She's Back! PIONEER PD-91 Reference CD player!

hey everyone! guess who just jumped on this:

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?dgtlplay&1282617785

that's right, in a week or so, i'll have my baby back!!

i cannot begin to iterate just how i've missed the sweet sound
and gorgeous cosmetics of this CDP. as good as my DENON DCD-1500 is,
both me and my mother have critically listened to both, and
we agree that the PD-91's sonics are in an entirely different league altogether!!

the instruction manual describes the player's sound as
"Minute Level Resolution" and that is exactly as it is.
every element of an arbitrary musical program is roundly
and sharply defined, NOTHING is hazed over on this remarkable CDP!!

i'm so happy i could burst! i can hardly wait...









This post has been edited by MacGyver on July 18, 2010 07:51 am

great looking cdp

congrats John! always nice to have an old friend back.

thanks. this should be my last CDP.

i intend to obtain the service manual, as well as a couple of spare pick-ups
as i can afford them. (they are $144.00ea. from PIONEER PARTS.)

(bless PIONEER for using a standardized,
fully compatible laser pick-up design in all their 1987/present CDPs,
single disc as well as changer. as such, they have kept their CDP laser pick-up
in production well into the 2000s, and have a large back stock
of japanese made pick-ups on hand.)

with those, i should be able to keep this beauty alive
for at least a sizable portion of my lifetime.

while this player has both OPTICAL and COAXIAL digital outputs,
making it an ideal transport to feed a modern day outboard DAC,
the player by itself is the single finest sounding CDP that i have ever
been witness to hear.

as such, i do not envision myself ever
growing dissatisfied with it's sound and adding a modern DAC as
i have seen several PD-91 owners on the internet do.

perhaps my ears are not good enough, or maybe my
amplifier/loudspeaker chain does not resolve well enough,
but when i had this player in my system, on it's own merits,
i found myself wanting for absolutely nothing, and i believe that
that is about as close to Audio Nirvana as i'll ever get...

This post has been edited by MacGyver on July 19, 2010 06:24 am

it's being shipped from TEXAS, via FEDEX, and it's in my home town of PORTLAND, OR.
at the moment, about 200 miles away. it won't be long!!

Congrats, John!

I'm still enamored with my PD-65 myself.


A question fo you- will that laser work for my PD-65? I wouldn't mind a spare myself.

I'd imagine a service manual is a necessity too- I heard these can be difficult to install and get aimed correctly...

yes, i do believe it does. from 1987 on, it seems that PIONEER
used the same laser pickup design in both their single disc
and changer models. while this was likely a cost-cutting measure
by PIONEER, it has turned out to be quite the boon for
audiophile collector-users such as myself.

i am not so sure about your PD-65,
but i do know that with the 91, laser replacement
couldn't possibly be easier. in can actually be done
in 10/15 min. and hardest part is opening the chassis.

three screws, flip the disc-stabilizer cage over to the side,
a PHILLIPS screw and a HEX-head screw, and you can lift
the pick-up right out. very, very easy.

now, unfortunately, the PD-65 does not look to be so simple;


PD-65






PD-91

Hi John, I extend an olive branch.

That is a very nice deck, I'd love to have one in my system. Enjoy dude
Craig

Bump!! she's going to show up at my doorstep today!!

PM sent...

Hi
Is that your Grant DAC in the pic?

Larry

here we are! it is not only in excellent overall condition, but it also
obviously has a good, young powerful laser, as it has so far played
everything i've thrown at it, both factory disc and CD-R, absolutely
flawlessly! my first copy, picked up for $25.00 in cosmetically threadbare
condition, was never able to play CD-Rs with the surefooted authority
that this copy does, even after tweaking the laser control pots of
the original!


as you can see, it came factory stock, with the U.S.-typical
stamped sheet metal top bonnet. as long-time members
may already be aware, i had a dead copy of the japanese-market
version of this player; the PD-3000. one of it's swappable design improvements
over the U.S. PD-91 is a solid aluminum top panel in place
of the sheet metal bonnet;





and the other is a set of isolator feet filled with the same epoxy resin
as is used in the outboard-mounted transformer, plus a solid steel
support foot for the transformer cradle, in place of the hollow
polycarbonate foot substituted in the PD-91;


PD-91 set on left, PD-3000 set on right.
main isolator in background, transformer in fore;



(steel fender washer added to PD-3000 main isolator by me)


so, as you can see, what i have here is basically the best of both worlds,
and boy, does it ever look and sound magnificent!!
now all i need is the service manual and at least a couple
of spare pick-ups, and i'll be set for life!!








This post has been edited by MacGyver on July 27, 2010 03:06 pm

why dont you run a coax, or optical cable? just wondering

i'd have to get an outboard DAC for that.

i've thought about that, but in all honesty, this player's
stock sound satisfies me fully. i may try it some day,
but i doubt it, at least for now...

Does it have analog outputs along with the digital. I mean it says analog. Doesn't it have an onboard DAC?

Larry