Pioneer DJPLX-500 Direct Drive Turntable

While it may not have quartz-regulated speed, the speed is very accurate and there is no audible wow and flutter. Currently I have no equipment to measure that. The motor is at least as good as Audio Technica AT-LP120XUSB, or better- it spins up and slows down faster. The tonearm is exactly the same. The build quality seems better (buttons and general feel of the device). Sadly, the output cable is attached permanently and quite short - about 90cm. And there is no ground connector on the turntable. The built-in preamp is OK to see if it works, but that's about it (same story as AT-LP120XUSB that I had before moving). You really should get a separate preamp (Fosi Audio X2 is good and cheap-ish), that improves the sound more than upgrading the cartridge. The included cartridge is actually pretty good, I was happily surprised by it, since it's conical and has no specifications given other than that - I will keep using it until the stylus is old and then upgrade. And it does come adjusted well enough, at least on mine. Sounds best with 3g tracking force and 2.5g anti-skating. But to get it to sound best, get a much thicker slipmat, or just put a rubber one ON the included felt one - the tonearm height is adjustable, but at minimum setting it's still a little too high for the included cartridge. Mine sounds best after adding a 3mm rubber mat on the existing one, and then setting thearm height to 0.8mm. The height adjustment does audibly affect the highs and lows, and it is the reason to get this over the AT-LP120X (there is a bit more or less bass, but more importantly the highs get least distorted with the correct arm height, especially in the inner groove). This height adjustment lets you use cartridges of different heights in the future, without customizing the headshell or doing something equally wacky- the angle at which the cartridge is is important, as it makes the sides of the stylus parallel to the sides of the stylus used to cut the original record, and thus your stylus will follow them more accurately. And that angle xepends on the arm height. You can also get an Audio Technica AT-LP140X and it has that height adjustment, but has no preamp and is more expensive than this Pioneer PLX-500 AND a better preamp. So the Pioneer is a more cost-effective option that will probably be at least just as good.Also the lid on the black version of PLX-500 is darker-tinted clear instead of just clear, this may affect your colour choice (there is also a white version of this turntable).The legs have a lot of travel, so you can level it properly even on a saggy old shelf. But probably don't use furniture so flimsy that it tilts when you open the lid, this would make leveling difficult.The anti-skating does work, as in adjusting it does make the arm move inwards or outwards on a smooth surface, no idea if it's accurate though.And it does seem to have quartz speed control, as there is in fact a quartz resonator connected to one of the chips on the motor controller board (the chip name is painted over though. A second resonator is for the USB ADC, but I don't mean that one). And you most likely will need to do some simple modifications if you want an Audio Technica cartridge, as there is a low-pass filter on the preamp board, and it's after the switch for some reason. So it's always in circuit. And that increases the capacitance, and most AT cartridges require an extermely low capacitance that probably the cable alone has. But it's literally bridging 2 inductors and removing 2 capacitors, and maybe replacing the cable with jacks if you are so inclined.

A great turntable for the money. Well made, easy to set up and it plays great. I was impressed by the design, the materials and the performance. Highly recommended. It will not return the tone arm after the last song has played, if that is what you are looking for. But, it does have adjustment for gram force on the stylus, track alignment and platter spin accuracy. The tone arm release allows the arm to "float" down at a slow speed so the stylus is in the track groove with jumping or skipping. The feet are adjustable so the platter is level and there is enough mass to the unit to absorb being bumped. I have had this table for about three months and as you can tell I am very happy with it.

I read the reviews on this turntable, and other turntables, before buying this Pioneer turntable. This is no piece of junk, it has some weight to it and every aspect of the turntable makes me happy that I bought it. If there was something negative about this product, I'd report it; but there's not. I've been playing my 50- year-old vinal records on it (both 33 and 45) since purchasing this unit and the sound quality is absolutely excellent! If I had to do it all over again, I'd buy this turntable again.

I love the pioneer dj turntable, took it out of the box and it felt like a good quality product should , heavy , instructions were detailed like they should be step by step. and the platform that the records lays on went on like it should ! That was the problem on the gemini turntables that i bought . so i am a vary satisfied customer that i will buy another one ( pioneer). thank amazon for returning my refund in a timely manner and to the customer service agent amy who maid that possible. vary happy

Overall this is a decent turntable. The biggest drawbacks are the cover will only stay up in the full position, so if you have it in a small space you will have to hold or prop the cover when placing and starting a record. This can feel like you need 4 hands at times. I made a stand out of a dowell to help with this. The other issue is the cartridge. With such a heavy tracking force of 3.5-4g it will really dig any dust you might have on your records out and then create distortion before you finish even one side. So be prepared to clean your records extremely thoroughly or expect to be cleaning the needle on every side of the record. Would suggest getting a stylus cleaner for it as a simple brush does not work all that well. Otherwise a good turntable and with the Pioneer brand quality is a given.

The weight definitely beats the Audio Technica LP 120 by a long shot. Feels very sturdy and sounds fantastic. It has built in wiring directly to the speaker system of your choice. Easy to set up and the pop up light makes you feel like your in the 80s early 90s. Quality for the price is unbeatable. Will be jamming out to my Hip-Hop Vinyls for decades to come. If your in the fence like I was just pull the trigger, this one is a keeper. Thank you and God Bless!

I love this turntable! It plays both my 45 and 33 vinyl with no worry about belts (it is a direct drive turntable). The sound is great, speed is accurate, and I get no skips when my vinyl plays. I do not use the DJ functions, and only use it for listening.

I needed a new turntable to play all my old vinyl. Love this turntable. It is extremely well built and love it with the DM-40D 4 " speakers.