Found in my garage...trash or treasure?

[MintGreenGoblin]

Recently found a Pioneer Recevier in my garage...model SX-1010...obviously old, from the 70's. My father says it cannot possibly be repaired. I refuse to believe that such a lovely peice of audio equipment cannot be fixed.

He says when it gets hot, it shorts out. I am not sure if thats true or not...what I can tell you is that when I had the turntable attached (a Pioneer PL-518, i believe bought around the same time) sometimes it would play perfectly, other times you would get no sound, or faint sound...sometimes switching which slots the connects where plugged in fixed this problem...is this consistant with a short? If so can it be repaired? Is it WORTH repairing?

Also, its very dirty on the inside, and canned air wont do the job...whats the best way to clean 30 years worth of dust? LOL I know these are odd questions....but its not every day that I find such a pretty peice of audio history in my house. Thanks for any replies!

 

[Jahn]

Treasure. A nice one just sold for $250. Well known as "The First Monster Reciever."
http://ckopfell.com/PioneerSX1010.htm
Pay a trusted person $100 to fix it up and replace some stuff, and you have a unit to treasure for life!


Pioneer model SX-1010 AM/FM Receiver in excellent condition. Rated at 100 watts RMS per channel into 8 ohms. Top of the line for the "black out dial" series, has every bell and whistle available at the time. This unit has been serviced and fully tested. Performance Verification Report and a copy of the owner's manual included. The only flaw is a few missing letters near the FM Muting switch, located next to the tuning dial. Very hard to notice from a short distance.


Controls:
Bass 50Hz +/-5dB
Bass 100Hz +/-10dB
Treble 10kHz +/-10dB
Treble 20kHz+/-5dB
Balance
Volume

Switches (Toggle):
Power
Tone Off
Tape Duplicate
Tape Monitor 1
Tape Monitor 2
Adaptor 4-CH
Adaptor Dolby NR

Switches (Push):

Spkr-A
Spkr-B
Spkr-C
Low Cut
High Cut
-20dB
AM
FM
Phono 1
Phono 2
Mic
Aux
Mono
Loudness
Dimmer: Bright/Dim
FM Muting Off

Jacks:
Mic-L
Mic-R
Headphones 1
Headphones 2

Indicators:
Signal Strength Meter
Tuning Meter
STEREO
SP-A
SP-B
SP-C
LOW
HIGH
-20dB
AM
FM
PH-1
PH-2
MIC
AUX
MONO
LOUD

Rear Panel:
AC Outlet Unswitched (2)
AC Outlet Switched
Phono 1 (L, R)
Phono 2 (L, R)
Aux Input (L, R)
Tape Monitor 1 Rec (L, R)
Tape Monitor 1 PB (L, R)
Tape Monitor 2 Rec (L, R,)
Tape Monitor 2 PB (L, R, DIN)
Pre-Out (L, R)
Power-In (L, R)
4-CH MPX Output
Adapter 4-CH Out (L, R)
Adapter 4-CH In (L, R)
Adapter Dolby NR Out (L, R)
Adapter Dolby NR In (L, R)
Speaker System A (L, R)
Speaker System B (L, R)
Speaker System C (L, R)

Shipping Weight 55 lbs.

$249.95

 

[MintGreenGoblin]

I KNEW that thing was heavy. If only I knew someone would could fix it...guess its time to bust out the phone book. I remember this recevier from my childhood. Actually what I remember is my dad saying he'd cut off my hands if I touched it. Thanks

 

[Jon L]

http://ckopfell.com/PioneerSX1010.htm

Take a look at the inside picture of the Pioneer and that beautiful transformer. Kind of reminds me of the inside of my Accuphase T100 tuner. They don't make'em like this any more.

Local electronic repair shops tend to be overpriced for what they do. If I were you, I would bite the bullet and send it to one of the mod guru's in Hi-Fi world for repair/upgrades.

 

[MintGreenGoblin]

I will likely do that...the shipping will be costly, but it would be worth it to have it working again. If it is truly shorting should I not use it? I do not want to damage it further...

Apparently the turntable I found has its fans too http://www.epinions.com/content_4348485764

Hes got a nice set of speakers, but he wont part with those...something about "When I am dead you can have them"...ah well

I never knew my dad was a closet audio geek. I guess it runs in the family.

