Pioneer HiFi : Why is it sidelined?

[Anton90125]

[quote user="Leonard Hatred"]The top three are *drumroll*
1) Audiolab 8000A- would rather listen to the cooker they stole the knobs off
2) The aforementioned Pioneer A400
3) NAD 3020. A reasonable budget amp. Not a giantkiller and cure for the worlds ills that some would have you believe.[/quote]

I am a bit suprised by your top 3 overhyped amps. I don't know the pioneer A400 that well, but I remember the Audiolab when it first came out. It was like a breath of fresh air compared to the competitors at that time. it buried my NAD 3140 in about 3 seconds (which is why I bought an audiolab) I only changed it when I got a SH LUXMAN L100.

I never had the NAD 3020 but my mate (when I was a student in halls of residence Coventry ) did. He used to blast out Black Sabbath through his LS3/5a using his Dual 506 TT and it sounded wonderful. For £89 the NAD buried everything around it. The next recommended amp (when upgrading from the NAD ) from that era A & R A60 which was smooth and detailed but lacked the raw grunt the NAD had.

I remember when Pioneer made equipment of beauty (and a little awe) see:
http://www.stereomanuals.com/images/rick_system_24.jpg
http://www.stereomanuals.com/about/cool-pictures/index.htm
http://www.stereomanuals.com/images/special/rick_system_28.jpg

 

[Anonymous]

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the NAD and I agree that back in nineteen hundred and frozen to death when it came out, nothing could touch it. What puts in the top three is dewy eyed anacrophiles bleating on about how its still better than current budget amps. It isn't. The Pioneer and Audiolab also have people writing outrageously positive things about them to this day which is really, once we put the rose tinted spectacles back in their velour case, not justified. The Audiolab was inoffensive- so inoffensive that it could cure all but the most severe insomnia. I find it tonally flat and the soundstage pretty insipid. The Pioneer often gets described as detailed and pacy. It is in fact bright. Relentlessly and unceasingly bright. It was good to dem (and dare I say it good to review) but living with it was like driving a car with the cruise control stuck at 120mph- a laugh for a bit but somewhat trying after a while.

On the plus side, you don't have to agree with me. Besides, I own a Linn LP12 which is probably THE most overhyped device in Audio history.

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="Leonard Hatred"]1) Audiolab 8000A- would rather listen to the cooker they stole the knobs off 2)
The aforementioned Pioneer A400 3) NAD 3020. [/quote]

LOL....I kinna see where you are coming from. Don't for get the Nad 3020, at the time of released, was great value for money but now I think most of the mini system should sound better! The Pioneer was great with rock music if not much else, they still fetch 3 figure money even now.

I agree with you on the first choice, I heard them once and never want to hear it again......boring and over rated imo.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I have PD-D6,
A-A6, Audioquest Type 4 cables and B&W 685 speakers as my main system and I'm
totally satisfied with the combination, if you ever had a chance to listen to
the system please check the above combination...

Speaking on
Pioneer, have any of you listened to PD-D9?

Here's the short description of its
features.(text was automatically translated from Japanese to English)

http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpioneer.jp%2Fcomponents%2Fpureaudio%2Ftech_cd.html&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

Looking forward
to your opinions

Regards
YT

 

[Andrew Everard]

My baisc opinion is that machine translation is frequently very hilarious. And I love the Japanese for Schottky Barrier Diode - SHOTTOKIBARIADAIODO.

'The Ministry of Power, asked in the recording studio "a sense of
openness and speed of sound," to recreate the essence of a professional
studio design concepts introduced'???

Wakarimasen...

 

[Anonymous]

^lol yes
but I still find it useful...

getting
back to the topic...PD-D9 SACD player received the Audio Excellence Award 2008

http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.phileweb.com%2Fproducts%2Faea2008%2Fkekka.html%23bronze&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

,and it looks really good judging from the specification and components
used (for example 2 Wolfson 8741 DACs), but I haven't heard it yet... Does any of
you know how it sounds, putting all the hype aside

 

[Anonymous]

Any chance you
will be reviewing Pioneer PD-D9-J in What Hi-Fi?

 

[Anonymous]

I think Pioneer have built some great stuff over the years. My first ever hi-fi was a Pioneer Component system from '90 which was fantastic.

Just look at their '77 stuff onwards...the Pioneer SA-9800 is THE greatest looking amplifier ever made imho. 100watts per channel in '78? Just amazing! I want one so badly, if I ever saw one for under £200 I would snap it up straight away.

 

[Anonymous]

Last month I happen to hear the D6 with A6 on a pair of Pioneer s-A4sPT-PM bookshelf speakers (pioneer claims its made from ultra rigid 100 year old white oak whiskey barrels

) Very heavy for the tiny size, I must say.

Anyways, I really liked what I heard. The shop played some Pioneer demo SACD of some Japanese tracks which were like crystal clear.

 

[Anonymous]

Just in case you want to dig more about the much talked about Pioneer Pure Malt bookshelf speakers...

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/bookshelf/pioneer-pure-malt-speakers

http://reviews.cnet.com/separate-speakers/pioneer-s-a4spt-pm/4505-7869_7-31995335.html?subj==rss&tag=rss.whatsnew

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/HomeEntertainment/Speakers/Pure+Malt+Speakers/ci.S-A4SPT-PM.Kuro?tab=A

Cheers!

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="YT"]Hello,

I have PD-D6,
A-A6, Audioquest Type 4 cables and B&W 685 speakers as my main system and I'm
totally satisfied with the combination, if you ever had a chance to listen to
the system please check the above combination... [/quote]

Thanks. Nobody else recommended speakers to match for the pioneer combo. I have a pair of b&w dm601 s1 and slightly oldish Rotel RX-504. I want to get the pioneer pd-d6 and the a-a6-j. What do you think of the combination? I will replace the speakers by the end of this year, but until then I am stuck with the 601 s1.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="nikigo"]

Thanks. Nobody else recommended speakers to match for the pioneer combo. I have a pair of b&w dm601 s1 and slightly oldish Rotel RX-504. I want to get the pioneer pd-d6 and the a-a6-j. What do you think of the combination? I will replace the speakers by the end of this year, but until then I am stuck with the 601 s1.

[/quote]

So? Any thoughts on the pioneers+601s1? Any help is appreciated. I am buying the b&w 685 or if something else surprises me by the end of the year, but I want a nice sound in the following months. Another option in my country is the Harman Kardon HK970 integrated amplifier (I've heard it with the 685s and i like it, but again haven't heard it with the 601s1). In my country the choice/prices is a-a6-j ~ 350eur, pd-d6 ~ 350eur, HK970 ~ 360eur, Marantz PM7001 ~ 420eur(too much for me). Will need a matching cd player if I go the HK970 way.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Thaiman"][quote user="Leonard Hatred"]1) Audiolab 8000A- would rather listen to the cooker they stole the knobs off 2)
The aforementioned Pioneer A400 3) NAD 3020. [/quote]

LOL....I kinna see where you are coming from. Don't for get the Nad 3020, at the time of released, was great value for money but now I think most of the mini system should sound better! The Pioneer was great with rock music if not much else, they still fetch 3 figure money even now.

I agree with you on the first choice, I heard them once and never want to hear it again......boring and over rated imo.[/quote]

No, no, no Ob - ahem Thaiman. The 3020 was a wonderful bit of kit and still is, if you can find a well maintained one. No they can't compare with mid-range amps of today but if your speakers are relatively easy to drive and you listen predominantly at low volumes, they still sound great IMO (for a budget 'audiophile' offering). Decent built-in phono stage too!