VINTAGE TECHNOLOGY ARCHIVE / AUDIO / PIONEER / SX-1010

Pioneer SX-1010 (1974–1975)

The Pioneer SX-1010 was the top model in Pioneer's three-receiver SX-1010 / SX-939 / SX-838 series of the mid-1970s. Independent documentation is thin — nearly everything on record comes from Pioneer's own advertising in period magazines, so this page is an account of those claims rather than of verified lab results.

HiFI-Stereo (May 1974, p.5) carried the introduction, listing the SX-1010 at $699.95, with the SX-939 at $599.95 and the SX-838 at $499.95. The same campaign in High-Fidelity (April 1974, p.121) claimed 90 dB selectivity, 1.7 µV FM sensitivity, and a 1 dB capture ratio, credited to phase lock loop IC circuitry. Power was stated as 100 + 100 watts RMS from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Pioneer also touted twin stepped tone controls — described as allowing 3,025 possible tonal compensations and as never before used on a receiver — along with switched-turnover bass and treble, FM muting, hi/low filters, dual tuning meters, loudness contour, a dial dimmer, a fail-safe speaker protector circuit, and support for up to three pairs of speakers. A front-panel selector permitted recording FM while listening to records and vice versa.

Pioneer's advertising made the sweeping claim that the SX-1010 was the finest receiver ever built. That is ad copy, not an independent verdict, but it does capture the ambition of the model.

Known specifications (from Pioneer advertising)