Best way to warm up the sound

Something's not right here. I don't doubt what you are saying at all, but before you go out and buy more gear, I can't help but to think you may have a setup issue, or something similar. The first thing I have to ask is how much time do you have on your cart.? A new phono cart is like no other piece of gear when it comes to break in. They sound defective when they are new. For the first 20-30 hours, you can usually hear a change from record to record. I would say to put at least 100 hrs on it before you actually judge it.

After that, look at all of your setup details and make sure everything is within the specs for the gear you have.

If your phono preamp allows for different settings, you may want to try some of them and see if that helps.

If you have a way to check how fast your TT is spinning, you definitely want to check that. It could be running a little fast.

Does "MF" refer to Musical Fidelity, or to the Music Hall MMF series, or to something else? And is the Ortofon cartridge a moving magnet type?

I second the comments by Zd542. I would add that if the cartridge is a moving magnet type, in addition to breaking it in before reaching any conclusions I would suggest that you experiment with different load capacitances. Load capacitance will profoundly affect the tonal balance of moving magnet cartridges in the treble region, and reducing brightness in that region may very conceivably result in a perceived increase in warmth.

If you can provide links to specifications of the cartridge and the phono stage, and indicate the length and type of the phono cable, it may help us to determine what should be done to optimize load capacitance.

Regards,
-- Al

Ok , let me try to get this right .
It is a MMF5.1 turntable by Music Hall Audio . The phono stage is also by Music Hall and the correct model # is pa1.2 .
I have played >80 complete albums , some with multiple records .
The manufacturer told me that the cartridge was made by Ortofon . He did not elude to what particular model .
Here are links to the manufacturers web site for these products .

http://www.musichallaudio.com/detail.php?p=4
http://www.musichallaudio.com/detail.php?p=62

Thank you

Check your turntable speed. My pro-ject Xpression III ran quite fast. Something I didn't realize until I replaced the table. Both pro-ject and music hall are from the same manufacturer. I also had a speed box. LPs can sound bright when running fast.

Thanks for providing the additional info. Strangely, although the Music Hall web page on the turntable states that "The mmf-5.1 comes complete with music hall magic 3 cartridge mounted. The magic 3 is specially built by Ortofon for music hall," the turntable's manual that is linked to on that page states in six different places that the cartridge is a Goldring. The Goldring model number is indicated as 1012GX, and the recommended load capacitance for it is stated on page 13 of the manual as being 150 to 200 pf (picofarads).

The phono stage has a specified input capacitance of 120 pf. The capacitance of the phono cable, the internal wiring in the tonearm and turntable, and the connectors on the turntable and cable will all add to that, and I suspect would bring the total to significantly more than 200 pf. Given that it is a moving magnet cartridge having high inductance (570 mH per the manual), reducing the total capacitance will most likely reduce brightness, and thereby very conceivably increase perceived warmth.

Approximately how long is the phono cable? (Cable capacitance is directly proportional to length). And are you using the cable that is supplied with the turntable? If not, what make and model cable are you using? And am I correct in interpreting from the manual that the connectors on the rear of the turntable are RCAs, so that you could readily change to a different cable that would be shorter and/or have lower capacitance per unit length? Finally, what is the shortest length that would be practicable for your setup?

On the other hand, if the manual is wrong or out of date and the cartridge is an Ortofon, there is no indication of recommended load capacitance. You might want to email Music Hall directly, and ask them to clarify.

Regards,
-- Al