Am about to order one of these dampers. Before I do so however, is that the silicone fluid (sort of speak) that's visible in the basin of the damper itself? So there's liquid, in the open, on your TT. Is that a good idea? How "hard" is the fluid? Thanks!
I'm not sure what the fluid is myself but I assume that it is a silicone fluid. In any event, this damper works great and the fluid isn't "hard" at all--at least not anymore than it needs to be. It's not going to solidify anyway if that's what you are concerned about. It maintains the proper level of thickness regardless of being out in the open or not. I wondered about this myself a year ago when I bought the damper but I have to say it's been a great upgrade for the PLX1000. I wouldn't hesitate to order one!
Hi guys! I'm new to this forum. I just purchase a PLX-1000 because of all the good reviews. This is in fact my 1st turntable. I've used my brother TEchnics SL-20 in the past but that's like 15 years ago. Mine has a tonearm with very very little play from left to right and no play from up and down. I won't mess with that for now. Motor is dead silent. I have a question that might has been answered before but I did not find an answer yet reading through this thread. The speed seems pretty stable. But with the dots and the built-in strobe and with the RESET button engaged, I see the 0% dots very slightly moving back and forth. (like a 1mm total travel). I don't have a "drift", just this little movement. I keep on reading that the dots should be perfectly still on Technics SL1200. But the pioneer have a less good wow and flutter spec with .1% vs .025% There is no other light that can have influence. Tried it in total darkness. I've read somewhere that it could be that the dc motor is locked while the strobe is probably running out of AC (60Hz) which could have some fluctuation. Do you guys have this little movement on your PLX-1000? What do YOU think is the cause of this??? Thanks a lot for your help! Julien
the wow and flutter is actually 0.01, my decks don't have any noticable movement in the platter that i can see
sorry about the .01 I actually read .1 on another place and believed it without double check. Nothing to reassure me.... at .01% it probably should be perfecty still. Here is a short video of what I see. Damn, I guess I will have to repack it and try to exchange it to the store! Someone else have experienced this?????
2- Yeah, fit the cart of your liking to the T and call it a day. It's a heck of a TT. I mean, the Pioneer is hella good, but the 1500 is so much better. They just don't make it like that anymore.
Are you actually hearing any pitch fluctuations? I wouldn't put too much stock into the lights and dots. Trust your ears. If you are hearing pitch variations, then you need to look at a replacement option. I seriously doubt this is occurring with the PLX but all things mechanical can be defective as we all know.
That looks all right to me. That imperceptible drift is nothing to worry about - likely the continuous speed correction ('cogging') but it should be inaudible. Leave the bearings alone if they don't rattle.
Thanks for your replies! I'm still woried though. I don't have a cartridge in hand today. Will have a brand new one tuesday-wednesday, It's in the mail. I will be using this turntable as an audiophile turntable for rock music. But i will also use this turntable as a dj turntable for some djing (I am an amateur dj....I just mix at home some minimal techno. Will have to try to beat match to my drum machine which is a Roland Aira TR-8) So for my 1st cartridge I decided to go with pretty much one of the best sound quality dj cartridge; ortofon nightclub mk ii. I will be using for both of my needs for now. Later this summer I think I will get an AT 440 or 150 for my listening purpose. I ordered the dj cartridge first since I will be able to back cue with it. If I can have the turntable beat matched to the drum machine without any drift then it will means that the speed does not drift and I guess I will live with those dancing dots. Although, I'm disapointed about the quality control. I know it's an Hanpin turntable but still Pioneer is asking a premium price compare to the other super-OEM turntables. The body and the arm looks like a tank. But the platter is dissapointing. The black paint between the dots is badly applied. The chromed dots are not all the same size.... Anyway thanks for your help! If you have more inputs, I'm all ears!!!
I just did an hour long mix, despite very slight movement of the pitch every so often, they are very steady and keep their pitch speed really well, like i said like new mk5, tightened the top gimball every so slightly and no more play on the arm and it is a solid turntable, as good as my technics when new...but i think the platter on these are stronger.
it definitely is 0.01, i can feel it when doing long mixes, it is really steady and reminds me of brand new technics
Has anyone heard both the VPI Prime and PLX-1000? Though it's big price increase I'm thinking of upgrading. Is the prime worth the extra $$$?
It's interesting to see people actually installing the KAB fluid damper on the PLX 1000. I had the same idea, and contacted KAB directly to see if they would do the work. I received an adamant "no" plus assurances that their damper would not fit the Pioneer, plus advice not to buy the table at all, as it is sub-par, which I followed. This thread is, however, brimming with people who are quite happy with their Pioneer decks. Go figure...
That's just the thing - people here seem to be installing their fluid damper on the Pioneer deck successfully, while KAB themselves refused to do it and said it wouldn't fit.
Too bad for KAB as their damper works so well on the Pioneer and fits perfectly. Understandable though that they would respond that way since they have made and marketed it specifically for technics TTs. I guess us poor Pioneer owners got lucky on this one. Thanks KAB! lol.
I also contacted KAB with this question over a year ago. I was told that it might fit but he had no experience with the Pioneer. Here is his response I received on 3/21 last year: "Hi, I don't have any experience with it no. I am doubtful that it would fit, but it may be adaptable in the hands of someone clever. The few videos on youtube of this deck have not impressed me much. Money is better spent on a used 1200. Panasonic continues to produce most of the key parts for the 1200, so I see no reason not to keep those going. Let me know if you need more info." He's trying to feed you BS. The damper fits unless he changed the design.
I smell an ulterior motive. They do well a lot of Technics parts after all. I also have the damper on my PLX-1000 and am happy with it. I also bought their 10g auxiliary screw-in weight for the tonearm and it fits perfectly. I’ve also read about the feet fitting.
Commercial interest. I'm afraid it's all too common and I doubt they have tried the damper on a Pioneer yet alone given it a serious listen. Of course at over twice the money the current Technics GR will be better built and designed. Their business is mods to old 1200 design so don't expect them to like the Pioneer.
RE: the strobe mechanisms on these Chinese OEMs like the Pioneer and others, they don't work perfectly. I found this out when researching these as I was interested in the Pioneer and found several reports of this. Also several reports of non-functioning anti-skate. Basically they tried to copy the Technics design w/r/t certain aspects but did a shoddy job of it. In this case I would not go by the strobe but measure the speed using a phone app...if the results are good enough for you then don't worry about the strobe. If the strobe or speed bothers you, return it and get the real thing.
Anti skate on mine works fine. While the strobe does not provide a dead stable reading the speed accuracy is close enough that if there is any deviation it is inaudible. When the Pioneer came out there was no new Technics option at any price. It still is the best DD under £1K , is very solidly built and better than many similar priced belt drives (especially build quality). Very listenable and I am used to far more expensive turntables.
