Music Hall 5.1 owners?

The Herbies mat was a surprising improvement. Otherwise I think the Goldring that comes with it is a very good match. I had a 5.1 and I thought it was excellent, even in comparison to a 10K CD player, so if it doesn't sound good to you, something's probably wrong. What are you looking for that you're not getting?

Thanks for your response, Chayro. I too have the Herbie's mat with similar results. Nice improvement. I can't say I have any specific complaints as far as not getting what I want, but rather, I want MORE- relatively cheaply. More detail, accuracy, more of what is in the grooves. More magic. I am considering HO moving coils and MM as well. I was curious as to any carts others may have tried with this table.

Best,
Robert

Getting more relatively cheaply is not something you're going to get with analog. Really - the 5.1 is a good table. I think the problem is elsewhere. What phono preamp are you using? The problem is, as I'm sure you know, the arm on the 5.1 really can't take advantage of a really good cart, although the Goldring is pretty good. I'll tell you, my friends bought the Marantz table, which comes with a nice arm and cart for about $1500 and it sounds damn nice. Just sell the 5.1 and save for something better. IM0.

If you don't have one, a Pro-Ject Speed Box (or Music Hall's version) is a very good upgrade in general. It's not just a convenient 33/45 rpm changer.

I use on on my Pro-Ject 1Xpression and have heard them on other Pro-Ject's and Music Halls. I haven't heard it on the MMF 5.1 specifically, but the all share Pro-Ject motors, and the 5.1's motor may very well be the same as my Xpression's. The improvements are across the board; there's not improvement in one area at the expense of another. It's very hard to find that in this hobby.

The Speed Box 2 is about $150, so it's not a major expense. Places like Music Direct have a 30 trial period, so there's almost no risk. Haven't heard the Speed Box SE to be able to say if it's worth the extra cost.

I have a MMF 5. I'm not sure about the difference btw the two TT's. Yours has probably a better tonearm. Anyway, I just bought an expensive (at least for me) cartridge (aurum Beta S MK II Wood). I'll let you know if spending all this money was worthy (or just silly) as soon as I have it installed!

Yes, I believe the 5.1 has a better arm, though I'm not sure in what way. I would like to hear what you discover. Thank you for your response -

As mentioned above , I would like to know if the new 5.1 is actually capable of a cartridge upgrade from stock .
I have seen , in a couple of places , that the tonearm may not be of sufficient quality to take advantage of a cartridge such as a Grado Reference Sonata 1 or a Clearaudio Aurum Beta S Mk 2 .
Can anyone else speak to this point of view ?

Happy Tunes

Consider the Goldring Eroica MC. It comes hi or lo output and it works well with Pro-ject arms. It's actually pretty decent for the money.

Chayro;
So are you saying that this new 5.1 has a Pro-ject arm and
that it is worthy of a higher grade cartridge ?
Also your recommendation for the Goldring Eroica... what
will it sound like as compared to the stock Ortofon M3 (Magic 3) ?

Thank you

The Eroica used to come with the Music Hall 7.1, as I recall, so it's a good match with Project arms. I never heard the M3, so I really can't answer your question. Without an audition, there's no ironclad way to know whether you will prefer the Eroica to what you have, but it is a really nice cartridge. Unless you're working with a good dealer, audio can be a lot of hit and miss. I frankly thought that the Goldring that came with my Music Hall MM5 sounded really good. I think it was a Goldring 1012 or 1022. If your 5.1 isn't pleasing you with the stock cartridge, maybe you have to look elsewhere in your system. I don't know. Maybe you should call Needle Doctor. They sell the Music Hall turntables and they probably know what works and what doesn't. Maybe. One thing I've found in this hobby is that truly knowledgeable analog people are very few and far between. IMO