Music Hall Stealth: Audiophile-Grade Direct Drive Turntable Returns After 20 Years

It’s been a long time coming, but Music Hall is finally back in the direct-drive game. The new Music Hall Stealth marks the company’s first direct-drive turntable in over two decades — and it’s not just another retro revival. While the words direct drive might conjure images of club decks and DJs scratching vinyl, Music Hall makes it clear that the Stealth is built for pure audiophile listening, not beatmatching in a basement club.

That said, the Stealth borrows just enough from the DJ playbook to make life easier for serious listeners. Most notably, it features a removable headshell — a rarity in high-end hi-fi decks, but a practical inclusion here. It means swapping cartridges for different records, such as old 78 RPM shellacs, is effortless. You can tailor your listening setup to the material without spending hours on recalibration.

Instead of a plastic dust cover, the Music Hall Stealth comes with a velvet “cover.” An RCA interconnect cable for connecting to a phono preamplifier is also included. The turntable is scheduled for release in October, but pre-orders are available now.

Designed for Sound, Not Flash

At first glance, the Stealth doesn’t scream for attention. It’s understated, clean, and built with purpose. Beneath the surface, though, lies some serious engineering. The direct-drive motor comes from a respected Taiwanese manufacturer known for supplying precision components to several top-tier turntable brands. The result is whisper-quiet rotation with rock-solid speed stability — exactly what you’d want for extracting every detail from your vinyl.

The tonearm’s output wiring is mounted internally, with a pair of RCA jacks and a ground terminal.

The aluminum platter is damped with elastomer material to suppress resonances, while the plinth sits on vibration-isolating feet to keep unwanted feedback and environmental noise at bay. Together, these elements ensure that what you hear is the music itself — not the mechanical artifacts of playback.

It would seem that the distance between the tonearm and platter axes is 215 mm, and everything should line up perfectly, but in reality, if you build the cartridge using the Baerwald method, the dots aren’t quite where you’d expect

A Tonearm Built for Tuning

The S-shaped tonearm is statically balanced and allows for on-the-fly VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle) adjustment, a welcome feature for vinyl enthusiasts who enjoy experimenting with cartridge setups. Whether you’re aligning a new stylus or fine-tuning the geometry for a particular pressing, the Stealth gives you full control.

It even includes a thoughtful auto-stop function, gently lifting the arm at the end of a record — a small but appreciated touch for anyone who’s ever fallen asleep mid-side.

Besides the turntable, mat, and cartridge with headshell, there are a few nice touches. First, it comes with electronic scales, and although they’re OEM, they were accurate to within 0.02 grams. For cartridges that might end up in this unit, that’s more than accurate. Second, there’s no cover included, but there is a black velvet dust cover.

The Complete Package

Music Hall ships the Stealth with an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge pre-mounted — a proven performer with a lively yet refined sound signature. It’s ideal for 33⅓ and 45 RPM records, offering crisp treble, natural midrange, and punchy bass. For 78 RPM playback, Music Hall plans to offer additional pre-mounted headshells, so users can quickly swap cartridges without breaking out the alignment protractor.

In keeping with its minimalist aesthetic, the Stealth skips the typical plastic dust cover in favor of a plush velvet slipcover — a stylish nod to old-school audiophile tradition. Also included is a high-quality RCA interconnect cable for connection to your favorite phono preamp.

Overall, the sound delivers a compelling performance with a decent balance between emotion and information.

The Music Hall Stealth isn’t just a nostalgic return to direct drive — it’s a confident statement from a brand that knows what true vinyl lovers value: performance, precision, and practicality. With its combination of audiophile-grade engineering and user-friendly touches, the Stealth stands as a modern classic in the making — a turntable built for listeners who want the precision of a studio deck with the soul of true hi-fi.