Vestax PDX-2000MkII, PDX-2000MkII Pro User Manual

PROFESSIONAL DIRECT DRIVE TURNTABLE

OWNER'S MANUAL

VESTAX CORPORATION

1-18-16 Wakabayashi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0023 Japan
Phone : [phone] Fax : [phone]
E-mail : [e-mail]
www.vestax.com

VESTAX Europe Ltd.

Unit 5, Riverwey Industrial Park
Alton, Hampshire GU 34 2QL, England.
Phone : [phone] Fax : [phone]
www.vestax.co.uk

1

The lightning flash with arrowhead, symbol within an equilateral triangle, is
intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage"
within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a
risk of electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to
the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in
the literature accompanying the appliance.

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRlC SHOCK, DO NOT
EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

CAUTION :

TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, MATCH BLADE OF PLUG TO
WIDE SLOT, FULLY INSERT

ATTENTION :

POUR EVITER LES CHOCS ELECTRIQUES, INTRODUIRE LA
LAME LA PLUS LARGE DE LA FICHE DANS LA BORNE
CORRESPONDANTE DE LA PRISE ET POUSSER JUSQU' AU
FOND

CAUTION : TO REDUCE THE RlSK OF ELECTRlC SHOCK

DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK

)

NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE

REFER SERVlCING TO QUALIFIED SERVlCE PERSONNEL

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN

CONGRATULATION

Thank you for purchasing the Vestax PDX-2000MkII/MkII Pro, Professional
Direct Drive Turntable. Please read this owner's manual carefully, so that
you will fully understand all of the special features and enjoy the full use
of this product.

2

1. Read instructions-All the safety and operating instructions
should be read before the appliance is operated.

2. Retain instructions-The safety and operating instructions
should be retained for future reference.

3. Heed Warnings-All warnings on the appliance and in the
operating instructions should be adhered to.

4. Follow Instructions-All operating and use instructions should
be followed.

5. Cleaning-Unplug this product from the wall outlet before
cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a
damp cloth for cleaning.

6. Attachments-Do not use attachments not recommended by
the product manufacturer as they may cause hazards.

7. Water and Moisture-Do not use this product near water-for
example, near a bath tub, wash bowl, kitchen sink, or laundry
tub, in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool, and the like.

8. Accessories-Do not place this product on an unstable cart,
stand, tripod, or table. The product may fall, causing serious
injury to a child or adult, and serious damage to the appliance.
Use only with a cart,. stand, tripod, bracket, or table
recommended by the manufacturer, or sold with product. Any
mounting of the appliance should follow the manufacturer's
instructions, and should use a mounting accessory
recommended by the manufacturer.

9. Ventilation-Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for
ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the product and
to protect it from overheating, and these openings must not be
blocked or covered. The openings should never be blocked by
placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar
surface. This product should never be placed near or over a
radiator or heat register. This product should not be placed in
a built-in installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper
ventilation is provided or the manufacturer's instructions have
been adhered to.

10. Power sources-This product should be operated only from the
type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are
not sure of the type of power supply to your home, consult
your appliance dealer or local power company.

11. Grounding or Polarization-This product is equipped with a
polarized alternating-current line plug (a plug having one blade
wider than the other). This plug will fit into the power outlet
only one way. This is safety feature. If you are unable to insert
the plug fully into the outlet, try reversing the plug. If this
should still fail to fit, contact your electrician to replace your
obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the
polarized plug.

12. Power-Cord Protection-Power supply cords should be routed
so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items
placed upon or against them, paying particular attention to
cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where
they exit from the appliance.

IMPORTANT SAFEGURDS

READ BEFORE OPERATING EQUIPMENT

This product was designed and manufactured to meet strict quality
and safety standards. There are, however, some installation and
operation precautions which you should be particularly aware of.

13. Protective Attachment Plug-The appliance is equipped with an
attachment plug having overload protection. This is a safety
feature. See Instruction Manual for replacement or resetting of
protective device. If replacement of the plug is required, be
sure the service technician has used a replacement plug
specified by the manufacturer that has the same overload
protection as the original plug.

14. Lightning-For added protection for this product during lightning
storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for long
periods of time, unplug it from the wall outlet. This will prevent
damage to the product due to lightning and power-line surges.

15. Overloading-Do not overload wall outlets and extension cords
as this can result in a risk of fire or electric shock.

16. Object and Liquid Entry-Never push objects of any kind into
this product through openings as they may touch dangerous
voltage points or short-out parts that could result in a fire or
electric shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product.

