Music Hall Mini Plus MM Phono Preamplifier

The Mini Plus — Three Real Controls at a Price That Usually Buys None

Below $200 a phono stage normally offers one decision: plug it in. The Music Hall Mini Plus gives you selectable capacitance, a variable gain trim and a switchable rumble filter, plus a headphone amplifier on the front.

None of that is decoration. Cartridge makers publish a capacitance the cartridge was designed around — Ortofon's 2M series asks for 150 to 300 pF, most Audio-Technica models for 100 to 200 pF. Matching it shapes the top octave, and until recently you had to spend far more to be able to.

The Three Controls, and What Each One Changes

Capacitance: 120, 220 or 330 pF

A slide switch picks the load. Capacitance interacts with the cartridge's own inductance and determines how the treble behaves at the top of its range. Music Hall's own guidance is to try each position and use the one that sounds right in your system.

Gain: 31.64, 41.51 or 45.66 dB

The trim runs from −10 through 0 to +4, giving 31.64 dB, 41.51 dB and 45.66 dB at 1 kHz. Turn it down when a hot cartridge overwhelms your amplifier's input, and up when a quieter cartridge or a thin pressing needs help reaching normal level.

The 20 Hz Rumble Filter

Switchable, and worth using on any record that is not perfectly flat. Warp energy below the audio band consumes amplifier power and moves woofers visibly while producing nothing you can hear. The filter stops it without touching the bass on the record.

Measured Performance

Input impedance is 47 kΩ. Frequency response spans 3 Hz to 36 kHz, RIAA accuracy is ±1 dB from 14 Hz to 23 kHz, and distortion measures 0.005 percent at 1 kHz. Outputs are 470 ohms on the RCA pair and 32 ohms at the headphone jack.

Who Is the Music Hall Mini Plus Best For?

• Owners of a cartridge with a published capacitance spec, who want to actually hit it rather than accept whatever the amplifier happened to provide.
• Anyone pairing cartridges of different outputs across time. The gain trim covers a 14 dB spread, so one box follows you through several cartridges.
• Listeners with warped or secondhand records — the rumble filter turns visible woofer pumping into a non-issue in one switch.
• People who listen late. The 1/8-inch headphone output means the turntable works without the main system, or the household, being involved.
• Not for a low-output moving coil cartridge. Even at +4 the Mini Plus tops out near 46 dB, which leaves a 0.3 mV cartridge far short. Browse our moving coil phono stages if that is the cartridge you own.

How Does It Connect?

Gold-plated RCA in from the turntable, RCA out to a line input, and the ground wire to the ground post. Headphones plug into the 1/8-inch jack on the front, which runs from the same circuit rather than a separate afterthought.

Set capacitance first, from your cartridge's specification sheet. Set gain second, by ear, with the volume where you normally keep it. The rumble filter is a per-record decision and lives within easy reach for exactly that reason.

Pairs Well With

The Mini Plus rewards a careful front end more than most stages at this price:

• A moving magnet cartridge with a published load figure — Ortofon and Audio-Technica both specify one, and this stage can meet it.
• A pair of headphones — the 32-ohm output is built for real headphones, not just earbuds borrowed from a phone.
• Cleaning fluid and a brush — the rumble filter handles warps, but surface debris is a separate problem with a separate fix.
• A quality tonearm cable — cable capacitance adds to whatever you select on the switch, so the two settings are really one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which capacitance setting should I choose?

Start with your cartridge's specification sheet. If it asks for 150 to 300 pF, the 220 pF position is the closest match. Music Hall's guidance is to then try the neighboring settings and keep whichever you prefer.

How much gain do I actually need?

A typical 5 mV moving magnet cartridge is well served by the 0 position at 41.51 dB. Drop to −10 if your amplifier's input is being overloaded, and go to +4 for a lower-output cartridge or a quiet pressing.

What does the rumble filter remove?

Everything below roughly 20 Hz, which on a record means warp energy rather than music. The lowest notes actually cut into an LP sit well above that point, so switching the filter in costs you nothing you were hearing.

Can I drive headphones straight from it?

Yes. The 1/8-inch output presents 32 ohms and is fed from the same circuitry as the line outputs, so a turntable, this box and a pair of headphones make a complete listening system with no amplifier involved.

Will it run a moving coil cartridge?

High-output moving coil cartridges work. A low-output design needs 60 dB or more, and the Mini Plus stops at 45.66 dB, so that combination will sound quiet and lifeless however far the volume control travels.

What warranty does it carry?

Music Hall covers the Mini Plus for one year. The unit measures 5.5 by 3.5 by 1.25 inches, weighs 2 pounds and runs from an external 15 volt DC supply that works on worldwide mains voltages.

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