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Pioneer PL-610/630 Cartridge Question

AvFan

AvFan

Super Member
I'm about to become the proud owner of a Pioneer PL-610 to match a Pioneer SA 8500II integrated amp and TX 8500II tuner I already own. I believe all were manufactured in 1978. It is great to be back into stereo full force. Back in the day I was always advised to purchase the best I could afford at both ends of the audio chain which leads me to my question.

I know the choice of which cartridge to use involves personal preference but I'm curious what cartridges those who own a 610 and its big brother the 630 are using. I don't really want to debate the merits of each cartridge but I want an idea of what folks think works well with the PL-610 and 630.

Thanks for the info!
 
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Your Pioneer 610 is a well built, low noise turntable that should not add or detract from the quality of your original sound source (records). Therefore any decent quality cartridge with a good stylus should work well when properly balanced and setup. I happen to like Shure and Grado cartridges, but that's just me. I also believe that the law of diminishing returns applies especially to cartridge prices, meaning $800 is not 10 times better than $80.
 
Does your SA have adjustable cartridge loading? If not I'd stick with an AT95 for utility work like used vinyl preview and such. Maybe a Denon L160 on another headshell. That would be a good starter combo :)
 
I'm impressed with the relatively wide range of cartridges that the PL-630 seems to be comfortable with. I've had good luck with several cartridges that I've tried, with range from high to medium compliance. These include:

Signet TK5E
Ortofon OM 30
Pickering XV-15 with D11S stylus
Sumiko Blue Point II
 
Thanks folks for all the suggestions! The SA-8500II does have variable cartridge loading. I'm going to need some schooling on how to calculate the loading because I think the arm makes a contribution too. I thought I read Grado cartridges don't need the variable loading; Is that correct? The TT was advertised as coming with a Shure M97 so did Shure make a M97 or could it be the the M97xe?
 
G'day mate, you are indeed a very lucky person as the ability to vary the resistive loading will that allow you to get the best out of many moving magnet cartridges that are sensitive to resistive loading, the Shure M97xE being an excellent example.

That cartridge simply does not show its best at 47 k. Alter the resistive loading from 47 k to 60 - 100 k, and watch that cartridge come alive! I use 62 k with excellent results! Naturally I recommend the M97xE at 62 k. I love it at that resistive value. Regards, Felix aka catman.
 
Thanks for the info catman. My SA-8500II's only cartridge loading knob has adjustments between 100 and 400 pF which I believe is measure of capacitance versus resistance. I think the next model up, the SA-9500II has the ability to adjust resistance too. The M97xespecs recommend 250pF for the M97xe but is that at the preamp or are there other factors to consider? Thanks for the help folks.

The Ortofon OM30, Denon L160 and the Grados look interesting too. This ought to be fun! :yes:
 
G'day mate. Ok then, variable capacitance adjustment is useful, but not as useful as variable input resistance, at least with the M97xE.

Yes the the capacitance of the preamp is only part of the 'overall' capacitance, as the interconnect cable capacitance and the tonearm wiring are part of the overall wiring capacitance as well and have to be included in the overall capacitance value calculation.

Normally for all the wiring one is looking at about 100 to 200 picofards, depending on the physical length, so say 100 picofarads from the preamplifier to give the required value of around 250 picofards for the M97xE. In the end though, decide what your ears like. :yes: Regards, Fellix aka catman.
 
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Pioneer PL-610 Setup

Well, the PL-610 arrived and it does have a M97xe on it. I've been enjoying the TT since Thursday and I'm headed out tomorrow out for more LPs! :D I've set it up so the stylus is 49mm from the end of the tonearm. Interestingly, the head shell is missing the little rubber washer that contacts the end of the tonearm. Is this a big deal?

It has been a while since I last set up a TT so I'm on a bit of a learning curve. I have a copy of the 610's owner's manual and that has been helpful but things are bit out of whack. With the antiskating set the same as the cartridge force (1.25g) I get occasional skips with warped LPs about one third of the way through an album. I've reduced the antiskating to 1.0 and so far so good. I've had to adjust the balance on my integrated amp because the left channel is a bit stronger. Is each side of the groove a channel? If so, which side of the groove is which channel? Will adjusting the antiskating fix the balance issues?

Thanks in advance to all the TT gurus for your help!
 
G'day mate, full set up manuals for both the PL610/630 are available at the library of the Vinyl Engine website. So register there and download away! Re the little rubber washer, yes it should have one if at all possible. Regards, Felix aka catman.
 
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AvFan said:
...I've had to adjust the balance on my integrated amp because the left channel is a bit stronger. Is each side of the groove a channel? If so, which side of the groove is which channel? Will adjusting the antiskating fix the balance issues?...
Click to expand...
It's a bit more complicated, but up/down is one channel and left/right is the other.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
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pustelniakr said:
It's a bit more complicated, but up/down is one channel and left/right is the other.
Click to expand...

Just a bit!! I'm going to run some digital sources through my Cambridge Audio DacMagic tomorrow to see if the balance issues are there too. If so, it is probably the Pioneer integrated amp.

Felix: Thanks for the suggestion on the setup manuals at Vinyl Engine. I'll look into that tomorrow.
 
AvFan said:
I've had to adjust the balance on my integrated amp because the left channel is a bit stronger. Is each side of the groove a channel? If so, which side of the groove is which channel? Will adjusting the antiskating fix the balance issues?
Click to expand...

I doubt antiskate would cause an imbalance. Some turntable arms like the AR-XA don't have anti-skating at all. More likely it is an imbalance in the cartridge itself. They are typically rated +/- 1 or 2 dB balance which could be noticeable if on the high end of the tolerance. You could swap the L&R inputs from the turntable to see if it's an amplifier or cartridge problem.



pustelniakr said:
It's a bit more complicated, but up/down is one channel and left/right is the other.

Enjoy,
Rich P
Click to expand...

Actually, stereo records use the Westrex "45/45" system. One channel per groove wall, moving at 45° angles to vertical. I think one of the early iterations of stereo they did try a vertical-lateral system, and another one I remember seeing when I was a little kid in the '50s, a dual-groove stereo system a family friend owned. Got to hear it once when I was about 7 or 8.
 
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I've noticed when the tonearm lowers and the stylus makes contact with the record the arm/cartridge slightly shifts to the outside of the record. Is antiskating designed to reduce the force on the inside or outside of the groove? Is that movement to the outside of the record OK?

Thanks, whell for the reference to treating the switches etc w/DeOxit. I know this amp will benefit from getting 32 years worth of gunk out of the switches and pots. Ed: Good suggestion to reverse the stereo and see if the imbalance moves to the right.
 
AvFan said:
I've noticed when the tonearm lowers and the stylus makes contact with the record the arm/cartridge slightly shifts to the outside of the record. Is antiskating designed to reduce the force on the inside or outside of the groove? Is that movement to the outside of the record OK?
Click to expand...

Anti-skating is supposed to minimize the skating force toward the center of the record and equalize the side forces on the stylus. If it's moving to the outside when it makes contact, sounds to me like you have it set for a bit too much anti-skating. I've always noticed when it's set right, the stylus will tend to stay on the slick part of the record surface if that's where it lands first, until the groove comes around and catches the stylus.
 
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