Help Me Justify Recent MMF7 purchase

To those who suggested the cartridge upgrade--this is probably the area that I know the least about. The cartridge supplied by MH is a Goldring, and it seems like a significant upgrade for me already--compared to the $40 Audio Technica I was dragging on the Technics TT.

What would be a good cartridge for this arm/table combination to consider for the future? What are the disadvantages of this current cartridge, it sounds great to me?

I wouldn't change out the Eroica H just yet. It's not a bad cartridge and is easy to maintain. (It isn't too fussy about alignment and you can easily see the stylus for cleaning and for experimenting with cartridge alignment.) Tvad mentions he found the Eroica to be etched and tizzy. It mellows with hours played (around 40-60). I found the Eroica improved a bit by running it at 1000 Ohms loading instead of 47,000 Ohms. Seemed to dampen the brightness. Also, a Herbie's Way Excellent mat helps to quiet the surface noise and shift the tonal balance (slightly) towards the mids and bass. It's subtle, but noticeable.

Don't make too many changes too quickly. It'll just confuse things. Get to know the sound of the Eroica H. See if you notice any tweaks or adjustments you try. Learn what you like or dislike about it's presentation. Then you'll have a better idea of what you want to change when that time comes.

For reference, I've been running an Audio-Technica AT33PTG and a Dynavector DV-20XL and they both sound darn good with the mmf-7.

Tom

First this posted subject and then the heady SL-1200 vs. all TT's of the world on another thread. After seeing both I couldn't resist submitting my comments. I currently own an MMF-7 with stock cartridge (150 hours of listening) and now a brand new SL1210 M5G, which I bought two weeks ago. Unfortunately the MMF-7, and all of my related gear, is stored away due to the fact that I live in a rental house now and do not have a listening room with a "sweet spot". That being said, I still needed to get my vinyl fix each night so I set up my trusty old Thorens TD-165 (Grado Gold Cart) thinking that it would survive the current location with kids tracking through all the time. WRONG! The suspension set-up of that rig is too lively and it quickly went back in the box. So I pulled out the JVC QL-A220 Direct Drive TT (M97xE) for stability sake but felt big withdrawals from the sound quality that the MMF-7 was capable of generating. My "temporary" amp is an old Sony STR-GX6ES II with a built in phono pre-amp so I thought maybe this would be the problem. Not wanting to pull out my MMF-7 along with my Eastern Electric M520 tube amp with all NOS upgraded tubes, Cardas power cable, etc., Graham Slee Silver Edition phone pre-amp, Anniversary Ring-Mat, and large, efficient Klipsch Forte II speakers, I decided to pursue a relatively affordable but very stable TT that would handle the "all in one" music and TV room situation while improving the listening experience. I consulted with some audiophiles in the PAAG group in Philadelphia and learned of Kevin at KABUSA and the legendary SL-1200 TT's. After doing some extensive research and then talking to Kevin, I decided to take the plunge. Although I only have a couple of hours of listening logged, I am very impressed with the Technics running through my old Sony ES amp. I originally purchased the Shure M97xE to improve my JVC's performance but notice that this cartridge coupled with the SL1210 is a vast sonic improvement, as well it should be as I set out to accomplish this.

I thoroughly enjoy reading these forums as I already have cartridge upgrade plans for both the SL1210 and the MMF-7. Thanks to all for that. I look forward to the day that I am able to have my full set-up again and then I can A/B the two TT"s side by side and comment on sonics, imaging, tracking, etc. In the meantime, this set-up will have to do. Regarding justifying your purchase Jay, I agree with others out there: just relax, put some tunes on and enjoy the music. Pursue meaningful tweaks but not too many costly ones because some of the best can be homemade.

Lastly, does anyone know what an old JVC QL-A220 Direct Drive TT is worth? Condition is 7/10. Thanks.

I agree with Tketcham! You really have to let it break-in, and then judge. That was the advice given to me when I had issues with this TT. It was good advice.
Don't make too many changes too soon.

John