Pioneer a-400 vs a-501R

[Twill]

Hi,

I have an old Pioneer a-501R. It's over 15 years old, and is starting to breakdown a little. The motor on the input selector is going and causes it to spin wildly whenever the amp is turned on. One of the phono inputs also appears to be a bit scratchy with one of the channels dropping out. I had planned to just let it go and replace it with a budget model - perhaps the Rotel RA-04.

Then I read about the a-400, and what a quality piece of kit and cult hero it is considered to be. I inherited my a-501R, and I wasn't aware that the a-400 was so highly regarded. I have also found out, however, that this admiration is fairly tightly restricted to the a-400 specifically amongst Pioneer amps, with even the a-400x apparently not making the grade.

My question is, does anyone know how the a-501R measures up to the a-400 sonically? Not having an intimate knowledge of Pioneer amps from the early to mid 90s, I'm not sure if the a-501R fits in to a similar bracket to the a-400, or belongs with much of the rest of the Pioneer range in not being so highly regarded.

I need to decide whether to try and get the a-501R repaired/refurbed, assuming it is still possible to find any nescessary spares that might be required, or whether to cut and run to a new amp like the RA-04.

Thoughts welcome anyway. Thanks.

Ph

 

[Andrew Everard]

A-501R is really not in the same league as the original A-400: I'd look at a newer replacement

 

[Frank Harvey]

I was never that keen on the A400 myself, but it'll be far better than the A501.

 

[Twill]

Okay, thanks. Sounds like it's the chop for the old a-501. I wonder what a real amp sounds like then!

I have a friend who's looking to offload their Rotel RA-04, not the newer SE version. What do you think's a reasonable second hand price for a good condition 04? £150?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Twill:Okay, thanks. Sounds like it's the chop for the old a-501. I wonder what a real amp sounds like then!

I have a friend who's looking to offload their Rotel RA-04, not the newer SE version. What do you think's a reasonable second hand price for a good condition 04? £150?

Hi Twill

Rotel's RA-04 is a good amp however for a similar budget i will suggest that you consider Pioneer's A-400 because it is still a superb amplifier.

I say this because i believe the RA-1062 is the finest amp Rotel has produced within the last ten years and even though the RA-1062 is better than the RA-04 it is still outdone by the A-400.

The A-400 also has a vast performance potential and will easily accomodate many high quality sources and speakers.

Btw, the A-400X is not as good as the original A-400. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[tonky]

The a400 is a cult classic. A thoroughly likable and realistic sound.

tonky

 

[Anonymous]

tonky:

The a400 is a cult classic. A thoroughly likable and realistic sound.

tonky

for between £100-£130, the A-400 is a bargain ... but as with all hifi components, it should be carefully matched with a cdp and speakers

 

[Twill]

Well thanks for all the advice. It's certainly handy to have so many opinions to draw upon.

My dilemma here is that I'm basically trying to find the best possible value in the market place. I had a small budget to begin with. Several pieces of kit have all gone belly up at once, meaning that this modest budget is now being stretched in all kinds of directions at once.

That is why I have begun to consider second hand.

If I could find a good value a-400, that would seem like a strong option, but it's age, and therefore the chances of finding spares should it go the way of all flesh concerns me, which is where I like the AR-04, inferior perhaps, but more easily supported I should imagine should anything go wrong - always a concern when buying second hand.

 

[Anonymous]

Twill:

If I could find a good value a-400, that would seem like a strong option, but it's age, and therefore the chances of finding spares should it go the way of all flesh concerns me, which is where I like the AR-04, inferior perhaps, but more easily supported I should imagine should anything go wrong - always a concern when buying second hand.

if an amp does give problems, labour/repair costs to repair it may be £100+ ... if you have a pioneer A400 that you have bought for £120, and it gives probs, you may aswell just buy another instead of repairing it

I have owned two A-400 amps with no probs ... recently bought a Pioneer A300R Precision for £130 and it is working very well with no problems

 

[Anonymous]

Here is a newly listed Pioneer A300R Precision (as modded by Tom Evans) ... I have one that I bought for my son

they are really good, and much better than the A-400 ... they sell for approx the same price as an A-400 (paid £130 for mine)

it is not often that these come up for sale