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Pioneer SX-750 vs. HK 330C

jpreza

jpreza

Active Member
There is a seller that has a Pioneer SX-750 receiver that looks very clean. He is willing to take trades. What is your opinion if I were to trade my dearly beloved HK 330C? Is that a fair trade? The HK 330C is very clean, has been recapped and noisy transistors replaced.

TIA....Joe
 
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If the Pioneer is in better condition then trade. With units that old, by FAR the biggest issue is condition. If the are about the same then I doubt you would notice much difference.
 
Again,

Condition

Condition

Condition

Its not like when they were new there huge differences in how they sounded. Most better brand mainstream receivers sounded really nice when they were new. The ability for the Pioneer to drive a wider variety of speakers easier than the HK is another plus for the Pioneer.....just depends on the speakers used.

People not considering condition in this scenario are not being realistic. If the Pioneer is in better condition it is the better choice.......the reverse is also true.
 
Those of you that keep touting condition must not have read the OP's post completely:

"The HK 330C is very clean, has been recapped and noisy transistors replaced."

I doubt condition is really the issue or question.

The question seems to be if given comparable condition which unit is "better". IMHO while the Pioneer is slightly more powerful, there is no reason to trade, keep the "Beloved" 330c, it's a "known entity".
 
wmgwizard said:
Those of you that keep touting condition must not have read the OP's post completely:

"The HK 330C is very clean, has been recapped and noisy transistors replaced."

I doubt condition is really the issue or question.

The question seems to be if given comparable condition which unit is "better". IMHO while the Pioneer is slightly more powerful, there is no reason to trade, keep the "Beloved" 330c, it's a "known entity".
Click to expand...

I keep talking about condition because that is the MOST important thing to worry about in vintage items like this. If the HK is in better condition, keep it. If the Pioneer is in equally good condition, then that is more of a poser. The Pioneer is over twice as powerful, no "slight" about it and has a good a rep as about any mid 70s receiver.....and it has a great resale value. All things being equal, if the seller would trade straight across, the Pioneer is hands down the better unit from an economic standpoint. I really dont think one sounds better than the other (having heard them a looong time ago).....they both sound very nice when in good CONDITION.
 
Bodyblue said:
I keep talking about condition because that is the MOST important thing to worry about in vintage items like this. If the HK is in better condition, keep it. If the Pioneer is in equally good condition, then that is more of a poser. The Pioneer is over twice as powerful, no "slight" about it and has a good a rep as about any mid 70s receiver.....and it has a great resale value. All things being equal, if the seller would trade straight across, the Pioneer is hands down the better unit from an economic standpoint. I really dont think one sounds better than the other (having heard them a looong time ago).....they both sound very nice when in good CONDITION.
Click to expand...

I'm still hoping to resurrect a 430 that I have with the following issues:

1. Warm/almost hot output transistors (I believe this is caused to poor biasing but I don't have the equipment to do this besides a DMM)
a. I removed the output transistors to test the BE and BC voltages (tested ok) and put them back in the same order (I even marked them before removal)
2. No audio coming out of the left channel regardless of input
a. I've swapped the audio coming out of the preamp board and the issue persists so I've isolated the issue to the main board
b. All transistors on the main board have been replaced

Any ideas??

TIA....Joe
 
To my ear the 330 C is an outstanding little receiver from the sound quality perspective. Pioneer has slightly more guts but I think the HK sounds better. Your mileage may vary
 
Recapped 330C vs a non-recapped SX-750? I take the 330C for reliability. However, if you like to tinker and recap the SX-750, then that might suffice too. I like the HK units, the 330C is a nice unit.
 
Always other variables in play. Largely how efficient are the speakers and room size and absorption.
Small lower powered receivers can sound really good with reasonably efficient speakers and a smaller listening environment like my workroom. Living room setup a different story, needs a lot more power than the little 330C can deliver.

Listening experience will suffer if amp can't deliver enough power for the listening environment and speakers.
 
jpreza said:
I'm still hoping to resurrect a 430 that I have with the following issues:

1. Warm/almost hot output transistors (I believe this is caused to poor biasing but I don't have the equipment to do this besides a DMM)
a. I removed the output transistors to test the BE and BC voltages (tested ok) and put them back in the same order (I even marked them before removal)
2. No audio coming out of the left channel regardless of input
a. I've swapped the audio coming out of the preamp board and the issue persists so I've isolated the issue to the main board
b. All transistors on the main board have been replaced

Any ideas??

TIA....Joe
Click to expand...
Good to start a new thread on your problem than try to add it here. Odds are it will get missed here.

Bias adjustment with most amp circuits generally just need a DVM set by DC voltage. If bias is much greater than it should be the output transistors can get hot.

My 330C was a fix and repair sold as not output. With headphones could barely hear something at max volume when I got it. Just needed a good control cleaning to get back working. Sometimes on an old unit with issues a good cleaning can leave one with fewer issues to try to diagnose. If not familiar, take a look at this thread on DeOxit:
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/the-idiots-guide-to-using-deoxit-revisited.207005/

When signal getting lost a signal tracer can help. Can be oscilloscope, sound card with scope program on pc, modified input lead to a headphone amp, could also modify an old powered computer speaker as one. Need to create clip on input leads and have a sense where you can and can't hook them in so as not to blow something up. With the latter two using your ears to tell if signal still good, other two will need to feed a signal usually a sine wave, 1 kHz commonly used. Otherwise you can chase your tail for a while and get frustrated. Been there before until I created one.
 
I bought an SX-750 a few years back because I wanted one in the 70s and couldn't afford it. I gave it to my grandson because I just wasn't impressed by it at all.
 
Roadrash said:
I bought an SX-750 a few years back because I wanted one in the 70s and couldn't afford it. I gave it to my grandson because I just wasn't impressed by it at all.
Click to expand...

It is hard to judge something that is almost 50 years old without hearing it in new condition dont you think?
 
coonmanx said:
If something is "beloved" then why would you get rid of it for something that is a lateral move at best?
Click to expand...

I've heard so many good things about the Pioneer SX-x50 line that I wanted to try it. Also, one minor thing that my 330C has is that the signal strength meter does not work. If I tap a few times, it moves to the middle (around 5) and then it just gets stuck there.
 
jpreza said:
I've heard so many good things about the Pioneer SX-x50 line that I wanted to try it. Also, one minor thing that my 330C has is that the signal strength meter does not work. If I tap a few times, it moves to the middle (around 5) and then it just gets stuck there.
Click to expand...
The 750 sounds fine as long as it's driving an easy load, but it lacked any real guts if that makes sense.
 
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