Any Love for the Pioneer PLX-1000 Yet?

Yeah I think Lew won that round.

07-02-15: Zd542
"Both reviewers came away with an enthusiastic recommendation and
consdiered this the one to beat at $2K and under. Not bad for $697."

That statement gives me pause. Practically every writer for every major
audiophile publication makes a very similar statement about anything they
review in that price range. I have no doubt that the Pioneer is a great TT and
worth every penny. But maybe we should consider the Pioneer to be a $700
reference, as opposed to a $2000 and under reference.

Good point, and well justified. I mentioned the
"$2K" boundary because in the case of these reviews, Reichert
compared the Pioneer side-by-side against a Linn Sondek LP12 w/Ittok arm
and Koetsu Rosewood, and against a VPI Traveler ($1199) and Ortofon 2M
Black ($799).

In his followup review in the July issue, he re-auditioned the Pioneer against
an Acoustic Signature WOW with TA-1000 tonearm ($4800) with Soundsmith
Carmen cart ($799), and a restored Thorens TD124 with Abis SA 12 tonearm
(about $3300 total) with the Zu DL-103, Ortofon SPU CG ($999) and Jasmine
Turtle (710).

His conclusion after the followup was that he's even more convinced of the
Pioneer's performance and value than the first time around.

07-02-15: Schubert
Biggest falsehood ever in audio was Japanese DD/s were somehow inferior
to Euro and American belt-drives.

Truth was the Japanese were the only ones able to manufacture those high-
end works of art DD's .

07-03-15: Raymonda
...
For cottage companies, it was easier to get great results from belt drives,
thus eliminating the cogging effect inherent in many motors. It also was a
way to decrease vibrations coming directly from the motor and all at
reasonable cost and without a large investment in R&D.

I think this is at the heart of the matter. It didn't take a lot of
startup money or an ultra-close tolerance assembly line to make the drive
systems of British cottage industry turntables--an over-the-counter motor, a
garden variety belt. As designs got refined they may have made special
orders with the motor and belt vendors. They put their emphasis on isolation
and vibration control, and in some cases, cost-effective tonearms (e.g.,
Rega).

This is my opinion on the matter:
Ivor Tiefenbrun (head of Linn) saw what a threat Japanese direct drive
presented to the British turntable industry and went on a worldwide tour to
demonstrate his suspended belt-drive turntable against a Technics DD to at
least reserve the high end and enthusiast market for the belt drives. If he
picked the music in these demos, he could have easily stacked the deck. If
not, well, the Linn would have beat a stock Technics on relaxed presentation
(the belt) and inner detail (the suspension plus the belt isolation).

In doing so, a lot of dogma entered the audiophile "knowledge
base" that has persisted for nearly 40 years. All the sonic differences
were attributed to the "inferiority" of direct drive without giving
consideration to suspension, damping, isolation, etc. which was lacking in
the Technics. Untested theory attributed the midrange glare to the 3150 Hz
speed control servo; the surface noise was because the motor noise came
right up the spindle, and so on.

After tweaking my SL1210 M5G for a few years, I chased down (to my
satisfaction) the true sources of the SL12x0's weaknesses--inadequately
addressed resonances, vibration control, and isolation. I got loads more
inner detail and clarity when I ditched the std. feet for a brass cone-to-
Vibrapod setup, further enhanced with an isolation base. I got rid of that
midrange glare--completely--by wrapping the tonearm. If you flick the platter
or the tonearm with your fingernail you will hear a very clear
"ping" with a specific pitch. The wrap totally killed the 3Khz glare
and coming up with a better sandwich of mats quelled the platter ring. Servo
frequency my ass!

And as I've mentioned, the Pioneer addresses these problems at the design
and mfg level--tonearm liner, purpose-designed feet, and extensive damping
internally. No wonder it sounds so much better right out of the box. The
higher torque would also be more competitive with the great vintage rim
drives.

Yes, I have owned the PLX-1000 for a few months now and it is an excellent sounding table.

For the price I would say the best value in turntables you can buy. IMO competitive to tables much higher in value.

Great for the beginner and the audiophile who wants to hear how good a direct drive table can sound compared to their belt drive table.

07-02-15: Schubert
Biggest falsehood ever in audio was Japanese DD/s were somehow inferior to Euro and American belt-drives.

With quartz clock I would 100% agree. Other DDs loose stability over time and need service.

I'm finding the love.  I feel strongly that if you're going to trouble someone (me) to take a platter off, move a rubber band, put the platter back on (when there are so many other options that don't require those extra steps), it should really be worth it.  The short story for me: Rega 2 wasn't.  I didn't think it was even close.  Here's the longer story.  

I had a self imposed budget of $800 for a turntable.  I don't know why anything past that point felt wrong, but it did.  I was drawn to the idea of getting vintage, and that was originally my intent (Pioneer 570, maybe).  I spent a lot of time visiting Austin's vintage stores (there's at least three good ones).  I spent way too many hours scouring eBay lists for months - but always shy to pull that trigger.  The local vintage stores (mostly) appeared to be way over priced.  I also read all these boards (probably the most helpful).  I questioned a lot of jaded old former band/FM radio engineers now selling vintage equipment.  I *tried* even talking to Magnolia staff at Best Buy (that was the most painful).  I debated and discussed and argued over vintage versus new, and DD versus belt drive.  I became a tad obsessed.  

So, here's the tables I tried, running from a Denon AVR-x3200 / Rotel RB-1572 pre-amp to a pair of Polk lsim 705s.  For each of these I used the blue Ortofon cartridge. Tables were preempted with ART DJPRE II Phono Preamp. 

Audio Technica 1240
Technics 1200 MK2 (with stuck tonearm weight)
Rega 2 
JVC JL-A40 DD (partially restored)
Pioneer PLX-1000

The JVC was what I was wanting to replace (which got me started on this journey).  The AT1240 was just okay, I can't say much else.  It seemed fine, not great, not terrible.  The Technics actually seemed to have a significant improvement in the quality of the sound, but alas the wires were beginning to fail and the counterweight was stuck (so back it went).  Next, after a lot of reading, I was excited to try the Rega 2.  I was expecting the greatest "wow" factor.  I must be the only one underwhelmed by this table.  Also it was so light and "simple" - that actually bugged me - it felt and sounded so insignificant.  It was also the most sensitive of all the tables to feedback.  It was also played as the softest volume.  I don't get the attraction, but I'm certainly don't have the background or experiences of all these places selling and bragging about that table.  It is so fun trying to return a Magnolia product to a different Best Buy location.  

So, after all the running around the PLX was the one that felt substantial (like the Technics); it was heavy to begin with.  It also was fun to set up; a lot of quality, metal, thoughtful contents (a rubber mat, for one).  I like the blue lights.  I like how stable it feels (not like the Rega "toy").  And, without question, to my ears it sounds the best -- by far.  The detail, the bass, the volume, NO FEEDBACK.  This might be the one.  I'm gonna sit with it a while and see, but clearly had a small "w" wow factor.