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Pioneer PL-15R vs Pioneer PL-100 vs Sanyo TP-1010

Pioneer PL-15R vs Pioneer PL-100 vs Sanyo TP-1010

  • Pioneer PL-15R

    Votes: 10 83.3%

  • Pioneer PL-100

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Sanyo TP-1010

    Votes: 2 16.7%

  • Akai AP-B20

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    12
JayPare

JayPare

Active Member
I got 2 turntables and I will get another with a bundle tonight. I want to keep only two. Therefore, I'm looking on to find recommendations on which one to keep from first to last (so I can put my newer catridge on the first one).

As a recall here are the TTs:
  • Pioneer PL-15R
  • Pioneer PL-100
  • Sanyo TP-1010
My cartridges are a brand new AT-95e and a almost new AT-92e.

FYI, I will pair them with one the of the following (I will ask a separate question for those):
  • Pioneer SX-737
  • Toshiba SA-300
  • Pyle-Pro PP999 Phono Turntable Pre-Amp with Onkyo HT-R391 Receiver
And one of the following:
  • Technics SB-A10
  • Sherwood DSS-260G
  • Technics SB-T200
  • BIC Venturi Formula 4
Thanks in advance!
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All three are entry level turntables so I'd be looking to replace all of them over time but, without knowing the condition of the three turntables, it's impossible to make a recommendation. For now, I'd decide which to keep solely on the basis of condition.

John
 
I'm with John on this one, None of them would register for me, so I would pass, but with no idea on condition, it would be hard to decide. Pick the best and then sell it to move up the ladder.
 
While they're all entry level, the PL-15R is easily the nicest of the three IMO. It's at least a notch up from the bottom end of it's own lineup. The PL-100 was the bottom-most rung of the PL-*00 series.

EDIT-PL-15R will be easiest to flip on eBay when you inevitably decide to upgrade. :)
 
I just noticed the PL-15R doesn't have any speed adjustments. Is it a sign of a cheaper made turntable or anything? I also hate the click click it makes when I hit the stop button (which I have to hit if I want the platter to stop turning even if I put the arm on up position and move it back on the arm rest). Maybe it's just me, but I feel like the construction quality is a little bit under the TP-1010. I'm not a great connoisseur though.
 
Jeremy Pare said:
I just noticed the PL-15R doesn't have any speed adjustments. Is it a sign of a cheaper made turntable or anything? I also hate the click click it makes when I hit the stop button (which I have to hit if I want the platter to stop turning even if I put the arm on up position and move it back on the arm rest). Maybe it's just me, but I feel like the construction quality is a little bit under the TP-1010. I'm not a great connoisseur though.
Click to expand...

That's typical of belt drives with AC synchronous motors. It's a pain to generate ac at frequency other than the line frequency. Even some very expensive tables with this architecture are sans pitch control.

If you like the sanyo keep it. They're all pretty comparable from a preformance standpoint. The PL-15R is just the most valuable of the three. :)
 
EngineerNate said:
That's typical of belt drives with AC synchronous motors. It's a pain to generate ac at frequency other than the line frequency. Even some very expensive tables with this architecture are sans pitch control.

If you like the sanyo keep it. They're all pretty comparable from a preformance standpoint. The PL-15R is just the most valuable of the three. :)
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Thanks for all the informations. As you can see I'm pretty new in this world. I really appreciate.
 
I've had all 4 of these turntables. I think EngineerNate's opinions are spot-on.

Akai AP-B20 = lightweight plastic construction, bottom-end tonearm and a proprietary headshell connector. It was part of an entry-level 'package' system sold by Akai.

The Sanyo TP-1010 is also very plastic ... plastic plinth with plastic woodgrain, plastic buttons, etc. and actually weighs less than the Akai.

The PL-100 is the bottom of that series .... but I think you'd find the feel of it much more solid than the other two and it does have a suspension design for isolation rather than rubber feet screwed to pressboard bottoms like the Akai and the Sanyo .... unfortunately this series suffers from rotten rubber isolation boots in the suspension.

The Pioneer PL-15R is from a generation prior to the others. Very simple, robust design. Suspension may drive you mad with the entire top-plate being sprung. There are no speed controls as the motor is an AC-synchronous design that uses AC line frequency to spin at proper speed. The proper belt is important to proper speed with these. The PL-12 / PL-15 series are starting to go for stupid money these days ... but if you do some reading on them you'll see comments along the lines of 'I've had this turntable for 40-odd years and don't intend to stop using it ...'

The Akai uses the same type of AC motor as the PL-15d (but I bet is isn't as good a motor). The PL-100 has a DC motor with pitch control.
 
Van_Isle said:
The PL-100 is the bottom of that series .... but I think you'd find the feel of it much more solid than the other two and it does have a suspension design for isolation rather than rubber feet screwed to pressboard bottoms like the Akai and the Sanyo .... unfortunately this series suffers from rotten rubber isolation boots in the suspension.
Click to expand...

I find the PL-100 also feels pretty cheap + it really suffer from what youbare describing.

Van_Isle said:
The Pioneer PL-15R is from a generation prior to the others. Very simple, robust design. Suspension may drive you mad with the entire top-plate being sprung.
Click to expand...
What do you mean by may drive you mad?
 
Jeremy Pare said:
I find the PL-100 also feels pretty cheap + it really suffer from what youbare describing.


What do you mean by may drive you mad?
Click to expand...

I think the overall plastics feel on that generation of pioneers is pretty decent, definitely a step up from the plastic used by JVC in their lower-mid tier offerings at that time. That said, I think that line of pioneer tables has one of the most singularly uninspiring tonearms visual design I've personally seen. It's just flat boring. It's a perfectly functional design, but dead boring.

I think the drive you mad thing is the fact that tables that sit on four vertical springs like the PL-15 can be bouncy and harder to level than those that hang on a subchassis like the PL-100.
 
Jeremy Pare said:
... What do you mean by may drive you mad?
Click to expand...

As EngineerNate said. Also the 4 springs have foam stuffed in them and that foam may have disintegrated over time, making 'bounce' an even bigger issue. You might want to check that out and replace the foam regardless ... experiment a bit with type of foam and how 'tightly' they are stuffed. Also depends on what kind of floor & stand your turntable is sitting on. Old house with springy wood floors vs. newer construction vs. concrete basement floor slab in terms of impact of footfall.

EngineerNate said:
I think the overall plastics feel on that generation of pioneers is pretty decent, definitely a step up from the plastic used by JVC in their lower-mid tier offerings at that time. That said, I think that line of pioneer tables has one of the most singularly uninspiring tonearms visual design I've personally seen. It's just flat boring. It's a perfectly functional design, but dead boring ....
Click to expand...

I'm trying to recall if Pioneer used any sort of anti-resonate composite material in the PL-X00 series, like Sony did (Sony Bulk Molding Compound - SBMC). I don't think so. I agree the tonearm isn't very 'inspiring'. And the tonearm stub seems to be a weak point on these ... they snap off.
 
On the 15, just make sure the foam rubber cones are inside the springs. If not make some new and install.
 
Van_Isle said:
As EngineerNate said. Also the 4 springs have foam stuffed in them and that foam may have disintegrated over time, making 'bounce' an even bigger issue. You might want to check that out and replace the foam regardless ... experiment a bit with type of foam and how 'tightly' they are stuffed. Also depends on what kind of floor & stand your turntable is sitting on. Old house with springy wood floors vs. newer construction vs. concrete basement floor slab in terms of impact of footfall.



I'm trying to recall if Pioneer used any sort of anti-resonate composite material in the PL-X00 series, like Sony did (Sony Bulk Molding Compound - SBMC). I don't think so. I agree the tonearm isn't very 'inspiring'. And the tonearm stub seems to be a weak point on these ... they snap off.
Click to expand...

The stubs are definitely weak. I repaired one on a table I flipped by snapping it off and drilling both sides then inserting a small carbon fiber rod to bridge the gap.
 
At the expense of 'thread drift' ... luckily I haven't suffered a broken stub on a PL-X00. I've just used JB-weld to repair a couple stubs on PL-255 and similar. http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/pioneer-pl-255-arm-issue.420636/ To hold the stub while it sets-up you take a small, wide elastic band and cut a small slit in it lengthwise. Pass the resulting hole over the headshell-connector end of the tonearm , bring it over the pivot and stretch it over the end of the stub. Leave to set-up overnight.
 
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