Belt Drive

The Technics SL-BD22 is both and vintage and not-so-vintage turntable. It hung around for quite awhile before finally being discontinued. I believe it was on the market from around late 1985 up until about 2000. It is one of the last turntables Technics built before they got out of the lower/mid end turntable market.

The SL-BD22 is an inexpensive but decent belt-drive, semi-automatic turntable with a P-mount arm which makes it easy to setup for those newer to the turntable scene. The drawback is that there are not many adjustments that one can make. There are not a lot of options in terms of upgrades either. Cartridges and cables can be replaced with higher quality versions and sound dampening can be installed but most everything else is set in place.

There are no tracking and antiskating adjustments that can be made. Still, it is a well built and reliable turntable for the price. It retailed at around $100 when first introduced and around $190 when finally discontinued.

It came stock with a Technics EPC-P24 cartridge. For those on a budget the P-Mount AT92E cartridge will fit nicely. Just plug it in and you’re ready to play.

The belt is easily changeable and cheap at around $10. Just be sure to clean out all of the old belt residue as it can cause variations in the rotational speed.

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The SL-BD22 features:

Quiet and precise belt-drive motor system
Speeds of 33.33 and 45 RPM
P-Mount cartridge connector system
Highly sensitive gimbal suspension tonearm
DC motor with FG servo control
Auto return and Auto stop
Wow and flutter: 0.06% wrms
Rumble: 70dB
Variable Pitch Control
Static balanced straight tonearm
Dimensions – 17 x 15 x 4 inches
Weight – 9.8 pounds
Anti-Resonant Cabinet
Built in illuminated stroboscope

The Technics SL-BD22 is not an audiophile turntable. It has few upgrade options and is definitely a no frills table. It is, however, well built, easy to setup and performs very well for the price. As an entry level turntable it really can’t be beat. For around $100 or so you can be listening to your vinyl collection in no time.

This is one of Pioneer’s better contributions to the turntable market. Built in the late 60′ and early 70’s it’s the Pioneer PL-41. At the time it was their top of the line turntable. The Pl-61 and PL-71 were better but came out a few years later and were direct drive as opposed to the PL-41’s belt drive.

The PL-41 is built like a tank and, when set up properly, is a solid performer. Some stats:

Speeds: 33 and 45rpm
Wow and flutter: 0.08%
Rumble: 50dB
Platter: 310mm, 2.2kg, aluminium alloy diecast
Tonearm: static balance type
Cartridge: PL-C9 moving magnet
Stylus: PL-N9 0.65 mil radius diamond
Frequency response: 15 to 21,000Hz
Channel separation: more than 30dB
Output: 5mV
Stylus pressure: 2 to 3g
Dimensions: 508 x 406 x 191mm
Weight: 10.5kg

The PL-41 uses an SME style headshell and a number of cartridges will work well with it including the Audio Technica AT120 and AT95E as well as the Stanton 680EE. For more advanced users the Denon DL-110 and DL-160 are good choices. A vintage Shure M91ED and a new stylus will work well also.

There are a couple common problems with the PL-41. First, the cueing mechanism can run dry causing the tonearm to drop quickly. Adding the correct can fix this. For a good reference on how to do it check out THIS thread. Another problem are the thrust plates which are located in the bottom portion of the bearing well. They have a tendency to crack or disintegrate over time causing the platter to sit incorrectly in the platter well. They are easy to replace, but it is difficult to find originals. Some have tried to fabricate them out of small pieces of plastic or plastic bottle caps. A long thread on this subject can be found HERE.

The Pioneer PL-41 really is a quality turntable. It’s big, it’s heavy and it’s built well. With the right maintenance and cartridge it can be a very good performer. You can find one in good working condition for anywhere from $150 to $300.