Pioneer PD-S505 Review [Archive] - The Art of Sound Forum

Yomanze

16-07-2011, 12:22

Recently picked up a superb condition example for £50. This player was supposed to support my CD transport needs for the rare occasions where I play CDs, and my DVD player (now only playing movies) was quite frankly appalling compared to my PC & HagUSB setup into my DAC.

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i405/neil_yeomans/pd-s505.jpg

Usually I've enjoyed using old Philips swingarm based machines as transports including Rotel 965BX and Marantz CD65DX (with hall motor), but the stable platter transports picked my fancy as they seem to have a cult following like the swingarms do.

The Pioneer PD-S505 was chosen for multiple reasons including:

* A higher grade transport mech than a lot of stable platter players
* Tom Evans used it for his Precision version
* Trichord used it as the basis for their Genesis CD player / transport
* Dedicated coaxial SPDIF output board (more on this later)

I was disappointed as one of my reference CDs, Lamb's "What Sound", quickly showed my computer-based transport a clean pair of heels. The Pioneer PD-S505 instantly added more "weight" & "authority" and allowed my Amphion Argon2s to throw an even bigger soundstage with more delineation between performers & instruments. I guess I wanted the HagUSB combo to sound better as this is what I listen to a lot of music through.

Listening to Joni Mitchell's "Blue" on CD the vocals are much more organic and lack a slight hardness in the extreme treble that I've previously had with other transports. This CD will tear apart bright and/or sibilant systems!

Looks like I'll be using more CDs for a while!

Some more findings etc. to add as to why it does sound so good, but I think the dedicated SPDIF board will be a big factor:

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i405/neil_yeomans/spdifout.gif

Butuz

16-07-2011, 15:08

Great post I fancy trying one of these as a transport based on what you have said!!

Butuz

MartinT

16-07-2011, 19:45

I always fancied a stable platter deck but after my PD-91, which was superb, I never returned to Pioneer.

icehockeyboy

16-07-2011, 22:31

I had one, into a Stan B dac, in all honesty I have heard better.

Please don't think I'm pis*ing on your parade! :)

Yomanze

17-07-2011, 07:38

I had one, into a Stan B dac, in all honesty I have heard better.

Please don't think I'm pis*ing on your parade! :)

Ha ha don't think you're doing that. Were you using a PD-S505 specifically? Out of interest what didn't you like & what beat your stable platter player? I do think the player will massively benefit from recapping, reclocking, new output transformer, BNC socket etc., but at the same time if there's potentially better out there... ;)

Another thing is that most spare parts are *still* available via Pioneer, which is not bad for a 10yr old player!

roob

17-07-2011, 09:12

In stock form they are overated, I tried one in stock form as a transport into my dac when my Teac P500 started to go belly up, the Teac left it for dead.
The Pioneer does have potential though and can be turned into a very good player/transport with selected modifications.

icehockeyboy

17-07-2011, 13:54

Ha ha don't think you're doing that. Were you using a PD-S505 specifically? Out of interest what didn't you like & what beat your stable platter player? I do think the player will massively benefit from recapping, reclocking, new output transformer, BNC socket etc., but at the same time if there's potentially better out there... ;)

Another thing is that most spare parts are *still* available via Pioneer, which is not bad for a 10yr old player!

I can't recall the exact model without a load of searching, but I am sure it was higher up the model range.

Now...what didn't I like? It really just did nothing for me, bear in mind though it was un doctored, but I found it rather a bland machine, absolutely nothing about it excited me! You know sometimes you get that " Wow! that is great!" feeling ? Well not in this case!
I soon returned to my (as of then) Minimax player, which was great, despite members from "that" othre forum took the pee, saying it looked like an old vhs player, which it didn't incidentally!

Yomanze

18-07-2011, 11:49

I can't recall the exact model without a load of searching, but I am sure it was higher up the model range.

Now...what didn't I like? It really just did nothing for me, bear in mind though it was un doctored, but I found it rather a bland machine, absolutely nothing about it excited me! You know sometimes you get that " Wow! that is great!" feeling ? Well not in this case!
I soon returned to my (as of then) Minimax player, which was great, despite members from "that" othre forum took the pee, saying it looked like an old vhs player, which it didn't incidentally!

There are pretty big differences between some models, and "higher up" versions including:

PIONEER PD-S601
PIONEER PD-S602
PIONEER PD-S603
PIONEER PD-S604
PIONEER PD-S605
PIONEER PD-S701
PIONEER PD-S702
PIONEER PD-S703

...are actually inferior to the PD-S505. It's the suffix number (05) which is more of an indicator. In fact, not even the PD-S605 has a dedicated SPDIF output board.

