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Inside and Out Series: Pioneer SX-636

M Jarve

M Jarve

Audio Geek and NGE Freak
A classic "small" Pioneer, and one of the more underappreciated. This is a unit I was restoring for someone else, but I have grown to like it in its way while it has been here. Truth be told, I’ve only listened to it for a couple of hours while I calibrated it.
 

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Nice Job there M Jarve! :thmbsp: I have two of these babies and love em!! I restored both completely. I recap " all " boards using black gate capacitors. Replace all bulbs including the dial pointer, restrung the tuner. Man, it sounds so much better then it did some 30 years ago. :banana:
 
This unit iis vinyl, but I could have sworn I saw one with real wood too. I'll check to see what my parts unit had.
 
Nice Job!!!

You have that 636 spic and span!! Looks better than new! Bet she sounds as good as she looks!!! Hope the owner appreciates your good efforts! Eric
 
Mike -- Very nice presentation. What a little bulldog. I've long believed that the lower end Pioneers were the best overall balance of sound quality, build and cosmetics out of all the lower end units with the excpetion of Yamaha and, possibly, H/K.
 
I wonder if you took a look at the dial pointer. I have an sx-535(see pics), which appears to have a one piece thing, no visible bulb. I'm wondering if i would need to replace the whole thing.
 

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Look at the Post on the SX 535....

Tetrack said:
I wonder if you took a look at the dial pointer. I have an sx-535(see pics), which appears to have a one piece thing, no visible bulb. I'm wondering if i would need to replace the whole thing.
Click to expand...

Underneath the metal piece on the pointer there is a bulb hiding in there. I carefully pried open the metal tab and put in a small bulb I used to get them at Rat Shack. You can get them from Bob at Vintage-Electronics....I have stolen them from junk receivers too. Be careful when taking it apart....Eric
 
stereofisher said:
Underneath the metal piece on the pointer there is a bulb hiding in there. I carefully pried open the metal tab and put in a small bulb I used to get them at Rat Shack. You can get them from Bob at Vintage-Electronics....I have stolen them from junk receivers too. Be careful when taking it apart....Eric
Click to expand...
Thanks. :)
 
Pioneer727 said:
Yes the early Pioneer's had a nice sound to them I love the sound of my 727.
Great Job :thmbsp:

Ron
Click to expand...


The 727 was the TOTL 20 series Pioneer. The 30 series came out the next model year. The 727 has some extra shielding etc typical of Pioneer's top of the line models. IIRC the 20 series were 2nd generation SS. . .
 
M Jarve said:
This unit iis vinyl, but I could have sworn I saw one with real wood too. I'll check to see what my parts unit had.
Click to expand...


mike, you still got the parts unit ???? my 636 has numbers ground in the face !!! I have a small pioneer speaker medallion I can put on it but would rather a faceplate without #'s... I bought it a few weeks ago, just finished detailing it and it's gorgeous.....didn't know pointer had bulb though.... I'll do that too tomorrow... never had a small pioneer but I must say I am VERY impressed with the punch and clarity...and this one does have a wood case, veneered--not vinylized.....fixing it as a gift for my sister... zosoisme
 
There's one of these bad little boys on the Bay right now. Cosmetically nice looking but in need of a little internal love... all for $9.99 BIN. Shipping seems cheap-o as well.

Just in case anyone was particularly stirred by this story.

Pioneer 636
 
gyusher said:
The 727 was the TOTL 20 series Pioneer. The 30 series came out the next model year. The 727 has some extra shielding etc typical of Pioneer's top of the line models. IIRC the 20 series were 2nd generation SS. . .
Click to expand...
Hey There Gyusher , Could you have just had a brief memory lapse ? (I have them ALL THE TIME), and it's hardly worth mentioning But, Unless I'M mistaken :scratch2: The PIONEER SX-828 was PIONEERS TOTL Receiver in the 20-Series which ended in 73 I THINK ? :scratch2: Didn't the 30-series begin in 74 ? Hummm ? Not sure ?......But I've got both the SX- 727 & SX-828 Receivers and my 828's are the higher end units with 60 WPC@ 8ohms and they sport more features and the toggle switches... Where as the 727's output is 45 WPC@ 8 ohms and they have the pushbuttons...... But I'll tell ya what !!! I've got my little 27 WPC SX-626 playin' right now. AND THIS LIL 626 CAN ROCK RIGHT UP THERE WITH IT'S BIGGER BROTHERS... :yes: Cheers !
 
Ha! In the time it took me to e-mail the seller and ask if local pick-up was an option (he lives about 5 miles from me) someone snapped it up.

Oh well, easy come, easy go. I didn't see it listed in this thread, by the way, but scanned ebay for items nearby.
 
hey there bhb3r......I bought it for parts for mine.... I need the faceplate and the tuning dial pointer assy....but you are closer to him than me !!!!.....maybe we can work something out so everybody's happy ......pm me later tonight.....zosoisme
 
Nice unit!

I'm working on one of these also, well more like tuning up (cleaning and adjusting)

What a well made unit and very nicely laid out! I've worked on several of the
smaller pioneers and this one impresses me most! Sounds and works great!
(I've worked on the bigger ones to and there well made but this the best small guy)

Actually listening to it right now, here's a few pic's, she's very clean! :banana: :music:
 

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Hey,guys. Hate to jump in,but I need some help with a nice 939 Ijust picked up for nothing(really). It lights up, but I don't hear the relay click,sothere is no sound, and the headphones won't work,so I assume they are driven by the amp, and not a separate amp forthem like some high-end stuff. Anyway,all fuses OK, no smell or burnt anything. I suspect the relay. What say you? Yes, I did clean the speaker switches, common fix,notthis time. Ron Jagster911@bellsouth.net
 
HI, welcome to AK

YOU are very welcome to (re)post your question as a new thread....
Probably the best place will be the Pioneer forum.

Without the relay engaging, you will need a DMM to read voltages inside.
IF you are not comfortable with this, it is tech time, BUT if you ARE, we'll have at it...

If the lamps and fuses are ok, we gotta go deeper in the unit...

If you're game, we need to get a schematic....

The protection circuit will engage, i.e.not pull in the relay for a variety of reasons, first we need to read the amplifier output dc offset, and it will have to be before the relay interrupts the circuit. Next will be to look for any heat stressed parts that MAY have either UNSOLDERED themselves or broken the solder junction, usually in the power supply... then check the power supply output voltages.... this has happened before.
 
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