 

[Garbz]

Repair may be easy and may be impossible. If you grab a can of freeze spray, fire up the amp and let it heat up so it "shorts out". Then systematically blast your way through the insides if the sound cuts in when you freeze something (or cuts out when so) then you've found a part that may be loose, damaged, or the circuit board at that point has a crack.

 

[Aman]

I use a Pioneer SX-450, and I LOVE the sound it puts out. I have been in the speaker market for a long time and have turned down many fine speakers because I thought that the amp wouldn't be able to drive the speakers well enough. I am NOT getting rid of this amplifier until it DIES. The sound is so warm, romantic, and exhilerating!

Get that thing repaired, and fast! It's a beautiful unit and will serve you well.

 

[MintGreenGoblin]

Yea now im desperate to get this thing fixed. It runs fine about 50% of the time...I guess 15 years ago he spent round about $100 trying to get it repaired and said that it simply cant be fixed. Maybe if I just keep it cooler inside...lol like a bunch of PC fans, or water cooling or something.

Only kidding...kinda.

 

[gerG]

For cleaning out old gear I use a vacuum cleaner and a clean, soft bristle paint brush. Brush the dust loose with one hand, while holding the vacuum hose above the working area with the other. It works great, as long as no liquid spills were involved.

The other main problem with old gear is that the contacts on all of the switches get dirty. After cleaning, and before powering up, work every switch on the thing a few times. Tape loop switches are notorious for droping signal, and everybody forgets that they are always in the signal path. Shops have made a lot of money off that one, I bet.

For the face and the knobs, first brush and vac, then use a microfiber cloth that is damp but thoroughly wrung out (try to wring every last drop of water out of it and it will be just right).

That's it. My secrets for restoring old amps and receivers.


gerG

 

[YngwieJMalmsteen]

My dad has an SX-828 which looks like the predecessor to the SX-1010. It's a very nice sounding amp, a little "distant" souding and not great in detail like vintage amps tend to be, but it's extremely well balanced and pleasant to listen to. I really like the way the tuner is set up and it gets fantastic reception. Oh yeah, I would say its a loud 60 watts so I'm guessing the 1010 is a monster at 100 watts. You never know though, that amp looks so similar to my dads I wouldnt be surprised if they used the same transistors and other parts and decided to rate an extra 40 watts because thats what the average consumer was looking at.

Anyway, definitely worth $100 to fix IMO.

 

[memepool]

Pioneer recievers are great and it sounds like you have one of the most collectable ones so it's definitely worth repairing as it can only appreciate in value.
Assuming you are in the US you should try these guys in Connecticut http://www.eslabs.com/. They specialise in vintage japanese hi-end. I think it may well cost more than 100USD but it's a good investment.

 

[NightWoundsTime]

DBL post

 

[NightWoundsTime]

I took my Marantz 1060B to a local electronics repair shop. $90 and 6 months later I got it back in perfect condition (after picking it up once and finding that they'd only cleaned it a bit and not fixed the problem. The problem was a transistor that had already been diagnosed by a head-fi member, I told them that but they didn't listen.) Annoying experience to say the least.

There's another guy close to me with a $25 flat rate. I haven't entrusted any big repairs yet, but little fiddly rewiring type things go to him with great results.
Be sure to shop around and talk to as many people in the shop as you can.

 

[MintGreenGoblin]

Yea I will definately be getting this repaired. I am gonna clean it over the weekend and then close it back up before I do any damage to it.

The turntable is in great shape, so I will be putting a new cart in it and using it, its much nicer then the one I own.

Thanks everybody for the quick replies and suggestions. Its a good feeling to have found a really neat peice of audio equipment in my garage gathering dust, and I feel hopeful that I can get it going, and put it back to work.

 

[Rushsteve]

MintGreen: I bought a Pioneer SX-780 new in 1979 and it is still in daily use. I love its warm sound with my Paradigm speakers and at this point I don't think I'll every part with it. Here's what mine looks like, I think it's at least one generation after yours:

http://www.classicaudio.com/value/pio/SX780.html

There is a guy in the town I live in (Boulder, Colorado) that specializes in vintage audio gear repair. I believe he's a full fledged EE and he is very good. I guarantee you he knows this model and can tell you lots about it. If you want his info IM me and I will get it for you. He completely overhauled my Dual 1218 turntable with great results.

Also, I found this link recently, they seem to have lots of experience w/vintage audio also:

http://www.stereorepair.net/pioneer.htm

At any rate, get it fixed, I don't think you will be disappointed!
Good luck and enjoy,
Steve