Pioneer SX-V90/SX-V900: WOW!!!!

[240 Volts]

I also agree that a Galaxy Commander is rather ugly at first blush but it's certainly an acquired taste.....it grows on you. I just with they hadn't used PLASTIC on the faceplate. Now, that's tacky!! That's probably why Kenwood has just never ranked up there on my desireability list, even though I have several of their TOTL Receivers.The cosemtics on their Receivers just isnt' that great. Probably their best effort was the 200 wpc KR-9050, the predecessor to the Galaxy Commander. That's an AWESOME looking piece, although the sound quality isn't all that great.

Vintage, no arguments from me about the looks of the KR-9050 - I think it's one of the best looking receivers around :thmbsp: - and I've been looking to buy a KR-9600 for ages but just can't find one here in the UK. :tears: You guys in the States are so lucky, both with the choice of units available and the relatively low prices compared to the UK.

- Richard B.

 

[crooner]

However, the asymmetrical styling of the SX-1980, with the oddly sized power meters, just looks weird to me and the well-known reliability problems make it just TOO risky as an investment. However, I admire your courage in taking one on. As for me, I'll take 15 SX-V900s any day.

mmm courage? That's what was needed to run vintage tube amps with 500 volts on the plates. A fire extinguisher nearby was a must. Been there, done that.

The SX-1980 is very reliable as long as you don't abuse it. Everything's got a breaking point, trust me...

When I got the SA-1000 you offered to buy my SX-1980. Change of heart? Decisions, decisions....

For the record, the SX-1980 is not for sale!

 

[vintagestereo]

Vintage, no arguments from me about the looks of the KR-9050 - I think it's one of the best looking receivers around :thmbsp: - and I've been looking to buy a KR-9600 for ages but just can't find one here in the UK. :tears: You guys in the States are so lucky, both with the choice of units available and the relatively low prices compared to the UK.

- Richard B.

Yeah -- But you guys have your own select group of very interesting gear to pick from, espcially all the German stuff and the early Quads!

 

[vintagestereo]

The SX-1980 is very reliable as long as you don't abuse it. Everything's got a breaking point, trust me... For the record, the SX-1980 is not for sale!

That was a diffent time. My collecting interests have taken a different path. Since you seem to be having good luck with yours, it's best to hang onto it as long as possible. I've just seen too many busted units on E-Bay...and, "back in the day", they were know to have problems, especially with overheating. The SX-1280s also had a similar problem, but not as bad. I seem to recall the SX-1010 also had heating problems, but the SX-1250 seems to have been done right.

If you ever want to part with your SX-5590, keep me in mind. That's one I'd love have. GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS!!!! :thmbsp:

 

[radioshack71]

Just recieved my SX-V900 (black SX-V90) today. I was expecting something just slightly better than the SX-3900 I disposed of a few months back. But, WOW!!! This thing is actually GREAT!!!

Stuffed inside is a big 'old Toroidal Transformer. And, you know how I love those! Then there are those two seperate banks of heatsinks with 4 discrete output transitors on each one. Better yet! The two 71V 15,000 uF ELNA filter caps are a bit less than I could hope for, but, I've got to admit that this thing sounds REALLY GOOD! Out back, there's a Pre-Out/Main-In, which is an abolute requirement for any Receiver I buy now.

Why does it sound so good? Probably, because it has the same basic technology as Pioneer's A-90 Amplifier and F-90 Tuner. Specifially, it has a non-switching DC amplifier rated at 125 wpc @ 0.005% THD. The A-90 featured a 200 wpc non-switching amp and the A-80 had a 125 wpc version, so this is basically the A-80's amplifier section. The FM Section features the F-90's Digital Direct Decoder circuitry with a S/N Ratio of 82 dB in Stereo, which is almost unheard of in a Receiver. Seperation is 50 dB. The broadcasts sound exceptionally clean and clear.

Also, the SX-V900 also has one of the brightest, most attractive Fluroscan displays I've ever seen. The a huge "water-fountain"-style power meter and the station display is also about as large as I've ever seen. For 1985, Pioneer was definately ahead of the pack in display technology.

Best of all, even after 20 years, thing thing functions flawlessly. No noise in the switches and the power delivery feels immense. This thing actually tested out at almost 150 wpc in a Stereo Reveiw Test Report.

