Vinyl records haven been rendered commercially dead several times: first by the compact cassette, then the CD, and finally by the advent of digital downloads. This has caused many a lazy journalist to declare a vinyl revival whenever the buying sprees of wannabe DJs and hipsters gently spike the sales figures.
Yes, vinyl records don't sell in anything like the numbers they did in their heyday, but they never went away either, especially for the hardcore collectors and audiophiles that prize the presentation—the packaging and sonic performance respectively—that only records can provide. That's not to mention that there's a lot of music available on vinyl, much of which may never be available in any other format.
Another recent uptick in vinyl record sales means there are a lot of new turntables appearing at the more affordable end of the market, all the way from cheap and cheerful (and best avoided) suitcase-style affairs from Crossley, through to bamboo-coated curios like the "Stir it Up" from House of Marley. Technics reintroduced its legendary SL-1200 too, but even the cheapest version costs a substantial £1500.
Instead, DJs are leaning towards cheaper "tribute" decks like the Pioneer PLX-500, which borrow liberally from the Technics SL-1200. But Pioneer is also marketing the PLX-500 for home hi-fi use, an area where direct-drive DJ decks (where the spinning platter is attached directly to the motor) have traditionally been sidelined in favour of fussier belt-driven turntables (where the platter is driven by a rubber belt attached to the motor).
At first glance, maybe glimpsed in a darkened club, the PLX-500 could easily be mistaken for a classic Technics turntable. The PLX-500 is a slimmed-down version of the PLX-1000 that Pioneer introduced two years ago, and is actually a rebrand of a copy. It's made for Pioneer by the Taiwan ODM specialist Hanpin, which manufactures a huge range of cheap and cheerful turntables. Hanpin turntables are often rebranded by companies that no longer have the expertise or resources to make them in-house.
Based on a Hanpin DJ-3560, the PLX-500 is a close cosmetic copy of the Technics, complete with always-on speed strobe light in the left corner, pitch-control slider to the right, and distinctive S-shaped tonearm.
Pioneer says it specified some internal tweaks to the off-the-shelf model though, including more direct audio wiring from tonearm to output lead and a relocated mains transformer. Indeed, the PLX-500 is much more than just an ornamental shelf filler. It feels solidly built and, as I discovered, is capable of surprisingly decent sound, especially considering its £300 price.
Build and setup
The PLX-500 requires minimal setup. The platter and thin felt mat are placed on the spindle, the tonearm headshell (moving-magnet cartridge ready-mounted) is attached to the end of the tonearm with a full-turn of the locking collar, while the counterweight is twisted onto the arm behind the pivot.
The S-shaped arm is static-balanced, requiring the weight to be wound on its coarse thread until the arm settles exactly horizontally. The downforce dial can then be rotated to read "0" at the 12 o'clock position, and the required tracking weight dialled in. The instructions suggest a wide range of tracking weight for the included cartridge from 3g to 4g, and in practice I found 3.4 g sounded best. Anti-skating force (which should be disabled if you're using the PLX-500 for scratch DJ'ing purposes) is set from a small dial on the tonearm mount, taking the same value as tracking force.
Two cables connect to the deck—power from a detachable figure-8 mains lead, and audio output to amplifier via a (sadly) hardwired signal cable with two phono plugs. Thanks to a built-in phono pre-amp, the PLX-500 can be connected directly to a standard line-level input on any amplifier. That's a real boon for first-time buyers, but the best results are still found with a better quality phono stage in an amplifier or standalone unit. A switch at the back of turntable allows users to switch between the phono or line-level outputs. There's even a USB port fitted at the back, for direct connection to a PC. The record is digitised using the equalised analogue output through a basic internal 16/44.1 AD converter. Pioneer offers its own Rekordbox software for recording and mixing, or there's always the open-source favourite Audacity.
Included in the package is a phono adaptor cable, which useful for connecting to a PC analogue input (2x female phono to 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack plug), USB 2.0 cable (Type A to Type B), spindle adaptor for 7-inch jukebox singles, and an optional 4g headshell weight for use with lightweight pick-up cartridges. Two colour options are available, black or white.
The PLX-500's construction quality is inevitably below the Technics or even Pioneer's own PLX-1000, losing out on the die-cast metal chassis of these decks, but it still weighs more than 10kg (22lbs) and with component parts finished to a good standard. It's powered by a massive high-torque DC motor, with 1.6kg/cm of starting torque, an eight-pole and three-phase brushless design, combined with an electronic brake for rapid stops. The motor only has to spin a light aluminium platter (765g) and 1.5mm thick compressed felt mat; contrast this with the venerable Linn Sondek LP12, a belt-drive turntable with a platter assembly that weighs over 3.6kg.
Unlike many belt-driven models, there's no separate sub-chassis to isolate the platter and stylus from motor vibration or outside movement, but like the Technics I can attest that the Pioneer is highly resistant to footfall interference. The solid plinth is an ABS plastic and MDF combination, with gently rubber-sprung feet below for some critical environmental isolation, each of which is height adjustable.
The arm lift/lower lever may not have the silky damped feel of a high-end tonearm, but it works well enough for accurate cueing. Tonearm height, like the Technics, is adjustable by 6mm from a rotating base dial, but even at its lowest setting the arm is far too high. For critical listening, rather than DJ use, this stylus rake angle (SRA) setup is important for the best performance. To set the tonearm level correctly—bringing the cartridge top parallel to the record surface—it would need to drop by a further 8mm. A simple fix is to increase the record height instead with a couple of Funk Firm Achromat platter mats.
The pickup cartridge is one of the most important components of a record player, and while the unbranded unit (which resembles an resembling an Audio-Technica AT3600L) fitted to the PLX-500 is capable enough, it clearly uses a budget moving-magnet (MM) design. The MM type suits the low-mass and compliant tonearm well, and the higher output enables less expensive phono amplifiers. It can be upgraded later to a better design easily enough with some care in fitting, although the necessary alignment protractor (typically a printed sheet of card) is missing from the box.
Since the PLX-500 is based on the same geometry as the SL-1200, with 215mm arm pivot/platter spindle length, it's possible to use Technics' guides or print your own from an online resource such as Vinyl Engine.
In use
A light tap on the (round rather than square) Start/Stop switch brings the platter up to speed in under a second. That's a revelation for anyone used to belt-drive machines and their several seconds of spin-up and settling before play. As well as making this turntable suitable for DJ use, both in nightclubs and radio stations, I found myself playing far more 7-inch singles than usual, simply because of the quick-fire speed with which short-running singles could be spun up, played, and replaced.
Audible noise from the motor drive and platter is all but absent on normal 33RPM and 45RPM speeds, albeit with some faint rattling at 78RPM (a speed set by simultaneously pressing both buttons). And despite the absence of a signal ground cable, there's no electrical hum at the speakers either. For most users, the 78RPM speed will probably be redundant anyway, and decent results really require a mono pickup and the adjustable equalisation found on more specialised phono stages like the GSP Jazz Club.
As far as club use is concerned, while this reviewer is no DJ, a professional DJ colleague who tried the PLX-500 found it to work as well as the Technics decks he normally uses. Only the tracking weight had to be adjusted from a hi-fi setup, increased slightly to keep the needle down when cueing and scratching.
Lab measurements
The speed accuracy of the PLX-500 is excellent, recorded at 3149.8Hz from the IEC 386 test record, representing a deviation of just -0.006 percent when playing 33RPM records. Playback at 45RPM was practically as good with a deviation of -0.007 percent. These differences are inaudible even to those with perfect pitch.
Enlarge / Wow measurement of the Pioneer PLX-500 at 33RPM over 60 seconds, raw measured output (yellow); and post-frequency demodulation (green) showing instantaneous speed over time.
