• 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

Are screws from Pioneer Elite models compatible with earlier ones? Looking for C-90 cabinet screws

C

Cosmo-D

Active Member
I bought a Pioneer C-90 and it came sans cabinet screws to hold the wooden sides on. I've looked for the exact replacement but they are unavailable. I noticed that later Elite models (from say 1997) also have bolt-on wooden sides. Would the screws from say a VSX-09TX (or similar) be a suitable replacement? I've looked at the service manual and those screws are available (part number ABA1086), but they seem shorter than the screw specified by the C-90 service manual (part number ABA1002). The shape is also a little different. The C-90 uses a screw with an unthreaded section on it, but the VSX-09TX uses a washer for that purpose.

Also, my preamp didn't come with the remote either. It isn't a big deal, but it seems like quite the piece of kit. I wouldn't mind tracking that one down. It is programmable, so I'm thinking it might work with my 1989 Pioneer LD-V8000 LaserDisc player (also remoteless). Would a modern programmable remote control be able to interface with these devices?

It's sort of my dream to assemble a complete retro setup of Pioneer Elite components predating the year 2000. They look nice, and perform well, and can be had for fairly reasonable prices. They are also somewhat readily available. Ideally I'd like to have a whole retro entertainment setup for watching LaserDiscs and stuff in stereo. Having the screws and remotes are part of this dream.
 
Register to hide this ad
Cosmo-D said:
Also, my preamp didn't come with the remote either. It isn't a big deal, but it seems like quite the piece of kit. I wouldn't mind tracking that one down. It is programmable, so I'm thinking it might work with my 1989 Pioneer LD-V8000 LaserDisc player (also remoteless). Would a modern programmable remote control be able to interface with these devices?
Click to expand...

The Harmony remotes will work with the units you show. Could be tough to find original remotes, so this might be a good option until you do. I use the Harmony 650 and it works quite well and they can still be purchased new on Ebay/Amazon for very little.

If you want a complete Pioneer Elite setup, some components can cost you quite a bit. I've owned several Pioneer LD players and my favorite was the CLD-95, which was a model down from the CLD-97. It had a lower profile. Just saw a PD-93 on Ebay not long ago which sold for $800.
 
Duane said:
The Harmony remotes will work with the units you show. Could be tough to find original remotes, so this might be a good option until you do. I use the Harmony 650 and it works quite well and they can still be purchased new on Ebay/Amazon for very little.

If you want a complete Pioneer Elite setup, some components can cost you quite a bit. I've owned several Pioneer LD players and my favorite was the CLD-95, which was a model down from the CLD-97. It had a lower profile. Just saw a PD-93 on Ebay not long ago which sold for $800.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't think I am going to be picking up the LD any time soon. My LD is player is fine for the moment, but I do want one of the ones that plays CDs. The next thing I am planning on getting (probably in the very far future) is the M-90 power amp which is like 700 bucks or more. The C-90 and M-90 are very good components though. They measure extremely well. Some will say that doesn't necessarily mean they "sound good" but I disagree. I am using the C-90 with its MC preamp for my Denon 103 on my Sony PS-X800. It sounds great. For power I've got it hooked up to the power amp section of my Pioneer SX-3800. The 60 watts is more than enough for my Realistic Mach Ones. My setup might not impress too many audiophiles, but I think it sounds pretty good. The sound is balanced and the bass extension is pretty decent. I think it is probably better than running something like LS50s which a lot of audiophiles seem to like. Those things are expensive and it just isn't physically possible for such tiny drivers to have flat frequency response with a lot of bass. The Mach Ones aren't perfect speakers, but I think they'll do the job the for foreseeable future.

I'll look into that remote. If the original can't be found a competent replacement will do. I mostly just want to be able to adjust the volume.

Pioneer Elite stuff can be pretty expensive, but I think it compares pretty favourably to newer and more costly options. Though it lacks the variety of loading options, the C-90 has a better S/N ratio and RIAA accuracy than something like McIntosh MP100 which costs about $2000. Pioneer LaserDisc players were the basis for very expensive Theta CD transports (they were little more than rebadged Pioneer LD players with some modifications to the S/PDIF output). Although I have no clue how the DACs in those stand-up to modern ones. There are some pretty poorly made DACs out there that cost a bundle. Any NOS DAC that doesn't have filtering is a travesty of engineering. Without filtering a DAC literally cannot output a smooth sine-wave—it puts out a "stair-step" wave because the signal needs to be band limited in order to reconstruct the waveform. You get all kinds of aliasing and weird stuff if you don't filter it. Nyquist-Shannon sampling theory only works on band-limited signals. A DAC without filtering literally cannot work the way it is supposed to.
 
Cosmo-D said:
I don't think they're M8. An M4 screw fits, but is the wrong thread.
Click to expand...
Probably right.M8 is a tad to big. M4 only appears to have one popular thread pitch.If you can't find the correct thread pitch. Another option would be re-tapping for a thread pitch thats available.Using cutting fluid will capture most of the metal swarf.
 
Cosmo-D said:
Yeah, I don't think I am going to be picking up the LD any time soon. My LD is player is fine for the moment, but I do want one of the ones that plays CDs. The next thing I am planning on getting (probably in the very far future) is the M-90 power amp which is like 700 bucks or more. The C-90 and M-90 are very good components though. They measure extremely well. Some will say that doesn't necessarily mean they "sound good" but I disagree. I am using the C-90 with its MC preamp for my Denon 103 on my Sony PS-X800. It sounds great. For power I've got it hooked up to the power amp section of my Pioneer SX-3800. The 60 watts is more than enough for my Realistic Mach Ones. My setup might not impress too many audiophiles, but I think it sounds pretty good. The sound is balanced and the bass extension is pretty decent. I think it is probably better than running something like LS50s which a lot of audiophiles seem to like. Those things are expensive and it just isn't physically possible for such tiny drivers to have flat frequency response with a lot of bass. The Mach Ones aren't perfect speakers, but I think they'll do the job the for foreseeable future.

