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SX-1980 Specs
(Click to enlarge)
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When the SX-1980
was introduced in 1978, it was the most powerful receiver in the
world. It was rated at a staggering 270 watts per
channel. It was literally in a class by itself with a level of
power, performance and sheer weight that marked the apogee of Pioneer's
two-channel stereo receiver development.
Everything about the SX-1980 was on a grand
scale, including its pricetag. The M.S.R.P. was $1295.00, making it
the most expensive receiver Pioneer had ever built. Nothing like it
had ever been built by Pioneer before, and nothing has been built like it
since.
The SX-1980's beauty was more than
skin-deep. As Pioneer's best receiver, the careful and logical layout of the receiver's hefty
toroidal transformer and four massive capacitors were flanked by the component
circuit boards, a layout that was shared by the SX-1250 and SX-1280.
This receiver had 12 Field Effect Transistors (FETs), 11 Integrated
Circuits (ICs), 130 transistors and 84 diodes!
Pioneer designed large heatsinks to dissipate
the SX-1980's full-tilt operating temperature. The SX-1980 was the largest and heaviest receiver
Pioneer had ever built. The receiver measured 22.0 inches wide, 19.50 inches deep, and
8.25 inches high. It weighed a staggering 78.0 pounds.
The SX-1980 was not for everyone; Pioneer
had receivers for consumers who did not need the power and performance
this receiver was capable of. But then, Lamborghinis and magums of
champagne are not for everyone either. The SX-1980 is the most sought-after Pioneer
receiver today, oftentimes being bought over the internet at its original
list price.
If Pioneer built a receiver with this level
of power and build quality today, what do you think it would sell
for? According to S. Morgan Friedman's Inflation Calculator, it
would list for $3638.00!
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