17. Servicing-Do not attempt to service product yourself as
opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerous
voltage or other hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified
personnel.

18. Damage Requiring Service-Unplug this product from the wall
outlet and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under
the following conditions:

a. When the power-supply cord or plug is damage.
b. If liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the

product.
c. If the product has been exposed to rain or water.
d. If the product dose not operate normally by following

the operating instructions. Adjust only those controls

that are covered by the operating instructions as an

improper adjustment of other, controls may result in

damage and will often require extensive work by a

qualified technician to restore the product to its normal

operation.
e. If the product has been dropped or cabinet has been

damaged.
f. When the product exhibits a distinct change in

performance-this indicates need for service.

19. Replacement Parts-When replacement parts are required, be
sure the service technician has used replacement parts
specified by the manufacturer or have the same
characteristics as the original parts. Unauthorized
substitutions may result in fire, electric shock or other hazards.

20. Safety Check-Upon completion of any service or repairs to
product, ask the service technician to perform safety checks to
determine that the product is in proper operating condition.

21. Carts and Stands-The appliance should be used only with a
cart stand that is recommended by manufacturer.

22. An appliance and cart combination
should be moved with care. Quick
stops, excessive force, and uneven
surfaces may cause the appliance and
cart combination to overturn.

3

FEATURES

NOTES

• NEW DESIGNED DC MOTOR
Newly designed DC motor creates. 1.7kg torque and super fast start and brake within 1/4 rpm.

• ANTI SKIPPING TONE-ARM SYSTEM, TRACING HOLD BALANCE SYSTEM
The heavy-duty A. S. T. Stone arm is also newly designed for this model. Its stability and elaborateness enables non-skipping
performance in any occasion.
New designed A. S. T. S (Anti Skipping Tone Arm System) and TH (tracing hold) balance TONE-ARM system protect skipping
performance in hard scratching. And this TONE-ARM provide adjustment mechanism of tone arm height which Vestax Turn table
series have generally.

• ULTRA PITCH CONTROLLER
±50% Ultra Pitch ControI Fader allows DJs to be more creative.

• START & BRAKE CONTROL
Start & brake speed controI volumes are provided for new mixing technique.

• REVERSE PLAY
Reverse bottan makes platter spin backwards in one quick action.

• PROTECTION FOR FEEDBACK
The combination of the new A. S. T. S. tone arm and high-condensed ABS cabinet enables the highest resistance to the feedback.

• PDX-2000MkII Pro
In addition to the above-mentioned feature, the dynamic balance tone arm system is adopted.
By improving the trace performance of tone arm, playback sound quality becomes better and it makes playback possible even if the
disk have some curvature.

• Before detaching or attaching the headshell, be sure to turn the power of the amplifier or mixer off.

• Detaching or attaching of the headshell with the volume control turned up may cause damage to the speakers.

• Do not turn "ON" the power supply, with the turn table platter detached.

• When play is finished, be sure to secure the tone-arm with the arm clamp. After play is finished, if the unit is not to be used for
some time, care should be taken to secure the tone-arm to protect the stylus tip. For the same reason, the stylus protector should also
be attached.

• Wipe the headshell terminals from time to time. Dust and dirt at the headshell terminals may result in increased "HUM" noise or
intermittent sound. Use a soft dry cloth to clean the heashell terminals.

• Dust and dirt should be carefully removed from stylus tip or records. Dust and dirt on the stylus tip or record may not only result in
deterioration of tone quality, but also cause under wear of the record and the stylus tip itself.

• Transportation of the unit to distant places for removal and the like. Pack up the unit in there verse order to that for unpacking,
using the packing materials furnished when the unit was purchased. Should there be no such packing materials, be sure to take the
following steps. Remove the turntable platter together with the turntable mat, and wrap it up to prevent any damage to them. Return
the tone-arm to the armrest, and affix it with tape or the like. Remove the balance weight and the headshell/cartridge from the tone­arm and then wrap them up to avoid and damage to them. Wrap up the turn table base with a blanket or soft paper also to prevent
any possible damage to it.

• ACOUSTIC FEEDBACK AND HUM
Acoustic Feedback is usually cause by vibration of speaker, which affects the sensitive cartridge.
If such a phenomenon occurs, relocate the turn table or speakers as far apart from each other as possible.
Hum is usually cause by near by appliances that use transformer or thermostat. Relocating be unit further away from the noise
sources will readily solve the problem. Hum may also be produced if the grounding wire extending from the unit is securely
connected to the GND terminal on the amplifier of mixer.

