Vintage Pioneer

Mechnutt

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Nov 18, 2013
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Location
Minnesota
An acquaintance at the dog park I take my dog to gave me a Pioneer SX-780 is good condition. It sounds fabulous. Much better than the old Marantz SR-4023 receiver I was using in my bedroom system. The Marantz is a bit more clear but I suspect with some deoxit and replacing any marginal caps will improve that. I love the typical 70's vintage Pioneer warm sound.

What really impresses me is how musical and dynamic it is and there is no fatigue at all. The air and transparency really impressed me as I was not expecting it. The sound stage also has very good depth. My son was astounding at how good it sounds. The sound kind of reminds me of the Marantz PM-KI Ruby integrated that I had for a couple of months this past summer. I could listen to this amp for hours. Obviously it is not the most accurate but it is so much fun to listen to. It does have that typical bass bloom from that era and I actually like it. My Luxman DAC gives me that in my reference system.

There are only 2 issues. The gain is crazy high. I can only turn the volume up to the 3rd hashmark and there is no remote although, I just may buy a WiiM Ultra streamer and use its digital volume control.

It really is a beautiful piece of kit. All the meters work. The knobs and switches are all heavy metal and are precision smooth to operate.

I am probably going to do a full refurb on it. Cap kits and other parts are readily available for it and you can buy a full wood chassis for about $160 if I do not decide to build one myself. The front panel is in near mint condition but the particle board chassis has some chips.

I forgot how good this vintage gear can sound.
 
An acquaintance at the dog park I take my dog to gave me a Pioneer SX-780 is good condition. It sounds fabulous. Much better than the old Marantz SR-4023 receiver I was using in my bedroom system. The Marantz is a bit more clear but I suspect with some deoxit and replacing any marginal caps will improve that. I love the typical 70's vintage Pioneer warm sound.

What really impresses me is how musical and dynamic it is and there is no fatigue at all. The air and transparency really impressed me as I was not expecting it. The sound stage also has very good depth. My son was astounding at how good it sounds. The sound kind of reminds me of the Marantz PM-KI Ruby integrated that I had for a couple of months this past summer. I could listen to this amp for hours. Obviously it is not the most accurate but it is so much fun to listen to. It does have that typical bass bloom from that era and I actually like it. My Luxman DAC gives me that in my reference system.

There are only 2 issues. The gain is crazy high. I can only turn the volume up to the 3rd hashmark and there is no remote although, I just may buy a WiiM Ultra streamer and use its digital volume control.

It really is a beautiful piece of kit. All the meters work. The knobs and switches are all heavy metal and are precision smooth to operate.

I am probably going to do a full refurb on it. Cap kits and other parts are readily available for it and you can buy a full wood chassis for about $160 if I do not decide to build one myself. The front panel is in near mint condition but the particle board chassis has some chips.

I forgot how good this vintage gear can sound.
I can help with any cosmetic restoration questions you may have.
 
I can help with any cosmetic restoration questions you may have.

Thanks. The question is, do I do a full veneer replacement, build another cover or buy one made out of real wood. I built a beautiful new plinth out of cocobolo wood for my Thorens TD-145 TT that came out great. 6 coats of hand rubbed shellac.
 
I can help with any cosmetic restoration questions you may have.

Thanks. The question is, do I do a full veneer replacement, build another cover or buy one made out of real wood. I built a beautiful new plinth out of cocobolo wood for my Thorens TD-145 TT that came out great. 6 coats of hand rubbed shellac. That wood is a bitch to work with, it is so dense. It ruins saw blades.
 
Thanks. The question is, do I do a full veneer replacement, build another cover or buy one made out of real wood. I built a beautiful new plinth out of cocobolo wood for my Thorens TD-145 TT that came out great. 6 coats of hand rubbed shellac. That wood is a bitch to work with, it is so dense. It ruins saw blades.
If you can buy a pre-built one that is UNFINISHED - that would be the best of all worlds.

There is also a trick I learned made famous by arguable the grandfather of the super-craftman in the 1960's about using oil and shellac in a certain order.

I've used it twice now and the results are amazing.
 
If you can buy a pre-built one that is UNFINISHED - that would be the best of all worlds.

There is also a trick I learned made famous by arguable the grandfather of the super-craftman in the 1960's about using oil and shellac in a certain order.

I've used it twice now and the results are amazing.


I think that I may buy this-
 
I think that I may buy this-
See if you can get it without any finish/stain on it. I'm assuming when they say "wal-nut" that is the same as walnut? ;)

I can recommend a million different finishes for you to try - how they will look - and you'll have a lot of fun with it.
 
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