Pioneer A-400 amp. What's with the hype?

I bought a Pioneer A-400 as i read it's a great audiophile, giant killer. Was using a Technics SU-A900MK2 with my Wharfedale Xarus 5000 speakers. The A-400 does sound very clean and clear but lacks bass power. The Technics has the detail and also the great bass. Whats the fuss over the A-400? I much prefer my Technics.

 

It was the first in a new wave of frills free amps that were specially tuned to the 'UK ear'. No tone controls and efficient signal paths. Basically a UK designed Japanese amp.

I had one and got it modded to GTE spec a while later (I was one of the first actually). It was a good amp but tastes change over 25+ years later.

My brother still uses mine. It was bought the week Freddie Mercury died...

Was partnered with a Mk1 Meridian 506 and Monitor Audio 9 speakers for the time I had it. Was eventually replaced with the matching Meridian integrated to go with the 506 (itself later replaced with the 506 MK2).

Some pics of mine from a few years ago when I cleaned it up.


All the dust of 20+ years.


Cleaned!


The GTE mod hidden away.


I added the GTE logo myself.

 

How long have you been using it for. Does it need to "burn in"?

 

It got great reviews in the UK press, I preferred the Creek, but Creek's advertising budget was smaller. Certainly a pretty good amp for the money, but I didn't ever think it was a giant killer.

 

Its a 25+ year old amp....

 

I still have the 400X which I think sounds better (though many disagree). One thing it does have is a wide sound stage but it sounds a bit lose and lacking bass weight (though quite extended). I swapped in a a Rotel 840BX3 and that stayed for quite a while. The 400X will be up for sale in the near future (does have a little rustle on the volume control). The Pioneer was a good match for Mission speakers.

 

i realised after i posted what a bloody idiot i was!!! Sorry, must have had a senior moment.

 

Well I was waiting for someone to say "Hmm I'd say at least another week!"

 

How much does the GTE mod improve it? How does it change the sound quality? I could do with upgrading my speakers as they do tend to be quite boomy and bass heavy.

 

It's a subtle one. I never go into trying to describe sound 'improvements' as I'm one of the few honest ones that, unless its truly terrible, I can't tell. Most folks here can't either if they were truly honest. I never regretted doing it. I had a feeling that they would do another 'tweaked' version (and they did with the 400X) so I wanted to take mine out of that loop really.

The mod was done by Tom Evans. He's still around doing stuff but probably doesn't mod A400 gear anymore.

Do a Google search for A400 GTE Tom Evans and you'll find some stuff. Including me going on about it.

25 years ago everyone raved over the A400. Now its kind of cool to trash it. But in 25 years it will be cool again...

I have no complaints about mine.

 

Aloha
Pioneer A-400 ? hype ? what hype
try a A-200/90 guess this one plays in another ligue
cheers
Wally

 

It is in another league all together. I would say the UK designers pointed at that and said "It needs to be all but this!"

 

With the A400 unclothed, I look and say, where's the beef? A200/90, no need to ask, fills the box!

 

25 years ago, yes, the mainstream Hi-fi magazines did rave over the Pioneer A400, some people at the time said it was hyped, a large number bought one and loved it.

The shop I managed, sold the Denon PMA 250, Arcam Alpha, and Creek 4040. The Pioneer rep offered us the Pioneer account, and if we had accepted, we would have undoubtedly sold a number of A400s - people came in and simply wanted to buy one - a great review in a Hi-fi magazine can cause that kind of demand.

All the staff had a listen, and although the Pioneer was clearly a very good amp, we all preferred the Creek 4040. This is as far I went to trashing the Pioneer A400, 25 years ago, and as far as I'll go to trashing now. It is / was a good amplifier - but not everyone raved about it 25 years ago. Here I am simply answering @Neilson77 question about the hype, as honestly as I can. I didn't even know it was cool to trash a product 25 years later!

It did follow the Rotel 820 and Denon PMA 250, where manufacturers, tuned their products for the British market, which apparently had different taste to the rest of the world!

I'm really pleased that you have no complaints with yours, because that is the only thing that really counts.

 

Still have a 400X. Did quite a bit modifications to it back then, still sounds very good to these ears.

 

I actually still have a promo leaflet from Pioneer that collected several reviews and articles that came about on release.

I'll photo it and stick it up once I've dug it out of my cupboard.

 

I was thinking the same thing SLAB O BEEF

 

I i
Believe that it shone with expensive
Equipment . I bought one , sold it no bass !
Now the Denon PM 350 MK1
Was better than the Naim 42/110
I had used a few years previous.
I still have it and use it occasionally.
I really brings Barbara Streisand
Alive

 

Was causes a component to have no bass? Power supply?

 

I,m not sure. Let,s say it was clean,
Nice phono stage but for me it lacked body.
There was obviously bass, but it left me cold.
I,m told that it excelled in a £3,000
System. Crazy, its thst old synergy
Thing. I think it was a case of ok amp
Made out to be all things to all men,
The main thing my friend is whether or not it suits your taste. There are few
Bad amplifiers out there but boy do they sound different.
Americans apparently like warm
Smooth sound with a bit of bass lift
Brits like treble lift and tight bass,
What i an saying is that it was
Voiced for UK , as i recall.

 

Perhaps the empty box does (was?).

 

Some years ago the hype was DAMPING by heavy global negative feedback. Combined with the rather heavy damping of small to medium sized loudspeakers everything was bass shy, bass is there but over damped. Big boxes did better, less damping.
Imo those amp's with heavy damping/heavy feedback were/are designed to minimise croosover distortion resulting in transient intermodulation distortion. This concept is gone now but solid state still has crossoverdistortion.
Tone control essential for those amplifiers.
You are better off with a valve amplifier with modest (10 to 12 dB) or no feedback and rely on the optimum damping of the loudspeaker box. Solid state needs heaver feedback for known reasons, noise, crossover, non linearity's.

 

I'd much rather have the Pioneer Elite A91D or A717 Reference series integrateds.

Wait....I do have them.

 

I think retail price was £230 (£430 today) back around 1991. I think they seem go for around £100 on Ebay with the odd rare GTE going for around £200.

 

I think retail price was £230 (£450 today) back around 1991. I think they seem go for around £100 on Ebay with the odd rare GTE going for around £200.