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I'm Stuck, MMF9 vs. MMF7 vs. Scout vs. Space deck

I realize yes the Scout and the Space deck will be the better piece's overall. Currently I am in the market for this range of turntable, however the real problems with the Nottingham and Vpi designs are "No" hinged dustcover... This is a must in my home, with animals running around etc... I realize there is a dustcover for these models but simply a pick it up and drop over style, I do not want this, it has to be attachable. Beyond this my only other option is to Wall mount a shelf and use my 3" thick Maple butcher block under the table to hopefully isolate it resonably about 5ft in the air, this is not an easy option at all, and really do not want to do this, and really do not like all the dust that will be continuosly on the table.

--So part 2 of the question, I am considering saveing a lot of hassel and cost, and going with a music hall 7 or 9 that have hinged dust covers.

--Question 2.5 of this is , are the increases the 9 over the 7 worth it? I have been reading many prefer the 7 still, but I also read the Arms are JUNK, on music hall tables.

--Question 3, I will really never go any cartridge higher than a Dynavector 10x, or possibly shelter 501, so are the music hall arms just completly a waste for running these types of cartridges, can they even sound good? Are the music halls arms really that bad in comparison to the Jwm or Spacearm?

I really do want a scout or nottingham, but also do not want the fortune invested not being in an easy position for use and saftey and do not want to put a cardboard box over it everytime its in Use and not in use.

Thanks I really appreciate the effort in helping toward a simple solution here, mainly if any glimer of hope exists for the music hall's then that may be the best end game for me.
matrix

Showing 2 responses by dougdeacon

dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
As Dan_Ed mentioned, it is all but universally agreed that an attached dust cover is sonically detrimental. Attaching a large, resonating sound trap to your turntable is not the way to get the best music from your investment. If you're going to lift the cover off its hinges during play anyway, as most do, the better tables plus a Gingko cover become equally viable, from the dust cover perspective.

FWIW, we have two cats and (judging by the volume of cat hair) several dozen more that we've never seen. Despite this my table and arm are uncovered. It just means a bit of dusting or an occasional blast with compressed air. Of course if your animals would be unnaturally curious about objects like tonearms and cartridges that's a different matter.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Matrix,
Now that you've learned how to adjust arm height, the obvious question is where to set it.

This does not depend on your turntable or tonearm. It depends on your cartridge and on the record being played. Which cartridge did you end up with? Others who've used it can advise whether it prefers to be nose up, nose down or level.

For fine tuning of VTF and VTA (which are interactive) the oft-mentioned link below is the best how-to I've seen.

http://www.walkeraudio.com/fine_tuning_your_turntable.htm
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