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The Pioneer PL-707 was a Japanese turntable from the first half of the 1980s, a period when Japan’s electronics industry was a global leader in the home hi-fi sector. During those years, major Japanese manufacturers were investing heavily in the development of advanced technical solutions, and the Pioneer brand actively contributed to this era of innovation with equipment designed to combine mechanical precision, reliability and engineering expertise.
The PL-707 model fitted perfectly into this historical context, positioning itself as a high-end automatic turntable within Pioneer’s product range. The machine featured direct drive with a quartz-controlled servomotor, a solution which at the time represented one of the most advanced approaches to stabilising rotational speed. The quartz control system ensured extremely stable rotation over time, minimising speed variations and helping to define the standard of precision that characterised many of the finest Japanese turntables of the era.
The design also featured a tonearm made from carbon fibre, a material that was being introduced into high-end audio components at the time due to its rigidity and lightness. The tonearm featured the exclusive DRA (Dynamic Resonance Adsorber) system, a solution developed to absorb and control unwanted resonances along the tracking system, whilst the anti-skating adjustment helped maintain a correct balance of forces during record tracking.
The Pioneer PL-707 was designed as a fully automatic turntable, a feature reflecting the pursuit of convenience and precision typical of many Japanese designs of that period. All one had to do was select the speed and record size and press start. The rest would be done automatically: the motorised tonearm would rise and move automatically to the correct starting point on the record. At the end of playback, the tonearm would automatically return to its resting position, unless the ‘repeat’ function had been selected, which would cause the tonearm to return to the start of the record for a theoretically infinite number of cycles or until the stop button was pressed.
The fact that it was an automatic turntable, however, did not preclude the possibility of using it manually. It was simply a matter of lifting the tonearm and moving it towards the centre of the record to activate the motor, thus allowing direct control of the playback position.
Unlike its younger sibling, the Pioneer PL-505, this model also featured VTA adjustment, i.e. the ability to alter the height of the tonearm pivot. This solution allowed the vertical tracking angle to be adapted to a wider range of cartridges, a feature that demonstrated the design focus on compatibility with various playback systems.
As for the model on offer, there are two variants available.
Version A: this unit is now in excellent condition following a complete overhaul. The plinth has been completely re-veneered with oil-treated genuine mahogany, a solution that replaces the original wood-effect vinyl covering and gives the turntable a particularly elegant appearance. The dust cover, whilst not original to this model, is new. The turntable comes complete with a Pioneer PC-260 cartridge with a stylus still in excellent condition and a copy of the user manual in English.
Version B: this unit has also been fully refurbished and is in excellent condition. The dust cover is new and was custom-made by a company specialising in Plexiglas work. The turntable comes complete with an original Pioneer PC-6MC MC cartridge with a stylus still in excellent condition and a copy of the user manual in English.
A collector’s item, refurbished and in excellent cosmetic condition.
