Music Hall MMF-9.3 Turntable

The Music Hall mmf-9.3 vinyl turntable is one of the American brand’s flagship products. It boasts many innovative technical and technological features that make it a highly original, attractive and powerful audiophile vinyl turntable.

For example, it features multi-plinth technology – a 3-layer plinth, to be exact. Each layer is made of lacquered MDF, isolated from one another by 6 TPE-damped cones. Before use, you'll need to remove three screws to separate the plinths from one another. Once these have been removed, you’ll be able to clearly see that there is no mechanical connection between the plinths (apart from the vibration isolation bushings) and that the mechanical parts are completely isolated from the frame. One of the plinth layers accommodates the tonearm, another has the spindle, and the third serves as a base, resting on three aluminium cones. This design prevents vibrations from the motor and spindle travelling to the tonearm and therefore to the cartridge. The synchronous motor is fully decoupled from the turntable. It is fitted with an SB card for servo speed control and electronic speed change (33⅓ and 45 rpm) and powered by an external AC transformer (15vDC/800 mA). The motor’s housing sits on a high density aluminium frame, and this whole ensemble sits in a hollow housing in the front left corner of the mmf-9.3 turntable

This record player is driven by a belt, which goes around the edge of the acrylic platter. The density and resonance frequency of this material completely removes the need for a traditional felt platter mat, although some seem to like how it sounds with one! This Music Hall mmf-9.3 vinyl turntable comes as standard with a platter mat, but we’d leave it in the box! The 9-inch tonearm has been assembled with meticulous precision. The tube is made from a single piece of carbon fibre, which is similar to the tonearm on the Linn LP12 Majik. The combination of its weight, rigidity and length ensure excellent tracking and seamless compatibility with average and high compliance MM cartridges. The phono cable is removable, which is highly advantageous for future upgrades. It comes as standard with a translucent dust cover, which is becoming increasingly rare in this range.

Setting up this Music Hall vinyl turntable couldn’t be easier – especially when you order from maPlatine.com, as we deliver it to your door fully assembled and set up! This means that when it arrives all that’s left to do is put the platter, motor, belt and small antiskating weight in place. For best results we recommend placing it on a perfectly level surface, which is easily done with the handy spirit level that is built in to the plinth of this Music Hall turntable – pretty clever!

From the opening bars, the trademark Music Hall sound quality is plain for all to see and hear. But it is clearly also far superior to the brand’s more modest models. It is detailed and precise, without emphasising or pushing forward any one register in particular. The sound stage is wide and deep. It delivers a beautiful 3D image that is stable and highly realistic. The dynamic range is excellent and overall the sound is lively and expressive. You definitely couldn’t accuse this record player of being dark and dreary, or digital! The bass is extensive, clear and well-articulated. The tonal balance is completely convincing. The overall high quality of this turntable means that it is compatible with many excellent cartridges without any huge budget limitations. We got excellent results with the Ortofon 2M Black cartridge, but we would also wholeheartedly recommend a low output MC cartridge such as the Ortofon Quintet Black S or Hana SL.

The Music Hall mmf-9.3 vinyl turntable has an excellent sound quality and many technical features that make it one of the top two or three options in this range. It is perfect for nostalgic analogue lovers and we just can't recommend it enough!