Thrift Store Music Hall MMF 2.1

[Svoad]

I bought a MMF-2.1 today from a local thrift store for $8.20. It's in great condition except the dust cover has a few light scratches and it is missing a cartridge. Is it worth putting a new cartridge on it? How will it compare to a pioneer pl-519? Which is what I'm using now.

 

[audio-ed]

Nice score at the thrift store . I recently picked up an mmf 5.1 and really like it. Mine doesn't have a removable head shell I don' believe your's does either . Hard enough to change a cartridge on a removable headshell . The only complaints I have with mine is it looks like the tonearm rest and the anti-skate were after thoughts in the design process. Nice score for $8.20.

 

[trinhsman]

Well worth putting a cartridge on. They are great tables. For 8 bucks, you scored big time.

 

[jrtrent]

I bought a MMF-2.1 today from a local thrift store for $8.20. It's in great condition except the dust cover has a few light scratches and it is missing a cartridge. Is it worth putting a new cartridge on it? How will it compare to a pioneer pl-519? Which is what I'm using now.

In looking for information on the PL 519, I ran across an older Audiokarma thread in which that model's existence was called into question, with some saying the OP was mistaken and it must be a PL 518, and others saying it could be a retailer-specific version of the PL 518. Since I've never heard either one, I can't make any kind of guess as to how the MMF 2.1 would compare.

One other possible cost you might have is a drive belt. From the 'tables I've owned, manufacturers recommend a drive belt change about every five years. Rega says, "We recommend changing the drive belt approximately every five years to ensure accurate speed performance." Linn had told me the same with my LP12 turntables. Another belt issue is that it is recommended to remove the belt if the 'table is going to be left unused for an extended period of time. With your thrift store find, you won't know how old the belt is or how it has been cared for, so it's possible that a new belt will be needed to get a true sense of its performance. Of course, you'd want to mount a cartridge first to see if there any other issues.