Would a Music Hall MMF-9.1 work with Denon AVR-5800?

Serendipity

I was wondering if any of you have experience with a Moving Coil turntable connected to an A/V receiver. The turntable I am looking at, the Music Hall MMF-9.1, is a Moving Coil turntable, which outputs at a level lower than a standard turntable...but I am not sure if this will be enough to work with the Phono input on my AVR.

Specifically, the Phono input on the AVR is for a Moving Magnet cartridge; from what I understand a pre-preamp needs to be installed between the turntable and the AVR in order to work with a Moving Coil cartridge.

This leaves me with a few options:
1. Buy the turntable and use it as-is, albeit at lower levels with the Phono input of the AVR;
2. Purchase a Moving Coil pre-preamp and feed it into the Phono input of the AVR;
3. Buy a phono stage that has 2 pre sections (MC pre-preamp to Phono-level and then Phono-level to line-level) and then feed the AUX input of the AVR;

Which would be best and why? I'm getting into vinyl but have nothing to play old records with!

cstmar01

get a phono pre that can handle MC and MM carts and look to see how much gain you need and what the output is on the cart.

IMO if you're going to buy a 9.1 then you need to not run it through an AVR but something better.

Joe08867

Get a preamp, I used a Cambridge for years and loved it. They are all kinds out there, cheap to top notch.

If you can swing the cost a tube pre would be your very best option like the Pro-Ject Tube box 2. Nice sounding piece for the money.

If you want total silence than find a battery powered one. But they are expensive. I have heard a couple and they are worth the cost but we are talking in the 1000+ range.

decal

I would think about a TT lower in the Music Hall line, unless you are willing to change out your other equipment.

Joe08867

Guys think of it as an investment in future bliss.

Serendipity

Well...quite honestly, I never understood the "gear swapping" thing. My motto was always buy stuff that can last a long time through future upgrades instead of constantly changing all your gear. If you look in my sig, most of the gear was from when I started and I am still using them now.

Because eventually, all you are going to end up doing is selling your previous gear to fund new upgrades. Why not start with something that can last you a long time?

TNHNDYMAN

Go w/ an external phono pre then go into a normal line input such as tape in or aux in - don't used external pre then connect to your phono input on the avr cause it will be amplified (the signal) twice and possible cause speaker damage

Emlyn

The cartridge mounted to the tonearm on the MMF 9.1 can be either a high or low output moving coil cartridge or a moving magnet cartridge. There are differences in moving coil cartridges, with high output moving coil and low output moving coil. If it is a high output moving coil cartridge included, it would be just fine with the phono preamp section in most higher end receivers as their output tends to be around the same output level as moving magnet cartridges. A low output moving coil cartridge would not work with the receiver by itself because the sound level would be too low. Of course, a good standalone phono preamp would be better regardless of cartridge choice. If you are buying the turntable new you can ask that it include either no cartridge and get your own, or ask that it include either a moving magnet or high output moving coil cartridge that will work with the preamp section on your receiver. If you are buying used, a decent moving magnet cartridge doesn't have to be expensive.

nooshinjohn

Grab a Sumiko Blackbird or Bluepoint Special EvoIII. This should work well with the phono input of your receiver and give great sound to boot.

tonyb

cstmar01 wrote: »

IMO if you're going to buy a 9.1 then you need to not run it through an AVR but something better.

Amen to that. Buying a nice table, then at the least put a decent phono section to it. Thats like buying a Pioneer SC receiver to run a pair of computer speakers. In other words, I don't think you'll realize the potential of the table with the denon, more simply put.
Just my opinion, but if you want to use the Denon as the phono, why buy that good of a table ? Why not save the coin and get an entry level project, rega, ?

Serendipity

I understand. Which is why in Post # 6, I said "My motto was always buy stuff that can last a long time through future upgrades instead of constantly changing all your gear...Because eventually, all you are going to end up doing is selling your previous gear to fund new upgrades. Why not start with something that can last you a long time?"