Pioneer PLX 1000 Questions

Ended up upgrading my needle. Got the AT VM540ml and very pleased. Finally hooked up the Jelco headshell too. Currently my only stylus and with the wait and nothing to use might demo Grado next see what's up.
Reason I went AT is same reason people dont like it. It is a bright cart. With my Bowers which can be bright too it sound really good with my sub now. Before sub could over power on hip hop songs.
Just my 2 cents for anybody looking carts.
 
So I'm awaiting my PLX-1000 and I see this thread, and see multiple mentions of a head shell and tonearm damper upgrade. Could someone in the know expand on that, maybe point me in the right direction? For the record the first cartridge i'll be using will be a Grado Opus3
 
So I'm awaiting my PLX-1000 and I see this thread, and see multiple mentions of a head shell and tonearm damper upgrade. Could someone in the know expand on that, maybe point me in the right direction? For the record the first cartridge i'll be using will be a Grado Opus3
The preferred damper is the KAB: TD-1200 SL1200 TONEARM DAMPER AT KABUSA.COM

And the head shell is a Jelco, but I’m spacing on the model. HS-20 is what I have, but for some reason I thought it might have been updated.

Basically it’s 1) flat and 2) adjustable to level out properly.
 
I’ll be curious what you think. I didn’t notice a big difference on mine, but my system is maybe a bit more modest than some others here.
I'll be sure to report back.

So far I've ordered my PLX1000 the following:
Isolation feet from mnpc tech (All the options people were recommending were around $200, which is just too much for turntable feet imo. Found this guy who makes upgraded feet to-order, and the price looked good. Hope they're solid)
Jelco HS-20 Headshell w/Grado Opus3
TD-1200 Tonearm Damper

I'm basically treating this upcoming turntable like a newborn baby.
 
I'll be sure to report back.

So far I've ordered my PLX1000 the following:
Isolation feet from mnpc tech (All the options people were recommending were around $200, which is just too much for turntable feet imo. Found this guy who makes upgraded feet to-order, and the price looked good. Hope they're solid)
Jelco HS-20 Headshell w/Grado Opus3
TD-1200 Tonearm Damper

I'm basically treating this upcoming turntable like a newborn baby.

interesting with the foot upgrade. I kept mine stock, but I’ve not historically had an issue - might be the chunky furniture it lives on though.

I do like that Jelco shell - it’s a quality piece of tack. The shell/damper were both the suggestion of @HiFi Guy so I think you can trust those suggestions since they’re not my own :p
 
interesting with the foot upgrade. I kept mine stock, but I’ve not historically had an issue - might be the chunky furniture it lives on though.

I do like that Jelco shell - it’s a quality piece of tack. The shell/damper were both the suggestion of @HiFi Guy so I think you can trust those suggestions since they’re not my own :p
I've had isolation problems in the past, wheras someone just walking past the turntable could cause a skip. Wood floors and all. So isolation is definitely at the forefront of my mind, and I've read some less than stellar reviews of the stock feet. Hope these new feet plus the weight of the table itself will solve that issue. If not I'll just get a plank of wood of something to use as a separator.
 
I've had isolation problems in the past, wheras someone just walking past the turntable could cause a skip. Wood floors and all. So isolation is definitely at the forefront of my mind, and I've read some less than stellar reviews of the stock feet. Hope these new feet plus the weight of the table itself will solve that issue. If not I'll just get a plank of wood of something to use as a separator.
I have 80+ year old wood floors, so I feel your pain. But the weight should help - part of the reason I went that direction was that it’s an absolute tank for its class. The weight really helps out a lot - just be sure if you’re monkeying with the feet that you level it. I’ve noticed it’s pretty easygoing as a machine, but doesn’t love being off-kilter.
 
After reading a couple bad reviews of the PLX-1000's feet regarding isolation, I preemptively sought out replacements. Most recomended feet were around $200, which is just too much for turntable feet (imo). Eventually I settled on these from mnpctech, a small company which in addition to selling computer accessories, makes these turntable feet on demand. And for a reasonable price!
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I also wanted to check out their isolation "washers", which is really more of an oreo shape and should provide some additional buffer and isolation. They're a little hard to photograph.
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Couldn't find much info on this company or their products, but they looked too well made for the price to pass up. They also make these for a wide range of tables. At the very least they're made on demand in the usa, so I'll support that. Will report back on the results. The table arrives on monday, I'll leave the stock feet on for a couple days and then replace them with these and see the difference.
 
