Just ordered a new table

by **zenith2134** » 05 Dec 2010 23:10

For the holidays I treated myself to a new turntable to use in a second system...my main TT is the Systemdek III transcription table

I got a Music Hall MMF-2.2. Plan is to swap out the Tracker cartridge for an Ortofon OM-40 which I have 2 of...one with a new stylus. I use the other on my Systemdek.

Reason why I chose the MH 2.2 is because I used to have a Pro-Ject Debut and still have the acrylic platter and Speed Box II, both of which will supplement the 2.2 very nicely.

Anyone use this table? What should I expect after changing the cart and adding those extras to it?

BTW, the phono stage I'll be using with it is a restored PS Audio MC/MM external solid state unit from ~1980.

by **zenith2134** » 08 Dec 2010 03:06

So, 90 views and no replies. Either it's the worst turntable of all time or you guys think I'm a total asshole. Maybe both.

by **pogo** » 08 Dec 2010 03:34

zenith2134 wrote:So, 90 views and no replies. Either it's the worst turntable of all time or you guys think I'm a total asshole....

Didn't till now. Sheesh, sometimes folks just got nothing to say about it. It ain't all about you.

by **zenith2134** » 08 Dec 2010 03:44

Obviously.

by **Dadimo** » 08 Dec 2010 04:17

Let us know how you like the Ortofon OM40 on that turntable. I am curious since I run one on my Dual.

by **zenith2134** » 08 Dec 2010 19:10

I apologize for being so crass..........I simply found it odd that no one responded.

Anyway, about the om-40...I recently ordered 2 new styli for it since my original one was getting up around 1000 hours and I didn't want to risk damage to the grooves. Cleaned out a local gentleman who's had the business since the late 60's...he swears by these cart's.

Funny you should ask though...since I was looking up cartridge/tonearm compatibility quite a bit yesterday. Seems that my resonant point WITH the ortofon's builtin weight plate would be 7.9Hz and without would be 8.5 with the Pro-Ject arm. compare that to the Music Hall tracker MM that it ships with; and the resonant point comes to be 10.4Hz. You think the lower number with the om-40 would be an issue?

Time will tell I guess..

by **pogo** » 08 Dec 2010 20:11

zenith2134 wrote:I apologize for being so crass..........I simply found it odd that no one responded.

And I, as well.

...since I was looking up cartridge/tonearm compatibility quite a bit yesterday. Seems that my resonant point WITH the ortofon's builtin weight plate would be 7.9Hz and without would be 8.5 with the Pro-Ject arm. compare that to the Music Hall tracker MM that it ships with; and the resonant point comes to be 10.4Hz. You think the lower number with the om-40 would be an issue?

Doubtful. Either way you're just at the bottom edge of the generally accepted "good" zone. Tonearm resonant frequency is only one number, and IMHO much less likely to cause you an audible problem than other things in the setup.There is no absolute requirement for resonance to be in a specific range, except of course it needs to be well outside the audio range, and if you have a sprung suspension it needs to not be sympathetic to the natural frequency of the suspension. That's what drives the lower limit on the tonearm resonance. On the other hand if you don't go bumping the table during playback, who cares.I'm sure there are other opinions here, but that's mine. Get the arm cartridge properly aligned and you'll probably be fine.

by **lini** » 08 Dec 2010 21:14

z: The higher compliance of the Ortofon shouldn't be a problem - as pogo already said, you're still far away from mismatch territory. Can't comment on the influence of the other tweaks, however - simply due to lack of personal experience. On the whole I'd expect a nice sounding combination, though...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

P.S.: I wouldn't wonder about the lack of replies yet. Sometimes threads just kind of "slip through" - or don't really take off, before people with personal experience chime in...

by **zenith2134** » 09 Dec 2010 03:15

Hmm...thanks, very interesting to hear.

So I think I should be better off mounting the OM-40 without the optional weighting plate, to achieve a slightly higher res-freq. ...

My plan is to leave the premounted Music Hall Tracker cart on there for about 100 or 150 hours, and mount the Ortofon after the arm, bearing, and motor break - in a bit.

My email shows that the package shipped this afternoon and is due at my door on Saturday...very anxious to hear this TT. I also ordered a Clearaudio Souther record clamp and an Acoustech record cleaning brush.

by **33.3rpm** » 10 Dec 2010 22:56

The aggressive (revealing) nature of the OM40 Styli will require utilization of all the adjustments that Pro-Ject based arm offers in order to get the most out of it. Similar to the 2MBlack, many actually prefer the 2M Bronze due to the more forgiving stylus profile...

by **rhomanski** » 11 Dec 2010 02:59

Don't know much about what your asking but I have had threads that weren't answered either. That's why sometimes when I see it happening I will answer just to give the poster a little moral support. Even though I have nothing to add to the thread, kind of like this reply.

Regards,

Ron.

by **JoeE SP9** » 11 Dec 2010 03:32

One of my friends has a MMF 2.1 with a Shure V-15IV/Jico SAS on it. He's quite happy with it.

by **zenith2134** » 12 Dec 2010 03:05

I got the turntable this afternoon. Unboxed, it was strikingly similar to my old Debut III....the belt says "pro-ject" and of course the arm is a Pro-ject. (9inch vs. 8.6 though.)

I immediately by-passed the stock platter/mat and the stock wall transformer since I already had a speed-box 2 and acryl-it. Initially, very positive. The supplied cartridge wasn't aligned perfectly...I took some time to correct that. In contrast, the azimuth and VTA were spot-on from the factory.

Put it through the paces, some test discs (Thorens and a 1963 antique one

) then some 45 singles, then a few albums. The arm is very good--probably the highpoint of the entire table. I played around with the VTA but ended up leaving her right as she was.

I noticed a few things--the stock cart is very dynamic...the basslines jumped out of the speakers. Sure, there were some audible nonlinearities in the midband but hey it only has a few hours on it so far ....and I'm used to better cart's.

But all in all, a recommendable table IMO.

by **A.Wayne** » 13 Dec 2010 22:12

Hello Zenith,

What ancillary stuff are you using with the MMF.......

regards.