What the... (SX-1280)

J!m

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#1
I know. What the heck is wrong with me. (my wife asks me at least once daily)

The SX-1980 is the "ludicrous" option, and priced accordingly. I think it's cool looking, with the larger meters, but I think it's getting into "gaudy" territory. And they are over five grand.

I honestly think the 1280 is the sweet spot at the upper end. Real wood veneer, shielded tuner components, plenty of power, variable cartridge loading (!), it's a great looking piece.

1641587368561.png
(file photo)

So, I tracked one down in CA. Lives with a tech, who will go through it and replace only what is needed, and set it up ready to go. Not a "full re-cap" job, which I think is generally unnecessary most of the time. Not really advertised on the open market, so probably not going anywhere unless I buy it.

Price: $3,800 (or so) shipped to me. That's not an insignificant amount of money, but very low compared to the blue book, er, eBay pricing currently.

There is one here in CT for $4,375 that has been totally gone through (although the main filter caps are still black, so I question what exactly was done) Take away fees and the seller would net a bit over $3500.00 This might be a reasonable option- meet in person to avoid shipping damage and pay ca$h for the best possible deal. That's not an insignificant amount of money either. (but it has the original box and papers, which I like!)

Just thinking out loud I guess. If anyone knows of another not on the open market, for a more affordable price, my ears are open!

Feel free to try and talk some sense into me as well...
 

J!m

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#3
These weigh more than money. Certainly more than paper money. Possibly their weight in silver (I need to figure that out now)

Hang on...

SX-1280 weighs 922.396 Troy Ounces...

Not silver. That would be $20,569.52

Copper $276.47... Too low.

Nickel $596.78
 
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Elite-ist

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#9
My vintage audio philosophy was inspired by a TH member, SoCal Sam, and it's in line with my wife: Sure, you can buy that stereo piece you want, but first sell other stuff to finance the purchase. I've been doing that since 2012 and that's how I bought my Pioneer SX-1980 and a lot of other great components.

fe5b092c-9bd6-400a-9d45-5e591a58e17b_zpsmns5yunv.jpg

Nando.
 

Elite-ist

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#10
SX-1980 back in the day:

...rated at a staggering 270 watts RMS per channel into 8 ohms, both channels driven. However, in the September 1978 issue of the magazine Audio,[4] Leonard Feldman performed a specification test on the SX-1980 and concluded that the rating of 270 watts RMS per channel was too conservative. He stated in his report:

Though the new [IHF mandated] "Dynamic Headroom" measurement is specified in dB, it should be mentioned that based upon the short-term signal used to measure the 2.3 dB headroom of this amplifier, it was producing nearly 460 watts of short-term power under these test conditions!

At an official rating of 270 watts RMS per channel into 8 ohms[1] with a measured 2.3 dB dynamic headroom,[4] this makes the SX-1980 Pioneer's most powerful receiver, as well as being one of the most powerful receivers ever manufactured in the world, to date. It was also tested in the December 1978 issue of Stereo Review.[5] Some results were:

With both channels driving 8-ohm loads at 1,000 Hz, the outputs clipped at 300 watts per channel (IHF clipping headroom equals 0.46 dB). The dynamic headroom was 0.63 dB. ... The distortion at 1,000 Hz was nearly unmeasurable at any power level. It was no more than 0.003% from 0.1 to 100 watts output, rose to 0.0045% between 200 and 290 watts, and reached its maximum of 0.008% at 300 watts, just before clipping occurred. The intermodulation distortion (IM) was about 0.03% at most power levels up to 100 watts and reached 0.045% at 300 watts.

Nando.
 
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#11
J!m, the way I see it? Plain & simple, you are in a race to buy whatever full-size, scale-bustin' legacy amp happens to be your 'dream boat' ...before the eco-warriors outlaw their purchase or sale.

Once this happens, there will be a further mandate that the only audio amps legal for sale for use in a private household will be Class D (for maximum efficiency) and limited to a total weight of <10 lbs. Sure, this sounds crazy, but what doesn't sound crazy these days? :0)

If I were you, I wouldn't wait to find out if I'm right or not. You better decide on which one to bring home & make it so...

...And if you do, I'll reward you by sending you a matching lapel pin that you can wear to any/all 'burning amp' type get togethers --

3D

PS - Nobody I know went to their grave wishing that they had bought 1 less receiver/amplifier/sonic box of goodness. (!)
 

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J!m

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#14
I’ve got that covered with my balanced mono block conversion of four KSA-50 boards, remember?

Disdipating global-warming levels of heat.

Still pales in comparison to the planetary destruction caused by making Prius batteries. And when they die? More Prius batteries.

Carry on.