4

A.S.T.S (Anti Skipping Tone-arm System)

The A.S.T.S (Anti Skipping Tone-arm System) was years in trial and development. Initially the quest was to improve on the
tracing of tone arms available at the time, but soon the quest mutated into designing a completely new tone arm and hold system.
The result of this laborious task has enhanced the turntables potential immensely and is now incorporated into all Vestax
professional level turntables. The system breaks with ill foundered traditional tone arm logic in order to achieve a high level of
non skipping performance, especially during hard play (scratch). Essentially this system focuses on two very separate, yet very
important inventions. One is a short straight arm and the other is the way in which the arm is balanced, both vertically and
horizontally.

• TH (Tracing hold) Balance System. This system allows for both vertical and horizontal movement, which helps the balance of
the tone arm. When combined with a short straight tone arm the best stability ever is provided for the needle, which in turn
allows for hard play.

• The tone arm, both straight and short, is made up of two parts - an inner and an outer tube. The inner tube, brass, is housed
within an outer tube of aluminum, which reduces the effects of howling and also provides a more sensitive pick up. Compared
with other tone arms on the market, the A.S.T.S tone arm reduces howling by approximately 50% more.

2

F

F

1

F

2

F

F

F

1

F

Tracking force

Inside force

Vertical force

NORMAL TYPE TONE-ARM

A. S. T. S

Needle trace

Needle trace

The inside force is minimized.

The tracking force (frictional force) generated between
the stylus and the record disc makes the inside force.

5

Rear

Front

Parts and accessories

PARTS

PDX-2000MkIIPro

PDX-2000MkII

Tone Arm

Arm Rest

Tone-Arm Height Fixed Screw

Tone-Arm Height Gauge

Spare Cartridge Stand

Dynamic Needle Pressure

Adjustment Knob

Center Spindle

Turntable Platter(Option 2 )

Power Switch

Slip Mat(Option 3 )

EP Adapter Holder

START/STOP Button

Speed Select Button

Reverse Switch

Quartz Lock Button

Detachable Stylus Illumination Jack

Ultra Pitch Fader

Pitch Control Fader

START/BRAKE CONTROL

Headshell(Option 4 )

Balance Weight(Option 5 )

REMOTE

RL

OUTPUT

SERIAL NO.

PDX-2000MkIIPro

PDX-2000MkII

Remote-control Jack

Output Jack AC Cord

Ground Terminal

BEFORE USE

Before use, please check that you have all parts.

q Main unit
w Platter
e Split mat
r Head shell
t Balance weight

• Accessories accompanying this booklet.

y Shell weight
u RCA cable
i GND cable
o EP adopter
!0 Platter screws
!1 Screw driver for platter screws
!2 Owner's manual

6

Turntable Assembly

Installing the balance Weight

Slip mat

ASSEMBLY AND SET-UP

• If the player is operated without fixing the screws, the
platter may not rotate properly.

• Do not plug in to a power outlet until this unit is fully
assembled and adjusted.

q Place the platter on the center spindle. The platter will adjust

itself to best fit over the spindle.

w Adjust the positioning of the platter so that the screw holes line

up perfectly.

e Screw and tighten accordingly.
r Place the slip mat on the platter.

*** Care should be taken to avoid dropping either/both, the

platter or the cabinet.

q Place the slip mat on the platter. Then place a record on top of

the slip mat. The slip mat is essentially used to give you better
control over the spinning of your record. That is, with the slip
mat in place you are able to stop, pull or push the record
without affecting the rotation of the platter.

Top : Record disc side (Printed side)
Bottom : Slip surface side

(

The slip mat included with this unit may
differ from illustrations in this user guide or
in other publications.

)

q From the backend of the tone arm (towards the rear panel)

place the balance weight onto the shaft and turn counter
clockwise. (Refer to the illustration)

DRIVER

q

e

r

w

Cartridge Installation

q Make sure that you follow the instructions included with your

cartridge.

w Connect the lead wires to the respective terminals. Industry

standard cartridges come with color-coded wires. Make sure
that you match these colors correctly.

If using a light weight cartridge, we suggest the use of
the shell weight enclosed.

