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Pioneer PL-12D or Dual 505 as first turntable ?

jtrade

jtrade

pfm Member
My 17 year old daughter insists she wants to start collecting vinyl, so I intend to ask Santa to lower a turntable down the chimney ... here in NL, both the PL12D family (so inc PL10/15 etc) and Dual 505 series are quite easy to find - which is the better buy , please ?

By "better" I assume with standard arm / cartridge and taking into account both sound and reliability / low maintenance. To my surprise, the Dual 505 tables seem to be more expensive, but both seem to be available via Marktplaats in cosmetically good condition for €100 or so.
 
Both good decks but, for a first time vinyl user, I would say the semi-automatic operation of the CS505 might be an advantage!
 
"semi-automatic operation of the CS505 might be an advantage"

Have to disagree - Duals have spring-loaded anti-skating and the spring often broken on decks of this age, also semi-auto starting depends on micro-switches, which is not reliable again due to age, but... if you can find a working (serviced) deck, go for it.
My personal choice would be all-manual deck of Pioneer type, does not have to be Pioneer, (I found an AudioSonic (made in Japan, and no, I never heard the name before either) Pioneer-look-alike deck for my daughter when she was 19) and which later on could be upgraded higher up in range (to direct drive? maybe)
 
The semi-automatic Marlux MX-56 is every bit as good as the Pioneer PL-15D. In some respects, the Marlux is even better turned out; the top board of the plinth, for example, is a lovely bit of jigsaw work...

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It might merely be me however, truly never liked how the Dual TT seems to have the uncanny knack of turning every snare drum into something that sounds akin to a wet cardboard box.
 
Just serviced a PL112D. It was scraping on the base. Took the central bearing out held by three screws. Cleaned up and oiled the bearing then remounted it with a washer under each screw. Sweet as a nut. I would recommend these Pioneer decks for a newbie. The cue lift mechanism works flawlessly and they are not to bouncy so ideal for someone not used to cueing up records.
 
Are older rega decks available for reasonable money down there? They are as fuss free as likely to find and Sound good.
 
I'm jealous, in particular Delft has some great vinyl and used Hi Fi shops...but I would go for the Pioneer any old time, detachable headshells have many advantages and resale value will hold.
 
slavedata said:
Just serviced a PL112D. It was scraping on the base. Took the central bearing out held by three screws. Cleaned up and oiled the bearing then remounted it with a washer under each screw. Sweet as a nut. I would recommend these Pioneer decks for a newbie. The cue lift mechanism works flawlessly and they are not to bouncy so ideal for someone not used to cueing up records.
Click to expand...

I'm picking up this PL-112D tomorrow : https://www.marktplaats.nl/a/audio-...df8e084fd4b2e0a17e&previousPage=mijnberichten

It has a new belt, greased bearing, new mat & has allegedly been set up by someone who understands decks... the AT66 is basic & may require an upgrade. Apparently Thakker are the people to go to https://www.thakker.eu/en/- anyone have a cartridge recommendation, please ?

This thread also describes some simple tweaks http://db.audioasylum.com/mhtml/m.html?forum=vinyl&n=865887&highlight=further+adventures+pioneer&r=&search_url=/cgi/search.mpl?searchtext=further+adventures+pioneer&b=AND&topic=&topics_only=N&author=&date1=&date2=&slowmessage=&sort=score&sortOrder=DESC&forum=vinyl

Are there any transit bolts I should be tightening for transport by car ?
 
5 transit screws under the turntable. 1 either side of the motor spindle. 3 in a triangle around the main floating centre of the mechanism. Mine had them supplied in the extras box so I fitted them to ship.
 
Just collected : looks in even better nick than I hoped. The seller restores tts for a hobby.

Will take some photos tomorrow (will hide it from daughter this evening).
 
Nice find!

The tonearm won't disgrace even the best MMs, however, you can't go wrong with an AT95E at 1.75g (currently €29,90 from Thakker).

BTW, the AT66 was a decent induced magnet cartridge in its day, part of a series of five models with interchangeable styli; trouble is, unless you are very lucky, you'll only find generic bonded spherical replacements for it nowadays.

Craig

P.S. It's obviously too late now, however, the transit screws are M4 x 15 with thread pitch at 0.7, if you need replacements; I'd go with washer head screws to better spread the load round the holes in the plinth top.
 
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Thanks - the deck sounded very good with the AT66 playing some Jethro Tull that Charles, the seller, put on - no need for an immediate upgrade :)

No transit bolts to be seen, but Charles clearly understands the importance of careful transport : he removed the mat, belt & platter, carefully packed them & the lid in foam wrap, before loading into my car boot. The deck looked well set up, speed strobe checked etc : in due course, I will go through this step by step after Christmas.

Have not yet taken photos as daughter back soon and deck hidden away, but it really is in very good condition.
 
Have to admit to having a soft spot for these as my first 'separate component' turntable was a PL-112D with Shure M95ED, purchased brand new in early 1977. I eventually succumbed to pressure to sell the Pioneer on to a mate, however, I must have regretted doing so, as by the early '80s I couldn't help but jump on a minty full-auto PL-117D with Grado GTE for $15 at a boot sale one Saturday morning. That turntable went to my sister for 30 years and has now come back to me after her passing two years ago.

Other than a single main bearing oil change, the occasional drop of Singer oil in the motor and a new belt or two, the only bit of maintenance the 117D has required is a good polishing of the dust cover.
 
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112D is a nice deck. My Dad had one for many years, I ended up selling it on here in near-mint condition for very modest money. I did a back to back with a Rega 2 in the early 90's, the Rega was considerably better.
 
If the daughter truly gets into vinyl, the RP2 is a very logical next step - always loved the simple design - but I haven't seen one in reasonable condition under £150, whereas the PL-112D cost < £50 in great condition.
 
You're right about the RP2, I think they are overpriced. The RP3 can be got for £150 if you hang around. A good 112D at <50 is a good buy. I know my Dad's one I sold here was £30, NM and boxed, but that was before vinyl got trendy.
 
These vintage Pioneer decks are doing far better than are bank certificates over here in The Great White North. Currently, there is a PL-12D/Shure M91ED listed on canuckaudiomart.com with an asking price of $300. That is almost double the amount I paid for a brand new PL-112D/Shure M95ED in 1976.
 
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