PIONEER A-90 arrived - almost mint !
- Thread starter siamac
- Start date
siamac
PIONEER VINTAGE
Yesterday I made a soundcheck with some HPM-1100 and P-D70.
I had to realize, that A-90 is best sounding amp I ever had.
The differences are not so big compared to SX-1980 or SPEC-1+Spec-4 or Series20 or A-27, but it has less distortion than all of them :yes:
Unusual is the volume-potentiometer without steps.
Bad is, that the big speaker plugs don´t like bananas :thumbsdn:
A-27 takes bananas
I had to realize, that A-90 is best sounding amp I ever had.
The differences are not so big compared to SX-1980 or SPEC-1+Spec-4 or Series20 or A-27, but it has less distortion than all of them :yes:
Unusual is the volume-potentiometer without steps.
Bad is, that the big speaker plugs don´t like bananas :thumbsdn:
A-27 takes bananas
theblackknight
Mikes off! No recording!
Siamac, that thing is beautiful!!!:drool: :drool: :drool: Where did you get it and how much did it cost?:scratch2:
Loz-Pioneer-Nut
..........it`s up to you!
Siamac
That rocks!! Real nice quality amp. Well done on your purchase!! Happy X-mas!! Especially with your new amp to sing in the festive season!! :thmbsp:
Happy X-mas & New Year!!
Regards
LOZ (England) :thmbsp:
That rocks!! Real nice quality amp. Well done on your purchase!! Happy X-mas!! Especially with your new amp to sing in the festive season!! :thmbsp:
Happy X-mas & New Year!!
Regards
LOZ (England) :thmbsp:
Marantz Man
Mmmm, Rotel you say???
Great looking amp - IMO inside AND OUT!
What is the weight of the A-90 compared to the A-27?
What is the weight of the A-90 compared to the A-27?
siamac
PIONEER VINTAGE
Marantz Man said:
A-90 = 20 kg
A-27 = 25 kg
A-90 has the normal Pioneer width of 42 cm like SA-9900 or SA-9800 ...
A-27 was bigger. There is no tuner or tape, to match with this amp. But in any way, we were not allowed to put other components above A-27.
Because of Class-A driving, it was getting to hot :yes:
siamac said:That is half correct.
Pioneer Bible says that msrp was $1,230 in 1982/83 and then went down to $1,030 in 1983/84.
And A-80 fall from $750 to $640
Tuner F-90 from $365 to $320
Price for SX-1980 was $1250 in 1981, $20 more than A-90
same as A-27 with $1250
A-27 and A-90 were both build in 1982 and 1983, but A-27 was $20 more expensive !
I've got the A-80 and F-90. They do an AWESOME job for seperates although not much to look at.
alwayslooking
Recorded Live
Siamac's A-90 And now, the rest of the story....
Alright, I'll fill in a little info on Siamac's A-90. :yes: .
I knew he had been looking for one so when one came up I alerted him to it since as much as I wanted another one I did not have the funds at the time. :tears: This machine is like the A-27 in that the build quality is superb but it does not have the shiny silver face nor the BPC that was to come. Now, when you lift it you know either there are some guts in it or a cinderblock
. The face and functions have definitely grown on me ( and my 17 year old son ) who loves this thing hooked up to HPM-100's and Rectilinear III's.
I had sold the first pair of III's I came across as "too dead":scratch2: but after reading some posts here I gave them another try. Plus my son opened my ears to the bass and clarity and with the 100's it is a magical combination.
I was listening to a half-speed master of Supertramp's Crime of the Century last night and this stereo never ceases to amaze me- I hear things I never have before each and every time. On John Stewart's Bombs Away Dream Babies there is a song called Midnight Wind with Stevie Nicks. The song starts out and there is a, I believe, a synthesizer that at first only plays a few seconds but it sounds so sweet :sing: and then fades away but of course comes back full force later in the song.
I wonder how many A-90's were made. They don't come around often and I suppose it is due to the price when they were new, just for an amp. I had Merrylander look it over and repair the F-90 tuner ( the pads behind the pre-sets rot and have to be dug out and replaced). Since Siamac is THE Pioneer collector, possibly the finest collection on the planet, I thought it was time he added a 90 to it. If I ever get to Germany maybe I can get a tour of the "museum". I do need to get some tips from him for taking pictures though.:thmbsp: They are sharp.
Alright, I'll fill in a little info on Siamac's A-90. :yes: .
I knew he had been looking for one so when one came up I alerted him to it since as much as I wanted another one I did not have the funds at the time. :tears: This machine is like the A-27 in that the build quality is superb but it does not have the shiny silver face nor the BPC that was to come. Now, when you lift it you know either there are some guts in it or a cinderblock
. The face and functions have definitely grown on me ( and my 17 year old son ) who loves this thing hooked up to HPM-100's and Rectilinear III's. I had sold the first pair of III's I came across as "too dead":scratch2: but after reading some posts here I gave them another try. Plus my son opened my ears to the bass and clarity and with the 100's it is a magical combination.
I was listening to a half-speed master of Supertramp's Crime of the Century last night and this stereo never ceases to amaze me- I hear things I never have before each and every time. On John Stewart's Bombs Away Dream Babies there is a song called Midnight Wind with Stevie Nicks. The song starts out and there is a, I believe, a synthesizer that at first only plays a few seconds but it sounds so sweet :sing: and then fades away but of course comes back full force later in the song. I wonder how many A-90's were made. They don't come around often and I suppose it is due to the price when they were new, just for an amp. I had Merrylander look it over and repair the F-90 tuner ( the pads behind the pre-sets rot and have to be dug out and replaced). Since Siamac is THE Pioneer collector, possibly the finest collection on the planet, I thought it was time he added a 90 to it. If I ever get to Germany maybe I can get a tour of the "museum". I do need to get some tips from him for taking pictures though.:thmbsp: They are sharp.
siamac
PIONEER VINTAGE
Thank you very much "alwayslooking" and thanks to the seller, who first didn´t wanted to ship overseas :thmbsp: :thmbsp: :thmbsp:
The only "negative" thing about A-90 is, that maybe it is not looking "vintage" enough, for some of us.
The copper chassis, the mighty power transformer, the clean, tidy inside design, the solid aluminium knobs. the big speaker connectors, the clean, clear sound, 200 + 200 Watts at 8 ohm ... makes this amp really special.
The only "negative" thing about A-90 is, that maybe it is not looking "vintage" enough, for some of us.
The copper chassis, the mighty power transformer, the clean, tidy inside design, the solid aluminium knobs. the big speaker connectors, the clean, clear sound, 200 + 200 Watts at 8 ohm ... makes this amp really special.
