I picked up an SX-680 yesterday at the thrift - I saw silver knobs and face, put it in the cart and THEN looked to see what I had! It was heavier than I expected for the size, and the face and knobs are in great shape. I didn't even test it there - I took it home and it all works fine, even all the lights are good. About 25mV DC offset on each channel, which is OK.
The real surprise was when I was cleaning it up and got to the back and saw 'Made in Korea'! What???? I never thought Pioneer made these in Korea, but a quick look on eBay and I see they sell for about $30, so not exactly 'collectable'. But yet, it seems well built, but with no 'made in Japan' units to compare to I just can't say if it is 'junk' or not in comparison to the bigger boys like the sx880 or sx980.
I wonder if these were assembled in Korea with parts which were made in Japan? Are the switches and knobs the same as what is used in the upper end of this series? Either way, I'm impressed with it and am keeping it (until something better comes along, as always!)
This now makes 3 Pioneers for me: an SX-424, an SX-680, and a TX-1000 FM tuner (which is still heavier than either of these receivers!).
The real surprise was when I was cleaning it up and got to the back and saw 'Made in Korea'! What???? I never thought Pioneer made these in Korea, but a quick look on eBay and I see they sell for about $30, so not exactly 'collectable'. But yet, it seems well built, but with no 'made in Japan' units to compare to I just can't say if it is 'junk' or not in comparison to the bigger boys like the sx880 or sx980.
I wonder if these were assembled in Korea with parts which were made in Japan? Are the switches and knobs the same as what is used in the upper end of this series? Either way, I'm impressed with it and am keeping it (until something better comes along, as always!)
This now makes 3 Pioneers for me: an SX-424, an SX-680, and a TX-1000 FM tuner (which is still heavier than either of these receivers!).
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