinda thinking it was more the cart than the table. I have a digital gauge on the way, along with the zerodust. Already put a Herbies mat on. The table, along with all other components, is on an adona nemisis stand with the multi-element granite isolation platforms.

Which model Ortofon or Denon would you recommend? Oh, which protractor for setup?

With the Pro-Ject tonearm on the Music Hall, you will likely get the best results overall with a medium compliance catridge that weighs less than 7 grams.

I have learned this from experience with the MMF-7. The tonearm is not designed to handle the heavier cartridges and it doesn't like low compliance cartridges in particular.

Best regards,
Jim Pendleton
Osage Audio Products

Yes I suggest the Denon 301 II from japan or the Denon 103r if you have a MC phonoamp capable of it, and as above I agree on the little big lower weight, I would go up to about 8 grams on anything, but you will get to a point that you will need to order the Heavyweight from Sumiko in california, the stock weight I believe is 60 grams, the heavyweight for that are is 90 grams and can take on bigger carts.. Like the ZU modded Denon for example. Ortofon Kontrapunkt series carts are really good on that table, but pretty expensive at over 1000 bucks for most models and they get a tad on the heavy side at 10.5 grams.

This is presicely why I am hoping for days like the ones 30 years ago. I owned Yamaha YP 211 it was all set up and if you wore down a stylus you simply yanked out the cantelever and any entrails and inserted a new one at the stereo store. There are almost none around now and the owners may only have a passing interest in vinyl.
BTW I own 8 tables MMF 5 is amongst them but it has a MM cart. I am searching for my holy grail a linear tracking easy speed control with a fantastic p-mount. I almost bought another table today at a flea market. The Duals are making so many waves these days I thought about it but it didn't even have a stylus!And a cracked dust cover and it was filthy.
The Scout and Dynevector I own was factory installed and were engineered to synergize I don't know if you want all that sesitivity it makes quite a bit of noise . Yes I own a VPI record Cleaning machine I can wash till it is so clean (Think of something other than eat off it).
You really might be looking at a better phono stage . They have an enormous impact on the type and sensitivity your TT is trying to convey. The tube box I am sure is OK, but I would be surprized if you couldn't find one that will get. I have legendary phono stage , others use that term not me, in an ARC SP6B. It is truly high gain a hyper neutral. I like a little bit of expansion "more air" and color from a pronounced lower midrange.
With your table I think a Dynevector would not stand up, they seem so delicate you could squash like a fly. The Ortofon sounds like the right cartridge. I think I'll get one myself.

mechans,
not real sure what you said......

Here's a different twist. Should I be looking at a different phono pre?

Check out all sorts of carts and good prices too.

Surprised nobody mentioned Sumiko Backbird.Right price but I'd check mass and compiance as Jpendleton menioned.Ortofon is good but at price I'd look at Dynavector line.Call Bess Nivera at Music Direct and tell him chazz sent 'ya.He has it all including your deck,Grado,Benz,Sumiko,Ortofon,etc and has heard every combo possible.Sold buddy a Dynavector instead of others because he said at price point is was smoother across bandwith at price point

Holy crap batman!!! I had carefully balanced the arm, then carefully set the ring on the weight to 0. Double checked the balance of the arm. Carefully adjusted the weight to the recommended 1.7g. Well, I just got the digital stylus gauge. After checking the calibration, I placed the stylus on the scale...... It read 2.343g's!!!!!! Didn't have time to do any listening yet, had to get back to work.

I suggest everyone that has an analog front end, get some sort of gauge. Apparently those "calibrated" rings on the weights, or the weight themselves, aren't all that....

04rdking, Well you can only trust them so far, but again knowing they are calibrated right in the first place can eliminate the need for the gauge, but if you don't know where it lands from the beginning you could have issues.. Yeah you will get far better sound now finding you were way overweighted.