The 2M blue can be very bright with some preamps.A lot of people actually change the stylus to a 2M red.I swapped preamps and now it sounds better. Copyright 1995-2022 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. For example, a 2M Blue can sound a bit rough or unpleasant on one tonearm and table and very pleasant or near perfect match on another. I would think the "T" motors are better, but who knows. The stylus weight and anti-skating factors are easily and accurately adjusted on the tone arm. Tap tests on both the stand upon which the turntable sat and on the plinth itself demonstrated that the Stealth is in that regard extremely stealthy and performed better than some turntables costing 3X more. Oh, Hall saved money by offering a velvety soft dust cover instead of the usual hinged clear, rigid plastic one. When you do this,it causes theentire gimbal thatthe arm rides on tomove up or down. I now run separates with a Parasound JC3 Jr and that upped the game. According to Mr. Hall, expect the Stealth to be widely available in October of 2021. As it is next-to-impossible to find a turntable that will play 78 rpm records, this is a welcome find. The Stealth brought out every nuance and detail of the recording, creating a magnificent soundstage in the process. really interesting. We do not accept offers on used equipment that has a posted price; these items are priced according to market value and will sell. The direct drive motor is a brushless, low torque design that appears familiar looking (based upon whats visible) on previous direct drive models Ive reviewed manufactured for other companies by this Taiwanese company. hideflifestyle1. Music Hall provides a one-year warranty. It also incorporates a VTA/SRA on the fly feature Ive not previously seen on that very familiar tone arm. There was no grit in the playback, yet loud passages had great heft. Cart sounds also depend on tonearm pairing. I would look at this if I were in the market but honestly, its two biggest competitors the Technics 1500C and Technics 1200GR are formidable foes. Kellys accompaniment to the solos, especially Adderleys, consists of short, soft, staccato chords, offering just the right counterpoint. The last step in either case is to set the anti-skating control to the same value as the stylus force. In all that time, the turntable appeared to work perfectly. Its never been part of my reviewing methodology to try to adjust the vertical tracking angle of the stylus for minimum distortion. He responded as follows: Cogging is the term for jitter or jumpiness prevalent in motors. It does, however, have a pleasingly concise, focused sound and the Stealth delivered it. The tower next to the arm gimbal is the adjustment mechanism. The box also contains an aluminum 45 rpm adapter, the black cloth dust cover, the aforementioned supplemental counterweight, a set of sturdy 4 interconnects, a long separate ground wire, and, of course, the power supply, which is a wall wart complete with interchangeable plugs for various locales. All rights reserved. I dont understand why someone would turn off the auto-stop, but you have that choice. why companies include a cartridge on the lower priced/lower end tables. Condition: Music Hall Stealth Turntable with Ortofon 2M Blue CartridgePrice: $1495.Warranty: One year, parts and labor. Its sound is simply top notch, and the more I hear the Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, the more I like it. On some setups, Carly Simons voice on Youre So Vain, from her No Secrets album (Elektra EKS-75049), can overload the system into distortion. The interludes where the strings play the Dresden amen were reproduced with due delicacy. {"modules":["unloadOptimization","bandwidthDetection"],"unloadOptimization":{"browsers":{"Firefox":true,"Chrome":true}},"bandwidthDetection":{"url":"https://ir.ebaystatic.com/cr/v/c1/thirtysevens.jpg","maxViews":4,"imgSize":37,"expiry":300000,"timeout":250}}. I bought it NOS and it had a Sumiko Blue #2 on it and sounded like a backwoods dull saw (and that was running through a high-end AVR with phono stage and tried again with a Musical Surroundings Phonomena 2. Not likely, but different. Another oddity in the manual is that it lists audio specifications that appear to have been cut and pasted from a model that includes a built-in phono preamp, which this turntable does not. I followed my normal procedure of playing records without listening to them for roughly ten hours to loosen the cartridges cantilever in its suspension. Why else would it include channel separation and S/N ratio? Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Well take a look and remove the review if it doesnt follow our guidelines. Id love to know how to install it on an old phone that Im happy to use as a dedicated device for this purpose. If auto-stop is turned on, and you want to stop the record before the side is finished, press the speed control again and the platter will stop. Music Hall has hit those lower prices pointsas low as $299 including built in phono preamp by contracting with a Taiwanese manufacturer that supplies built to order turntables to many well-known brands. I wouldn't worry about the Ortfon 2M Blue much, it is an excellent starter cart and not a bad cart overall. Theres also a trombone on the right just behind the singers and the electronic piano just to the right. Opinions on the Stealths overall aesthetic are sure to be polarized. Although Im not thoroughly enamored of the Stealths all-black appearance, I have to say that as a turntable, its features and performance are stellar. We accept offers on our inventory of used equipment that does not have a posted price. Being a personable and forward looking fellow, Roy forged an early relationship with Heinz Lichtenegger, another forward looker and modern era turntable pioneer who did own a turntable factory and thus in 1998 was born the MMF line of Music Hall turntables manufactured at the Pro-Ject factory to Mr. Halls specifications. Hall told me that its mass reduces resonance in the system by virtue of its weight. In my review of the Fluance RT85, I remarked on the Blues bright, fast, sparkling sound. I liken it to a more refined 2M Redsame snap but a little smoother overall. I have read several times that the 2M Blue is a better match for that arm and table. You are seeing more companies slowly embracing DD as a power option and that's a good thing. Then, turn the counterweight until it reads 1.8. And it made me realize that its time to spring for a new record-playing device. You can argue all day which is the better system, but sonically, the Stealth sounds musical, and that is what really matters.. The Stealth offers all three speeds (33, 45, and 78 rpm), and theres no need to swap one drive belt for another because, as noted, the platter is driven directly by the motor. (It's remarkable that you have the time to be concerned with semantics when your website has published a review of, and thus promoted, a phono preamp whose design was plagiarized.). More importantly, Mr. Hall has contracted for an unusually heavy, multi-layer and well-damped chassis as well as large, viscous-elastomer damped height-adjustable feet and a 4 pound, elastomer-damped die-cast aluminum platter (thats what the instructions say it is, but it appears to me to be machined aluminum) thats more massive and certainly far better damped than whats typically found on turntables at this price point. Marvin Gayes Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), from Anthology: The Best of Marvin Gaye (Motown M9791A3), has a totally different sound from earlier Motown hits. Orders are not. The Shaknspin measurements were equally good and basically confirmed the above: Please keep in mind that these measurement devices produce results that are useful in relative terms but hardly dispositive of turntable performance. I also am very curious to see if industry rock star Heinz comes off with a DD table (or knowing him, two or three variations as well for all concerned at price points for every budget). is part of. Cut it out. I know a MC will sound different from an MM. Find your regions proper AC plug and attach it to the power supply. One standby of mine is Miles Daviss monumental Kind of Blue (Mobile Fidelity MFSL 2-45011). The chassis is quite heavy and well damped and is constructed of multiple layers to eliminate external vibrations. My Denon is DD as is my old Pioneer PL-510, both run at deadly accurate speed with no noticeable deviation to the ear and hardly a blip on measurement. I could see Pro-Ject or E.A.T. Its a very different take on the Paul Simon song as, first of all, they take to heart Simons first line, Slow down, you move too fast. The pace is relaxed with lots of very close harmony. Not everyone is. At 24 poundsfour pounds of that being the cast-aluminum, rubber-damped platterits a heavyweight within this price class. | I've been looking to upgrade from my Music Hall mmf-2.3 and haven't been happy with anything they've put out lately. Thethree-speed direct drive turntable comes complete with an s-shaped tonearm, a detachable headshell, and a factory-mounted, precision-aligned Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge. Sold by: . But without comparison the Stealth driving the QHW The Vinyl phono preamp kept me involved and kind of overwhelmed by Bookers magical fingers. There you will also find the output jacks, a ground/earth terminal, and the switch that lets you engage or disengage the auto-stop function. The second record