Questions about my Pioneer PL-530

A

Amine

New Member
Hello ! My name is Amine I'm knew in this forum and I'm happy to join you !

Actually i'm a guitar player for 15 years, and a vinyl lover.

I used to listen to my records with a record player and I quickly realised that it was destroying my records so I stopped using it until I earn enough money to buy me a Vinyl audio setup.

And this is when I found, in my grand parents, a Pioneer sx-950 Stereo Receiver (i'd love to talk about it in another topic) and a magnificent Pioneer PL-530 ! I'm a musician but I have a very poor technical knowledge about music devices electronics so here is some photos

DSCN0767.JPG

DSCN0768.JPG

DSCN0770.JPG

Like you've seen, the headshell is completely non functionnal. So the problem is that I need a Headshell/Cartridge/Stylus to test the turntable, and if the tyrntable works or can work with a few (cheap) repairs, I will buy one. I have friends who have Technics sl series and Reloop rp 2000, and 1000. I was asking if the headshell of those turntables can be compatible with the pioneer pl 530.

I would love to understand better the electronics and how can I restore this turntable, but I think it's too much difficult for a begineer to open it without any informations ! So if someone has any experience to share for that turntable, feel free to help !

Thank you and sorry for my english !
 
Welcome to AK :)

First off, that is a nice table, plus it came from the family and that adds alot to wanting to restore it.

You can use a bayonet headshell on this table. The concern would be trying to match the weight to what you have, but it can be worked around. You can also replace the leads on your headshell. Just be careful as they are very thin. Once you do that, then it's time to look for a cartridge. Find a budget that will work best for you. That is how you will start off anyway

The manual is on vinylengine.com. It's free to join and you can find a manual for your table which will help with set up
 
Welcome to AK.

+1 on the Vinylengine. Great resource. If you are not comfortable getting the existing headshell back into operational condition, you can purchase a Pioneer Headshell off ebay. Just search for "Pioneer headshell" and if looks like the one you have, it should fit. There are lots of them there.

To know if this works, go to the vinylengine and download one of their strobe disks (under the tools link, under turntable setup tools). Print it out and use it according to instructions. That will tell you it the turntable is on speed or not. If it is, go ahead and get yourself a good cartridge and either repair the existing headshell or replace it off ebay. The turntable is near the top of the line for Pioneer at the time and even today is considered a very fine performer.

Shelly_D
 
Thank you kermit z and shelly_d for your response, I appreciate it.

Are all the bayonet headshell fit with the Pioneer PL-530 ? Or is there different « size » or somerhing like that ?

It would be bad to buy a headshell not compatible with the turntable .. since I live in Africa it could be difficult to return it... So if all the bayonet headshell are compatible, I can try with a Technics one, and with all the’ advices that you gave me shelly_d if it works, I will buy one..
 
Anime, I received your PM, but I think I will reply here, then other members can either add or correct my comments.

1. Headshell: It looks like you have the correct Pioneer Headshell, from the bottom it looks the same as mine. And from the top, it appears to have 'Pioneer' written on it.
It appears that someone cut the connectors off the ends of the four wires that would connect to the cartridge. You can carefully remove the wires with needle nose pliers from the headshell and buy a set of headshell to cartridge wires. Look for something like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Gold-T...179055&hash=item5d7d081d43:g:F0cAAOSw9mFWHUSZ. I'm not endorsing these or this seller, just grabbed a listing so you know what to look for. Is this the reason you say that the headshell is completely non-functional?

As an option you could purchase a new headshell with the wires already there, but I would want to keep the Pioneer headshell you have to maintain the original look of the deck.

2. Cartridge: You can spend as much or as little as your budget permits. I recently bought an AT-3600L from china for about US$14. It sounds very good for such a low cost cartridge. the cartridge comes with the required screws and nuts to mount to the headshell you already have. Again, you just need a new set of wires.

In the meantime have you powered your PL-530 up? No need to connect it to your SX-950 until you get a cartridge and wires, but you could plug it in. Before starting, place the 'SIZE" lever to the manual position. In the manual position the tonearm will not attempt to move over the platter. At this point just leave the tonearm locked to the armrest. Select the 33rpm speed.

Now push start. The platter should start turning and the strobe light should come on. Are you on 60 or 50 cycle power in your location? That will make a difference as to which row of 'dots' to observe on the edge of the platter. If you have selected 33rpm, the appropriate row of dots on the edge of the platter should appear to be stationary. If they are moving, adjust the 33rpm speed rotating knob. If the dots move smoothly and consistently to a slower or faster speed you should be able to find a spot on the knob where the dots appear to stop moving. If the dots move erratically as you turn the knob you will need to clean the potentiometer that the knob is attached to. That is done from under the bottom of the table, but don't do that yet, just report back to us what happens when you start the table and make a speed adjustment. To turn it off push the stop button.

As for the appearance of the wood grain film veneer, I'm not qualified to restore that, but others here have done fantastic work in that area.
 
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I found a video on youtube that shows how to use the stobe light and the dots on the side of the platter to adjust speed.
This isn't a Pioneer PL-530, but the principle applies to it.
There may be better videos, but I think this one gets the to the point.
 
Hi Amine,

First off, that turntable and the SX950 are a great combo. Don't get rid of either. It may take some work to get both of them going but they're well worth it.

As JamVal said, you have the correct headshell, but it looks like the lugs were cut off. That should be repairable. In the meantime, yes, the head shell from your friend's Technics should be compatible. You simply unscrew the collar on the tonearm, put the Technics head shell on and tighten the collar.

You can also find generic head shells on Ebay that will be compatible. Again though, keep the original head shell. You can probably use the wires from the generic head shell to repair the Pioneer one.
 
Oh thank you guys you are very kind to take time to respond.
Yes so i think I’ll go for : testing with the technics headshell -> Check the turntable speed -> buy lead wires and cartridge to keep the original headshell.

My headshell doesn’t have the grey part that is used to place the headshell manually like it is in Chrisxo55441. Do you think that it can be available separately ? Or i can use it without the grey part ?

Thank you so much
 
Sorry, I didn't even notice that the finger lift arm is missing. You can use it without the lift arm with the turntable in full automatic mode by moving the size lever to the appropriate size record that you are playing. However, I prefer to use my PL-530 in manual mode. When in auto mode mine has malfunctioned, seems to get out of sequence. So I just use mine in the manual position. having the finger lift arm on the headshell makes that easier to do.
 
That's a wonderful turntable and the SX-950 is a GREAT receiver. I have one myself. Stick around AK and learn...you'll be rewarded with magnificent sound. Do not, under any circumstances, part with that turntable or receiver. All issues that arise can be fixed. Even the peeling on the turntable finish can be dealt with. Welcome to the forum, you've found the right place.
 
Oh waw thank you guys you really motivated me to improve my knowledge in this domain and revive this good stuff.
So at the time, I plugged the Sx-950 with two old sony ccp500, and with an RCA-mini jack cable in the AUX input, the music from my computer sounds pretty acceptable (pretty sure that the speakers are a little bit damaged, but that's not the subject I will make a thread for the receiver later :)).

For the turntable, the friend who's got a reloop 1000 has effectively a headshell who fits perfectly in my tone arm like you said.

After that, I adjusted the speed of the 33 RPM and 45 RPM, I'm living in Morocco so it's 50 Hz. No need for the video JamVal your explanations were completely clear hands on.

Ok so now, I think it's time to plug the turntable no ? So Two RCA cables and one ground. I believe that the turntable is not preamplified, that's what I understood from the internet, but there is two Phono input (so with a phono pream i guess) in the SX-950. So Phono 1 ? Phono 2 ? I'm asking because in the front, the Phono 2 is Phono 2/MIC ? What's the meaning of MIC ? Is there any microphones preamp in the second Phono input or what ?

I stop here until I get newer instructions. Don't wanna do something bad. But take your time haha
 
You can use either Phono 1 or Phone 2 RCA input jacks on the back of the SX-950, make sure you also connect the ground wire from the PL-530 to the ground lug on the SX-950. You are correct, the SX-950 has a phono pre-amplifier.

On the front of the SX-950 you are looking at the input selector knob. For the Phono 2 position it also says MIC. Yes, MIC is for microphone. There is a microphone connector on the front of the SX-950 just below the radio tuning knob. If you had a microphone plugged into the MIC connector on the front, then the Phono 2 connections on the back of SX-950 would be canceled in favor of the microphone. So I suggest connect the PL-530 to Phono 1. If there is no microphone connected to the front then Phono 2 connections on the back will be active.

Connecting the PL-530 to any of the other inputs on the SX-950 will result in very low volume. Because the output of the phono cartridge is 2 to 6 mV. Aux and Tape inputs are for line level input of 150mV like a CD player.

Go to this link if you have not already done so: https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/pioneer/sx-950.shtml
Get a membership to that website, it's free. On the bottom of the page is a link to a pdf file for the SX-950 instruction and service manuals. You must be a member and logged in to download the manuals.

The 'sister' website for turntables is www.vinylengine.com . Same thing, you have to be a member to download manuals. here is the link to the PL-530: https://www.vinylengine.com/library/pioneer/pl-530.shtml

Don't worry about taking my time. Right now I am listening to my PL-530, playing 'Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' and 'Chicago III" Lp's that I bought today.
 
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Thank you JamVal !

So I did everything you told me, After that I saw that there is a tracking force thing to care about, I saw that the recommended tracking force of the cartridge that is on my friend’s headshell (orthophon pro s) is 4,0 g so I fixed the counterweight with a digital scale to 4,0. I tried to put a vinyl but when i put the arm in the vinyl, the cartridge stylus etc slip to the center of the record, I was afraid to damage my vinyl so I stopped. So even with the good tracking force, the stylus doesnt go through the grooves but slip directly to the center. I don’t know if I’m clear..
 
