Music Hall Music Hall pa2.2 Phono, A2D, & Headphone Preamplifier

The review does not directly assess background silence, hum, hiss, or noise with either MM or MC playback. Its warning about distortion when USB recording exceeds 0 dB concerns recording-level management rather than audible phono-stage noise.

Thom Moon calls the sound mellow, lean, clean, and delightful, and says the unit delivered a very fine sound. He also notes less bass bloom and slightly less high-frequency sparkle than his reference preamp, giving the presentation a somewhat leaner rather than lush character.

The reviewer specifically distinguishes the PA2.2 with a fast, punchy presentation. Staccato figures in Copland's "Hoe-Down" were reproduced cleanly and clearly, supporting its lively transient response.

The PA2.2 produced a broad soundstage with reasonable depth, placing performers clearly across the left-to-right spread. With headphones, the presentation wrapped from hard left to hard right, though one recording itself offered limited depth.

Separate MM and MC inputs support both principal cartridge types, with MC gain choices of 59 or 65 dB. Loading is fixed at 47k ohms/220 pF for MM and 100 ohms for MC, so it is less adaptable than stages offering a wider selection of resistance and capacitance settings.

The reviewer describes a very nice, heavy aluminum case with clean black-and-gold presentation. The review provides little further direct evidence about internal construction, shielding, grounding, or long-term durability.

At $449.99, the reviewer calls the PA2.2 a good little component and "a bargain to boot." Against similarly priced standalone phono stages, its inclusion of MM/MC phono inputs, USB digitizing, line input, and headphone amplification makes that favorable assessment especially compelling, although the review does not name direct rivals.