from the Tipitinas Record Clug sent my way is James Bookers True-Live at Tipitinas (TRC-0104). - for PayPal Credit, opens in a new window or tab, Learn more about earning points with eBay Mastercard, - eBay Return policy - opens in a new tab or window, - eBay Money Back Guarantee - opens in a new tab or window. One complaint some people have had about past direct-drive units is cogging. I wonder how the tonearms would compare? The 4 lbaluminum platter offers great speed stability. The Stealth was lean and clean in the best senses of those words. Music Halls Roy Hall is kind of like that. Very nifty, very easy, and a nice feature. See more Music Hall MMF-1.3 Built-In Phono Preamp and A - eBay Money Back Guarantee - opens in a new window or tab. I don't think you've ever added anything worthwhile that you have actual experience of. The Stealth has an uncommon featurethe vertical tracking angle is adjustable. It's really tiring and often equates to nothing more than spamming. James Jamersons bass is down belowin every waywhile the soprano sax solo is on the right; the strings are on the left, along with the piano and female backups. Miless solo is dead center and out front, while Coltranes tenor is on the left, and Cannonball Adderleys alto is on the right just in front of the drums. That green line can look very flat if youre willing to spend a great deal more money. Special order items are non-returnable. Its presentation of Professor Longhair (a/k/a Henry Roeland Byrd)s piano was coherent, especially on the bottom octaves where the table didnt soften or add warmth. The orchestras physical arrangement is presented well: violins on the left; violas, cellos, and basses on the right; winds in the center; horns in the upper right; and percussion upper center left. The arm is a 9 (230mm) effective length S shaped static balance design with a 22 degree offset angle and a standard detachable head shell, which of course is particularly useful if you plan on playing 78s or mono LPs. Better? The one on the right selects 45 or, if its pressed twice, 78. To contact us, please e-mail info@soundstagenetwork.com, Rotel RB-1582 MkII Stereo Power Amplifier, Musical Fidelity M6i Integrated Amplifier, Definitive Technology Mythos ST-L SuperTower Loudspeakers. As with any new toy, I had to play with it. Just delivered by mail were two offerings from The Tipitina Record Club. Besides, one definition of "get" is to "seek out". We will meet or beat any verifiable price from an authorized dealer.*. That produced an enormous sonic change, not surprisingly, adding layers of harmonic integrity, richness, warmth and detail resolution, proving my point (at least to me) that this Stealth turntable is a remarkably neutral carrier that more expresses the cartridge being used with it than the record spinner itself. I have that Pioneer that can prove that point. When I first removed the Music Hall Stealth turntable from its box, all I could say to myself was Boyis that ever BLACK! Music Hall President for Life Roy Hall has appropriately christened this latest Music Hall turntable Stealth, as it presents a relentlessly black countenance, except for five inconspicuous points: a trim ring where the headshell meets the tonearm, parts of the arm lift mechanism, the bottom of the vertical tracking angle tower, the center spindle, and the Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge. It also offers several features I really like, among them the interchangeable headshell, the auto-stop feature, and the easy VTA adjustment. It sounds timbrally well-balanced but somewhat harmonically astringent with the supplied $230 Ortofon 2M Blue but consider that observation was made using a system costing more than the average American home. Seems to me, this table deserves a much nicer cart, (the Blue is fine, but not in the same league as the table/arm). And youre set. I read that discussion and saw the complaint by another designer, but no proof. Glad I did! Yes, its considerably more expensive ($1495) than the VPI ($1000) or the Pro-Ject ($1099), but its a turntable you can buy now and use for years, possibly even decades, without having to entertain the notion of upgrading. Looking at the Platterspeed app graph and numbers also show that the platter spun at or very close speed (too small a deviation to matter) and deviations were more than reasonable given the turntables price point. So why don't you measure rumble? I have a NOS Denon DL110 waiting in the wings. The dust cover, made from velveteen cloth rather than clear plastic, is deep black. It's built in Taiwan. The first drum pop on Lee Morgans The Sidewinder from the now sold out 12 LP set The Complete Live at the Lighthouse (Blue Note B0031954-01) sealed the deal for me.The biggest limitation here