bassdude

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $525.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
The Music Hall MMF CD25 is the best CD player/DAC you can buy for less than $2,000. “A real Arcam beater” – or for that matter, anything else. Don’t believe it? Check out the review below. This unit has the Underwood / Parts Connection 1+ upgrade ($870 + shipping), which the “6 Moons” review reports is equal, or better, in some respects, than the highly acclaimed $1,700 Cairn (see the complete review and description at: http://www.underwoodhifi.com/6moonscd25.html. I’m using it as a source for my Musical Fidelity X-CAN v3 headphone amp, and Sennheiser HD600 phones, which really reveal the quality of the source and the recording. The build quality is truly incredible with great fit & finish – heavy aluminum, with quality electronics and components, silver wire and solder, and gold-plated connections. The transport tray has the look and feel of true quality - is solid and works smoothly, as does the matching aluminum remote. And, there is no delay in the cuing. The sound is truly incredible - big, powerful, dynamic, analog sound. Bass is clear, well defined, tight, punchy, and extended; mids are clear, well-defined, and fairly warm; and the highs are clear, well-defined, bright, and not overly harsh. The image is fairly open, airy, big, wide and deep - reflecting the placement of the performers in the environment of the recording (studio, club, auditorium, or whatever). Instruments and voices sound natural, with all the details, subtleties and nuances of the performances (i.e. breath / air / saliva of the vocalist, wind of the sax / trumpet player, squeak of the fingers on the strings, slap of the fingers on the wood, details of the brushes, rasp of the bow, mellow timbre of the horn, stops of the piano keys etc.). The overall impression is of an accurate, dynamic sound with impact, and very revealing of the recording and source details (whether bad, or good). The bass and mids are not overly "warm" and the highs are not “harsh.” Dianna Krall, Ramsey Lewis, David Sanborn, Miles Davis, George Strait, or Pavarotti - all sound as if “you are there” with them. Overall - great sound & great value.

Strengths:
Build quality, dynamic, detailed sound, big image, “you are there” experience – true audiophile performance for a modest price.

Weaknesses:
None.

Similar Products Used:
Arcam, Cambridge, JVC, Sony.

tullymars

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
WOW!I spent a lot of time listening and researching dedicated cd players,new my budget was going to only allow me something used,so I needed the most for my money,sound and quality.I think I did good,this has been the best upgrade in my system so far,it sounds like a just spent another $1000 on speakers,I have midgrade polk towers,man do they sound good now,I started with a good powerful amp...good upgade,then a modified preampamp,seam to wake up the speakers a little,better upgrade,then the music hall mmf25...best upgrade so far!I almost bought a cambridge azur 640,it was basically splitting hairs between the two,the cambridge is a newer model,I guess a little more modern,I really wanted a Burr Brown dac...and the music hall had it,but you cant go wrong with either!

Strengths:
Oh the sound,crisp and clean..sounds like Im an audiophile!

Weaknesses:
none for $350 bucks,heck none if I paid retail...$600

Similar Products Used:
Carver tfm22 amp Carver ct26v preamp (moded two channel) POlk rti8's Velodyne 10" sub

Price Paid:  $450.00 from Echo Audio, Portland

Summary:
I just helped a friend make the big step up from standard audio (an Aiwa bookshelf system) to the true high end: Martin Logan Scenario speakers and the Manley Stingray integrated amp. Wonderful clarity and resolution. Unfortunately, the weak part of the system was the CD player which happened to be a California Audio Mark II with some kind of upgrade that brought the total price to $1800. It was being sold used for $450. A bargain? Not really considering that it was harsh, muddy, and had a significantly constricted soundstage compared to my good old EAD 7000 DAC with EAD 1000 transport (both long out of production.) I had truly expected the newer Cal Audio to beat my old EAD. So much for the placebo effect in high end audio. The dealer then recommended I try the MMF 25 which he had just obtained new. So here are the results of my listening test on it: Soundstage: excellent, very broad, triangles and bells easily heard at the far edges of the field. Equal to my EAD combo Sound: slightly more constricted than the EAD; but really quite good. None of the muddiness that the CAL audio had. Balance: again, not quite so refined as the EAD but very pleasing to the ear. Nothing to miss if you’re not comparing. It is musical and moving. Overall I’d say it’s performance came within 15% of the EAD, which cost me well over $3000 including upgrades. I think this is a very fine unit. Given the price, it’s quite wonderful. It’s going to my friend with high recommendations. (He would never spend as much as $1000 on a CD player.) I notice it has two digital outputs (toslink and coaxial) so I suppose it would be possible to use it as a transport and add a DAC; but I doubt that many people buying at this end of the price range would ever want to do that. And given the excellent sound, there’s not much reason to.

