Pioneer does it again - finding another way to corner the market. With Technics releasing their new turntable at a price point of $4,000 per deck and the price of used 1200's continuing to be on the rise, many have resorted to super OEM turntables to fill the void. Can't afford super OEM, don't worry. You can still grab an ATLP120 from Audio Technica for around $299.00. Even then, you have to deal with plastic feeling parts and a less than favorable low end distortion through the tonearm.
Now, Pioneer has announced their entry level turntable meeting a slightly higher pricepoint, but possibly higher standard in build quality. As we have not had a chance to put our fingers on one yet, the information below is based off of the press release.
If you are like me, you ask immediately, "Can I juggle with it?" Judging by the specs, we will need a hands on experience before coming to any conclusions. While Pioneer is promising 1.6 kg/cm of torque, they opted out of a quartz direct drive and claim a 1 second start time at 33 1/3 rpm (Technics 1200 MK2 is .7 seconds). The wow and flutter is also high than the Technics at 0.15%. With a drop in weight, you may see sound dampening issues similar to other entry level turntables.
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| PLX-500 vs. PLX-1000 |
You will notice one addition to the PLX-500 missing from the PLX-1000. Pioneer has decided to include a built in usb interface. This will allow you to easily convert your vinyl to digital using the recent Rekordbox update. While Pioneer has claimed you will need a compatible DJM to use the PLX-500 with DVS, we have learned in the past that anything with audio input can be used. When they are released, we will find out for sure if you can aggregate multiple turntables to use vinyl control.
Keep tuned for a full video review coming in September after the launch. Let us know what you expect in the comments section below.