is the pretty good Ortofon Blue but no doubt this arm can handle a far more costly and sophisticated cartridge and with extra head shells available for $35. Byrds vocalizing (couldnt really call it singing) sat nicely and three dimensionally in the foreground. Jews invented sushi! Therefore, Ill conclude by saying the Stealth is a stylish, well-performing and fine sounding, moderately priced, well-damped and isolated direct drive turntable, the sound of which is limited mainly by your choice of cartridge. Even the bolts holding the cartridge in the headshell are black! But I have to say, I find the Music Hall Stealth the best of the bunch for several reasons. The backing voicesthe male on the left who sounds like Mick Jagger and the female on the rightwere tonally spot-on, while the various instruments were arrayed across the soundstage in an near-real-life arrangement. Verified purchase: This is a private listing and your identity will not be disclosed to anyone except the seller. When I played it again on the reference rig while everything popped up a few major notches in terms of harmonic structure, three dimensionality, transparency and stage depth, the overall picture was pleasingly recognizable, especially rhythmically and timbrally. I often use a classical piece to test the dynamic capabilities of a turntable, and for this review, I chose Mendelssohns Symphony No. For one, it offers an auto-stop option that halts the platter at the end of a side. Its not cheap but its also not expensive and if it performs well, it offers a great deal for the money. MC Cartridge Ahead of High End Munich 2022, Verve/Ume/Acoustic Sounds Announces 2022s Remaining All-Analogue Releases, Sumiko and Pro-Ject USA Launch New Budget-Priced E1 Series Turntables, SME Updates Loricraft's Record Cleaning Machines, Hegel's Remarkable V10 Phono Preamplifier, Sumiko Triple Play: Three New CartridgesBlue Point No 3 Low and High Output and Celebration 40, Music Hall Introduces its "Stealth" Direct Drive Turntable, Six Acoustics Transparent York MM/MC Phono Preamplifier, Hart Audio Special Source Vinyl Super Cleaner Mk3, A Useful Overhang Gauge With Some "Ifs" Attached, QHW Audios Surprising The Vinyl MM/MC Phono Preamp, Hagerman Audios Tubey But Quiet Trumpet MC Phono Preamplifier, Ortofon's 2M Black LVB 250 Cartridge Delivers Smooth, Sweet and Well-Detailed Sound. an Ortofon 2M Blue stylus (or an Audio-Technica AT-VM95SH cartridge) and a KAB TD-1000 fluid damper. Roy Hall noted that the Stealth sounds musical, and I have to agree with him 100%. I realize MH is trying to hit a price point, but I think it would be a better table at $1695 with the Bronze. Its caused by the interaction between the magnets and the stator slots. I immediately upgraded the low-level cartridge that came with it, buying separate headshells to use the new ones. $63 for 24 months. I really miss using this app to calibrate my Garrard 401 since the developers stopped supporting it and its no longer available on the App Store. Speed selection is accomplished through three buttons on the left front of the plinth surface. that Pro-Ject didn't have a DD table first, since they make the tables for Music Hall. (I bought an Otorfon 2M Red for vinyl and an Audio Technica 78 for shellac records.) This song was recorded hot, but the Stealth/Blue combination handled it with cool aplomb. ), over time Ive seen that the better turntables consistently produce better measured and visual results. The entire assemblage weights 24 pounds. First, the overall quality of the recording is far better than earlier Motown hitsfar less gritty. View cart for details. Access (formerly GoodSound!) Reviews of Attainable Hi-Fi & Home-Theater Equipment. Gaye is dead center on the recording with a backup man behind him, who occasionally sings harmony but otherwise carries on a soliloquy behind Gaye. Advantage Music Hall once again. The addition of better cartridges brings it up to a very high level, indeed. They offer a nice discount if you add their cartridge, but you aren't obligatorily stuck with it. I compared the Stealth with my trusty Dual CS5000 on several records, and even with the exemplary Sumiko Oyster Moonstone cartridge in place, the Stealth ran rings around my Dual. Music Hall's first direct-drive turntable features a brushless low-torquemotor that automatically stops running at the end of a record. Hall told me the reason for this is to adapt the angle of the arm depending on how thick the disc is. While they are less than perfect measurement devices (and thats true of every test record! Pro-Ject does not have DD technology. It was intended as a suggestion of which turntable, and . A comparison with the 1500C or even the 1200GR would be, Gem Dandy's PolyTable Signature And Sorane TA-1L