Enlarge / Numerical readings at same speed, with low-pass filtered frequency indicating maximum deviation relative to 3.15kHz test tone.
Wow measurements are more telling of playback performance though, providing insight into short-term drift which manifests itself as as small pitch modulations during playback. Maximum relative deviation was ±0.02 percent at 33RPM, rising slightly to -0.04/+0.03 percent with 45RPM records. Converted to DIN IEC 386 weighting, the PLX-500 measured at ±0.13 percent wow (AES6-2008 2-sigma) for both standard speeds, which isn't a bad result at all for a turntable in this price bracket. Only the most discerning listeners will notice—and they're likely to buy a far more expensive turntable in the first place.
DJ users will undoubtedly make good use of the pitch control slider with its ±8 percent speed adjustment, and like the Technics it includes a centre indent to disable. A green LED also illuminates when it's at the zero position. Outside the quartz-lock setting, measured wow increased slightly to around ±0.07 percent relative deviation, or about ±0.17 percent DIN-weighted. For the best sound quality, lock the deck speed at the centre position.
Sound quality
The playback quality of the PLX-500 is impressive, particularly considering its modest price. First auditions suggested a small channel imbalance, but this was mostly corrected by paying more attention to the headshell fitting; there is some play available in the removable unit before locking, which allows the headshell to be misaligned with respect to the record surface. Getting this azimuth setting is always important for good sound, and while best set with a test record you can usually get close with the help of a small mirror on the platter, or tiny spirit-level bubble on top of the headshell.
The essential analogue quality of vinyl can be clearly heard through the PLX-500, even using the built-in phono stage, although used this way it also tends to exaggerate surface noise and clicks. Frequency response is mildly reined in, particularly the bass, which means the lowest octaves lack some weight.
Enlarge / The PLX-500 is a great introduction to vinyl hi-fi and for DJs that need a Technics-style fix on the cheap.
The midrange is a little more forward in the mix, which had the effect of making old records sound older. Treble quality is perhaps the weakest area though, with hi-hats appearing more insistent and wearing. Bypassing the internal pre-amp better shows the PLX-500's potential, for which I used the the moving-magnet phono stage input of the Mytek Brooklyn DAC and a dedicated GSP Era Gold V.
While the PLX-500 still doesn't have the seismic low-end presence of a high-end deck, bass guitar lines remained nimble and well-timed. Compared to even mid-range belt-drive machines, a good direct-drive turntable can excel in conveying the pulse of the music; the PLX-500 certainly shows off that good rhythmic ability.
The stereo soundstage, side-to-side and front-to-back, has the roomy quality you get from a good analogue source. Perhaps my main misgiving was about higher-frequency pitch purity. While wow measurements are relatively straightforward, the other bane of analogue systems can be flutter, which is harder to measure, and tends to colour the sound of instruments like pianos. Playing classical and jazz piano recordings, the PLX-500 missed the clean, pure decay of acoustic piano notes found on more expensive decks; but lay on rock and dance music and the same deck is in its musical element.
While even cheaper turntables can be found today, the Pioneer PLX-500 deserves a place alongside budget classics such as the Pro-Ject Debut and Essential models, which mark the dividing line between novelty record player and seriously enjoyable sound. The belt-drive record players have the upper hand in overall sound quality, but the PLX-500 will perfectly suit new vinyl enthusiasts that also want to dabble with the DJ side of the format too.
Andrew Harrison specialises in audio, and has been testing equipment and writing on hi-fi and sound technology for nearly 20 years for magazines such as Hi-Fi News, Hi-Fi World and Hi-Fi Critic. More recent postings include technical editor at Macworld UK and PC Advisor, adding expert hardware reviews for The Register and BBC Focus magazine. He now enjoys the possibilities of high-end computer audio while never forgetting the magic of vinyl played on a good turntable.
