The Pioneer PL-990 turntable is a stylish looking fully automatic turntable. This great sound unit is easy to operate and is plug and play right out of the box. The Pioneer PL-990 has a built-in phono equalizer and preamp making it easy to connect to your existing system. Sure to give new life to your old vinyl. Its ability to play 33 and 45 rpm records covers most situations, and the PL-990 includes a rugged diamond stylus and moving magnet cartridge. The fact that Pioneer has provided this level of quality at a low price also makes this unit a winner.
Some of the features of the Pioneer PL-990 include
- Precision DC Servo Motor
- Two speeds: plays LP and 45
- Fully automatic: press a single button to play and then the player turns off when it reaches the end of the record. Great if you like to listen to music while you go to sleep.
- Highly responsive low-mass straight tonearm for better tracking
- Universal cartridge connector with moving magnet cartridge included
- Built-in phono equalizer allows easy connection to any line/aux input
- Low noise and vibration belt drive
- Rubber dish mat
- Vibration-reducing feet
- Hinged Plastic Dust Cover
- speed control
- control arm
While it has a lot of great features, a couple of things would have made the PL-990 better.
- First, there’s no way around the built-in preamp. This is fine if you have an empty line level aux jack on your receiver. If not, you may be unplugging your CD player (for example) to plug in your turntable. It is best that you consult your situation before buying.
- Second, the USB support is nice if you intend to convert your vinyl to CD. The 990 does not have this feature. You can still do it with this unit, but it’s a bit more roundabout.
- Third, if you have a lot of 78rpm records, you won’t be able to play them on this unit.
Despite these minor complaints, the Pioneer PL-990 is an excellent turntable for listening to your old vinyl. And the price is right.