Tonearm, Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB TurntableBorn of Frustration, The Schiit SOL Turntable (Updated 10/26/2020), Thorens TD 1601 TurntableIt Might As Well Be Sprung, New Limited Edition Technics SL-1210GAE Looks and Sounds Great, Cambridge Audios AlvaA Serious PlugnPlay Direct Drive Turntable, Fluances RT85 Turntable Is a High Value Proposition, With the SL-1500C Technics Cuts the Price But Not the Sound Quality, The Thorens TD402 DD Direct Drive Semi-Automatic Turntable, Pro-Jects $899 X1: Best Under $1000 Turntable Package? The Stealth is supplied with an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge (retail $239) mounted and aligned at the factory. So I'd appreciate it if you refrain from doing so. Based on your review, it sounds to me like this table should have been packaged with the 2M Bronze. For instance, a 180-gram vinyl pressing is thicker than a typical LP, so the tracking angle, which plays a large role in how much or little distortion you encounter, can always be corrected (meaning that the bottom of the cartridge is absolutely parallel to the records surface). https://www.lowbeats.de/test-audio-technica-vm95-6-mm-abtaster-bis-200-e accessories to get - not an order. Thom Moonthom@soundstagenetwork.com. The Stealth is manufactured in China for Music Hall. The high violins near the end, which are also played very aggressively, showed no strain whatsoever over the Music Hall. Despite having no reference point since Ive not before heard the record, I can confidently write that the Stealth does the rhythmnpacing thing very well. Network. If Bookers dazzling solo take on Malaguena doesnt get your heart racing, its either because the dancing keys have already stopped it or your turntable cant keep up with the action. IA superb turntable with quiet, belt-drive and easy change of speeds, it will accommodate most cartridges. If you advance the counterweight to the white cross-hatch, the tracking force should be at the recommended 1.8 grams (18mN). However, if you want to play 78s, youll have to swap the primary stylus for Ortofons 78 rpm model. Music Hall waited more than 20 years before launching a direct drive turntable. Interesting turntable and nice review. Minimum purchase required. Percussionist Alfred Uganda Roberts percussion, working in lockstep with Byrd, popped nicely behind and the living room ambience floated nicely in the background. Of the budget turntables Ive reviewed so far, this was the best presentation Ive heard of this song. Connect the above-average supplied cables to the turntable and your integrated amplifier and do the same with the ground/earth wire. I bet one is just around the corner Pro-Ject does not make this turntable for Music Hall. I kinda think I might like a Sumiko Moonstone kind of sound as Michael describes this table's apparent signature. All contents available on this website are copyrighted by SoundStage! and Schneider Publishing Inc., unless otherwise noted. producing some DD tables since they have the capability at their factory. In case you replace the supplied cartridge with a rather heavy one, the box contains a supplemental counterweighta nice touch. A high resolution strobe disc made by Clearaudio demonstrated that the platter ran on speed at 33 1/3 and 45 and just slightly slow at 78, which is no big deal especially since 78s were often if not always off by a small amount. From there, its on to the arm. Cartridge, Ortofon 2MBlueOutput Voltage: 5.5 mVVertical Tracking Force (Recommended): 1.6-2 g (1.8 g), TonearmType: Static balanced S-shaped tonearm with detachable headshellEffective Arm Length: 230 mmOverhang: 15 mmOffset Angle: 22Anti-skating Adjustment Range: 0-4 g, Dimensions (WHD):17.8" x 14.2" x 5.7" (453 x 362 x 147 mm), Upscale Audio2058 Wright AvenueLa Verne, California 91750, DEMOS & SALESBY APPOINTMENT ONLYMonday-Friday8:30am - 5:30pm Pacific, LIVEPHONE & CHATSaturday9:00am - 5:00pm Pacific. In the event that you like using different cartridges, the Stealth offers both an interchangeable headshell, which makes swapping them easy, and adjustable vertical tracking angle (VTA), so the angle of the stylus always aligns with the groove. Reaching down market in the face of low priced competition has been a difficult challenge for most manufacturers and even for those who design and market turntables without having invested in kitchens. Insert the headshell/cartridge firmly into the front of the tonearm and turn the locking nut to tighten. Simply stated, the Music Hall Stealth succeeds in all areas. Most ordinary motors suffer from this, especially at low speeds. The Ortofon 2M Blue does not have a rich, warm sound and the Stealth did not add it. Overall, the Stealth turned in a fine performance with this complex recording.