• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Pioneer announces it's leaving the stereo audio business.

Register to hide this ad
After reading the article, I don't see how Pioneer will even exist in 5 to 10 years. It is the same story over and over, develop a great product then sit on your butt until the competition catches up and passes you by.
 
A lot of interesting info in that article, (Kenwood merged with JVC? Had no idea!)

I actually thought Pioneer had a lot going for them recently. Their recent speaker offerings, their plasma displays, etc. Sticking to car audio will be their downfall. No one buys Pioneer unless they want cheap plastic and ridiculous stupid graphics. Even their sat/nav systems are garbage.
 
Rick Vestal said:
A lot of interesting info in that article, (Kenwood merged with JVC? Had no idea!)

I actually thought Pioneer had a lot going for them recently. Their recent speaker offerings, their plasma displays, etc. Sticking to car audio will be their downfall. No one buys Pioneer unless they want cheap plastic and ridiculous stupid graphics. Even their sat/nav systems are garbage.
Click to expand...

:yes:

Right... What happens to the Andrew Jones line, their high-end Exclusive series, not to mention TAD, plus all their other nice post-millennium offerings? This is a big deal for a lot of people, ...most of all, their employees, ... although most probably live in China.

So, which huge conglomerate bought them and fire-saled their ass?
 
Last edited:
That sure is sad. When I was a kid, two Pioneer items first made me fall in love with fine audio: the KP-500 car stereo, and the CT-F900 Fluoroscan 3-head cassette deck.

A used Pioneer PL-400 turntable got me back into vinyl a few years ago (a friend is still enjoying that table). I've had a few small and midsize vintage Pioneer receivers. Later I found an M-25 amplifier and I plan to hang on to it long-term. Most recently I bought for my girlfriend a pair of the little Andrew Jones SP-BS22-LR speakers. They are way better than they should be at that price.

So Pioneer's been a big part of my musical life. Very sorry they're hanging it up.
 
I still have my Pioneer VSX-5300 receiver (100wpc), and my brother still has his. That was the first receiver either one of us ever bought with our own money (I bought mine less than a year after he got his, back in 1988... I had a big pair of PA speakers I used to hook it up to, and that was one hell of a party system... We both had some wild ones back in those days... I could tell you some stories).

Sad news indeed... Their hi-fi brand was showing some real promise the last 5 years.
 
Last edited:
Then I guess it's up to us to keep as many old Pioneer (and other brand) components alive and singing as possible. Restore a quality piece of stereo gear from the '70s, and there is a good chance it will still be giving people pleasure for another 40 years. I just sold a completely restored Marantz made in '74 to a kid in his 20s. It could be 80 years old and still making music. I think that's very cool.

And let's face it, if Pioneer would stay in business, they'd just be pumping out cheap plastic **** that can't hold an LED to their golden era stuff.

Maybe it's better to just let it go.
 
Last edited:
[Edit: crossposted with c. coyle - I see we're having similar thoughts!]

Sad to see things change, but will this mean all our classic gear will increase in value even more? And, recent quality offerings notwithstanding, quite a bit of the stuff has been mediocre at best over the years. It may actually be better that they won't be making more crap - less explaining for us to do as to why our old Pioneer gear is good. Just a semi-humorous thought.
 
toxcrusadr said:
. . . Sad to see things change, but will this mean all our classic gear will increase in value even more? . . .
Click to expand...

Not to humble brag or get all touchy-feely, but the kid I sold the Marantz to was so enthusiastic and wide-eyed that I took few bucks off because I had a hunch he would appreciate and take good care of it.

Hope he didn't flip it. :eek:
 
cnolanh said:
That sure is sad. When I was a kid, two Pioneer items first made me fall in love with fine audio: the KP-500 car stereo, and the CT-F900 Fluoroscan 3-head cassette deck.

A used Pioneer PL-400 turntable got me back into vinyl a few years ago (a friend is still enjoying that table). I've had a few small and midsize vintage Pioneer receivers. Later I found an M-25 amplifier and I plan to hang on to it long-term. Most recently I bought for my girlfriend a pair of the little Andrew Jones SP-BS22-LR speakers. They are way better than they should be at that price.

So Pioneer's been a big part of my musical life. Very sorry they're hanging it up.
Click to expand...

This^

Having grown up in the 70s and 80s, the notion of Pioneer, a formidable Japanese corporation no less, ceasing a once great product production is hard to swallow.
 
They're just like any other company - going where they think the money is. Everything I liked about Pioneer is thirty or more years old now. No big deal, I think.
 
Wow. I have probably owned more Pioneer than any other brand over the years. So I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Pioneer, even though I do not own any of their gear at the present time. My first car stereo was a Pioneer and my entrance into home audio was Pioneer. Sad day nonetheless.
 
Eric Lloyd said:
They're just like any other company - going where they think the money is. Everything I liked about Pioneer is thirty or more years old now. No big deal, I think.
Click to expand...

But what's gonna' happen to the Exclusive and TAD lines, and the Andrew Jones stuff they sold at BB? Those Exclusive models are NICE. I'd love to own a pair, but they're way-out of my price range, and now this. I'll never get a pair of those now. The prices are probably gonna skyrocket once people hear about this.

Who am I kidding? I doubt I'd ever be able to swing a pair of those, even WITHOUT the effect of them going out of business. They sure are nice though.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom