Seeking opinions on the Luxman PD151 and EQ500 combination

@elliottbnewcombjr 

model is the PD-151 Mark II

Tonearm is static balanced S shape

model of phono stage is EQ500

any insights are terrific

Lewm,

Good point about NEW, no age concerns. Anybody own that TT?

Thankfully that PD151 TT has a removable headshell, a big plus so having spare cartridges pre-mounted is easy enough.

Headshell with Adjustable Azimuth is a good option

Pat's, mine is black, this says Last One?

other adjustable heaadshells, don't forget the finger lift like my friend did.

Woots,

I can’t give you any insight on the phono stage, but I can definitely give you insight about the PD-151 MKII.

After a 10 year hiatus on vinyl (sold all of my records and equipment, and swore I’d never do vinyl again), I jumped back in a few days ago. My teenage son came home one day from a friend’s house and talked about how much fun he had listening to records! It reignited something in my brain, and for Christmas we both got turntables (albeit very very very different levels).

I just got done listening to records for about 4 hours. It’s the most I’ve listened to music in years.

The PD MKII is like the anti-audiophile, audiophile turntable. Let me explain:

10 years ago I used to pay a dealer to set-up my table. So many factors made setting up my then VPI table seem too daunting. I was afraid of doing more harm than good. Today, with the help of a very good friend over texting, I finished dialing in VTA and sat back and just listened.

I leveled the table, had the dealer mount the cartridge (WAY easier because of the removable head shell), set VTF, tracking force, and then VTA. Done. No need to worry about azimuth, no need to mess with on-the-fly VTA for various thicknesses, and no need to tweak endlessly.

The sound is great. The table is dead quiet. I’m using a "cheap" cart right now (Audio Technica OC9XML) into my Luxman 509X phono stage. There is an excellent level of transparency and, for lack of a better audiophile term, the PRAT is addictive. I listen to a lot of heavy music and rock, and the leading edges and propulsion in the mid bass and bass makes everything enjoyable and exciting.

On the flip side of the coin however, I think the table does potentially limit one’s ability to squeeze out those last few percentage points of performance. This is why I call it an anti-audiophile, audiophile table.

It sounds great. It’s set and forget with a high level of performance. However, you’re stuck with the tonearm. If you want to experiment with multiple tonearms, or crave climbing up to something more expensive and potentially better performing, you can’t.

Additionally, adjusting azimuth, VTA-on-the-fly, etc can all be beneficial in the hands of the correct individual. Dialing things down to the last minute detail can pay-off in the SQ department.

All that said, I personally LOVE this table. I wanted something that I could manage myself, but still provided a high level of performance. It matches well with my Luxman integrated, it’s built very well, it’s a pleasure to use, and I don’t feel like I have to do much more to dial it in, if anything. It also doesn’t hurt that it is beautiful to look at with the dust cover.

Eventually I’ll get a better phono stage and cartridge, but I don’t think the PD- 151 MKII will ever be a limiting factor in the caliber of system I can afford.

@kingdeezie 

Thank you for the feedback.  Great insights. 

@elliottbnewcombjr @lewm @kingdeezie 

Well, I made the plunge!

I ended up purchasing the table and phono stage and traded in my Audio Research PH-9. First spin was Dave Brubeck Take 5….and WOW!  Significant improvement over my Project S Bercyx and PH-9. Incredible detail with outstanding bass and mid bass and overall detail. 

Both units were less than a year old with approximately 50 hours of use.

Thanks so much for the honest feedback and without the commentary I would have kept the PH-9.