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Music Hall 9.3 vs 11.3 Turntable

Hi all, looking for informed opinions ,as in you have one, know them well etc , vs reading the same reviews and forum posts I have.

I have an opportunity to buy either of these at a nice deal so please don’t go down the “ you should buy” rabbit hole. Thanks

The 9.3 comes with or without a Goldring Eroica LX.

The 11.3 comes with or without a Ortofon Cadenza Black.

I am hoping this is my “ forever” table, I’m in my low sixties and not much of a gear swapper. I would use a Sutherland Phono Amp.

Here is where my thinking is at. The 9.3 would most probably be fabulous enough and i could upgrade cartridge in the future if I felt the need/ itch. 
The 11.3 has a better arm, more table isolation, better motor systems… my only hesitation, beside a big jump in cost is in certain reviews the Ortofon Black sounds like it could be a tiny bit harsh and finicky to get working at its peak

Do I get the 9.3 and possibly upgrade? Get the 11.3 without cartridge and buy an Ortofon Bronze? A Hana SL or ML?

The rest of my system is Harbeth SLH5 anniversary, Benchmark Amp and Dac3 and I am happy with it. Possible ( another big decision) upgrade to Harbeth 40.3 in future. 
Thanks for the well thought out and useful feedback ahead of time

z

zimick

Showing 1 response by artemus_5

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artemus_5
1,917 posts
 

FWIW I had the MMF-7 years ago when it first came out. It was a decent table and got me back into vinyl. But the VPI ScoutMaster blew the doors off of the 7. How much better is the 9? I don’t know. But I really doubt it will run with the ScoutMaster. If I had to choose between the 9.3 & the 11.3, I’d go with the 11.3 mostly because of the better motor. But is it worth $2K more? I doubt it.

However there is a ScoutMaster over on US Audio mart with the JMW arm which is nearly $1k cheaper and IMO a better deal. You can add the speed control from VPI if necessary. I didn’t see a need but every little bit helps. This is my opinion based on my experience. The Music halls seem over priced. But I haven’t been in the market for a while and maybe they have gotten significantly better.

BTW *I have no affiliation with the SM seller. I just looked for VPI and it appeared

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