PDX-2000MkII PDX-2000MkII Pro

NUT

SHELL

(OPTION r)

SHELL WEIGHT

(OPTION y)

CARTRIDGE

(ACCESSORY)

LEAD WIRE

TERMINAL

(ACCESSORY)

STYLUS

(ACCESSORY)

SCREWS

(ACCESSORY)

7

r Insert the head shell into the front part of the tone arm. Turn

the looking ring in the direction shown below until the head
shell is firmly fixed in place.

50mm

e The overhang of your cartridge needs to be adjusted to best

suit the A.S.T.S tone arm. For best tracking and stylus pressure
a distance of 50mm (as shown) should be set.

To avoid premature damage to the stylus take care to
avoid touching it during any adjustment(s).

Power Connection

• Do not expose this unit to direct sunlight, or install in an area
that is typically humid and/or damp.

• Place this unit on a stable, horizontal service in order to limit
vibration and poor tracing/action of the tone arm.

• Locate this unit at a suitable distance from any speakers so as
to avoid feedback.

• Interference may result from close proximity of an AM/FM
tuner.

Plug in the unit to a power outlet.

INSTALLATION AND CONNECTION

Player Installation

This unit has been manufactured to strict quality and
safety standards. PLEASE ENSURE that you use
the correct power supply as shown on the rear panel
of this device. FAILURE to do so many result in shock
and/or serious damage to this unit and/or users.

8

Connecting Phono terminal

With the RCA cable (accessory 7) and the GND cable (accessory

8), connect the output terminals and the GND terminal on the
PDX-2300 rear panel, and the phono input terminals to the
respective terminals on your amplifier/mixer.

PDX-2000MkII/MkII Pro

REAR PANEL

RCA JACK WHITE（L）

RCA JACK RED（R）

GND T ER MI NA L

RCA CABLE（WHITE/L）

CABLE

Connection

CABLE

Connection

RCA CA BL E（RE D/ R） 

PHON O L Ch an ne l

PHON O R Ch an ne l

GND T RM IN AL

AMP/AUDIO MIXER

GND CABLE（B LACK）

DJミキサー

PCV180

PDX-2000MkII / MkII Pro

REMOTE

RL

OUTPUT

SERIAL NO.

REMOTE

RL

OUTPUT

SERIAL NO.

PDX-2000MkII / MkII Pro

R/赤 L/白

R/赤 L/白

R/赤 L/白

R/赤 L/白

Ensure that the GND (ground) terminal is firmly
connected to a mixer or amplifier. If the GND terminal
is not correctly connected HUM may persist.

Example

q Install the cartridge, headshell and balance weight to the tone-

arm.

Adjustment of Horizontal Zero Balance

ADJUSTMENT(S

)

e Put the tone-arm on the arm rest and lock it.

w Unlock the arm rest, adjust the tone-arm balance by rotating

the balance weight, so that the tone-arm stays in horizontal
position in balance.

Please be sure that the needle does not touch the
platter or the other object in adjustment procedure.

The balance weight and cartridge are
balanced, the tone-arm is held horizontal.

The balance weight setting is too heavy.

The balance weight setting is too light.

9

In case of the height of Tone-Arm is needed for adjustment, it is
possible to adjust the height by following the scale of Tone-Arm
Height Gauge after loosening the Tone-Arm Height Fixed Screw.
The adjustment range is 9mm at the maximum.

Cartridge height 16mm

Cartridge height 25mm

Rotate
this part

Balance Weight

Counter Ring

Rotate
this part

Balance Weight

Counter Ring

Tone-Arm Height Fixed Screw

Tone-Arm Height
Gauge

In case the balance weight moved, do the adjustment
of horizontal zero balance again.

The appropriate stylus pressure needs to be set in
order to generate the best performance. Please refer
to the user’s manual of the stylus.

Be sure to tighten the Tone-arm height Fixed screw well.
The stylus may jump/skip if the height setting is not
secured.

q Hold the balance weight with one hand as shown in the

drawing, and rotate only counter ring to bring the numeral "0"
of the ring into alignment with the center line on the tone-arm
rear shaft.

w Turn the balance weight to present the reading on the gauge to

the designed stylus force of your cartridge.

As counter ring moves in step with the balance weight, proper

stylus pressure can selected by reading the

graduated ring directly.

Adjustment of Tone-arm Height

Adjustment of Stylus Puressure

q Loosen the dynamic needle pressure adjustment knob and pull

it to the position with appropriate needle pressure, the tighten
the knob.

