I notice you can still buy VWT1138 laser pickup for the HLD-X9, does anyone know if all of the Muse players share the same pickup? Is that same part from X0 and HLD-1000? Also everyone says that CLD-1010 uses the "same" red laser, is that one interchangeable with any or all of the Muse players?

Nope.

X0 might, just might, have a few shared mechanical parts with the S2/X1. I doubt anything with electronics matches any other player.

So they all share the same "type" of laser but built into different pickups?

IIRC, the X0 has a linear motor for its pickup. This alone makes it more or less impossible to be compatible with a pickup for the X9.

Even though the actual laser should be the same, the housing that contains the laser mounts into the movement carriages differently and the cables extending from them are different.

The red laser on the 1010 means it uses a red laser, not the same laser.

The Sony/Panasonic units use the KHS-160A.
And yes, I have two which I bought when I saw them come up for sale once. Just in case.

The X0 and X9 share the same 670nm laser diode but that’s where the similarity ends. Each pickup assembly is completely different. I did manage to successfully replace a dead diode in an X0 but unfortunately I fiddled with it a few weeks later and things went from bad to worse. Managed to pop the new diode and now I’ve got to replace it again and also completely align the optical prism and photodiode on the pickup. A total mess I haven’t got time for at the moment. I think the last new old stock X0 pickup I saw sold a few years ago for about €800 from a guy in Germany.

I find it mildly amusing that Pioneer's very first laserdisc player used a 632nm laser, they settled on a 780nm laser for LD/CD players (ie, a longer wavelength) and then moved back to a 670nm laser for MUSE players. Is it any wonder why HeNe tube players provide such an astonishing picture?

Indeed Pioneer USA/PacParts are listing it at US$477.75 + shipping.

I talked to a very nice lady at Pioneer Singapore yesterday and she told me that Pioneer Japan only has only 4 units left in stock.

Since I was inquiring for both my X9 and my S9, the good news is that the VWT1100 (also compatible with CLD-53, CLD-79, CLD-99, CLD-D503, CLD-D703, CLD-D704, CLD-V850) is still available with "more than 50" units left.

Julien

Looking at the service manual, the X9 pickup looks similar to the 99/70x pickup and the pinouts match. Has anyone seen if they work in the latter?

(if the remaining pickups were in the $100 range I'd experiment myself...)

They operate at different voltage levels, not interchangeable

Bummer that. They really should've used the pickup in the CLD-99 and S9.

I did some calculations with MTF etc and the maximum seen frequency at CAV frame 0/CLV with the MUSE pickup is roughly equivalent to CAV frame 13500 - well out of the MTF compensation area - and hence why MUSE players have no CLV smear - the circuit that causes it is not needed.

This is *not* the case for gas tube players, which have a lower NA which allows for easier focusing. Their MTF frequency is actually slightly lower than IR diode players, but the lower laser frequency has other benefits.

However, the 1976 Philips paper that goes into tons of detail on frequency selection and optics implies that - at least at that point - there was a SNR drop of 6dB because of disc noise. So it's quite possible that it would only eliminate smear but not increase the SNR.