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The Best, Biggest, and Baddest Receiver Pioneer Built: SX1980 Restored with upgraded Delta-9 Power Supply and Recapped
There are a few pieces of vintage audio equipment that are legendary; the SX1980 was the largest and most powerful receiver Pioneer created. Without a doubt, it is simply stunning.
SX1980s don't come up for sale very often. When I was afforded the opportunity to purchase an example in excellent original condition, I couldn't resist.
It sounded good and ran cool aside from dirty controls. After a few hours of testing I began a mild restoration to ensure many years of reliable audio nirvana. I knew the receiver was serviced sometime in the past because the dual-zener modification was made according to the Pioneer service bulletin. The original power supply board also had some markings for transistor configuration as if somebody worked on the power supply at one time. The power supply board is a great design, however, it does have a few flaws from the factory. Many very talented technicians developed methods to upgrade the circuits over the years. Recently, a company called Delta 9 electronics created a new power supply board which implements all of these tweaks and upgrades into a newer and more reliable design. Better heat dissipation, stronger board construction, and better components, all guarantee trouble-free and safe operation. The power supply was built and tested by Delta 9 to ensure it will meet all expectations. Upon the initial test it was clear, the voltages were perfect and it ran much cooler than the original designers of the SX1980 could have imagined.
The controls were cleaned properly by unsoldering and removal from their boards for cleaning and lubrication. The push button selectors were painstakingly cleaned and tested while the receiver was apart for the new capacitors. Speaking of capacitors, I also replaced the 4 main filter caps for good measure. Most of the electrolytics are Nichicon Golds along with some Elna and Sprague. Every electrolytic was replaced aside from the tuner section which operates beautifully. The tuner circuitry was designed and implemented to sense the capacitance of a persons hand on the big aluminum tuning knob, it works great along with the quartz-lock function.
All of the transistors are original to the receiver. I considered replacing some of the common ones in the flat amp, but I decided to keep the factory parts after testing the stereo. After all, there was no corrosion on the chassis and it wasn't abused. New LEDs were installed as a matter of course. (standard kelvin to mimic the incandescent bulbs).
I performed preliminary voltage checks and verified the DC & Bias before testing it for the first time. After a few hours of initial break-in I rechecked the voltages, bias, and DC. The first few minutes of Steely Dan's Aja shocked me, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I've heard that recording 1,000,000 times and it's my go-to for testing. I honestly think this SX1980 sounds as good as anything someone could imagine. Audiophile folklore and reviews are littered with hyperbole, and I'm not usually a guy who falls into that trap.... but this is different. The quality of the sound at reasonable and ear splitting volumes is astonishing. After Aja, I went to a few of my favorite Mahler recordings, namely #2 #5 and #8. The brass, strings, and organ usually overwhelm equipment with under 300 watts. This Pioneer blasted right through the loudest parts with ease.
I've had similar experiences with Sansui G22000, and 330000 receivers, but nothing I've heard was this impressive. After pushing around 100 watts for 5 minutes I rechecked the bias and DC, still spot on. I've cycled the receiver though a few heat cycles and will continually verify the DC and Bias regularly to ensure it's healthy operation.
So, finally. The time comes for me list this beautiful receiver for sale. The price is $13,000. This includes Fedex fright to anywhere in the 48 states, or other shipping / delivery options that can be arranged. I am happy to offer a demonstration at my shop prior to purchase. Please let me know if you have any questions or prefer to offer trades / payment options etc. This is a very expensive and rare piece of vintage audio gear. A purchase like this deserves one-on-one discussions and thorough logistical planning. I am open to offers & trades, please contact me through the "Contact us" link and we can discuss options.
Thanks for checking out this wonderful SX1980. -Bob