Pioneer PL-600
Fully Automatic Turntable
Description
The Pioneer PL-600 features a full auto mechanism based on optical, no-contact detection principles so that force is not needlessly exerted on the tonearm.
The model also adopts a quartz PLL system with brushless DC Hall motor.
The system compares the waveforms of a high-precision reference oscillator employing a quartz crystal with the output waveforms of the frequency generator built into the rotor of the motor, and thereby controls the rotational speed of the motor.
The precision-finished centre shaft and bearings, and the platter with it's high inertial mass, prove to be a winning combination in the PL-600.
Specifications
Type: direct drive
Motor: quartz PLL Hall motor
Platter: 330mm aluminium alloy diecast
Speeds: 33 and 45rpm
Wow and flutter: 0.025%
Rumble: 78dB
Tonearm: static-balanced type, s-shaped pipe arm
Effective length: 237mm
Overhang: 15mm
Cartridge weight range: 4 to 12.5g
Dimensions: 456 x 140 x 384mm
Weight: 11kg
Downloads
instruction/owners manual (en)
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Pioneer Direct Drive Turntables |
Pioneer PL-600 / PL600 owners manual, service manuals and schematics are for reference only and the Vinyl Engine bears no responsibility for errors or other inaccuracies. The PDF files are provided under strict licence. Reproduction for financial gain is strictly prohibited. This website is not affiliated with or sponsored by Pioneer.
User Reviews
An excellent turntable better than the technics MKII...
9/10 by lowlow007
INTRODUCTION...
Feb 2013,
In my humble opinion this turntable is a total sleeper...
I think part of the confusion about his unit is that there other low cost Pioneer PL-600 models from other years and hence people get confused. This unit is truly awesome.
It's heavy (25 lbs) has super specs and very quiet operation along with a great list of features. And of course what matters most, it sounds great...
FULL SUSPENSION...
It's actually a full suspension turntable and uses stiff springs with damping foam to minimize resonance...
Seems to like my Sure 97xE cartridge as well as a Grado Gold... The tone arm uses a photo coupler to sense arm location which means no interaction during playback. The unit also has auto start when moving the tone arm and an electronic braking system when you manually move the tone arm away from the record... The automatic motor drive disconnects from the tone arm when playing a record and so there's no playback interaction with the automatic portion of the design.
THE SOUND...
I guess what impressed me the most is how quiet this table is... Specs say -78 dbm for noise, which is excellent but as we know, specs can be deceiving.
From my listening tests I can confirm this table is very quiets. It's also excellent at vibration control. Having my sub right next the the turntable causes no feedback issues... As well, no skippy skippy when I walk across my hardwood floor... Something I can't do with my Oracle Delphi...
FIT AND FINISH...
One of the things that caught my eye about this turntable is that it's champagne gold coloured and made from solid metal...No plastic... Pretty much all my other gear is also champagne coloured so this unit looks right at home with my champagne Sony ES gear.
The other great feature is the main buttons seem to be solid and feel like metal. They are also located outside the dust cover which means you can control the turntable without lifting the lid...
ONE ISSUE...
The only issue I had with the turntable was it seemed to have a speed stability problem... Every so often the unit would go out of quartz lock... I cured this problem by realizing all the LED lights in my house are quite noisy so I added and EMI/RFI filter power bar...
Problem solved... Perfect speed control now... LOL, they didn't have switching power supplies back in the late 70's so they wouldn't have ever noticed the issue...
IN SUMMARY...
If you can find one in good condition at a reasonable price (~$200) I would recommend an audition... I know purists think you can only achieve sonic accuracy with a full manual turntable. In my humble opinion, the Pioneer PL-600 turntable breaks that rule.
9/10 by pdemara
