Pioneer SX-939

Pioneer SX-950

The SX-939 was introduced in 1974 and manufactured through 1975. It was second only to the SX-1010 in terms of performance and price during those two years. It was rated at 70 watts per channel and had a frequency response of 7 to 100,000 Hz! It had a retail price of just under $600 and weighed just over 40 pounds.   

The SX-950 was introduced in 1976 to replace the SX-939 and following typical Pioneer receiver production runs of two years, was offered through 1977. The upper end of the Pioneer line of receivers was still manufactured in Japan and still featured real walnut veneer and solid walnut trim. Like the other receivers introduced during this time, the SX-980 received the silver treatment with white power and stereo reception meters. It was a feature-laden receiver and combined with its handsome looks, sold extremely well. It had a list price of $600. Good examples can be had on ebay.com for $100 to $150.

Pioneer SX-980

The SX-980 was introduced in 1978 and manufactured through 1979, the last year for the 900 series in Pioneer's line of receivers. It was basically a subtle restyling of the SX-950 with a switch to black meter faces for better legibility, as was done with the other receivers in the late 1970s. The combination of knobs and toggle switches did change somewhat from the layout of the SX-950. This receiver was rated at 80 watts per channel. That was more than sufficient to rattle the windows with the volume knob set at 12:00 o'clock.