The PLX-500 is supplied with software called Rekordbox that additionally allows you to play files on your computer and use the PLX-500 as a scratch pad for them. This allows a diehard fraternity of individuals to create vinyl rips with it but in the case of the Pioneer, the connection is more interesting than that. The other connection on the back of the PLX-500 is a USB B connection. You still only get a captive mains lead on the back but you can't have everything.
PIONEER PL 550 UPGRADE
Unlike the more affordable Numark though, the Pioneer is more in keeping with the Audio Technica AT-LP5 in that the phono stage can be switched out and used into an external phono stage if you wish which means that the upgrade potential is rather greater and if you wanted to use a moving coil cartridge on the Pioneer, you could. In keeping with a number of turntables at this price point, the Pioneer has an internal phono stage which works with any cartridge that has standard moving magnet values. As the headshell is a standard SME bayonet mount though, there is no challenge substituting it for another one and the counterweight assembly has enough adjustment to be something you can easily contemplate changing the headshell and cartridge on. Pioneer supplies the PLX-500 with a matching headshell and cartridge of indeterminate origin. The effect is slightly crude as there is no continuous adjustment but it is still more than is usually offered. Like the Numark, the Pioneer trumps domestic rivals by offering the ability to change the vertical tracking angle of the arm at the mount via a six position control. The arm is well finished and feels fairly inert but it also feels a little on the stiff side in terms of both horizontal and vertical movement although this has not affected playback. The tonearm is the traditional S-shaped device with a separate headshell that holds the cartridge. The platter is fairly lightweight in terms of its feel and somewhat resonant but it is well finished and once mounted on the bearing, it feels reasonably inert and the supplied mat creates a good playing surface.
PIONEER PL 550 PRO
The platter is die cast aluminium and – as is the tradition for semi pro designs of this nature is fitted with strobe markings to confirm the speed accuracy under a light. Thanks to plenty of power, the Pioneer will hit 33rpm in less than a second and stop just as enthusiastically. The PLX-500 is servo controlled and has as an electronic brake when the stop button is pushed. The motor that supplies this power is a three phase brushless DC type that has the required attributes to hopefully avoid both cogging – the sense that the motor is moving in distinct stages – and vibration being sent back up through the bearing. There is then a +/- 10% speed control that is active on all three speeds – notionally meaning that the maximum speed the PLX-500 is capable of is an impressive 85rpm. Unusually, the Pioneer also supports 78rpm playback by holding down both buttons at once. Speed control is electronic and done at the touch of one of the speed buttons. To this end, the usual calling cards of such a device are present. The Pioneer is a direct drive turntable built with at least one eye on DJ use. In the same vein as the Numark TT250USB that passed through the review process recently, does the PLX-500 offer the possibility of a bombproof piece of equipment for home use too? Ignoring this for a moment, the Pioneer can't help but look like an awful lot of turntable for the money. Over the intervening years where the Technics wasn't available new, this might not have been too much of an issue but with a new model back in production, the Pioneer might be seen to be trying a little hard. While we can accept that there are only a given number of ways that a turntable can look, the Pioneer might be seen as a 'loving homage' to the SL-1200 in terms of how close they appear to be. The Pioneer looks rather like the Technics SL-1200. At £300 including cartridge and phono stage, it also has some possibilities as a home audio deck, pitching as it does into the very competitive level contested by home audio brands.įirst though, the elephant in the room. It is to a greater or lesser extent, a cut down version of the existing PLX-1000 turntable that has been around for a few years now.
PIONEER PL 550 PROFESSIONAL
The Pioneer PLX-500 is the latest addition to the range of direct drive professional turntables from Pioneer DJ.
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