MC for MusicHall MMF2.2

Ed,

You are a professional reviewer and of all people should be aware that one of the changes made in going from the Music Hall 2.1 to the 2.2 was the tone arm. The new arm has a one piece Headshell and arm formed from a larger diameter aluminum alloy tube also stainless/sapphire pivot bearings and rudimentary VTA adjustment capability. No it's not an SME but is not bad at all and certainly can accommodate and show the advantages of a moderately priced moving coil cartridge. In fact it works quite well with my Denon DL160 and my older Audio Technica AT30 HE. Jazzhowell already did the right thing by adding the speedbox and he can also add an acrylic platter as a further worthwhile upgrade without spending a lot of money. I also own a Linn LP12 that currently has a Sumiko Premier MMT arm, Hercules speed regulator board and a a Sony XL44s LOMC. Is it better? Yes, but it costs 6 times as much and has it's own set of issues with such problems as footfalls and isolation.
Oh, and the Music Hall platter is non ferrous and not a problem with strong magnets in a cartridge (the Philips GA 212/312 were the last turntables I can remember that had a problem with moving coils due to a steel platter).

Ed,

I never suggested he should not repair the Linn. Absolutely it should be repaired but telling Jazzhowell that the MMF2.2 could not handle a DL160 and that he should sell a perfectly good turntable and take a loss because you had issues with a previous model is just wrong. You did not have a 2.2 you had a 2.1 they are not the same especially regarding the tone arms. Also saying that the Axis will sound better than the Music Hall is questionable as that would at least depend on how the suspension (which is quite similar to the MMF2.2 btw) has held up and whether his table has the (better) Akito or the not so great LVX tonearm. As far as the Music Hall being "a Thowaway" I listened to that same statement 30+ years ago about the AR XA with it's crappy clock motor that could not possibly last (I have 2 one of which is approaching it's 50th birthday and still functions fine)and I would be willing to bet the number of still functioning AR XA's is 10 times that of Duals of the same vintage.

My apologies,I just checked to be sure and I was wrong on the platter material. It is ferrous and quite magnetic. So you would have to upgrade to an acrylic platter to accommodate a moving coil. The difference from the 2.1 is that it appears to to have a coating of damping material on it. Again my error I should have looked for the original platter last night as mine has the acrylic installed at the moment so the DL160 is not a problem for me.

Ed is correct your Linn with a Rega arm is an excellent combination and as Ed says equal to or better than anything under a $1,000.
kevmaster, a used Rega P3 is an good choice easy to setup,trouble free and excellent sound. The LP12 (and I use one as my main table)requires an investment in time and energy to setup correctly and if it needs parts or you want to modify it,it can get very expensive quickly. On the other hand mine is over 30 years old and still functioning well with great sound. Have fun with your choice in either case.