Pioneer PL-4 turntable

The PL-4 is an Auto-Return Turntable. All it's essential controls - speed, pitch control 9with strobe) and cut - are grouped on the slanted front edge. Placing a record on the platter and moving the tone arm over to it is all that is necessary to enjoy record play. There's no need to physically touch the tone arem at any other time. The arm automatically returns to its rest when play is over. Even arm cueing is provided by an arm elevation device located at the base of the arm.

The arm is straight-contoured and constructed of low-mass PG (polymer Graphite). It is rigid, resistant to resonance, and lightweight. Record warps, eccentricties and cartridge/arm resonance pose no obstacles to accurate tracking. Sensitivity is increased by the low-mass design and distortion is measurably reduced.

The PL-4 employs the Pioneer coreless DC servo motor with Stable Hanging Rotor. Designed without cores, slots and brushes, it offers the smoothest cog-free rotation. Because of electronic switching by hall elements, it does not generate switching noise and years of reliable performance are assured. Mated with this advanced motor is an equally precise periphery integration speed detection circuit. It compensates for the minutest error in rotational speed four hundred times per second. The result is impeccable short-term and long-term speed accuracy.

Both the delicate cartridge and the tone arm are protected from acoustic feedback by the Coaxial Suspension system which mounts the motor and arm on a separate subchassis. Neither air-borne nor floor-borne vibrations are capable of affecting the tone arm, its base is isolated from the cabinet and suspended by four spring-loaded feet.

All in all, the PL-4 is a tough act for any competitive model in the same price range to follow because of its high-value features and top-flight specifications.

Specifications:

Drive System:  Direct-drive

Motors:  Coreless DC-Servo motor Hanging Rotor, Hall-motor

Speeds:  33-1/3 and 45 rpm.

Wow and Flutter (WRMS): 

No more than 0,025%;

No more than 0,014% (measured directly from FG output)

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (BIN B):  more than 78 dB

Tone-arm Type:  Static-balanced low mass Polymer Graphite straight pipe arm

Effective Arm Length:  221 mm (8-11/16 inches)

Overhang:  15,5 mm (5/8 inches)

Usable Cartridge Weight:  3 g  to 8 g

Power Requirement:  120 V 60 Hz

Power Consumption:  12 watts

Dimensions (W x H x D):  420 x 108 x 367 mm (16-9/16" x 4-1/4" x 14-7/16")

Weight:   5,8 kg (12 lbs 13 oz)