Nando: it seems just about every vintage amplifier was “underrated” at the time. I was just watching an overhaul of a 980 that was producing clean power (under clipping) well beyond specifications. The 980 is affordable too… (comparatively)

I also learned the regular deoxit (red can) is bad news for carbon comp pots. Only use green can “fader lube” in the carbon pots , or if you don’t know their composition.

Selector switches are fine but you should probably wash out the D5 after the switch is working right.
 
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#15
I’ve got that covered with my balanced mono block conversion of four KSA-50 boards, remember?
oooh, that's right! You know, I don't know what the exact mechanism is...but an engine where I have personally inspected/touched/verified every single part always seems to be more satisfying to drive than anything off of the showroom floor...
Cobra engine trial assembly degree wheel.jpg

Perhaps instead of buying a (admittedly nice) legacy receiver...you should instead invest in something you brewed up yourself? It certainly wouldn't be easier to roll your own...but the sense of accomplishment *will* color your perception of the sonic output. :0) What can I say? The brain is definitely a nonlinear thing...
 
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George S.

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#17
Thing is, a DOHC engine with variable cam phasing is far easier for me than an amplifier.
Same here, I can rebuild a small block Chevy in my sleep, electronics baffle me. When I build a amp I often have to do things over until I'm satisfied. And that's building from a superbly engineered kit with copious clear instructions. I need photos before I can even begin.
 
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#18
J!m & George S,

The three of us are all in the same boat! FWIW from early on I was fascinated both by mechanics & electronics, and studied both in school. Worked my way through school as a mechanic, & rebuilding carburetors was a specialty of mine. But I switched to working on computers, simply because the pay scale was double back in the day. (I used to kid around with actual computer enthusiasts that I was just a computer mercenary...and just did that in order to be able to spend more money on go-faster engine bits. :0)

Seriously, my biggest wish right now is to someday become as comfortable with analog electronics as I am with mechanical stuff. Don't know if I have enough time left before the buzzer to make it so, but I've convinced myself that it's the trip, not the destination that matters most. (!)

The one thing I've noticed in here is that no matter what technical discipline a forum member was originally trained in, a common theme is that the people in here bring well-honed problem solving skills to the table. And attention to detail, and a disciplined approach. And, if they do something & it doesn't meet their expectations, they don't lament the fact, they simply tear it apart & do it again...looping as necessary until they get it really right. (!)

To oversimplify, instead of all-knowing, snarky audiophiles who passionately argue over which which $$$$ audiophile AC power cable sound the best, in here there is a bunch of audio enthusiasts, interested in hands-on learning/improving their audio systems, done with a sense of camaraderie.

****

J!m, after reading your last post maybe the best answer to your situation is a combination of a 'near term' & 'long term' solution?

That is, the near-term fix would be to get a SX-1280 in house. Enjoy it. Get your listening room put together. Get the main listening system & room dialed-in for optimum enjoyment.

Meanwhile, in the background you can mentally noodle to your heart's content on how to implement your 'balanced monoblock' project -- hopefully to the same level as your headphone amp & phono stage projects?

****

Me? Instead of my original all or nothing approach...and just being stuck at the starting line -- my new plan to WOPL a 400 S2 as a proof of concept (near-term fix) ...then WOPLing both D500s (long term fix) while simultaneously filling the lab with music from the upgraded 400 is the best of both worlds. In english, if we are planning a long journey in order to reach our goals, then while not make that journey as enjoyable as possible?

So to me the problem is not an either/or thing. Instead, which one do you do first? To me, it sounds like listening to that SX-1280 while contemplating your home-grown amp project would be a pretty good lifestyle choice... :0)
 

J!m

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#19
I think it’s silly.

For the longest time I wanted a Studer cassette deck. Still do, but I refuse to pay the going rate. If one comes along I can afford; fine. Otherwise, I’ll be happy with my Tascam, Kenwood and (now) Nakamichi decks.

The Kenwood “tower” I built is quite nice. Their best tuner from the late 70’s; best (mainstream) integrated amp; best cassette deck (two of those); their best (mainstream) turntable.

Their TRUE best was the L series. Not available outside Japan but the L0 turn table and mono block amplifiers were stellar. The L07 FM tuner is still one of the best tuners ever made. I didn’t go there. My “main” system is attempting to occupy that rarified air.

Which brings us back to the receivers. The 880 I have represents the top of the bottom end and the 980 represents to bottom of the top end. I think a 980 would be more than sufficient (particularly considering how well the bottom of the low end 580 I’m now rocking is performing). Beyond bragging rights, there is no point for me to spend money needlessly, for wattage I don’t need; features I won’t use and a beast that’s too damn big.

Now I’m going to crack a cold snack and set up my KD-5070 so I can spin records while I rebuild my Rega.
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