Older Pioneer integrated?

Midnite Mick
Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
edited July 2009 in Electronics
I have been looking for something inexpensive for my sister for a while now. This guy lives within 5 minutes of me. Anybody know anything regarding this piece?

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/view_images.php?cat=Amplifiers&catnick=amplifiers&cfid=135432&image_id=1088344

Thanks,
Mike
Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
Consonance cd120T
Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
Usher CP 6311

Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
Post edited by Midnite Mick on
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Comments

  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited July 2009
    Midnight Mick, this Pioneer A-77X and it's bigger brother the A-88X are both very powerful dual mono block integrated amps. They are beasts... but they come with a few drawbacks. I am on my second A88-X because the first one had so many problems it was not worth fixing. This second one also has some problems. Namely one channel is louder than the other.

    This is my opinion. They are good sounding amps.. but they don't hold up well over time. for some reason it seems to me that Pioneer didn't build these two amps that well. Certainly later Pioneer (Elite) integrated amps are better built.

    So ask plenty of questions about that amp before you buy it. It very well could have some bad or scratchy switches at the very least... and or more serious problems.

    On my first one.. one of the large caps started to leak.. and it burned up one of the boards under it.

    Both of my amps were bought used of course. They have a nice Rosewood sides from the Pioneer Elite series of that time.. they are good looking units... but come with some problems because of their age.

    good luck.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited July 2009
    Thanks for the warning. I don't want to be responsible for recommending a piece to my sister that may possibly be unreliable.

    Thanks,
    Mike
    Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Consonance cd120T
    Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Usher CP 6311

    Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited July 2009
    if your sister doens't need a lot of power or have power hungry speakers.. I would recommend looking for another integrated amp.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,327
    edited July 2009
    danger boy wrote: »
    if your sister doens't need a lot of power or have power hungry speakers.. I would recommend looking for another integrated amp.

    Mike,

    If what danger boy says is true...I would stay clear of that particular unit. Take a look at the NAD line of integrated amps. Especially the models with the BEE designation. NAD integrates are well known for superb performance & sound quality. I'm sure you can pick one up on the used market to fit your sister's budget. Good luck.
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  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited July 2009
    Yeah Phil, on the surface it looked pretty good as I remember as a kid in the 80's Pioneer receivers/integrates were quite highly regarded. However, I was not aware of any reliability issues. That's why I turned here first for advice. I will wait for something else relatively inexpensive to pop up, preferably local.

    Regards,
    Mike
    Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Consonance cd120T
    Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Usher CP 6311

    Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
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