I'm still hoping to get an A-90 to go with my F-90, but those are few and far between. However, this taste of Pioneer's non-switching amp. technology has got me going! The SX-3900 was the first Pioneer Recevier with the non-switching amp., however, this is two generations farther alonge and it's clear that Pioneer was on the right pathy. It's a technology that really produces audible results. The SX-V90 will do just fine for now.

So, I'm most assuredly not going to be shedding any tears over the sale of my SX-3900, handsome as it is/was. The SX-V90/V900 is simply superior in almost every meaningful respect.

When time permits, I'm going to pit it in a comparison test against the Yamaha R-2000, The Carver Receiver, the Kyocera R-851 and R-861, Luxman RX-103, Kenwood KR-1000 Galaxy Commander and a few other mid-80's TOTL units I have lying around here and see how it does. Frankly, I expect it to come out on top. I'm THAT impressed with it.

For a TOTL Pioneer, this one goes right under the radar. If you have a chance to get one, by all means do so. You'll be thanking me for this information.

Still have the Kenwood KR-1000 Galaxy Commander ? Wanna $ell It?

 

[gkhashem]

You think so after 11 years and 3 months or so??

 

[Ricktptman]

Everybody gets to like what they like, but the auction prices tell the story. You probably should've hung on to the 3900 or better yet, trade it for a 980 or 950.
I sold that stuff (as a day gig) in the '80's and "new on the shelf"all it took was about fifteen seconds of listening to it and for me, it was all over. The Vintage market as it appears today didn't pop up out of thin air. There's a generation of us who watched that disaster unfold in real time and knew what it was when we saw it, even if there wasn't much we could do about it. I graduated to Carver and Nak until the "Elite" series found its footing. But I had to scrounge for deals and dealer demos to even do that. I kept most of that stuff for twenty years until I sold it for more than what paid for it on eBay. Another example: I see online reviews of the F-90 and F-9 and while they might be good tuners for next to no money, one shouldn't set one up next to a well maintained, aligned 9800 or 9500 II and expect to see a fair fight. Particularly in the audio quality category. The program material choices with OTA FM isn't what it ought to be, but most of what people hate about FM's SQ is either the Music being played or how the station's processing is set up. I'm marginally lucky where I live as there are two "not awful" commercial stations. But the Classical station is decidedly less adventurous then it was during my youth (the wealthy blue-haired Widow playlist influence factor has gotten worse with the passing of the eons) and only one station plays about an hour of Jazz on Saturday nights. (Their engineering is abysmal. It's been on autopilot since the '90's.) I won't even bring up HD Radio. All I'll say is "HD does NOT stand for "High Definition", LOL...

 

[God_Of_Hi-fi]

They fitted the transformer of the Pioneer sx-1250 to the sx-1980. Only the larger capacitor ,, a pair of power vu-meters ,, put in smaller heatsink panels with a little more waste of metal. Power is the same ,, The sound is the same ,, but in terms of security, the sx-1980 is not that good. Its voice is heard as stronger just because of its appearance.

 

[God_Of_Hi-fi]

Do not compare this Pioneer sx-v900 with the mighty Kenwood Galaxy Commander, you would be sorry. Pioneer uses 4 transistors each .. Kenwood has 12 exactly .. While Pioneer has only 300 watt transformer, Kenwood's transformer is exactly 700 watts .. So it can not be a fair encounter. In addition, Galaxy Commander is a more powerful and better Amplifier than both Pioneer sx-1980 and Kenwood Kr-9050 .. The best and powerful receiver of the 80s is Galaxy Commander.

 

[God_Of_Hi-fi]

The real power of the Kenwood Kr-1000 is actually exactly 200 watts rms per channel .. Pioneer is actually only 50 watts per channel. I wish you a good day brothers ..

 

[JimL1]

LOL!!! :lmao:
Just think about it, 15 such receivers at 100 bucks average makes $1500 which buys you a SX-1980 these days...

Not any more SX1900 go for 5K now!

 

[crooner]

Thus i

Not any more SX1900 go for 5K now!

This is an ancient thread. The original folks on it were early discoverers of these monster receivers. We probably contributed to their appreciation over the years.

I bought mine for $700 and sold it for $2800 a few years later. Not too bad. Considering it was 2006...