Scored A-88x integrated!

[jay]

Hi guys, last night I scored an almost-vintage TOTL Elite A88x integrated amp. My first piece of Elite gear, and I have to admit it, while I've been critical of Pioneer in the past, this one sounds just fine! :yes:

It has 120 wpc and an interesting circuit layout, with three transformers and a 'non switching' amp section, what ever that is.

I'm most impressed in its' ability to drive low impedance loads, such as my 2 ohm Infinity RS 2.5's. Not bad, I didn't think it was that strong!

Does anyone have any info on this machine other than what's on the elite page?

http://www.elitestereo.netfirms.com/a88x.htm

 

[RocknRoll]

Congrats...You sure did score. I want one too.

 

[crooner]

Awesome :thmbsp: some nudies please!

 

[RocknRoll]

Your knobs look switched around compared to the brochure and volume knob is smaller. :scratch2:

 

[jay]

Did someone call for nudies?

Hi guys, here's a snap of the new Elite with the top off...

Sure enough, as advertised there's a true dual-mono, two transformer setup in there.
The big Infinity 2.5's that this amp is powering have never sounded better! :thmbsp:

 

[B3Nut]

Yup, you've got a few incorrect knobs, but no matter for a daily driver. Looks like a stout amplifier....who says the Japanese couldn't make a true hi-fi amplifier when they wanted to? Be fun to hide that behind a curtain with a Krell rig showing and tell your audiophile friends they're listening to the Krell...then pull back the curtain.... (yeah, I'm being a naughty little snot hahahaha)

TP

 

[gyusher]

Wd40

Take a damp rag (WD40) and wipe off the face. . . all fingerprints will go away just dont use the WD40 inside. I use Sheath Oil for this and WD40 if I am out of Sheath Oil. Works great and doesnt bother the lettering.

 

[crooner]

The Japanese never stopped making top quality Hi-Fi gear even during the so called "black plague" years. Most of it was for the internal market, as can be appreciated in that famous Japanese reference page:

Here's an example of a top quality 1987 vintage Pioneer

 

[B3Nut]

The A-90D on that site was sold here, forgot if the model # was the same but that amp was part of their Elite line. Excellent gear, I remember admiring it at Lee Hartman & Sons in Roanoke, VA as a teen. The M-90 and M-91 power amps were the real lusty Elite pieces...monsters! They used those amps to demo the Carver Amazings, rather than Carver's amps. Great amps for amplifier-eating speakers....

TP

 

[jay]

B3, you are one perceptive fellow for recognizing that the knobs are incorrect!

I took the original factory brochure-type photo and lightened it so that the original knob set would be more visible. It appears that my knobs aren't so much incorrect as they're in the wrong places!

Someone must have gotten into this one. :scratch2:

Gyusher, thanks for the tip about the WD-40! I generally use some 25 year old Amway car wax that I wouldn't let touch a car for cleaning and shining gear, but the WD sounds like a fine idea as well.
Anyway, in the course of cleaning, I found that the 'Black Plastic' look here isn't really -- the face is metal with only a thin ridge of plastic where the cover joins. Not too shabby for the era! :yes:

Anyway, she shined up nicely, although there are still visible nicks here and there. As B3 said, this one's 'daily driver' class.

 

[mech986]

RE: the knobs

Hi Jay,

Great find you have there. I've got an A-77X that I just haven't had time to photo for the group (but just got the wife a new digital camera so may remedy that soon!)

Anyway, I'm not sure you have the wrong knobs or they were just moved around, i.e., the blade knobs should all be in a row along the bottom controls and the round knobs at the upper left. The blades were used on the selector type switches and the round knobs on continuous controls like the tone controls and volume. Yes, the volume knob looks smaller (like an NAD type knob since there isn't a reference mark on it).

You might contact Pioneer America, they still stock some stuff, maybe a knob is still available from this or a similar Elite series unit.

Nice get, I hope to get the picture up sometime soon.

Regards,

Bart

 

[jay]

Bart, thanks for the pointers about the knobs! I appreciate these little bits of info about good stuff!

Jay