Vintage Pioneer receiver: "warm"... or just out of spec?

I can't help you with speaker suggestions, I see you favor smaller speakers.
All of my speaker choices are vintage and much bigger and most all have horns.
I will say Fisher made some really nice book shelf type speakers that have a warm sound and a good low end by normal standards.
I have a pair of JBL" decades" that were given to me out of a shed, after reforming they are super speakers and not that large.
I guess I was able to come up with one or two suggestions.

 

very lucky to get that one.

 

I wish I had the room for bigger speakers. I'd love to pair some Cornwalls to my Fisher X-100!

The Dentons work very well with my SX-780.

 

just to add - many of the vintage speakers weren't exactly treble monsters, not, for example, with paper cone tweeters. That will give a warmer sound versus horns or some of the tweeters of today.

I've had any number of vintage SS pieces - Dynaco, Sony, Marantz 240, a McIntosh 250, and even an old B&K ST-140 - that sounded quite warm until they got a power supply and signal cap job done. Then they sounded a lot closer to neutral, or how I imagined they sounded when new.

 

Still have my 450 since 1978. Close out sale at Team Electronics for $99.00. My first "real" stereo. I ran it with Realistic MC 1201 speakers. It still has all original components - and still sounds the same to me as it ever did. I use it daily in my 2nd garage.

I guess to do this right - we would have to back -to-back compare all these receivers with the same peripherals, which to be honest, I haven't really done. Its just what I notice when I use them.

I'll bet the hard-core Pioneer guys over at AK have probably beat this issue to death.

 

Thanks guys.

 

If one wants clean and crisp vintage sound, opt for Yamaha.

 

But are you saying the "warm" pioneer sound of 70s receivers is always deterioration, rather than a sound signature? I'd like to understand the difference. Thanks.

 

Not sure if I'd call my SX-737 warm or just maybe good natured. I found it for an aged friend around 2005 to replace a vintage Technics that was acting up, losing all of its lights, etc. It drove a pair of PSB 500s very nicely until Joe checked out in 2012, at which point I bought it from his widow.

The thing has sounded nice with everything, even though the 35 watts doesn't have the clean dynamic power of my late NAD 304's 35 watts, nor is it as smooth. It certainly outpoints the Marantz 2220B in another part of the same room. The very clean Marantz 2270 at my old band director's house seems "harder" sounding, though it could just be his room and stuff. A Yamaha CR-620 I found for a friend didn't seem to have the same ease and charm. An 80wpc Marantz SR-4320 of early 2000 vintage is smoother and a bit cleaner, but doesn't have the bass grip of the 737.

 

Yes. They are 40 years old now. They were not designed to, nor did they sound that way when new.
-Bill

 

Okay . But do you think most people talking about "warm" pioneer receivers are actually just misunderstanding the source of that sound? Which is actually decay.

 

It's much like really old and unrestored speakers.With their old crossover caps untouched, they usually sound woolly, dull, sluggish, etc. Replacing those caps almost always wakes them up.

 

That would appear so. My recapped SX-780 is not "warm."

 

Thanks. I wonder if it's the same deal with the Marantz receivers. Are those artificially warm, too? I wonder.

 

Have to politely disagree. Original and serviced vintage Pioneers have the same sound signature: that is, exaggerated bass response, which is why many, including myself, find them overly warm. However, this "romantic" type of reproduction has its followers, and can work towards ones advantage if they have a lean system. No right or wrong answer, just personal taste.

 

Not all vintage Pioneers sound the same that's for certain. The units I had did not sound warm or bloated.

 

Have to disagree, mine hasn't an exaggerated bass response; never been recapped so far. Bass is ¨woolier¨ than on other amps I've owned/own though, so I tight it up with my Pioneer dynamic expander.

 

I had a Pioneer receiver in the 70's. Changed to a NAD 3020 when that was launched and it was better in every way apart from build quality.

 

Nope. I have two identical models here right now , only one is recapped, and the recapped one does not sound like that.

 

Yeah, they were pretty nice builds and designed to be accurate but with many features. So when new, they were much cleaner and transparent sounding than as found today. That said, there were sonic signatures of different brands and models back then too, so some products would sound warmer or brighter than others. The distinction that I was making is that we cannot easily compare the two today without the aid of a time machine. action pact has one.
-Bill

 

My understanding from my tech who restored my 2000X is that it's necessary to know the difference between modern parts that will change the original sound signature and parts that will not. Both possibilities exist.

I just scored a one owner Pioneer SX-880 in beautiful condition for $10. It isn't dark or especially warm. I would describe the sound as bold, detailed and dense. It's freekin' awesome!

 

Yes that's about how I would describe my SX750. No complaints whatsoever with the sound that's for sure. If restoring it changes it, I'm not sure I want it. Mine was kept in a cabinet by an old couple for many years and looks like new.

 

Yes, hard to mess with something that works wonderfully - however I would bet you substantial beverage of your choice when completely restored you would be even more enamored with the sound than you are now.

 

I dunno; I asked my tech to recap mine and he told me he'd be ripping me off as everything was OK and measuring within spec. My unit was made in '78.

 

My guy also won't change anything still within spec.
Haven't had him look at the Pioneer because I don't want to be without it now and it sounds really good.