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Pioneer Stereo Receiver

captainclock

captainclock

Pacifist Otaku
Hi everyone I was given a what I'm assuming is a late 1960s vintage Pioneer Stereo Reciever Model No. SX-1000 TD.
When I first got it it would power on but it didn't put out any audio and I was trying to figure out what was wrong with it but was unable to so I took it to a repairman who repaired it for me for about $100.
When he finished the repair he had mentioned something about the capacitors for the output stages being bad and that he had replaced one of the capacitors with a capacitor that was slightly under spec because he was unable to locate from his suppliers the correct sized capacitor so the radio was going to be a little quieter, on one channel than the other but not too noticable.

I had then taken the stereo into another repairman who was able to repair it properly and now the stereo sings like no other, and at 65 Watts RMS per channel (its got 2 sets of speaker outputs) it can really pack a punch.
I actually bought at a local thrift store a set of Bose Interaudio Speakers from 1972 and refoamed the woofer surround and it really gets loud even at just quarter volume which really impressed me considering the stereo was one of the very first Solid State Receivers ever made by Pioneer.

I would like to know a little more about this stereo reciever though as I haven't been able to locate much info about this beast online, because I really like this stereo, especially how sensitive the tuner is (it has a quad ganged tuning capacitor, which from what the one repairman told me was really high end for any stereo equipment back in the 1960s and 1970s).
 
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I have one. I haven't recapped it yet, but it hasn't seen much use. I was actually thinking I may set it up in my bedroom tomorrow.

It does seem like a pretty sweet early Pioneer. Soundwise it reminds me a lot of my SX-6000, which is slightly newer. Both have a darker more tubey-y sound than any of my other amps, which are mostly late 70s or very early 80s.

I don't think they are common. At that point, I think American amps were more common in the US than Japanese amps, so not so many of these were imported.
 
blhagstrom said:
GO register at hifi-manuals.com (free) and download all the info.
http://www.hifi-manuals.com/Pioneer/page-85

They are sweet receivers.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link and the info, it was quite helpful. :)

I agree this is a pretty sweet stereo, it has excellent highs and lows, and can drive a pair of Bose Speakers, no problem. :)

This is actually my regular stereo and I have it set up in my room, and its got a late 1960s vintage Dual Turntable hooked up to it, an early 1990s Optimus (Radio Shack) Cassette Deck and a late 1980s Realistic (Radio Shack) 6-disc CD Changer hooked up to it and they all sound awesome on this stereo. :thmbsp: :music:
 
Dr. Mordo said:
I have one. I haven't recapped it yet, but it hasn't seen much use. I was actually thinking I may set it up in my bedroom tomorrow.

It does seem like a pretty sweet early Pioneer. Soundwise it reminds me a lot of my SX-6000, which is slightly newer. Both have a darker more tubey-y sound than any of my other amps, which are mostly late 70s or very early 80s.

I don't think they are common. At that point, I think American amps were more common in the US than Japanese amps, so not so many of these were imported.
Click to expand...

I think once you get yours up and running (and recapped) I think you'll agree that its a pretty awesome sounding system and it can drive a lot of equipment considering its age.
You can drive up to 2 turntables on this thing at once (well not both turntables playing at once but it has the capabilities to have up to 2 turntables hooked up to it and can be switched between them), you can also run a reel-to-reel recorder, a cassette deck, a CD Player, and even your TV through this thing.

This stereo also has the most sensitive tuner I've ever seen/heard in a stereo, and its because the tuning capacitor is a 4-gang tuning capacitor which is rather rare for any stereo of this vintage to have I've been told.

I hope you are able to get yours running and are able to enjoy yours as much as I've enjoyed mine. :music: :D :thmbsp:
 
Bought one new back when. Still have it and won't part with it. It is sailor proof and has driven all manner of speaker combinations thru both A/B plus both with no problems. Have had to have tuna gone over and some caps replaced, but it serves and still serves in any configuration I need when I need it. In other words, I like it. Am considering hooking it up to my Kappa 9's to see why it can do.....

!0ear
 
10ear said:
Bought one new back when. Still have it and won't part with it. It is sailor proof and has driven all manner of speaker combinations thru both A/B plus both with no problems. Have had to have tuna gone over and some caps replaced, but it serves and still serves in any configuration I need when I need it. In other words, I like it. Am considering hooking it up to my Kappa 9's to see why it can do.....

!0ear
Click to expand...

I'm only 25 years old, and I've owned probably 6 different stereo systems in my life so far and I have to say that even I have to agree with you and saying that this stereo is built like a tank and can take tons of abuse and still keep running. If I had to compare this stereo to some of the stuff that we made here in America, I would probably compare this to a Timex Watch, "It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'" but in this case it would be "It takes a slayin' and keeps on playin'". :D:thmbsp::scratch2:
 
This was one of my favorite Pioneer receivers out there. It was made before they cheapened them and when Pioneer had their best sound.
 
captainclock said:
I'm only 25 years old, and I've owned probably 6 different stereo systems in my life so far and I have to say that even I have to agree with you and saying that this stereo is built like a tank and can take tons of abuse and still keep running. If I had to compare this stereo to some of the stuff that we made here in America, I would probably compare this to a Timex Watch, "It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'" but in this case it would be "It takes a slayin' and keeps on playin'". :D:thmbsp::scratch2:
Click to expand...

You just haven't seen the stuff we made in that time period.
McIntosh, Fisher, Marantz...we were making some seriously nice stuff.
 
blhagstrom said:
You just haven't seen the stuff we made in that time period.
McIntosh, Fisher, Marantz...we were making some seriously nice stuff.
Click to expand...

I have to tend to agree there as well, I have worked with a gentleman who is the inhouse repairman for the local record store which also sells vintage stereo equipment and I have seen some of those old Marantz and Fisher stereos you speak of and some of those were beasts and weighed a ton it seemed like. And once they were going they sounded pretty cool as well.
 
Marantz in 1967 was mostly Japanese made except for high end components. In receivers, the Model 18 was US made and legitimate McIntosh competition. McIntosh was carriage trade only, as they still are. Fisher was at the tail end of their tube classics and making Germanium based SS which was superb, but flaky.
 
I found an SX-1000TD in an antique mall a year or so ago. I bought it for $75. Took it to a repair shop to be cleaned and lights replaced, then hooked it up to my Cerwin-Vegas for a listen. I liked it ok, but not as much as my Technics SU-7700. Everyone hears differently, of course, but I didn't think it had as much clarity as my Technics. Maybe it just didn't work as well with my CVs as my Technics does. So I sold it on ebay, made a few bucks, and the guy who bought it was very happy.
 
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