Theadmans

20-07-2011, 16:43

I've got a Pioneer PD-S705 bought in mint condition for £39. I use it as a transport with an old 90s vintage Dacmagic II Mk2.

For the money I like it. It is nice that you can switch off the analogue outputs and the display. Also the machine reads every scratched up disc I have thrown at it. It reads discs fast and operates smoothly and quietly. I have lined the insides with sticky sound deadening material.

I have not heard any high-end transports but the combination with the old Dacmagic (also bought for around £40) would surely be hard to beat at a combined price of around £80.

icehockeyboy

02-08-2011, 21:41

Finally found the model....it was the 703.

jandl100

03-08-2011, 07:12

I like the Pioneer stable platter CDPs ... although tbh, I don't get along with those Legato Link DACs they usually contain (too smooth and laid back for my over-excitable tastes!) - but as a CD Transport they can have astonishing bass slam and control (into the right DAC and other kit, of course!). They do the rest of the music well, too, with good rez and clarity. Yup, I likes them. :)

Ali Tait

03-08-2011, 14:11

I had a 505 that I used as a transport for a while. I thought it was pretty good, especially as I got it from Cash Converters for 19.99!

Ok it was a little tatty and no remote, but it worked perfectly and a Marantz remote I had worked with it.

Chunky70

05-08-2011, 15:04

I used to own a PD-S705. Had it from new in 1996.I used to think it sounded brilliant until i tried my philips bd player into my dac. It blew the pioneer totally away. Quite surprised about this considering how cheap and flimsy the philips mech actually is. Most bd players have pretty low jitter levels though.

Fulci

03-09-2012, 18:10

Yomanze

05-09-2012, 20:37

Hi! I just got a PD-S505 for £15 to use as a transport into the Bushmaster DAC, but I don't it's that good. Music from iTunes through Airport Express is so much better in every way that there is no comparison possible. The guitar in the intro to Van der Graaf Generator's Pawn Hearts praticaly disapears in the Pioneer as well as most bass, definition, separation...

I will get a Mark Grant Coax cable later this month and see if it improves, though I guess it shouldn't be my cable's fault.

Maybe I'll change the power chord and a few capacitors, specially the PSU and put some blu-tac inside.

Do you know which other mods I can do to it cheaply that are worth, or should I just try to find a better CD player like a Rega Apollo?

I do prefer the iTunes/AEX better, this is mostly for my wife...

Yes I have since moved on from the PD-S505, and agree with your findings of the muddiness in the highs. However, I found no 'glare' that I get with most CD players and almost all DVD players. It read everything, sounded analogue & didn't annoy me. I bought a £250 Little Dot CD Transport and it was tighter with more detail and highs, but it sounded incredibly 'digital' as a result! Waste of money for me.

I wouldn't go with modifying the unit.

You could look for a Pioneer DV-505, DV-717 or DV-737 as these are a big step up & go for under £50 regularly.

JimC

06-09-2012, 18:24

Hi All,

I use a PD-73 as a Transport (same little circuit for the SPDIF out but not on a separate PCB) in to a Nakamichi mobile DAC (DAC-101) which uses TDA-1541's and I wouldn't swap this set-up for anything.

I was servicing all sorts of CD Players at the time I bought the Pioneer (fairly cheaply in a non-working state in the mid Nineties) and so was able to audition plenty of different makes. None sounded as good as the 73, even some higher end machines such as the PD-91 (a beautifull piece of engineering I must admit though) and so I did some measurements.
My conclusions (and I do not consider myself an expert by any means when it comes to having 'Golden Ears'!) were that the PD-73 (and to a lesser extent all Pioneers) had the 'Squarest' SPDIF output when looked at on an oscilloscope.

I found all Philips based players to have a lot of 'ringing' on the positive and negative going edges and this, to me, gave a very harsh sound, extremely detailed but tiring to listen to.
I found machines which utilised Sony based electronics (and I do realise that the early RF processing of Pioneers of that era used Sony CXA-1081 and CXA 1082!) had a SPDIF out that had 'rounded' edges and again, to me, this produced a very 'smooth' sound. Too smooth for me.

The Pioneer gave the best of both worlds and to me sounds superb. Now, it could of course be all in my imagination but I did get to a point where I could tell a player's chip-set by the sound the SPDIF gave through my Nak without seeing the unit in question.

As a previous poster said, I did not get on with the Legato Conversion but as a Transport I for one would always choose a Pioneer.

James.

The Black Adder

10-09-2012, 18:58

I always fancied a stable platter deck but after my PD-91, which was superb, I never returned to Pioneer.

