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Pioneer PL-300 turntable - Just for Four Score...

Started by twocvbloke, April 09, 2014, 04:13:23 AM

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twocvbloke

Nah, not really just for Four Score, vinyl is becoming a bit of an interest, so since getting that Four Score 45 single, I had to get a turntable, and this is what I got:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400687810941

A Pioneer PL-300 direct-drive (no belts) turntable with a nice AudioTechnica AT95 cartridge, whose stylus has a diamond in it, all for £36 (plus £11.99 postage)... ;D

I know it's not quite a phonograph in the sense of playing back wax cylinders and 78s, but, it is of the same basic technology, kind of like candlesticks versus pushbutton desk phones, the same principle but updated as the technology advanced... :)

Still need to get a Pre-amp for it, and a stylus weight gauge, and probably other bits I've forgotten about, but for now it's something else to play with... ;D

I also got another 45 too, a 12" 45, a Foreigner promo album that wasn't intended for general sale, can't get unusual things like that on any music websites today... ;D

Phonesrfun

My first "real" job was as a Hi-Fi technician in 1971.  I serviced many amps, turntables, speakers and tape machines.  I was going to school to become an accountant, but my hobbies have always gravitated around electronics.

Turntables had gotten to the point where the cartridges and needles had gotten so good at what they did, and so sensitive, that mechanical vibrations of almost any level were transmitted to the amp as noise.  Even the friction of the needle gliding over the vinyl can be heard by those with good hearing.

But, even with the mechanical limitations, the turntables of the 70's and early 80's were as good as that technology could be.

Nice.  I see it can do either 50 or 60 Hz. at 220 Volts.  Good thing.  A turntable that was made for 60 Hz would sound pretty slow on 50 Hz power.
-Bill G

twocvbloke

Yeah, my friend over in Texas has been getting me interested in vinyl, and has been sharing the results of digitising some of his records, and the difference between vinyl and modern digital versions is astounding, even changing preamps, cartridges, needles and even turntables, they all produced better and better sound, what I have on the way is almost equivalent to what he has, but not quite the same... :)

Given the turntable is a direct-drive quartz PLL, the mains frequency wouldn't matter, as the platter is spun by a motor that is set to spin at a rate set electronically, rather than relying on the mains frequency, as the inside of the unit is mostly run on DC anyway, the 220-240v AC only operates the transformer, and it's definitely 240v for us brits, despite what europe states we use...  ;D

Scotophor

I have a direct-drive turntable too. I remember for a while they were all the rage, but it turns out in hindsight (at least as far as high-end "audiophiles" are concerned) that belt drive is better. The belt absorbs some of the unevenness of the motor's rotation, reducing what's known as "flutter". There may be a small tradeoff in increased "wow" (a lower-frequency equivalent of flutter) but since flutter is more easily detected by the human ear than wow (when comparing both at the same low levels), belt drive turns out to be preferable. Oh well, we live and learn!
Name: A.J.   Location: LAPNCAXG, EDgewood 6

twocvbloke

The turntable arrived today, I like it, it's got some weight to it (compared to the cheap things sold under various names including Steepletone and oddly the GPO, who never offered USB turntables as far as I know!!!), spins up quickly (a direct-drive feature) and is nice and quiet, only issues I can see are the lack of a cover (as it came out of a hi-fi unit which would have had a built-in cover) and the tonearm weight is oddly loose, but I can deal with that once I set the weight properly... :)

All I need now is the pre-amp and a weight gauge, maybe a 45 adaptor too, but the first two are the priority... :)

Quote from: Scotophor on April 11, 2014, 03:01:42 AMThe belt absorbs some of the unevenness of the motor's rotation, reducing what's known as "flutter".

Well, the direct-drive motor in this pioneer isn't a traditional motor, Quartz-PLL DC motor (similar to that of a hard disk drive), as it's quartz-controlled it's speed is constant unless you poke it while running, once it's set up properly, Pioneer claimed that the flutter and wow are virtually eliminated, and the best bit, no belts to change... ;D

I've heard the difference between belt, idler wheel and PLL direct drive, and the order of worst to best to my ear (I have stupidly sensitive hearing, can get annoying at times!!) is pretty much in that order, the belt has a lot of rumble, the idler wheel not so much but tends to slip initially and speed up as it warms up, and the direct-drive is just perfectly constant, especially compared to digital copies of the same tracks... :)

I'm still new to all this though, so, I'll have a lot of fiddling time to see if I like this Pioneer or not... :)

twocvbloke

Just thought I'd throw up a picture of the Pioneer and Four Score together, I just wish I had a proper dust cover for the Pioneer, found a few on ebay, but they're in Canada, and apparently they all want exactly £113.80 for postage.... :o

Greg G.

