Luxman PD-350

Last and ultimate Luxman-by-Micro turntable, planned before but produced at the very moment the Alpine sale was happening.

Design-wise inherited from Micro are the mix of metals (aluminium + brass), the peripheral belt-drive, the (improved) VDS system, the one-piece chassis-feet-armbase and the heavyweight platter.

The platter weighs 9,5kg and is made of aluminium (top+sides) and brass (base) ; inertia moment amounts to 1200kg /cm2.

The motor is is a DC brush/slot-less FG Servo controlled ; I don't know if it was sourced from Pioneer like that of the PD-300 or from Matsushita like that of the PD555 or the SX-111FV or the PL-901...

The chassis is made of six c. 1cm thick steel plates bonded together ; two-tier separate armbases were offered in either diecast aluminium or brass, the latter being better and weighing 1,2kg.

The VS-300 VDS pump clearly was an improvement over the self-pumping system of the PD-300 bestseller which had a tendency to gradually loose pressure after the beginning of a record's B side : a servo was here included to monitor and keep even the air in/out flows.
The VS-300 also feeds the PD-350 its 20V DC running power ; the VS-300's T-tag is YAGI, based in Osaka, like Luxman until november 1983.

Given the scarcity of the info available counterbalanced with my knowledge of the brand, I suppose that he main production run of about 300 was carried in august 1983 with another 50 made in september for a total production of 350 (which would be very Lux :)
Luxman EU imported only one (in 220V).


Inherited from Luxman was the magnificent design still bearing notes of the 1982 X-1D CD prototype ; gone, however, was the X-5P prototype... and the 350 : if the smaller PD-310 sold somewhat ok, the PD-350 didn't.
Pity : it is the best Luxman/Micro turntable made.