I'll look into that remote. If the original can't be found a competent replacement will do. I mostly just want to be able to adjust the volume.

Pioneer Elite stuff can be pretty expensive, but I think it compares pretty favourably to newer and more costly options. Though it lacks the variety of loading options, the C-90 has a better S/N ratio and RIAA accuracy than something like McIntosh MP100 which costs about $2000. Pioneer LaserDisc players were the basis for very expensive Theta CD transports (they were little more than rebadged Pioneer LD players with some modifications to the S/PDIF output). Although I have no clue how the DACs in those stand-up to modern ones. There are some pretty poorly made DACs out there that cost a bundle. Any NOS DAC that doesn't have filtering is a travesty of engineering. Without filtering a DAC literally cannot output a smooth sine-wave—it puts out a "stair-step" wave because the signal needs to be band limited in order to reconstruct the waveform. You get all kinds of aliasing and weird stuff if you don't filter it. Nyquist-Shannon sampling theory only works on band-limited signals. A DAC without filtering literally cannot work the way it is supposed to.
Click to expand...

The DVL-91 (although later vintage) can play CDs and LDs if you like that format, plus matches up with same look. If you are looking to build out a full Elite system (all components) the Elite cassette decks might cost you the most. I'm still looking for one at a decent price. If you like FM, the F-93 might be the best component of the series, excellent tuner.
 
avionic said:
Probably right.M8 is a tad to big. M4 only appears to have one popular thread pitch.If you can't find the correct thread pitch. Another option would be re-tapping for a thread pitch thats available.Using cutting fluid will capture most of the metal swarf.
Click to expand...

I have a tap and die set somewhere. I could probably do this. I've never rethreaded something with already existing threads though. Seems like a recipe for disaster.
 
lico said:
The DVL-91 (although later vintage) can play CDs and LDs if you like that format, plus matches up with same look. If you are looking to build out a full Elite system (all components) the Elite cassette decks might cost you the most. I'm still looking for one at a decent price. If you like FM, the F-93 might be the best component of the series, excellent tuner.
Click to expand...

I don't listen to a lot of radio and I only have a handful of cassettes (I might get more someday there are underground metal labels that release exclusively on cassette). Is the DVL-91 cheaper than other LD/CD players? I mostly care about the look. In my mind I'd like to have everything pre-2000, but that is just for my own entertainment. I do like LDs. They're very collectable and there are a lot of great anime titles that can be had somewhat cheaply on the format (though I better start learning Japanese—no subtitles unfortunately). I mean obviously DVDs look better, but I find LaserDiscs very charming as a format. I love current LD player. It makes all kinds of cute noises and flashes little lights as it spins up. Watching a movie is like stepping into a time machine to a simpler era.

I'm really interested in the "high tech" of days gone by. Of course we have better technological solutions now, but I like owning stuff that was "state-of-the-art" for its time. I am too poor to afford today's "state-of-the-art" technology, but whatever is fancy today seems to lack the impressive presence of the electronics of yore. An LD is an impressive piece of equipment. It's huge and spins great big discs. It's imposing and fun.

With something like the Sony PS-X800 I would wager it is still the most sophisticated turntable ever released (there might be something that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars there that tops it). Even though it was released in 1981 there isn't anything that can compete with its electronically-controlled, servo linear tonearm. Of course you could make the same thing today and probably a lot simpler and cheaper. Off-the-shelf sensors are common and computing power is cheap and plentiful that all myriad of IC that govern its function could all be done away with for computer running a few lines of code.

It's my dream to have a "retro" entertainment system with the Elite products as the centrepiece. I'd love to have a big old CRT TV and a mess of now retro game consoles (first console I got was a Sega Dreamcast in 1999). Maybe I am "nostalgic" for something that I never really experienced. But it seems like consumer electronics of 1980s and 1990s were built to a more robust standard than todays. Back then it seems like quality stuff was somewhat affordable to the average person. The Elite line of units aren't cheap (and they weren't that cheap when new), but they're far away from the kilobucks products that dominate the high-end market these days. A lot of those kilobucks of are questionable quality and design principles.

Designers seem to take a dogmatic approach to building things (i.e. no negative feedback, DACs that don't oversample, et cetera) rather than using empirical evidence and sound engineering to design their products. This trend isn't new (audiophile myths and snake oil have existed basically as long things like Stereophile and other publications have been around), but it seems like the internet has really helped to popularize and solidify these practices as legitimate. The 1990s seems like the last time competent engineers were doing reasonable work and making high quality units at a reasonable price. Since then all the big manufacturers have since focused on the lower end of the market. Pioneer doesn't make the same kind of stuff today. This has lead to high-end market being captured snake oil salesmen who cleverly market their possibly shoddily engineered goods at an exorbitant price to the unwitting consumer.

Just my thoughts on the matter. No clue how closely they match with reality.
 
lico said:
The DVL-91 (although later vintage) can play CDs and LDs if you like that format, plus matches up with same look. If you are looking to build out a full Elite system (all components) the Elite cassette decks might cost you the most. I'm still looking for one at a decent price. If you like FM, the F-93 might be the best component of the series, excellent tuner.
Click to expand...
The DVL-91 looks like it has the exact same sides as well. Would you happen to know where to get the screws for these? I can't find the part code to search for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom