Music Hall US-1
Our very first winner, then, epitomises our search for value in all award categories low or high, although it is perhaps a surprise in being neither brand-new nor, really, pushing the limits of technology. It is the $399 entry-level vinyl-spinner from Music Hall, the longestablished turntable brand under Roy Hall, which is no stranger to our awards.
But whereas many of Mr Hall’s designs are tweaked and upgraded versions of Pro-Ject turntables, through his relationship with Heinz Lichtenegger, this entry-level US-1 is clearly not, and many readers will no doubt immediately recognise the heritage of the classic Technics SL1200 DJ deck here. But it is not a clone (it’s belt-drive, not direct drive, for a start), and as for its design similarities, well, Panasonic originally stopped making Technics turntables in 2010 (perhaps short-sightedly, given it’s since started again), and handed the rights to the designs to others. While we can’t speak to the precise source of Music Hall’s US-1, other than confirmation that it’s from China, it carries signs of at least sharing sources with Audio-Technica, having the same red-ribbon mechanism for popping the belt onto the pulley, and in coming equipped with the thoroughly-entertaining Audio-Technica AT-3600L moving-magnet cartridge.
“The US-1 has been in our line-up for many years,” Roy tells us (though it is new to Australia, thanks to Music Hall’s new distributor here, Indi Imports). “It originally was the USB-1 but apparently another company owns the patent for the USB output, so we decided to eliminate it. Thus the US-1.”
And his reason for producing such an entry-level Music Hall is entirely benevolent.
“I brought this out to do battle with all the crap turntables that sell in the US under $100, and I’m sure they are available in Australia,” he says. “These tables destroy the analogue market... any novice who buys one will listen for a few hours and decide that analogue is terrible and will never play a record ever again. The US-1, simple as it is, plays music. It is tuneful, rhythmic and fun to listen to. And having fun is what music is all about.”
We concur with every word of that. The US-1 delivers solid vinyl performance for the price, along with a built-in phono stage offering the choice of line-level or phono-level outputs, and the retention of Technics’ ±10% pitch adjustment, useful among other things for correcting the 1.7% fast rotation on our sample, which was easily fixed by stilling the top two 50Hz strobe markings. We also love that LPs slightly overhang the thick felt mat, making them super-easy to remove.
While other Technics clones are available, we know of none so well-priced yet able to deliver such a solidly musical sound — making the US-1’s arrival in Australia well worthy of recognition. Info: www.indimports.com