Pioneer 900-AM
Little is documented under the name "900-AM" itself. What the period record shows is that the designation tracks the Pioneer TX-900, an all-solid-state AM/FM stereo tuner. Pioneer advertised it heavily in the hi-fi magazines from late 1969 into 1971, usually as the companion to the SA-900 integrated amplifier. The pairing got a lavish Pioneer ad campaign - "A Royal Wedding" of performers, in the company's own words.
The front end used three FETs and two RF amplifier stages, feeding two crystal filters and four ICs in the IF section. Pioneer's advertising in Audio (December 1970, p.31) quoted IHF sensitivity of 1.7µV, selectivity of 65 dB, and a capture ratio of 1.5 dB. It also promised that interchannel noise was completely muted. The same ad credited the companion SA-900 amplifier with 145 watts IHF music power (50+50 watts RMS at 8 ohms, both channels operating). That figure belongs to the amplifier, not the tuner.
High Fidelity (November 1970, p.49) tested the TX-900 as "a stereo FM/AM basic tuner" and gave dimensions: front panel 16 by 5⅛ inches, chassis depth 11⅛ inches with the AM rod antenna.
- All-solid-state AM/FM stereo tuner
- 3 FETs + 2 RF amplifier stages in the front end; 2 crystal filters + 4 ICs in the IF section
- IHF sensitivity: 1.7µV · Selectivity: 65 dB · Capture ratio: 1.5 dB
- Front panel: 16 × 5⅛ in · Chassis depth: 11⅛ in (with AM rod antenna)
Beyond those advertising specs and the one High Fidelity equipment listing, almost nothing else has surfaced. There is no service literature, no later reviews, and no firm production dates.
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