Just for you Martin.
http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq295/musical_submarine/archive%202012/DSC06484.jpg

None legato, the original stable platter transport, dual dac... I could go on. Thing is I've been thinking of moving on to getting a bluray player and using that as a player (with external dac) simply because I don't play as many cd's these days... When I have time to sit and listen I stick some black stuff on.

I'm in limbo cos I can't find a decent none crazy priced bluray player to take the job on.:doh:

walpurgis

10-09-2012, 19:30

I have two PD-S505 Precisions and find them very sweet and lucid used as transports with my Theta DAC. Nearly on a par with my Meridian 507. I think the Pioneer represent great 'sound for pound' value as a used buy. I quite like the effect the Legato Link has on the presentation.

AlfaGTV

10-09-2012, 19:33

So what you are saying here, is that i am more or less obliged to retrive my old PD-S505 from my stash? I've never listened to it in a decent setup...
http://galleri.ollars.net/gallery/Pioneer PD-S505.jpg
/Mike

walpurgis

10-09-2012, 19:55

Worth a try. The PD-S505 responds very well to a decent DAC.

Fulci

17-09-2012, 00:10

So, how do Blu-Ray players behave as CD transports nowadays?

I have a cheap Samsung BR and it doesn't sound much different from the PD-S505. But it's annoying turning on the TV every time I want to play a CD. That and a complete lack of control over the CD.

I was thinking of getting a Pioneer BDP-150 as it also plays SACD and comes with a Coax out. Could this be an upgrade over the CD player? Will it turn on my TV to play a CD too? What about a Sony or a Denon BluRay?

MartinT

18-09-2012, 05:49

Just for you Martin.
http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq295/musical_submarine/archive%202012/DSC06484.jpg

Thanks, Joe. Ah, that Pioneer was a thing of beauty. And to think I traded it in for an Audio Research CD transport, which was pug ugly in comparison.

MartinT

18-09-2012, 05:52

I was thinking of getting a Pioneer BDP-150 as it also plays SACD and comes with a Coax out. Could this be an upgrade over the CD player? Will it turn on my TV to play a CD too? What about a Sony or a Denon BluRay?

I have a Pioneer BDP-LX55 Blu-ray player and it, too, turns on my TV when playing a CD. Most annoying. It's not a bad transport, though, and does play SACD although it down-samples that for PCM digital output to the DAC.

However, it is not my primary source so I'm not too bothered by its idiosyncracies.

jandl100

18-09-2012, 06:14

Cor :drool: that PD-91 is gorgeous!

As per Yomanze's reccie, I'm now using a Pioneer DV-737 as a CD transport and it is excellent. Better than the PD-S505, imo.

JimC

18-09-2012, 07:01

The two Blu-Ray Players that are turning on the TV when playing a CD..........

is due I suspect to ''KURO Link'' being on. This is Pioneers name for HDMI Control (Viera Link for Panasonics, Bravia Link for Sony's etc etc).
Turn this OFF (on both the player and the TV (I presume you both have Pioneer sets?) and the player will no longer do this. It will though not turn on the TV when you want to watch a film, you'll now have to turn the TV on manually every time you want to do this (OMG not another button press!!!).

Between you, me and these four walls (!) all current Pioneer Blu-Rays are not their own. The only thing Pioneer is the badge. Not sure about the LX55 but I don't think this is theirs either, though I could be wrong. I cannot remember exactly when it all started.

JC

MartinT

19-09-2012, 18:19

I was led to believe that the LX55 is a proper Pioneer. I bought it for the picture quality, which is excellent. It does have a slight lip-sync problem via S/PDIF, though, which is annoying. I'm working on that. The TV turning on is definitely the HDMI control signal, which I leave on as it usefully switches the TV to the correct input.

Fulci

20-09-2012, 11:36

I think that just the lower models are Sharp rebadged.

AlfaGTV

29-09-2012, 18:36

Just took a good look at my PD-S505, and it was as i suspected; Mine only have an optical output...
T'was like i remembered then... There must be different versions of'em?

Regards Mike

Yomanze

30-09-2012, 07:17

Just took a good look at my PD-S505, and it was as i suspected; Mine only have an optical output...
T'was like i remembered then... There must be different versions of'em?

Regards Mike

Yes there was another version with an extra SPDIF board and a coaxial out. There are a few Pioneer stable platters like this (optical out only).

leo

30-09-2012, 07:57

Thanks, Joe. Ah, that Pioneer was a thing of beauty. And to think I traded it in for an Audio Research CD transport, which was pug ugly in comparison.

These are lovely bits of kit! Modded they have so much potential making a fine transport.
I've still got a PD-S904 in the loft somewhere, not as well built as these but perform well after some work, I might give it a go when I get time.