Strengths:
Overall balance and broad soundstage. Elegant design of case. Very nice metallic remote.

Weaknesses:
Not quite as refined as more expensive units but plenty good enough at this price point.

Similar Products Used:
Onkyo, Nakamichi, EAD 1000 transport & EAD 7000 DAC, Cal Audio Icon MK II

Price Paid:  $599.00 from Audio Advisor

Summary:
I will have to agree with the majority concerning this transport. What an excellent piece of machinery. My previous CD player was a Mission PCM-7000, purchased in 1987...yes it never stop playing wonderfully. I decided to try the MMF-25 more because of their reputation; I had never heard one of their CD players. Out of the box, I was amazed by it weight. This transport is heavy and large. After hooking it to my Sunfire system, I wondered if I was going to be disappointed. Not to worry, the music was full, lacking nothing in the way of reproduction. I felt so blessed that I got far more than my monies worth. Paired with Kimber Kable "Hero" series interconnects, this player performed like a Diva.

Strengths:
Tonal balance, a full presence, and sturdy construction

Weaknesses:
None. Well the new remote is still a bit to be desired. Most of the functions don't work. I emailed the company and was told that this remote services more than one CD player. The remotes' functionality is dependent on the model you have. All-in-all its a fine piece.

Price Paid:  $539.00 from Quest For Sound

Summary:
If you are looking for a superior quality CD player in this price range, you owe it to yourself to give this player an audition. I bought the Music Hall MMF CD-25 player not long after it became available for sale here in the U.S. At the time, I was looking for a replacement for an aging, but still decent-sounding Mission Cyrus CD player. In my search, I had listened to the old and current versions of the Rega Planet, a mid-line Rotel (I don't recall the model), and both of the Cambridge SE units. I will say right up front that I think the build quality of the Music Hall is well above both of the Cambridge units. And though I thought the current Rega Planet was a decent sounding CD player; I was put off by the top loading player mechanism - which requires the unit tape up lots rack space or a top shelf in a component rack. I was also pleased with the Music Hall's appearance; which matches well with my McIntosh tuner, amp, and preamp. Since buying this CD player, I've heard a number of much more expensive CD players - and I think I can honestly say that unless you are willing to go up to the $1000.00 mark - new or used - you will be hard pressed to find a more musical and detailed CD player.

Strengths:
Right out of the box, this CD player sounded very smooth, detailed, and musical. And now that I've put hundreds of hours on this player - it sounds even better than the day I unpacked it. Operation is very quiet - except for some minimal mechanical noise when discs are being loaded or unloaded - this CD player is absent of any noise during operation. One of the nice features of this CD player is the HDCD decoding. If you've never played back any HDCD discs before - the first time you play back a HDCD disc will be a real musical treat. All sorts of detail and dynamics you might miss on a conventional CD come alive!

Weaknesses:
I will be the first to admit that the remote of this great CD player was probably an after thought. It works well enough, but has a "Space Toy" look that just looks cheesy. I'm pleased to hear that Music Hall is now offering a better designed remote with current models. In fact, I'm probably going to get a new remote - just so I can junk the original. Also, the stock IEC power cord is okay. However, if you are willing to invest a few dollars in a better quality power cord - this unit really sings. I discovered this "tweak" on an audiophile site - and the upgrade really does improve the already good sound of this player.

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Rotel, Cyris Mission, Rega Planet, Cambridge 300 and 500 SE.