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The M-22 Amplifier was a much higher power version of the M-22 with additional
refinements and even better specifications. Nearly identical in appearance
to the M-22, the M-25 could be distinguished by the gold plated terminals and
the Class AB identification plate at the front of the amp. A great deal of
research and development went into the M-25, and what Pioneer had to say about
it in the Series 20 brochure is interesting. To quote, in part:
"It takes a power amplifier capable of reproducing an astoundingly wide
range of frequencies, with especially clean and undistorted response in the
highest ultrasonics, to satisfy the tough demands of today's audiophiles.
And unless it can do it from the least to the last of its rated power output,
and do it hours and hours on end without showing signs of fatigue, it can never
merit the term "excellent," not by Series Twenty standards.
"The "Magni-Wide" M-25 was a long time in development. One
after another, the elaborately hand-crafted prototypes were wired up, checked
out and sent back to the bench for refinements. /soecs became increasingly
"excellent," but that wasn't enough. The basic circuitry
effectively fought distortion and efficiently resisted breakdown when operated
at full power over long periods of time. And problems like phase
distortion and unwanted high impedance were solved, along with the ever-present
conflict between the cost of a component and its real value to the overall
performance of amplifier.
"But our engineers were trying for something far beyond mere
"excellence." The researching, re-designing and rfining went on
until they found it in the test model they finally approved for actual
production. They found it in the novel Automatic Class AB Switching
feature which ensures a wider dynamic range during the reproduction of music.
They found it in the symmetrical mono-times-two const5ruction which eliminates
crosstalk, in the DC configuration which removes capacitors from the NFB loop to
end phase distortion, and in the high stability and linearity of the extra-large
power supply..."
The M-25 was rated at 120 watts continuous, per channel with both channels
driven into 8 ohms from 5 Hz to 30,000 Hz, with no more than 0.01% total
harmonic distortion. In fact, this amp could reproduce ultrasonic
frequencies up to 80 kHz with only 0.05% THD! Why have such capability
beyond the range of human hearing? Pioneer stated: "It is
essential to the high quality of signals within the hearable range that those
beyond that range are handled cleanly in order to avoid harmonic distortion and
other harful irregularities. And this the M-25 does with impressive
accuracy, at full power."
To do this, Pioneer employed newly-developed Ring Emitter Transistors (RETs)
instead of Field Effect Transistors (FETs). The RETs had better high
frequency characteristics. It employed all the high-grade semiconductors as
those used in the M-22, and the same 22,000 microfarad power capacitors.
It naturally had higher output power supplies.
Overall dimensions of the M-25 were identical to the M-22, but the M-25
was heavier at 51 pounds, 13 ounces. M.S.R.P. was $1200.00.
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