THE HIFI HOLY GRAIL... Why Pioneer SX-1980 is the BEST RECEIVER EVER! #audio

Don't miss the MOST POWERFUL RECEIVER ever made! The Pioneer SX-1980 from 1978 was a staple MONSTER RECEIVER in the STEREO WARS!

This FREE GUIDE can save you hundreds or thousands when buying vintage audio...

Become a Discord Member to join my Private Discord where you can chat with me and other discord members about HiFi:

For more of my content subscribe to @ThatGuyWithTheBeard

#HiFi #Audio #HomeAudio #Hi-Fi #Audiophile #Vintage

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:09 The Stereo Wars
03:21 The Holy Grail/ Pioneer SX-1980
03:54 Pioneer HPM-100
06:21 SX-1980 Front Panel
12:22 SX-1980 Inputs / Rear Panel
14:36 SX-1980 Build Quality
15:17 Bonus Content

[johnstump]

I still have my SX-1980 that I purchased for $699 when it was on sale at a local hi-fi shop back in 1979. Still have the original sales receipt and the box and I still use it on a daily basis. Sounds amazing with any speaker I pair it up with.

[leebarnhart]

The very best receivers ever made were built in the 70's. We had a stone farmhouse out in the country that was an epic party house. The walls were 12" thick, the ceilings were high and it sat upon a hill. Closest neighbor was a mile away. We got a noise complaint.

[ebinrock]

That's one thing I miss in today's equipment - all the buttons, knobs, switches, and gauges of past gear. Just looks cooler than a plain (usually black) slab with everything buried in software menus.

[vincentlussier]

Nothing beats the old stereo components of the 70's and the 80's! Names like Pioneer, Marantz, Harmon Karden, Sansui, Yamaha, Sony and others were the best way of hearing music!

[RonSiwicki]

I will be seventy- one at end end of January. I love all types of music and became a singer musician in the mid sixties. Such an incredible amount of records coming out from 1963 to about 1980. I worked also as a salesman/ audio consultant tech at two store stores selling many great lines of audio components. I bought a lot of audio gear at staff discount. So many hours of wonderful listening. I have a power amp that weighs 115 pounds with 64 output transistors and 240, 000 uf of power supply capacitors. Friends of mine became design engineers for JBL and Fostex.

[mikegallagher]

EVERYTHING back in those days was just built much better... AND SOUNDS BETTER .. PERIOD. Those of us who are old Enough KNOW ...

[ThatPNWlyfe]

I was born in the 70s and in the early 80s my father purchased one of these receivers. It was in the family for at least 25 years. It is the receiver of my youth and it was tremendous. Thanks for that nostalgic trip down memory lane.

[gmjunkyard]

I bought one a few years ago and had it restored and recapped with modern replacements. The most amazing thing about this "monster" is how freakishly good it sounds at low volumes. It's only when you hear it playing at a normal volume and look at the power output meters that you realize it is not all about quantity of power but the quality of that power.

[KevinSmith-wbju]

OMG!!! Those were the days man. Stereo shops were everywhere, mags witch I couldn't wait 2 get in the mail, private listening rooms, the smell of new ELECTRONICS!!! Loved it. I had a Dual 721Q d drive turntable with pitch control, Ortophon cartridge. I got a Shure V15 type 4 loved the micro brush 2 dust lp's cool. Best speakers, 3 way with 12 inch woofs & bias knobs. JBL's or McIntosh. Nice seperation, solid bass!!!

[sylviarienzo]

I LOVE my SX-1050! It was 1978 and my first ever stereo purchase. I obsoleted it around 1980 when I bought my Quad ES-63 Speakers and Quad electronics but I pulled it out of the closet about 5 years ago to power my TV system and it put my Arcam SR250 AVR to shame. It really does sound absolutely fabulous. I’ve had it refurbished which I’m sorry about because I think the original components sounded better, but I’m still very happy with it and wouldn’t dream of putting it back in the closet. I do wish it had remote control though. At my age (83) remote control is a nice thing to have.

[tdz]

I grew up with this in the house. It was my fathers pride and joy. He gave it to me when u was a teenager. The thing was a BEAST. I still remember what the tuner wheel felt like, the sound of the switches and buttons etc.

[SpirallingOut]

Really wish modern Pioneer would make a line of vintage styled hi-fi gear with new technology & sound quality, like other manufacturers have. Imagine these kind of good looks in a new streamer/DAC/AB integrated amp combo unit.

[Douden]

Had an SX780 rated at 45 Watts I bought in High School, bout 76 after working summer job. It lasted forever, and might still be playing. Gave it to a friend for his workshop after getting a THX system . That Pioneer rocked HARD. Bought a pair of really nice Altec Lansing speakers from a guy I worked with, that may have been questionable obtained, but that was found out months later. The good old days, living at home, kickn Stereo, good cheap weed, no bills. Damn, I would trade back in a heartbeat.

[caseybyington]

My grandpa had one of these and one flip of one of those switches on there and you realize, man, this thing is some serious equipment. I remember being afraid to mess with it because it looked like something might get launched somewhere.

[hardball]

it was a great time for audio. I wanted a stereo when I was 17 in 1975 and after getting my first job I ran out and bought a Lafayette 100 watt amp and a set of Klipschorn's. Wow, I found out right away I didn't need 100 watts with those speakers or a record player, my parents confirmed that. Once I was out on my own and always adhering to the motto "Bigger is Better" in 1977 I bought a Kenwood KR-9600 to push those K-Horns. Had every input in the world hooked up to that system over the years from 8 tracks to reel to reels to disk players and I still have that system in my man cave in the basement and the neighbors still throw rocks thru my windows so they can hear it better.

[BruceClark]

A true classic! I was stationed with the USMC in Okinawa, Japan back when the 'mega receivers' were out: Sansui, Kenwood, Pioneer. Nakamichi tape decks, TASCAM 30ips reel-to-reels, Denon & other Japanese moving coil cartridges. Some great gear! Was introduced to Tannoy speakers and the beastly JBL 4350's out in town at coffee shops. Handmade tube amps, aramid fiber belt turntables. Great sound. Truly great times.

[j.t.cooper]

Pretty nice. My brother had a SX-1250 back in 1981, but I think the Technics SA-1000 is the best vintage receiver made. It was definitely the most powerful, by far (330 WPC) and it weighed 87 pounds. I had a girlfriend who got one for Christmas back in 1980 and it is still the most impressive receiver I have ever heard. Makes me wish I had rich parents like she had.

[DrewskisBrews]

A friend of mine literally found one of these (fully functional) on the side of the road one morning on his way to schoo in the late l990's. I was, and still am, so jealous. Mark, you are a lucky bastard.

[joet.plumber]

First time viewer folks. Man, you took me back to my youth! Those were the days my friend. I still have my Carver Magnetic Field Power Amplifier from the 80's. It probably has a burned out resistor or capacitor because I'm not getting any sound out of her. Hell even the meter on it doesn't register the output. I've been meaning to take her to Elliotts Electronics here in Tucson in the hopes they can pinpoint the problem on her. Don't know of any HiFi folks that are into repairing old vintage stuff like mine. I had a Pioneer like that one. Not the model but the ex-wife kept it along with all my vinyl. Don't even want to bring up the amount of albums that today I could retire on! Anywho, love your content man. Rock on!

[b.thomas]

My father had one of these things. Much later, when I got into high end audio sales, I found out what kind of machine this thing really was. If I could only travel back in time so I could save it before my dad tossed it out.