Dynamic Needle Pressure
Adjustment Knob

Loose Close

Dynamic Needle
Pressure
Adjustment Knob

10

Fit the EP adapter over the center spindle and follow the same
playing instructions as written above.

A detachable stylus light is available for this unit as an optional
extra.

Stylus light (Detachable mini light)

OPERATION

q Place a record on the slip mat.
w Switch on the unit using the Power on/off switch located on

the rear panel.

e Remove the stylus protector if applicable.

r Start the platter spinning with the START/STOP button.

The START/STOP functions of the PDX-2000MkII can be controlled
externally with equipment such as a foot switch peddle. An input
jack is provided for this remote control on the rear panel of this unit.

Remote Control

t Position the tone arm over the record and gently lower to begin

playback.

y Set the playing speed to either 33 1/3 or 45 RPM.

If the power switch is turned off without pressing the
START/STOP button, the electric brake will not
function.

u Move the tone arm to the resting position and secure using the

tone arm clamp.

i Push the START/STOP button to stop the platter from

spinning.

o Turn the unit off.

Playing EP records

When turned on this unit is set to play at 33 1/3 RPM.
To adjust to a 45RPM speed setting, press the 45
RPM button. This unit does not use a cue lever
system for speed setting(s).

11

q When pressing the quartz lock button, quartz lock is off.

w When moving main pitch controller, you can adjust the

revolutions by ±10%.

e Ultra pitch fader changes the revolution by ±50%.

Adjustment of Quartz Locked Control and Pitch

q When the indicator lamp is lit showing the operating condition

for the pre-determined speed (33-1/ or 45 rpm).

w During the operation of pre-determined speed, Pitch control

fader can not be functioned. And once press the quartz control
button, the indicator lamp is put out the speed can be adjusted
pitch control fader.

e During the operation of above w, if you want to change to

speed to the pre-detemined one, press the quartz button.
The indicator lamp lights and speed will become pre­determined one even when the pitch control fader not in the
center.

Adjustment of Pitch Control

Lighting : Quartz Lock
Putting out Light : Non Quartz Lock

12

You can adjust the starting speed of the platter by adjusting the
SPEED ADJUSTMENT 'START' dial. A clockwise rotation
slows down the starting speed whilst an anti clockwise rotation
will speed it up. At its maximum setting after pressing the
START button, the PDX-2000MkII/MkIIPro has an amazingly
quick start up (to full speed) of around 0.5 seconds.

As well as being able to change the start speed, you can alter
the speed at which the platter brakes or slows down. A
clockwise rotation of this dial gives a slow brake speed whilst
an anti clockwise rotation produces the fastest brake speed
possible. Again, the powerful motor (and therefore platter
speed) of the PDX-2000MkII/MkIIPro is far beyond that of its
closest competitor.

When pushed, this button will instantly reverse the playing
direction of the platter. In reverse mode, an indicator LED will
be on. When the unit is first turned on, the platter is set to spin
in the normal forward direction.

Start Speed

Brake Speed

Reverse Play

22AZ851010

SPECIFICATION



TURNTABLE MOTOR DIRECTDRIVEQUARTZ

 STARTINGUPTIME 0.5sec(331/3rpm)70°

 STARTINGTORQUE 2.7kg・cm

 BRAKINGSYSTEM ELECTRONICBRAKE

 RAMBLE(S/NRATIO) 78dB(IEC98WTD)

 SPEED "331/3rpm,45rpm"

 FINEPITCH ± 10%(100mmFADER)

 ULTRAPITCH ± 50%(45mmFADER)

 WOW&FLUTTER 0.07%W.R.M.S.

ARM TYPE ANTISKIPPINGTONE-ARMSYSTEM

 DYNAMICBALANCESTRAIGHTTONE-ARM

 BALANCE TRACINGHOLDBALANCE

 TONE-ARMHEIGHT ADJUSTMENTRANGE9MM(MAXIMUM)

 STYLUSPRESSURE ADJUSTMENTRANGE0 〜 7.0g

 LIGHT(OPTIONAL) DETOUCHABLEMINILIGHTDC12Volt20mA

 SPEEDLOCK QUARTZLOCK

 REMOTE MOMENTARYSTART(MINIJACK)

 DIMENSION (W)454mm × (H)162mm × (D)365mm

 WEIGHT 9.5kg

 POWER AC120VorAC230V10W