Pioneer XL-1300 (c. 1979)

The Pioneer XL-1300 is a quartz-PLL direct-drive turntable that sold for ¥46,800 around 1979. The record on it is thin. No production years are confirmed, no contemporary reviews have surfaced in the research, and there is no current collector pricing. The spec sheet that survives is detailed, though, and it shows a well-equipped deck.

The motor was a quartz PLL brushless Hall design driving a 32cm aluminum die-cast platter with an inertial mass of 280kg-cm². Wow and flutter was rated at 0.025% (WRMS) or less, S/N at 73dB (DIN-B), and speed deviation at no more than 0.002%. The tonearm was a static-balance S-shaped pipe arm, 221mm effective length, with its main mass concentrated near the pivot to reduce moment of inertia. Pioneer fitted an MM cartridge as standard, the PC-150 with a PN-150 stylus. Replacement styluses for it are still listed by parts suppliers.

The feature set was generous for the period. It had auto-return that cuts power at the end of a side, a quick-play function that starts the platter when the arm is moved onto the record, strobe, anti-skate, a direct-reading stylus-pressure scale, arm lift, and a free-stop hinge. The cabinet paired a large aluminum die-cast arm base with double 20mm solid-wood layers, on spring-and-rubber insulators.

Known specs:

- Drive: quartz PLL direct drive, brushless Hall motor; 33⅓ and 45 rpm

- Wow/flutter: 0.025% or less (WRMS); S/N: 73dB or more (DIN-B)

- Tonearm: static-balance S-shaped pipe arm, 221mm effective length, 15.5mm overhang; glass-fiber-reinforced-resin headshell

- Cartridge: PC-150 MM, PN-150 stylus, 3.5mV output

- Dimensions: 440 × 145 × 365mm; 10kg; 100V AC, 3W