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A-71 vs A-757(and probably A-717)

Twestby

Twestby

Active Member
This place is really feeding my hobby...


Anyway, I brought home an A-757 last night and then my A-71 which I purchased from ebay arrived today. I actually bought the 757 to use as spares for the 71 as I knew the bass control knob was gone.

Thought I would post up the differences I have found as the 71 seems to be somewhat more rare than the 757/717 and there seems to be some confusion as to the differences. I, myself have wanted the A-71 for some time and I wasn`t aware of a most differences.

I think most of us thought the 71 was just a prettified 717/757...

...not so...

A-71: 6 7/8(H) x 18(W) x 16 3/4(D)

Faceplate only: 16 1/2(W) x 5 15/16(H)

A-757: 6 3/8(H) x 16 1/2(W) x 15(D)

Faceplate only: 16 1/2(W) x 5 1/2(H)

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This clearly shows the significant differences in bulk and what makes up the nearly 17 pound difference between them. (757= 43lbs, 71 =60lbs(actually, 59 lbs 9oz!))


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The 71 is 1 3/4" longer, has bigger filter capacitors, beefier transformers, 6 output transistors per channel in contrast to the 757`s 4, bigger black anodised honeycomb heatsinks...it`s alot like the 757...but on steroids!

A-71 transformer:
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A-757 transformer:
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A-71 27000uf capacitor:
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A-717 22000uf capacitor:
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A-71 side of beef:
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A-757:
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Both great amps..but ..two different beasts..tha A 71 is a dual mono jewl and one ov, if not the best integrateds ive heard ..reguardless of price..Enjoy wouldn't part with mine...Randy
 
Thanks for the reply.

The A-71 truly is a beautiful piece! I gave this one a little love by replacing the broken bass control with one from the 757. Now I need to address the RCA connectors on the back needing attention.

Oh, and both the 71 and the 757 have some "Muse" capacitors in the signal path! Can you verify they came stock? I am pretty sure they did as these amps came from different localities so unlikely they were both modified. Will post a pic.
 
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That's a beautiful pair of units inside and out, especially the A-71. You're a very lucky person to be able to put those bad boys to use!

Bummer about the missing knob though - I can sympathize! Sometimes I wonder what course of events even has to transpire to lose a knob... they're usually fastened on there pretty well. :scratch2:
 
A-71 back together after replacing the bass control and knob, replacing 5 sets of RCA input jacks with some gold plated brass and rewiring same and a general cleanout/cleanup.

By the way, Meguiars show car glaze works wonders to cut through 20 some odd years of grime to restore the Elite luster without scratching the finish. Perfect time to do it while I had the faceplate dissassembled.

Hooked up my secondary DV-09 as a CD player and an old iPhone for internet radio.

Man, I am in love with this amplifier!

I really like the A-77x, but this is simply something else altogether!

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Good info on the A-71. I never knew just how different that is compared to the A-717. They look so similar from photos, but side by comparisons really show just how massive the insides are to the A-71. That is one impressive integrated amp.
 
I am really impressed with the construction details of these amplifiers. There are barely any metal surfaces that are not coated in some way. They are also very well thought out.
A couple more pics. Here, a comparison of the "Muse" capacitors on each amplifier board. All the green are "Muse" capacitors.

A-71:

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A-757:

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Im so glad the A 71 is up and singing :banana:Ive come to think of mine as truly "high end" I know the term is often over used, BUT not in this case..thanks for the polishing hint I've often wondered if it would work well and I can tell you, I've had at least twenty high end integrateds and this is by no means MidFi !! Thanks for the pic's as well. What do you think of the excellent phono stage? Welcome to a small club of A 71 lovers...Best Of Luck. Randy.
 
Thanks very much!
I am so happy to have been able to find one of these, repair it and have it functioning and sounding so very very good. I have to agree with you on the sound, excellent!
I have not had the opportunity to try the phono stage as I do not own a turntable.
I am more of a CD guy.

Now maybe if a PL-90 were to turn up...

I seriously love this A-71. Goes to show you can have beauty and a lovely voice together!
 
Great picture comparison! I've owned an A-71 for about 12 years now, currently in storage as I wanted a tuner and remote control for a little while so picked up a SX-A6-J cheap. Two transformers as well, but the similarities end there.

As an aside, when I purchased the Elite I had an authorized Accuphase repair centre take a look at it. The owner absolutely loved it, was extremely happy I brought it to him, and said that other than the name it's build quality was pretty much equivalent. Enjoy your fine piece of audio history, tough to come by something like this these days.
 
art2music58 said:
Both great amps..but ..two different beasts..tha A 71 is a dual mono jewl and one ov, if not the best integrateds ive heard ..reguardless of price..Enjoy wouldn't part with mine...Randy
Click to expand...

