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Pioneer PL-115D

Sultan swing

Sultan swing

Active Member
Hi!

I can get this Pioneer PL-115D for 125$. Could you owners or former owners say something about it?
Is it good?
Were you satisfied?
Does it maybe have VTA adjustment?
Could that maybe be a real wood veneer?

Don't mind the price, because prices are higher here in Croatia due to the fact that the tt-market is very slow and slim.

Any info would be great!

And here is the original ad just to see the condition of the tt: http://www.bolha.com/avdio-gramofoni/gramofon-pioneer-pl-115d-oglas1273759070

Thanks!!!
 
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O.K., I've done a little research and info I found on former AK posts is that this is a decent TT worth getting.
That leaves only one question, although I believe it's out of the question. But, can someone say for sure, does it have a VTA adjustment option? I believe Howard could say that for sure. :)
 
"does it have a VTA adjustment option?"


From memory I say, NO


It is a nice TT for the money here in the States (free - 25.00) and can be modified easily to improve the sound
 
No VTA adjustment, and it is vinyl veneer over particle board, i got one back in january for $30, not a bad TT at all, but $125, supply and demand i suppose.
Good luck.


John
 
Pioneer must of sold a million of those tables...

I rehabbed one from a dumpster awhile back.

Put new foam in the suspension
New Belt
Teflon taped the arm
Coated the underside of platter with rubberized undercoat
Rewired ICs
New AT cart I had laying around
 
Supply and demand it is. There are very few tt here on the market that can be called tt's and their prices are from 100$ and higher. This one is on the cheap side. That's why I said not to mind the price, because I know prices are a lot lower in the States.

O.K., thank you, I'll let you know if I decide to buy it.

Also, there a pic of the cart, could that be a re-branded AT95E? Sure looks like one, but in brown-beige (or white) combo...
 
It's a semi-auto belt model from a very good series. Same series as the PL-530, 550 and 570, and uses the same arm as the first two. Just know that you may need to change the belt. And yes, good eyes--that appears to be a Pioneer clone of the AT-95E, probably known as the AT-3400 back then. Don't know what the needle is, but at least you know it has potential for decent replacement or upgrade.
 
The Pioneer is a very nice tt, I still have a few left, and sold a few to boot.

I like the adjustable suspension and tonearm. Solid construction, the Vinyl covering on the plinth comes off after a while. Quiet belt drive.

Good Luck and a good choice.

Thanks,
John.:music::D
 
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Photos from the seller

New photos...

Can someone tell me is it normal that between the bottom plinth and the upper one is that much space? I've searched for pics of this Pio and it seems that a lot of them do "yawn" in that place but not this much.
 

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Two more..
 

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Pioneer PL-115D belt drive, wow and flutter 0.07%, rumble -50dB, weight 6kg
Sansui FR-D25 belt drive, w&f 0.03%, rumble -70dB, weight 4.8kg

Sansui best for wow and flutter and rumble (4 times quieter, as we hear it).
Pioneer heavier, probably more resistant to resonance (because it’s heavier), and possibly more resistant to feedback.

I’d give the verdict to the Sansui – the Pioneer is better in some ways, but I doubt it will be any improvement. However, unlike Sansui, who were better known for their superb amplifiers, Pioneer sold many millions of the PL-115D in the mid-1970’s, so spare parts are probably easier to find. A close relative of mine had one then, and I've used it, but she upgraded to a DD JVC turntable in the 80's. I upgraded the cartridge on her PL-115D in the late-70's (can't remember what to, but it went from the original Pioneer conical to an elliptical stylus), and she was astonished at the dramatic improvement in sound quality, based on playing the same record before and after.:thmbsp: I do remember it was a nice solid turntable, and was easy to use, and sounded OK.
 
Both tts were at the same relative position in their lineups. The FR-D25 was a later model by about two series, hence the higher specs.
 
hakaplan said:
Both tts were at the same relative position in their lineups. The FR-D25 was a later model by about two series, hence the higher specs.
Click to expand...
I agree on that. I have a D25, and a PL-112D (same model as yours, but manual). I like the looks of the Pioneer more, but they both sound fine. The D25 is more silent: less rumble (I don't hear wow and flutter).
I use an AT 95 E. Economical and good.
 
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Yeah, Pioneer got the looks, but I believe that it should be a better tt. At least, a tonearm seems to be a better one, this plastic gimbal on Sansui always made me doubt in quality of the sound and the accuracy of VTF, it was just badly built and constructed.
Also, the plate is so light and rings. I expect of Pioneer to beat that too.
I opened another thread because I found a CEC 3200 tt in my town, so please If you can compare the two, Pioneer and CEC, it would be great.
Here: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?p=4551440&highlight=thorens+td+145#post4551440
 
Something doesn't jive on the Pioneer specs. 50db seemed awfully low to me for a '76 model. That's the kind of spec you'd see 5 years earlier. The PL-112D, the lowest model (being full manual) has a S/N or 63db. It's published as 50db in both the PL-115D manual and the PL-117D manual. Possibly an error?

Also, I agree with you about the higher quality of the Pioneer arm over the Sansui, and I'd take the Pioneer over the CEC.
 
Thank you, Howard. But Pioneer is a "cat in the sack", I couldn't see it spin or hear it until it gets to me on a bus. And I'm afraid to do that. That's why I'm considering CEC. Is it really a big difference than Pioneer? If you haven't had CEC, only by statistics?
 
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