Pioneer PL-X300

[Joey1127]

Hi All,

Came across a NIB unused Pioneer PL-X300 truntable and had to jump on it. For $50 I figure it's gotta be worth it. It has the MC cart MC5 I beleive. Can't wait to get it.

Any info to share? I cannot find anything about this drawer style player online. Many hail the cartridge though...

Thanks all,

Joey

 

[sosidge]

I just bought one of these used... 5MC cart is standard.

I think it got a bump in transit and needed a little disassembly and jiggling to get started again - no idea what I did to make it work!

Anyway, I find it technically fascinating and very amusing too. Just the playing the record is fun, and I actually rate the sound pretty highly. Detailed, if a little thin compared to my conventional Pioneer PL-930 table. Mine has lost it's original feet, and has some inferior ones in the wrong place instead, so I'll find some new ones to try and improve the isolation.

There are videos of them on youtube. Basically, you open the front door, then press start/stop and the tray comes out. There are switches to sense whether you have put a 7" or 12" on it (haven't tried a 10"...). If there is a record, pressing start/stop moves the tray half-way in, and the tonearm swings out from the back of the unit. Start/stop will stop it again. If there is no record in place, start/stop closes the tray fully. Good fun.

Unfortunately the arm is basically unadjustable so cartridge choice is likely limited to the 5MC or something identical.

What I am wondering - if any Pioneer buffs know - is where this table was intended to fit in the line-up? It seems closer to a mid-fi design (albeit sturdily built and with a nice sound), but it is so small (12" wide and little more than 7" deep) that it wouldn't fit neatly in a standard seperates stack.

 

[sosidge]

Done some more research around the internet, got a bit lucky and have realised the the PL-X300 turntable is part of a family of mid-sized separates called "Progression IV" that Pioneer had in the early 80s.

Don't seem to be very common... however I would love to have a diddy amp to match the diddy turntable. The serial numbers of the matching amps are A-Xxxx. They also did tuners/tape decks etc.

Anyone know more about this series first-hand?

 

[mwadden]

Pioneer Progression IV System

I've grown up with one of these systems...my parents received it as a wedding gift in 1985 and recently gave it to me. It's a wonderful midsized system with a sort of futuristic look to it. The system has a remote control that sends the signal to the Tuner Component and forwards it to the amplifier...which then sends the commands to the respective component you wish to control. The pieces I have are A-X700 Amplifier, PL-X300 Turn Table, CT-X700W Cassette, and F-x700 Tuner. My Grandmother also has this system....she loved my mother's so much she bought one as well. She has taken better care of it than my parents did theirs. Hers has the original speakers, CD Player, and Equalizer for a total of 6 Components. Very neat system, the distinct design let's you know that it is definitely a set. According to her and my parents it was state of the art at the time, one of the first mini component systems to arrive on the market. In contrast to most amplifiers made even today this A-X700 is fairly small. You can see it here on eBay: Pioneer A-X700

If you'd like pictures please let me know.

 

[mwadden]

Pioneer Progression IV PICTURES

 

[stevepaige]

This was my 1st system!!! Bought from the Navy Exchange at Recruit Training Command San Diego, CA. Good, heavy 50 wpc amp. Not a bad little system. This was the smaller version with the 2 way speakers and no CD player.