Smoovie Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) Hi all, Found this lying around gathering dust in the garage. It's a Pioneer PL-120. From what i can tell it needs a new belt. I tried a quick google search and could find out much about this unit. Can anyone shed some light on the quality of this turntable? Cheers! Edited June 3, 2012 by Smoovie
Prana69 Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 Hey smoovie. It's OK. Only OK. Entry level unit from the early 80s. Tends to be a bit bright and shrill in the high frequencies. The arm is not bad. I've owned the higher end models in that same range (PL-730, PL-930) and they have the same arm. Works well on the table. The table is alright if you just want to test the vinyl medium, though with this table you won't get a great idea of just how fantastic vinyl can sound. The cart looks like an Audio Technica AT-3400 with a Pioneer OEM stylus. Again, only OK. Replacement stylii are available for that cart, but the price of the stylus alone would be around $25 so consider buying a whole new cartridge assembly instead. You need a 23.6" belt for that table. Turntable Needles can provide one: http://www.turntableneedles.com/find10.asp Make sure you choose the "PL-120 (1981 Plastic Model)" option, as there was a 1970s wooden veneer boxed PL-120 variant as well which may have had a different sized belt. DaveR
Guest Muon Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 A lot of these plastic body TT's respond well to dampening the underside of the plinth (body).
Prana69 Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) Hey datafone Unrelated to this thread.... your Kate Bush avatar. Did you see the winner of the (ahem) Eurovision Song Contest from Sweden? She reminds me a lot of old Kate, with the dramatic theatrics on stage. I actually wanted someone to shoot her (Ms Sweden, not lovely Kate) so I could just listen to the song. Go check it out on utoob. DaveR Edited June 4, 2012 by Prana69
metal beat Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 Kool turntable!! Oh the memories. That is my first turntable I bought back in around 1981. It sounded a lot better than my fathers Marantz DD table. Cheers
Smoovie Posted June 4, 2012 Author Posted June 4, 2012 How would this compare to something entry level? Say the Rega RP1
Prana69 Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 (edited) The question you ask is very difficult to answer. Sure, they are both turntables, but they are completely different classes. But it will come down to the synergy in your system (amp, speakers, interconnects) as well including the cartridge - not just the turntable itself. Broadly, the Pioneer won't have the depth or breadth of sound stage, the finesse or the detail of the Rega. Pioneers also tend to be a bit bright, whereas Rega are warmer. I don't think it would be a fair fight. D Edited June 5, 2012 by Prana69 1
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