Initial Impressions of Music Hall MMF 5.1

[Jack in Wilmington]

Picked up my new 5.1 turntable on Saturday. Stephen at "Quest For Sound" had everything waiting for me when I got there. Went in and looked at some other setups. First up was a VPI Classic, then a Acoustic Signature "Manfred". Then a couple tube mono blocks, and finally a pair of the new Usher BE 718 DMD speakers. Wanted to hear the diamond tweeters. I had left my glasses in the car, so I wasn't getting model numbers. This was mainly for Stephen's benefit. It's really nice to have all of this top notch gear, but it's best when you can show it off. Now to the business at hand.

While he's writing up the sale, I am thumbing through his LPs and I figure a nice new record for the nice new table would be only fitting. Spotting a copy of Traffic's " John Barleycorn, I add that to the till. Table and vinyl in hand, we exchange our goodbyes and I'm off.



Setup is pretty basic and very similar to my MMF 2.1, so things go smoothly. I'm pretty methodical and have a tendency to read everything twice. About an hour and a half later, I'm ready to spin vinyl. Load the afore mentioned Traffic LP on the platter, spin the record clamp down ( new experience for me ) and turn the motor on. Let it run for a couple minutes while I check the manual again, oh it's fun being anal. Here we go.

Nice detail in the saxaphone and flute work is the first thing that I notice. Since this is a new LP, I can't compare it to the 2.1 table. But I do have this on CD and there is a marked difference. The vinyl sort of pulls you into the music and you become one with the sound.



Then I put on my copy of Dvorak's "Carnival Overture" and "Othello Overture". I pull out my Sennheiser HD-600 headphones for this. The table and Goldring 1012 GX cartridge perform their magic again. I'm hearing violins that I never heard before. They must be on the CD, I just missed them. I hope. Next up is my superb copy of Steely Dan's "Aja". The saxaphone solo on the title track just blew me away. Now I'm hearing the background vocals clearly. Now remember all my vinyl is pristine. Most of it has maybe one or two playings on it, this could be some of the reason for the sound. But if this is what I can expect from my future listening sessions, my vinyl is going to get some more rotations.
Sorry I can't be more technical, but I don't have the background that some of you guys have and therfore the discription tends to be on the simple side. Enjoy your vinyl.