Pioneer SX-1000TW vs Pioneer SX-440

Mark Davis

Active Member
I have a opportunity to buy a Pioneer SX-1000TW in a wood case.

I already have a Pioneer SX-440. I have re-lamped it with LED and it looks great.

Any input on which is better and a good going price for the SX-1000TW.

I also have a Pioneer SX-980.

I love the vintage stuff.

What a hobby it's ADDICTIVE!!!:eek:
 
Greetings. The SX-1000TW is from the early 70's. I bought one at a garage sale for $10. It is pretty with a wood case. Ultimately, though, it did not work properly. I asked for an estimate for repair/upgrade and was quoted $400. It is a ~25 watt per channel amp and probably needs a replacement of all caps. Apparently it has a good vintage sound. I later read that replacing all caps may result in a sound quality that is different than what was originally produced by Pioneer. I chose not to upgrade.

Given my experience I would say that the value/price is all about the condition. Has it been upgraded (old caps replaced) and if so to what extent? If an extensive overhaul has been undertaken then expect that the asking price will be a few hundred dollars. Now is that acceptable to you? If you already have a SX 980, you may not want to go there.

One of the opinions I read on the SX-1000TW is that the design made it very similar in sound to a tube amp (the prevailing gold standard at the time). At $400 you could probably find an actual tube amp.
 
The SX-1000TW is not very common, one year only (1971) and is a few steps up from your 440 in power (50 wpc vs. 12 wpc for the 440). It's an older design cosmetically; matches the Pioneer receives from the late 1960s. In 1970 a more "modern" design was introduced with the SX-2500/1500/990 line. If it's fully working, you can't go wrong with any Pioneer receiver from the early 70s, IMHO. So, then it is a matter of price/personal preference. Search e-bay for completed sales to get an idea on price. In terms of performance, the 1000TW has more power and more features than the 440, which was the bottom of the line 1970-71.
 
A better challenge would be the SX 770 vs the SX 1000TW. Head to head they match up equally, I would grab the SX 1000TW.
 
I've repaired/restored several of the SX-770 and a few of the SX-1000 and they do compare audibly equal. The SX-1000 is a pain to restore where the SX-770 is dream easy.
 
Back
Top Bottom