Ok, lets review how you set up the tonearm for the Ortofon Pro S cartridge:
Let's start with this photo:
PL530.jpg
After installing the cartridge with the tonearm locked to the arm rest, turn the anti-skate knob (B) to 0. Carefully release the arm rest lock while gently holding the tonearm with one hand. If the cartridge end of the tonearm stays down with the tonearm seated in the arm rest, slowly turn counterweight (A) clockwise until the tonearm balances in a horizontal position and not touching the arm rest. Or If the cartridge end of the tonearm rises, turn knob (A) counter-clockwise until the tonearm balances in a horizontal position, not quite touching the arm rest.

Once you have the tonearm balanced, lock it back down to the arm rest. The black measuring scale on the counterweight (A) will turn independently of the silver portion. Hold the silver portion with one hand so it does not move and then with the other hand turn the black scale knob so 0 lines up with the line. This is the balanced position. Now turn the silver portion (A) counter-clockwise without holding the black scale knob, both pieces will now move together. Turn until you get to 4 grams. I think the PL-530 scale goes 0-1-2-3-0. So to get to 4 grams turn counter-clockwise one full revolution back to 0 which would be 4 grams. Check with your scale, it should be pretty close to 4 grams. Keep in mind the Pro S tracking force spec is 3 to 5 grams. The anti-skate knob (B) now should also be turned to 4 grams. If the anti-skate knob is at 0 this could be the reason for the stylus skating across towards the center.

Let us know how that works.
 
JamVal said:
Ok, lets review how you set up the tonearm for the Ortofon Pro S cartridge:
Let's start with this photo:
View attachment 1212839
After installing the cartridge with the tonearm locked to the arm rest, turn the anti-skate knob (B) to 0. Carefully release the arm rest lock while gently holding the tonearm with one hand. If the cartridge end of the tonearm stays down with the tonearm seated in the arm rest, slowly turn counterweight (A) clockwise until the tonearm balances in a horizontal position and not touching the arm rest. Or If the cartridge end of the tonearm rises, turn knob (A) counter-clockwise until the tonearm balances in a horizontal position, not quite touching the arm rest.

Once you have the tonearm balanced, lock it back down to the arm rest. The black measuring scale on the counterweight (A) will turn independently of the silver portion. Hold the silver portion with one hand so it does not move and then with the other hand turn the black scale knob so 0 lines up with the line. This is the balanced position. Now turn the silver portion (A) counter-clockwise without holding the black scale knob, both pieces will now move together. Turn until you get to 4 grams. I think the PL-530 scale goes 0-1-2-3-0. So to get to 4 grams turn counter-clockwise one full revolution back to 0 which would be 4 grams. Check with your scale, it should be pretty close to 4 grams. Keep in mind the Pro S tracking force spec is 3 to 5 grams. The anti-skate knob (B) now should also be turned to 4 grams. If the anti-skate knob is at 0 this could be the reason for the stylus skating across towards the center.

Let us know how that works.
Click to expand...

Nice to see the world coming together over vintage turntables.
 
Ok JamVal, I’m pretty impressed for the message that you wrote and PabloX I’m completely agree with you. I’m not in my house yet I’ll be there soon enough.
I want to precise something, I noticed just before leaving the house that the lever (up-down) doesn’t work ... don’t know if I didn’t know how to use it but when I put it in up, he doesn’t go up, and he doesn’t go down when I put down...
So I want to precise that before doing what you do.

I’m applying what you said once I come back from work.
 
If the tonearm is in the armrest when you push the que lever up or down you will not see any movement from the tone arm.

When you get home from work (WORK??? Work will only get in the way of your new hobby :rflmao:Just kidding, do not quit your job - you will need more money for more records).

So, when you get home from work try this:
With the cartridge and headshell mounted to the tonearm and set up (see my last message)
1. Set the 'SIZE' lever to 'MANUAL'
2. Set the Arm Elevation lever to UP
3. Place a record on the platter, probably best to use an old record that you do not like anymore.
4. Release the black lever that holds the tonearm to the arm rest.
5. Push the 'START' button - Platter should be spinning at correct speed
6. Carefully lift the tonearm with your hand and move it over the record so the stylus will be over the record.
7. Gently release your hand from the tonearm - be gentle - I think you said the cartridge belongs to your friend - you don't want to loose a friend.
8. The tonearm/stylus should not come in contact with the record because the 'Arm Elevation' lever is still in the up position.
9. Move the Arm Elevation lever to the down position - the tonearm should slowly drop down so the stylus comes in contact with the record.
When the tonearm is at the rest position you will not see any movement up or down when moving the lever.

The arm elevation lever moves the arc shaped black plastic part near the tonearm base:
This photo shows the arm in the Up position:
IMGP0035.JPG
This photo shows the arm in the down position:
IMGP0034.JPG
Please excuse the white Teflon tape on my tonearm. It was an experiment that I read about that is supposed to eliminate any resonance. It didn't seem to make any difference.
 
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