MartinT

30-09-2012, 21:00

Go for it, Leo! I did hear that the PD-91 makes an extremely good modded digital transport, but mine had already gone by then.

walpurgis

30-09-2012, 21:13

Just took a good look at my PD-S505, and it was as i suspected; Mine only have an optical output...
T'was like i remembered then... There must be different versions of'em?

Regards Mike

I have two PD-S505 Precision CD players and they both have coax & optical. Probably the 'Precision' version was different to the regular 505.

They make superb sounding transports with the right DAC.

dantheman91

11-07-2013, 10:38

Any Reviews of the PD S703 guys.......................

dantheman91

14-04-2016, 14:35

I've got my eye on a boxed PDS 505 Precision with Remote & Manuel....Watch this space one has come up local is £75 a good price.?

Yomanze

14-04-2016, 14:37

I've got my eye on a boxed PDS 505 Precision with Remote & Manuel....Watch this space one has come up local is £75 a good price.?

Yes, for a Precision.

walpurgis

14-04-2016, 16:47

Very nice they are. I have a couple. They sound just fine as a stand alone player and make very good transports. I use one with a Monarchy Audio DAC and DIP jitter buster. The sound quality is first rate. By the way, any Pioneer CD remote works with these. Well worth £75. They are being offered for sale at twice that or more lately.

dantheman91

16-04-2016, 05:36

Collecting this morning at 10.30 quite excited as always wanted a precision :)

Keep you posted....:cool:

walpurgis

16-04-2016, 08:16

:popcorn:

dantheman91

16-04-2016, 16:35

Shes been warming up throughout the day and gonna have a session later on "Beer in Freezer".... This one has had 1 owner from new with an estimated only 100 hours usage since circa 2000....:eek: been well cared for not a mark on it and is immaculate..well worth investing while i can their only going up in value by the current prices....Happy Chappie...

walpurgis

16-04-2016, 16:44

:popcorn: Again!

dantheman91

16-04-2016, 16:53

:popcorn: Again!

I'll Let you know my thoughts though maybe a little clouded by the beer :ner:.....:eyebrows:

:cool:

dantheman91

16-04-2016, 19:18

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Ohh goose bumps......this is gonna get interesting.....

walpurgis

16-04-2016, 19:28

Still :popcorn:

dantheman91

16-04-2016, 19:43

Well after i have come to the conclusion that this is the best by far of any CD player ive heard. The clarity and bass response is truly stunning to your usual loose and flabby bass but this is the next level in the scale i was advised to buy a DAC but unsure of which one to by theirs loads on the market but which is the better option again on a budget? The system i am using is a Yamaha RXV 1500 , Monitor Audio BR1's and this is not even the main system and im amazed i guess i need to dig out the Tannoy 615 MK2's this should be interesting.:cool: Their is such a thing of overrated and i thought this but each review comes into their own although not many on the net this will be a long term CDP , Transport IE preference. their is a difference between the normal stable platters if your looking into detail for instance these PDS 505s are built in the UK which of course is true i have no idea if Tom Evans is British ETC.?

I raving a bit but to love this journey you need to have a love for certain items no matter of cost or how rated its the individual that counts

walpurgis

16-04-2016, 19:56

Yomanze

17-04-2016, 11:37

I've used the PD-S505 Precision with a variety of DACs.

If you want to try one, I'd suggest something from Meridian, Theta or Monarchy Audio. Avoid the various Cambridge DacMagics. I didn't like any of them. The Audio Alchemys are a touch better, but nowhere near any Theta I've tried. Meridians always sound nice and The Monarchy Audio M22, M22B and M22C are seriously special.

I agree with Geoff, use a vintage multibit DAC if you want to go down that route, and keep using the Pioneer as a transport. Getting a clock professionally fitted would help even more (as a transport), but I don't generally agree with 'hot rodding' good players as it can end up making the sound different, not 'better'. For now though Dan, just enjoy! If it hasn't been used in a while, it should sound even better over the next few days as the caps form. I have a Theta DS Pro Progeny that I should dig out, welcome to try once I've repaired an RCA socket on it.

walpurgis

17-04-2016, 11:44

I have a Theta DS Pro Progeny that I should dig out, welcome to try once I've repaired an RCA socket on it.

The DS Pro Progeny works beautifully with the PD-S505 Precision. It's a combination I used for a while.

dantheman91

17-04-2016, 14:47

walpurgis

17-04-2016, 15:00

Thanks Geoff & Neil...Very good suggestions i;ll have to get saving but i will probably look out for a Beresford if i'm honest i only read good things about them but willing to try anything that comes my way i have a search around....:)

The Theta is outstanding. You'd be unlikely to find much in the way of new DACs coming near the sound quality for under a grand!