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After reading a couple bad reviews of the PLX-1000's feet regarding isolation, I preemptively sought out replacements. Most recomended feet were around $200, which is just too much for turntable feet (imo). Eventually I settled on these from mnpctech, a small company which in addition to selling computer accessories, makes these turntable feet on demand. And for a reasonable price!
View attachment 104468
View attachment 104469

I also wanted to check out their isolation "washers", which is really more of an oreo shape and should provide some additional buffer and isolation. They're a little hard to photograph.
View attachment 104470


Couldn't find much info on this company or their products, but they looked too well made for the price to pass up. They also make these for a wide range of tables. At the very least they're made on demand in the usa, so I'll support that. Will report back on the results. The table arrives on monday, I'll leave the stock feet on for a couple days and then replace them with these and see the difference.
So, how do you like the Pioneer?
 
So, how do you like the Pioneer?
I absolutely love it. Had some sibilance issues with the U-Turn, those are completely gone. Sound is so much cleaner, "flatter", helps with instrument seperation. Direct Drive is fantastic, if I had to switch back to a belt today, even if it was an upgrade, I know I'd be irked because i've fallen in love with DD so much so fast. Love how fast the start/stop times are, brushing records before play isn't a chore anymore due to the strength of rotation, it's great. No more tinkering with the belt. I've also noticed my somewhat dish warped records are playing much more smoothly, something about the platter design I suppose.

Isolation is amazing, haven't heard a skip or anything, can definitely recomend the mnpctech feet to eliminate the one weak point in isolation. The counterweight is a little iffy; can't say the design is great. Always feel like it's going to accidently shift; it needs some sort of locking mechanism.

But yeah overall I love it, solid 9/10.

Edit: Also the tonearm damper mod is fantastic. Also want to shout-out the music hall cork detachment mat. Between the mat and the new table I don't feel the need to use a record weight anymore, and the most warped albums in my collection are playing the smoothest they ever have.
 
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I absolutely love it. Had some sibilance issues with the U-Turn, those are completely gone. Sound is so much cleaner, "flatter", helps with instrument seperation. Direct Drive is fantastic, if I had to switch back to a belt today, even if it was an upgrade, I know I'd be irked because i've fallen in love with DD so much so fast. Love how fast the start/stop times are, brushing records before play isn't a chore anymore due to the strength of rotation, it's great. No more tinkering with the belt. I've also noticed my somewhat dish warped records are playing much more smoothly, something about the platter design I suppose.

Isolation is amazing, haven't heard a skip or anything, can definitely recomend the mnpctech feet to eliminate the one weak point in isolation. The counterweight is a little iffy; can't say the design is great. Always feel like it's going to accidently shift; it needs some sort of locking mechanism.

But yeah overall I love it, solid 9/10.

Edit: Also the tonearm damper mod is fantastic. Also want to shout-out the music hall cork detachment mat. Between the mat and the new table I don't feel the need to use a record weight anymore, and the most warped albums in my collection are playing the smoothest they ever have.
This may be something you know or I'm misunderstanding the comment, but I've heard the counterweight comment before and there was some confusion between the actual weight and the indicator ring. The part with the numbers is meant to move, but doesn't really effect the weight of the arm, its just there to set the weigh to 2g for instance, and know where 2g is so you can technically adjust the weight without a scale using the markings on the ring and arm.
 
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@DJSJ I love that you added these Sorbothane washers on top. Can you share pics of your PLX-1000?
Hey! Thanks for the joining the forum!
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I live in a hundred year old building with wood floors, so isolation has always been a problem for me (and getting things level, hence the cardboard slice). After I got the PLX I was very unimpressed with the default feet, and most replacments seemed to be around the $200 range. That's when I found your products, and couldn't be more happy! The skipping issues I'd have are completely gone, plus they just look pretty snazzy.

Definitely recommended for PLX owners, one of the best mods to the table I've made.
 
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Adding a link to make it easier for others to find:

 
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