I don't think the A-71 is dual mono, but it should drive just about any speaker ever made. (the sx-a6-j is dual mono however)
 
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seememom said:
Great picture comparison! I've owned an A-71 for about 12 years now, currently in storage as I wanted a tuner and remote control for a little while so picked up a SX-A6-J cheap. Two transformers as well, but the similarities end there.

As an aside, when I purchased the Elite I had an authorized Accuphase repair centre take a look at it. The owner absolutely loved it, was extremely happy I brought it to him, and said that other than the name it's build quality was pretty much equivalent. Enjoy your fine piece of audio history, tough to come by something like this these days.
Click to expand...


Thanks very much. I plan on enjoying it for years.
 
Hello the A71 is a dual mono design...the 717 and it's variants are not...:yes:Pioneer very best IMO..But the Exclusive line (Japan) has some jewls as well...Best to All
 
So something interesting.

I recently acquired a turntable(I guess I am a turntable guy), a pretty decent one for a very good price and hooked it up to the A-71. Nothing, no sound at any volume. Tried my A-77x integrated amp and nice output from the phono section. Still hooked up that way. Here is the interesting part; I tried the A-71 phono input again today and still nothing of course so I tried the A-757 and got...nothing...no sound nothing. Verified the turntable is working by hooking back up to the A-77x and works fine.

Is there some family issue with the phono stage on the A-757/A-71/A-717 ?
Some inherent weakness of some kind?
Or is it just weird coincidence?
Is there something obvious staring me in the face that I can`t fathom like input selection while waving a dead chicken over these amps?

I havent tested to see if there is power going to the phono board yet but I might just find myself an inexpensive phono preamp and run it to the line input on the 71.

Just wondering if there is a common issue with these.
 
If you get the phono stage on the A 71 up and running i think you will be VERY pleased...Best of luck with those chickens...Doesn't make sense though i agree:scratch2:
 
I am VERY happy with my A-71. I have owned a number of high-end amplifiers thru the years and this guy meets all my needs, and with a beautiful face to match! Having researched this amp with as much as I can locate on the web, I found a web-site called Audio Database. Here's the link if your interested:

http://audio-database.com/index.html

Nothing on the A-71, but there is the version that was sold in Asia, model # A-838 that is very similar, but includes Video inputs. Also the A-90D and A-717 are there. It seams that the european version of the A-71 was the A-858, which appears to be the closest match. I found the owners manual for the A-858 and it contains more detailed specifications than any I have found for the A-71.

I have had the A-71 for almost two years now and find it's sonic signature in my system to be smooth, deep & powerful bass, and articulate, lacking any brightness at the top. It might be a bit subdued at the top end compared to some amps I have had, but just a tad. The phono section is very neutral, although not quite as dynamic or quiet as a Cambridge 640P phono preamp I used for a long time, but still very good. I have a Denon DL-103 Low-output moving coil cartridge and the A-71 has plenty of gain for a good match-up.

Bottom line, I cant see myself getting rid of the A-71 anytime soon. It's just to well rounded of a performer to not keep me happy.:D
 
I'll chime in as well, I have an a-71, it is my main amp and I power LS50's with it, along with SVS subs. It is dead quite with stunning separation, and likewise, while I'll dabble with others it would be a tough one to let go off.

It may be near the top of Pioneer engineering.
 
Twestby said:
So something interesting.

I recently acquired a turntable(I guess I am a turntable guy), a pretty decent one for a very good price and hooked it up to the A-71. Nothing, no sound at any volume. Tried my A-77x integrated amp and nice output from the phono section. Still hooked up that way. Here is the interesting part; I tried the A-71 phono input again today and still nothing of course so I tried the A-757 and got...nothing...no sound nothing. Verified the turntable is working by hooking back up to the A-77x and works fine.

Is there some family issue with the phono stage on the A-757/A-71/A-717 ?
Some inherent weakness of some kind?
Or is it just weird coincidence?
Is there something obvious staring me in the face that I can`t fathom like input selection while waving a dead chicken over these amps?

I havent tested to see if there is power going to the phono board yet but I might just find myself an inexpensive phono preamp and run it to the line input on the 71.

Just wondering if there is a common issue with these.
Click to expand...

Hi,

I know this is an old thread and you have already figure it out, for sure, but...

I'm the happy onwer of 2 Pioneer A-757 mkII. :)
When I first connect one of them my turntable, I also had the same problem than you: no sound came from the phono input.
I then realize that the Phono EQ took exactly! 8 seconds to activate. Only them we can listem to it playing records. :music:

Cheers,
Luis
 
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