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Pioneer PL 550...thoughts?

N

nolan

Super Member
Banned
I picked up a PL 550 and was wondering what you all think of this model. It is beautiful to my eyes,and seems to be of a quality build. I listened to it briefly at the seller's house and it sounded quite good,actually I was very impressed. I could not afford the TT and the cartridge so the cartridge stayed,so in the meantime I am just looking for opinions while I wait until I can afford a cartridge. Thanks for any input. I keep looking at this beauty,can't wait to put it into service. It has a few issues cosmetically...dust cover has a couple scratches and the veneer/vinyl is bad on the bottom of the corners. All in all I think she is pretty.
 
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There are several members here who own and enjoy their PL-550 turntable. Mine has been my daily driver since 1978. Hope you enjoy your new T/T.

Did you get the original headshell and accessories with it?

Have you decided what cartridge you want to use with it?



DSC00306.jpg
 
That's great TT - one step below the PL-570 which was Pioneer's TOTL at the time. I have a PL-530 and it sounds great!
 
jbrainey said:
There are several members here who own and enjoy their PL-550 turntable. Mine has been my daily driver since 1978. Hope you enjoy your new T/T.

Did you get the original headshell and accessories with it?

Have you decided what cartridge you want to use with it?



DSC00306.jpg
Click to expand...

I did get the headshell,that was all.What accessories would have come with it? I definetly did not get any.

No idea on the cartridge choice,money will dictate that when the time comes. I am open to suggestions.

Thanks guys.
 
A couple things that came with it are the 45 adapter which you probably would never use and a large counter weight you don't really have to have unless you use a heavy cart/headshell combo. One item that might come in handy is the "overhang gauge". I see them periodically on the bay.
When the time comes to mount your cartridge just ask and one of the pro's around here will chime in and answer all your questions.
 
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jbrainey said:
A couple things that came with it are the 45 adapter which you probably would never use and a large counter weight you don't really have to have unless you use a heavy cart/headshell combo. One item that might come in handy is the "overhang gauge". I see them periodically on the bay.
When the time comes to mount your cartridge just ask and one of the pro's around here will chime in a answer all your questions.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info,much appreciated. When I can buy a cartridge I will be right back here asking questions.
 
I enjoy mine lots. I had a Shure Mx97e on this TT for awhile, right now I have a Denon DL-160 on it - they sound great together.
 
Worlds greatest TT. I may be biased, its my number one go to table. Personally I like the fact that it is all manual, just less stuff to go wrong. Hook that baby up with a Stanton cart and enjoy!!!
 
I also like the fact that it manual. I jst keep looking at this gem trying to picture a cartridge on it spinning vinyl. It really is a work of art.
 
Thanks for the link,looks like a heck of a deal.

Funny you mention the cover. That is one of the things I love about it.It does not cover the beauty of the TT ,it adds to it.

Now I need to research how to buff the cover. It is quite good,but does have some scratches.
 
I have one on my PL-61 in my avatar and it sounds awesome. Almost as good as my PL-L1000 and Denon DL-160.
 
I had one for a few years. Even now as I fiddle with much more expensive table, i miss it. it had a much quieter noise floor than the Rega Planar 2 that replaced it (i was actually very surprised at how loud the Rega rumbled compared to the PL-550). The Pioneer also had unfailing pitch accuracy and speed stability. That heavy platter is truly a thing of beauty!

It is the manual version of the PL-570, but the 550 has a shorter tonearm than the 570. you'll want to mount a low-compliance cartridge on it. Look for relatively heavy recommended tracking forces, at or over 2 grams would be best. i ran an AT440MLa on mine and realized only after some time that it wasn't good match for that arm, the arm is too heavy and the 440MLa too compliant. This was made very obvious to me once i mounted the 440 on a Rega RB250 arm. It opened up and delivered a much more refined sound. This was not a fault of the Pioneer at all, simply what happens then you put a cartridge designed for a lighter arm on an arm that's too heavy for it.

I don't know what your budget will be for a cart, but I bet one of the Denons would be a perfect match.

Another plus of the 550 is the ability to adjust the vertical tracking angle. just loosen the two long, thin bolts on the tonearm mast and it can be moved up or down. One trick i figured out was to put a jackknife-type set of feeler guages between the gap in the post to set the VTA. To gauge it higher, I'd open more blades of the feeler gauge in the stack; to lower it, I'd take a few out.
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(You probably have to be looking at the arm to make sense of this)

EDIT TO ADD:
Oh,wait! I found a picture of the arm.
attachment.php

Stick a feeler guage in the gap around the arm post---that is where it moves up and down. Leave the guage in there when you tighten the bots back in, then pull it out once its snug.
 

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Low compliance - stiff cantilever ( needle/stylus )


High compliance - soft cantilever ( needle/stylus )

That's my interpretation, is it correct?
 
nolan said:
Thanks for the advice.

Low-compliance ? Not sure what you mean.
Click to expand...

Balifly said:
Low compliance - stiff cantilever ( needle/stylus )


High compliance - soft cantilever ( needle/stylus )

That's my interpretation, is it correct?
Click to expand...
You got it.

Here's a good start; This paragraph is pasted from this article:
http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/tonearmcartridge.html
Any cartridge/tonearm combination will exhibit resonance at a specific frequency (or frequencies). This resonance is due to the interaction of the cartridge (acting as a spring), and the weight of the arm (acting as a mass). The "springiness" of the phono cartridge is described as compliance, the weight of the arm is specified in mass. As an example, a heavy weight on a light spring would obviously over-flex the spring, conversely, a light weight on a strong spring would not allow sufficient flexion."
Click to expand...

There can seem like too much information to wade through once you start searching the subject. But it would be good to have a look. It's important to know you're getting the right cartridge and not wasting money on the wrong one.

If i had that 'table again, I'd put a Denon DL-160 on it. But at $150 it may be more than you're looking to spend.

I know if you state a budget, there are many experienced people here who would be happy to make recommendations for low compliance cartridges.

And of course, keep us posted!
 
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