Updating a Pioneer PL-71 turntable

[NRG]

I use a re-bodied 103R with the Sumiko headshell and extant balance weight. The PL-71 can be improved over stock. It responds very well to a clean 18v supply and replacing the motor with the slightly better spec PL-55 one also helps...I've also recently had success in replacing the stock feet with a combination of Oak wood cones and squishy sorbothane 'pucks'. I've recapped the motor as well but only as a precaution when I had the deck apart...

[Yomanze]

I use a re-bodied 103R with the Sumiko headshell and extant balance weight. The PL-71 can be improved over stock. It responds very well to a clean 18v supply and replacing the motor with the slightly better spec PL-55 one also helps...I've also recently had success in replacing the stock feet with a combination of Oak wood cones and squishy sorbothane 'pucks'. I've recapped the motor as well but only as a precaution when I had the deck apart...

Interesting, thanks. Think the springy feet are pretty useless, may well replace these. Don't want to modify the deck, but I do have a little hint of speed instability according to the strobe, tiny, but probably down to the switches.

[NRG]

Yes, I've been experimenting with some Russ Andrews Jumbo Oak cones as feet only and the difference is quite marked over the stock feet, I think these will be staying!

[The Mighty Quinn]

Hi Quinn

If you are interested in my 2M Black, I would be happy to send it to you in the good old US. I put the UK ONLY bit in because I included postage. If you want to PM me, we can talk about the extra £5 ($8) it would add to the postage.

Clive

Wow Clive, that is really great of you. However, I think that I am going to go support my local hi-fi shop and purchase my cartridge there. They claim to have 40 years of experience installing and aligning cartridges, which is certainly much more than I can say for myself. At one time I attempted to do this myself on an AR turntable that I rebuilt in college. I recall that rebuilding the turntable was a lot of fun, but that properly aligning the cartridge was days of frustration. Of course, this was pre-internet and I was following the meager instructions that came with the protractor, weight gauge and a few other items that I purchased through mail order, and there was nobody around to help because all of my friends had switched to CDs. At the end of the day, I never really felt that I got the cartridge truly aligned, and I swore that I would leave this to professionals in the future.

Thanks again for the offer!

Cheers,
Quinn

[The Mighty Quinn]

Gents

Thank you very much for all of the great information. To summarize, it sounds like there is a general consensus that a Denon DL-103 or DL-103R would work great on a PL-71. Given that there is a bit of mixed opinion on the 2M Black, and that the later is quite a bit more expensive, I am tempted to go with the 103 or 103R.

What are your opinions of the 103 versus the 103R for this application?

Thanks again for your help and advice.

Cheers,
Quinn

[NRG]

The 103 is a MC so you'll need either a MC capable phono stage or a Step Up Transformer fed into a MM phono stage. The 103 likes mass so go for a Sumiko headshell or similar. You'll need extra weight for the counter weight to balance the arm...it maybe best to keep to MM if any of this sounds daunting....

[The Mighty Quinn]

The 103 is a MC so you'll need either a MC capable phono stage or a Step Up Transformer fed into a MM phono stage. The 103 likes mass so go for a Sumiko headshell or similar. You'll need extra weight for the counter weight to balance the arm...it maybe best to keep to MM if any of this sounds daunting....

Good points Neal. While I am not opposed to an MC cartridge, I would like to minimize the modifications required to the tonearm for now, so it sounds like the 2M Black with the stock headshell is going to be the way to go.

By the way, I saw your previous response in this thread regarding the wooden cone feet and sorbothane mats. Can you elaborate more on this modification? e.g. what are the dimensions of the cones, what does your turntable sit on, what were the differences in sound that you heard? exactly how are the sorbothane mats used (between the cones and the stand or the cones and the turntable), etc... A few photos of your setup would be terrific. I have always thought that the springy feet on the PL-71 were one of its few weak points from a design standpoint, and a simple modification that corrects this problem would be fantastic.

Thanks again!

Cheers,
Quinn

[NRG]

Hi Quinn, the deck sits on top of an Apollo rack on a Torlyte type board fitted with 4 Russ Andrews cones. For the PL-71 I'm now just using the RA Jumbo Cones:

http://www.russandrews.com/product.a...JLFLGOQCVMHFKH

These are available in packs of three or four...

The Sorbothane 'pucks' smeared the sound I found. The Cones measure 52mm Dia by 28mm High so very nearly the same as the stock feet and fit into the bottom metal frame of the deck neatly. (can't take a picture just at the moment). I level the deck with shims under each cone.

The sound has better tonality and separation of instruments and voices, I can hear more going on in the mix. It also sounds a little more relaxed and natural the Bass seems to be more dynamic with greater impact and the slight upper coarseness of the 103 is smoothed out a bit.

This is all in my system though and your milage may vary...


PS: Saw this over on PFM, maybe worth considering instead of the 2M Black....

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/s...d.php?t=149815

[The Mighty Quinn]

Gents

The 2M Black is being installed and aligned as I write this. I hope to be listening to it by Saturday afternoon after I take care of my professional and domestic responsibilities.

I have a bit of a side question for you all that is a bit off topic: how are you cleaning your albums? When I left the hobby back in grad school I was using a Discwasher with a homemade solution consisting of deionized water, analytical grade isopropyl alcohol and Triton-X114 wetting agent. I still have my father's Parastat (Manual Model MK11A). What are you guys using in 2014?

[The Mighty Quinn]

Greetings Everyone,

I brought home my PL-71 from the shop where the new Ortofon 2M Black was supposedly "professionally installed". Upon getting it home I checked the VTF and found that it was 1.95 g on both of my Shure force gauges. I called the hi-fi place and was told that they set the force to 1.5 g, and that it probably changed when I moved the turntable. I think that it is unlikely that the force would change that much, so now I am questioning these guys ability to properly align a cartridge.

How would you go about checking the proper alignment on of this cartridge on the PL-71 with a stock headshell? I was looking at protractors on Vinyl Engine but am uncertain as to which I should use.

Thanks again everyone!

Cheers,
Quinn