Pros and Cons of the Music Hall MMF-7

Jsawhitlock, where exactly did you put these weights? Do I have to disassemble the deck to do this? Thanks for the input.

Dreadhead, I use to own a VPI jr and something that works good is to apply some lead wieght around the inside of the base, not the plinth. I used lead wieghts that the tire places use to balance your tires, they are flat pieces of lead with a sticky on one side and work great. I also tried brass cones but the improvement was minor compared to the lead. Another thing to do is remove the dust cover when listening. If you choose to try the lead get at least 5-6 lbs. When I did the lead tweak I got much better seperation between the instruments, more air and a more solid bottom end. Have fun with the new TT.

Thanks for your input. I have found a VPI HW19jr at half the price I was willing to spend on either table and decided to go with it. First thing I am going to do is upgrade the feet. Should be a lot of fun.

I found the MMF 7 to be a very good entry-level table. The only thing I didn't care for about the table is how fragile the finish is. I swear looking at it puts scratches in it. After this table I moved up to a VPI scout. The MMF 7 IMO is 90 - 95 percent what the scout is performance wise.

I would consider a different cartridge. The cartridge to get depends on the phono stage and budget. The denon cartridges are worth looking at. I was never a fan of the shure.

Vinyl, It's in the GROOVE!

I owned an MMF 7 for a while and it does make a good introduction to vinyl playback. I'm not familiar with either cartridge mentioned. I used a Shure V15VxMR. After reading the features on the Pro-ject Xperience I would suggest you might find that table to have a few advantages. First, both table use the Project 9 arm but the Pro-ject has the 9c carbon fiber arm. The 9c also has a much simpler method for adjusting azimuth. Otherwise these tables are very close on paper. I have no idea how different they may sound.

I cannot offer you a comparison. I have owned the MMF-7 with the Eroica cartridge for about 2 years. I have recently upgraded to the Graham Slee Era Gold V. I love this table. It has excellent isolation. I have verified that the speed is still accurate, the VTF is aligned and it already has a felt mat and record clamp. It is all the turntable I need. I believe that the choice of a turntable is more about the cartridge and phono stage than it is about the table itself and I am happy with the Eroica. I'm sure that there will be plenty of differing opinions on this, but you will have to trust your own ears. Good luck.