Pioneer SA-8800II (1976)
A stereo pre-main amplifier released by Pioneer in 1976. It was built for low distortion and gave the user modular control over the signal path.
Overview
The Pioneer SA-8800II is a stereo pre-main amplifier made by Pioneer and released in 1976. It puts a high-performance preamplifier and power amplifier in one chassis, aimed at audiophiles who wanted accurate sound reproduction. It has independent left and right power transformers and a dual power supply system. The signal path is highly adjustable, with selectable cartridge loading, tone control turnover frequencies and filtering options. It takes both phono and line-level inputs, and the preamp and power amp sections can be separated for system flexibility.
Specifications
| Effective power (Both channel drive, 20 Hz to 20 kHz) | 75W + 75W (4 Ω); 60W + 60W (8 Ω) |
| Harmonic distortion factor (20 Hz to 20 kHz) | 0.05% (at effective output); 0.01% (8 Ω at 30W output); 0.01% (8 Ω at 1W output) |
| Intermodulation distortion factor (50 hz : 7 khz = 4 : 1) | 0.05% (at effective output); 0.01% (8 Ω at 30W output); 0.01% (8 Ω at 1W output) |
| Output Bandwidth (IHF, both channel drives) | 5 Hz to 45 kHz (Distortion Factor 0.05%) |
| Frequency characteristic | 5 Hz to 100 kHz + 0 -1dB |
| Input Sensitivity / Impedance Power amp in | 1V/50k Ω |
| Output terminal Speaker A / B | 4 Ω ~ 16 Ω; Speaker A + B : 8 Ω ~ 16 Ω; Headphone : 4 Ω ~ 16 Ω |
| Damping factor | 30 (20 Hz ~ 20 kHz, 8 Ω) |
| S/N | 110 dB (IHF, A-network, short circuit) |
| Preamplifier Section Circuit system | Equalizer amplifier : First stage differential 3-stage direct connection Class A SEPP; Tone control section : first stage differential 2-stage direct connection flat amplifier Turnover 3-stage switching NFB-type tone |
| Input Sensitivity / Impedance Phono1, 2 | 2.5mV/50k Ω |
| Cartridge Load Capacity | 100 pf, 200 pf, 300 pf, 400 pf (for both Phono1 and 2) |
| Tuner, Aux, Tape play1, 2 | 150mV/50k Ω |
| Phono maximum allowable input Phono1, 2 | 250 mV (1 kHz, harmonic distortion rate 0.05%) |
| Output Level / Impedance Tape rec1, 2 | 150 mV; Pre out : 1V/2k Ω, 6V/2k Ω (max) |
| Harmonic distortion factor (20 Hz to 20 kHz) [Preamplifier] | 0.02% (1 V Output); 0.1% (6 v Output) |
| Frequency characteristic Phono | 20 Hz to 20 kHz ± 0.2 dB |
| Frequency characteristic Tuner, Aux, and Tape play | 5 hz to 50 khz + 0 to 1 db |
| Tone control Bass | ± 10 dB (25 Hz, 50 Hz, 100 Hz) Turnover frequency : 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 400 Hz |
| Tone control Treble | ± 10 db (8 kHz, 16 kHz, 32 kHz) Turnover Frequency : 2 khz, 4 khz, 8 khz |
| Filter Low | 15 Hz, 6dB/oct. |
| Filter High | 8 kHz, 6dB/oct. |
| Loudness contour (Volume -40dB) | +6dB(100Hz) +3dB(10kHz) |
| Muting | -20dB |
| S/N (IHF, A-network Short circuit) Phono | 75dB |
| S/N (IHF, A-network Short circuit) Tuner, Aux, Tape play | 95 dB |
| Semiconductor used | Transistor : 47; Diode, etc. : 27 pcs |
| AC outlet | Power switch interlock : 2 systems; Power switch not linked : 2 systems |
| Power supply voltage | 100 VAC, 50Hz/60Hz |
| Power consumption | 150W (Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law); 410W maximum |
| External dimensions | Width 420x Height 150x Depth 376 mm |
| Weight | 13.8kg |
Design
The SA-8800II uses two independent power transformers, one on each side. They feed a dual power supply system that delivers ±25V to the critical circuitry. The preamp's equalizer section is a first-stage differential, 3-stage direct-coupled design. It runs in Class A with pure complementary SEPP output and separate positive/negative power supplies. A 32-step attenuator handles volume, with left/right gang error of ≤0.5 dB. The tone control is a 3-stage turnover switching NFB design with selectable frequencies. The control knobs have Klix/Klukš tops for tactile feedback. The power amplifier uses a ±2 power supply and a 2-stage differential amplifier with current mirror circuit. The final stage is parallel push-pull, with pure complementary OCL topology. Heat goes out through a chimney-style heatsink. A power relay and a fast electronic circuit protect the unit and eliminate turn-on clicks. It also has preamp/power amp separation terminals, 2-system tape monitoring, loudness contour, and subsonic/high-cut filters.
Market
The Pioneer SA-8800II was originally priced at ¥59,800 at release in 1976.
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