#6
I'd like to get a modern turntable to digitize my 78s, but I've yet to find one that has a 78rpm setting.  Currently I'm using a 70s-era Dual 1219 that I bought for $50 several years ago and had repaired.  I use it with a DAK setup to digitize 78s.  The DAK setup is not high-end, but it was affordable and works well enough to keep me happy.  If the turntable ever breaks down, I'm stuck.  The guy that owned the shop that repaired it retired and closed shop, nobody replaced him.  The software I use will digitize 78s at 45rpm, then convert them to 78rpm, but that would make it a slow, boring process because I like to listen to them as they're being digitized.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

twocvbloke

I wouldn't recommend a modern unit, as they tend to be cheap and poor quality, I have seen a couple that have 33, 45 and 78 options, but, buy an original unit and use that instead, they're surprisingly easy to repair just like telephones, the main consumables being belts and styli, the only difficult part is aligning the cartridges, but that's made easy with a tool available here:

http://www.conradhoffman.com/TemplateGen.zip

That prints out a template to align the cartridges aswell as a strobe disc to get the speed set just right, and there's also the stylus weight setting, which you can buy a weight gauge for hardly anything to set the weight accurately so it's not too light or too heavy on the vinyl... :)

Once they're set up though then that's set for as long as you use the turntable, I'm still fiddling with mine (still need the weight gauge and pre-amp though) but enjoying every minute of it... ;D

Mr. Bones

Very cool and informative post, twocv! Keep us posted on your progress, and enjoy your new toy! 8)

Best regards!
Sláinte!
   Mr. Bones
      Rubricollis Ferus

jsowers

The instructions that came with my Pioneer turntable said to first adjust the tone arm counterweight so the arm is perfectly horizontal and move the gauge to "0" which is the black plastic part in front of the weight. Yours may be on the back. It's a plastic ring that rotates and there's a reference mark. The 0 setting should line up when it's perfectly level.

After you set it to "0" you turn the weight with the ring and set it to the gram weight of the cartridge. That may also be what's called the tracking force. The tone arm should then be balanced for the weight of the cartridge.

You would have to know that weight setting. I think my Shure cartridge was about 1.5 grams. It's always worked for me that way, without a special stylus gauge. Mine is an old belt drive unit from about 1976. Still works great.

Here is a link to a site that has a manual for your turntable that should tell you exactly what to do. I think you have to register to download the manual.

http://www.vinylengine.com/library/pioneer/pl-300.shtml
Jonathan

twocvbloke

#10
The only problem is, the weight was removed when the seller sent it, so it's completely out of position, so it's presently set to guesstimate settings... ;D

The weight gauge I've just bought at is a simple affair, just place the cartridge on the right number, adjust the weight 'til the thing balances out so the other end of the gauge is level with it's plastic base, and that's that set... :)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231190535948

No point in going for an expensive digital scale for a set & forget setup... :)

twocvbloke

#11
Bagged myself a proper pre-amp at last, a Cambridge Audio 540P, and at £45, this is getting expensive (though a heck of a lot cheaper than if I bought a brand new one!!)... :o

EDIT:

Forgot the ebay link!!:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261453944518

twocvbloke

Finally got the Preamp today, so now I'm listening to my really huge record collection of 3x records, and boy does it sound far better than it did before with my headphone amp... ;D

Just before playing with it connected to the Pioneer, I had a nosey inside, and there's not really a lot in there, but then again I suppose there doesn't need to be as it's just lifting the line level to something that a stereo amplifier needs, thought I was expecting a few more ICs, but, this is British technology, ICs are for computers... ;D

Due to the low lighting my camera couldn't quite get a good snap of the 12" 45's label, but, suffice to say my ears were happy as I listened to that one regardless... ;D

And I know, my desk needs clearing off...  :P

Scotophor

I suppose a true audiophile would rather have a tube preamp, but a lesser audiophile might consider swapping out all those green-bodied carbon film resistors with carbon composition resistors to reduce the noise floor (slightly).
Name: A.J.   Location: LAPNCAXG, EDgewood 6

twocvbloke

A true audiophile also does all kinds of other whacked-out stuff, like buy £350 phono cables, fit wooden tonearms & cartridges with cactus needle styluses, fit marble plinths that are bolted to a solid floor and put in super-bouncy suspension mounts to dampen ambient vibration, use super-expensive preamps and audio receivers and all that, it's all lunacy, but that's cos they believe what they read on the web...

What I have works fine for me, the output from the amp seems to be a touch on the high side as my desktop PC's line-in seems to be maxing out at anything above 1% volume, but, I blame the cheap audio chip in there that just can't accept being used, I need a proper soundcard in that computer... ;D

I just need more records now... ;D