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Should I pull the trigger on this Pioneer PL-630?

Should I get this?

  • Total voters
    14
redondo2018

redondo2018

Active Member
So, bit of a weird story: I won a Goodwill auction on the Pioneer PL-630 pictured with what I am assuming is a Shure V15 III cartridge (no stylus but I have a NOS one already ;-)) but no dustcover for $360 including shipping. Being Goodwill, they only say "it powers on and the platter turns" so that's all I know of how it works. Then, being Goodwill, before they shipped it, they broke the tonearm rest. They offered me 2 choices - 20% off or a full refund. So it will be under $300 all in if I keep it - but honestly I was already having slight buyers remorse at $360 (I have a PL-530 and a number of other turntables so I don't really NEED this ;-)). That said, I now have a choice to make: thoughts? 500358813153411shnt.jpeg 685183113153410shnt.jpeg
 

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As a owner of one with problems right now.
It would be a major undertaking to replace the rest from the experience I have with the table so far.
Then you have the whole lamp/sensor issue to consider.

Pass and consider it lucky for you, move on. It would be a hard one to pack without a lid and rest anyway.
 
I have a friend with this model table. He's had nothing but problems with it. He had someone recap all the controls and supposedly restore it. It worked for awhile, but problems cropped up again.

So while it was probably a really nice table when new and for many years after, this model doesn't seem to have aged well and isn't straightforward to get straightened out to run reliably. I would consider their breaking the rest as a real stroke of luck and strongly recommend getting a full refund.
 
Thank you all for your feedback - certainly seems to be unanimous! I guess I'll stick with my PL-530, Dual 1219, AR XB, Marantz 6100, Beocenter 7700 and Sansui FR-D35 for now ;-) But as you can see, none of them really have VTA (the Dual to a degree does I guess, but not really) which is what I'm looking for in my next table.
 
They broke the tonearm rest by? Probably dropped something on it and who knows what else is damaged.
At my local GW I once saw a McIntosh box sitting outside in the rain at the drop off dock. I opened the box and found a used but clean 6200 sitting in it. I went into the store and asked them to process it as I was interested. 20 minutes later they wheeled it out on a cart with a price tag of 600 bucks, that was after it was dropped on its face and smashed the glass and bent several control shafts!
Nothing against the employees but most of them are not the sharpest tools in the shed. They don't know the difference between a Mac and a VCR. I would never purchase anything from them online.

BillWojo
 
I've gotten to the point of where I am very skeptical about buying from a) thrift stores and b) online sites such as the bay. It's difficult to be able to truly tell the condition of something without seeing and testing it for yourself. All of my thrift store finds have required work of some sort to get them working. A lot of times when you are purchasing online you are going off of grainy pictures and uninformed sellers who do not know to properly test the item. That said, I would wait for a Pioneer table local or from a highly rated and knowledgable seller.
 
Yep, I think I'm completely done with buying turntables online :-) I don't mind project tables, but the shipping concerns alone are enough to stop buying online now that I think more about it (and trust me, before I requested the refund - got the money back now so all done with this table - I gave them a PAGE of instructions on how to pack it, although they probably wouldn't have followed them). In person only now :-)
 
I paid a decent chunk (or so I thought at the time) for a minty PL-518 on eBay but it was obvious what the condition was - even the original box was immaculate. All the original packaging innards were present which greatly improves the odds the unit will survive shipment.

It may be a high bar to set but original packaging is pretty much a requirement before I'd consider a turntable from a private seller.
 
I have a PL600 and you will end up having problems with the optical control mechanisms, and maybe the speed chips later down the track. I made mine fully manual - but that still means relying on the speed-control chip/s (hopefully these keep going for years yet).

The TOTL PL1000 is even worse, a great TT but they are pretty much all at the age now where they are all playing up - they are quite complicated machines.
 
BillWojo said:
At my local GW I once saw a McIntosh box sitting outside in the rain at the drop off dock. I opened the box and found a used but clean 6200 sitting in it. I went into the store and asked them to process it as I was interested. 20 minutes later they wheeled it out on a cart with a price tag of 600 bucks, that was after it was dropped on its face and smashed the glass and bent several control shafts!
BillWojo
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You're a better man than I. I would have scooped it up and if it worked I'd have given them a $300 donation.
 
If you like fully automatic and the inherent complications that come with it the PL 630 is certainly worth the effort IF you know what you are getting into. I paid 450.00 for one locally but then I could look at it and also pick it up, shipping one of these is a real gamble at best, and only if the Seller truly has expertise in properly packing something as delicate.


I had to go through mine as it was but knew about the issues beforehand - slow platter speed as well as reversing direction. Cleaned the pots ( had to take the TT apart ) and a belt replacement for the tonearm motor and it functions well enough- still needs the lead in adjusted as the arm stops just short of the record edge. They will all need going through if never touched and if they sit too long the switches will need cleaning. Check out that thread mentioned for some enlightenment - personally I can say I use my Pioneer PL15R, Sansui SR 525 and Toshiba SR 340 much more often and wonder how long the PL630 will continue on, it should have the caps replaced for long term use.


I do like the thing of course but bought it despite possible problems but in hindsight semi auto is a better bet and I do not even mind the fully manual Sansui, so much less complicated and still direct drive. Hopefully it will function for a few years at least, using it a few times a month keeps the controls from oxidizing and causing problems again. At least I learned a lot about the design, still an elegant well thought out TT.
 
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An original dust cover is going to run somewhere around $75 - $100. A replacement tone arm rest another $30. Plus any repair costs of it's not working. You would probably be into it for more than its worth pretty quick. Even at 20% off i think I would pass too.

I got lucky and found two for cheaper than cheap. (I could have had more but they all had issues) I was able to fix them up and have had very few issues...so far. Great table when they work. Can be a pain when they break
 
redondo2018 said:
So, bit of a weird story: I won a Goodwill auction on the Pioneer PL-630 pictured with what I am assuming is a Shure V15 III cartridge (no stylus but I have a NOS one already ;-)) but no dustcover for $360 including shipping. Being Goodwill, they only say "it powers on and the platter turns" so that's all I know of how it works. Then, being Goodwill, before they shipped it, they broke the tonearm rest. They offered me 2 choices - 20% off or a full refund. So it will be under $300 all in if I keep it - but honestly I was already having slight buyers remorse at $360 (I have a PL-530 and a number of other turntables so I don't really NEED this ;-)). That said, I now have a choice to make: thoughts? View attachment 1628327 View attachment 1628328
Click to expand...

I’m a pioneer freak, the 630 is known to have issues that must be addressed. For half of the asking price I’d not want to bother with it. I’d say walk away while you can and use the funds on a different pioneer.

Good luck with it
 
redondo2018 said:
Thank you all for your feedback - certainly seems to be unanimous! I guess I'll stick with my PL-530, Dual 1219, AR XB, Marantz 6100, Beocenter 7700 and Sansui FR-D35 for now ;-) But as you can see, none of them really have VTA (the Dual to a degree does I guess, but not really) which is what I'm looking for in my next table.
Click to expand...

Get a PL-41 for low buck and invest in a better arm.
 
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