Anytime I see something on the Pioneer SX-1010, I have to watch to see what is said. I own the 1010, and all of the stereo war company responses to the 1010. The Marantz 2325 & the Sansui 9090DB amongst others in my collection. Have to say that I love the looks of the 1010. It has that old skool Harley Leather vibe to me. Anyway, it is hands down my best receiver. I have it paired with a beautiful mint set of 1972 Ohm F speakers that are 4/3 ohm that demand power to sing. This receiver does it with ease. Even better than my McIntosh MA6200 which is no slouch. This combination to me is pure perfection. I also have a set of JBL L-100 century’s that I switch to sometimes and the 1010 is a match made in heaven. I love the looks and the sound of the Pioneer SX-1010. I will never sell it. I also have a Denon DP-59L that is my workhorse with an upgraded/custom hot rodded cart. Glorious sound!
I went on a vintage buying binge a few years ago. Picked up a 650, 780, couple of Marantz's, couple of Yamahas, couple of Sansuis. The 1010 is my daily driver, I couldn't be happier.
the sx-1050 was and is a superb receiver all needed is there and what a sound quality,i have it hooked to a set of later hpm-1000, the tone controls are very smooth as the loudness, later i was ofered a SX-1980, the one who came with the HPM-1000 and a PL-560 turntable with a plinth in cast iron ,similar to the PLC-590 from the 20 series being this last better but close , i have a big colection of pioneer components ,all ofered by family ,once in a christmas night with uncles, cousins and my parentsand grandparents, i told"i just bought to myself a complete sansui component system"i remenber the silence in the big dinning room and eyes with hunger expressions looking at me, had to say "i´m kidding i´ll wait for you to buy newer pioneer systems and i´ll be happy with what you have now" and all expressions seemed to look happy again but a cousin 5 years older than me ,very drunk told me "if you bought sansui, i´ll show you what is good sound" meaning he would torture me, like he had done since i remenber myself but he did offer me ,later his exclusive system from pioneer, two power amplifiers a control amplifier some twin 2401 speakers and a P3 turntable ,it was what i think they call tough love, we grew up together. My family was a Pioneer freak, Once i was with my cousin looking at a GX something cassette deck from Akai ,he pushed me and i was in front of a CT-F1000 and told me "if you´re starting to use cassettes this is what you need" and i had to buy it, but still works perfect today , once in 1979 i bought a mini philips deck from f series it had a really good sound and thekeys when pressed it made a fade out when starting to play ,it was really good, when this cousin of mine see´s it in my house at the time ,he tells me "this is a good refrigirator brand, you think that qualifies them to do cassette deck, next we go to Singer where they sale sewing machines ,maybe because the make sewing needles they´ll have the best turntable", the funny thing is when we passed by Singer they had on the window a compact system with a turntable ,radio and cassette deck and i told him "you really know about hi-fi ,i never expected to see a compact system from singer with a looking modern turntable" which said DUAL in the plastic next to the tonearm
I think you are correct. Those little black legged transistors (as I call them) get noisy - crackle, crackle, pop-pop! (lol). Certainly worth the effort to refurbish. In fact, I once had a totally redone SX-1280 - wow! It really had a transparency that other examples lacked...
I inherited an SX-1250 that looks like it came out of a barn. Can't wait to restore it. If I had to choose between a 1250 and a 1980 I will always go for the 1250, it just looks better
Don't forget to clean the fuse holder too if you decide to clean them fuse. You can also rebuild the power supply board with better transistors and new caps. They get a lot of heat down there. On the SX-1010, it's something that should be done. Verify if the bias and dc balance is still what it's supposed to be. They tend to drift. It's worth to do this because look and sound wise, it's the one of the best receiver you can have. Dual push pull, with 2x 18kuF caps in the power supply, it's very well made and the tuner is very good, and it looks great.
I have a SX-1010. It was a closet classic I paid less than $300 for in 2015. Everything works although one of the front switches is a bit touchy. The output is strong and full with loads of power and bass on tap.I will get around to doing a DeOxit cleaning of the switches and pots, and maybe change out the main caps if that might provide some benefits and further stability over the original caps. Thanks for the informative, helpful video.
$300 - that was a great investment! I'd have to agree that a recap of the power supply may be in order - if for stability reasons alone. I always get (in addition) a pleasant reminder of the sound quality impact after redoing power supplies as well. Thanks for sharing!
Great review. Love the maintenance footage. Power switch failure or removal and cleaning is often required in this xx50 line-up. Both of these amplifiers are very good performers. The 1010 is my preferred look. I really dig it. Classy looking unit. I still prefer the early Sansui units from this period, but who would ever poo-poo an xx50 or 1010? I use metal polish on the sulfer oxidation, and they come clean like new. Flush with IPA and a bit of F5 or D5. I have been using 401B lately and am very happy with it and prefer the straw.
When you refer to metal polish, what oxidization are you using it on specifically? Is this for the face - or components within? As for cleaners, yes 401B (Nutrol) is pretty good stuff, & affordable! Can't beat the combination, great value!
Both. The sulfide melts away. Mr. Carlson uses tarn-x....I use mothers. It is important to flush it away, but it makes tarnish removal effortless. I mainly use it for contact surfaces in Turntables, it also works wonders on wafer switches. Contact cleaner won't touch oxide on wafers or selector switch contacts. Have to open them to do it properly.
I purchased the sx1050 because it was the first receiver with the turoidal transformer; it was also the first that radio shack came out with the 2100 with the same transformer for which they were sued. I have that one too.,
14:35 you are making extra effort to spray into plastic in the top of the switch but you can see the rows of contacts on the ends. spray into the rows, you will get better results.
I have an SX-1250 and an SX-850. I got the 1250 when prices were still somewhat reasonable and I won't sell it, but you're right. The 1050 is really the sweet spot. Can you tell me how these compare to the Kenwood 600? I have a line on one and I'm considering it. Thanks.
The Kenwood (in my opinion) is better sounding. It extracts more detail and texture from the music. The Pioneer (however) is exceptional, easy going, and (of course) it has the benefit of a tuner.
I've never had a 939. I just sold a 727, I really do find that generation Pioneer all have a very similar sound. I'd have no doubt the 939 is indeed very close in performance to other TOTL models.
I don't have a SX-737, but I do have a SX-727. I'd say one of the most obvious differences from the 1010 is power output, 110 per channel verses 35 on the 737. Essentially, the SX-737 was more mid-level - albeit, still a great unit. I'd say that you can expect a similar tone with all Pioneer's of this specific era.
