Great sound quality. Excellent S/N ratio. Well built. Look of quality.

Power supply regulator circuit runs very hot. FM tuner selectivity could be much better in this league.

Have had this SX-1280 for a few years now. It is mainly being used as a power amp for front main for a surround decoder. Sound quality for FM tuner and phono is excellent. Enough bass drive to shatter bulbs in the ceiling lights. Only disappointment is the FM tuner adjacent channel selectivity which is too wide to allow for decent FM DXing. Pioneer should have included an IF bandwidth selector for wide/narrow/super-narrow. The 25uS and/or multipath switches could have been moved to the rear of the unit to accomodate an IF bandwidth switch which has much more useful functionality for routine tuner operation. Overall SX-1280 is a great unit, but after comparing the two units, I believe Hitachi's SR-2004 looks better, it has more power (200WRMS/CH)and more headroom +/- 98.8 VDC supply for output stage, while SX-1280 is +/- 76 VDC, and much better FM selectivity with SAW filter and selectable narrow IF bandwidth. Still Pioneer SX-1280 is very good value for the money and there's almost always one available at any given time on eBay.

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Nikko 1219, Technics SA-828, Hitachi SR-2004, Sansui QRX-6500, Sony STR-4800D

Bass, warm solid sound just not found now.

Ok...idiots...this thing is heavy BECAUSE IT IS EXCELLENTLY BUILT!!! I AM STOKED IT'S HEAVY, NOT B****ING. You listen to this, not move it. Go get yerselves a nice light peace of crap they build nowadays.

Basically i'm lucky to have this thing.

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Onkyo tx-831

Truly transparent sound with no hint of stridency whatsoever. Haven't been able to find a better tuner, preamp or power amp since. Separates may look cool, but unless you have many thousands to spend, you are probably better off with this receiver. Sections are matched perfectly. Power is seamless and I drove a pair of Bose 901's and the sound was breathtaking. It has a quality feel and sound that cannot be matched by any current-day mid-fi offerings. If I ever see one again, I WILL snatch it up.

For the power we're talking about, it could really use binding posts for the speakers. Heavy.

I bought mine new in 1979, when it was nearly the top of the line, bested only by the SX1980. Lost it in the divorce in 1992. Have regretted it ever since.

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Too many to list. Ten years after losing it, I'm still trying to achieve that smoothness of sound. I've spent a fortune on separates and have come close, but no cigar.

Versatile input/output, excellent FM section, pure, clean, plentiful power. Makes those so-called 500 watt AV receivers look like Dinky toys.

Big and heavy - 78 pounds.

I purchased this unit new in 1979. It cost an arm and leg for those days, but I've never regretted the purchase. This was used for six or seven years with custom-built speakers (3x10", 3x 5", 3 tweeters - per speaker) which took a lot of power. Then, for another six or seven years, with a 4 speaker setup - 2 x AR and 2 x Advent. For the final six years, it was used with KEF 104/2 speakers - that was a wonderful combination! At the 15 year point, I had to have the power transistors in one channel replaced. Not surprising, considering that the unit had been used almost every day for 15 years! At the 20 year point, the power transistors in the other channel went, plus another problem came up with hum which I am still looking to resolve. It is hard to find people who can work on these massive beasts. This unit provided pure, clean sound and impressive power. Truly a classic

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SX-737, Adcom 5400

Neutral, powerful bass, digital quality reception, top quality phono section, reliable, beautiful appearance.

Heavy

The sound quality from this receiver, coupled with it's tuner and full range of inputs makes it the best sound equipment I have ever owned. I have owned many high end seperates including McIntosh and Krell, the only thing they have over this Receiver is price. Pioneer built this to be their flagship, then up'd the ante with the SX1980. It's developement and final release came on the heals of the digital electronic boom and the 1280 was measured against some of the most modern equipment in that class. The tuner section was considered the best analog tuner ever made and as good as the digital tuners being offered at that time. The amp section produces True RMS up to 180 watts per channel and the signal is processed through the finest components available in its day. Mine has been used since I purchased it in 1994. It's never missed a beat, never in a shop and never failed to perform flawlessy. It's a pleasure to own and listen too, a real technolgical marvel. Anyone looking to purchase highend equipment should save a few thousand dollars and find one of these Receiver's.

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Accura, Sansui, Marantz.

More powerful than anything in its class. Exceptional styling. Smoooooth warm analog!!!!

Can't think of any.

I bought this on ebay several months back and have never regretted it.

This thing is a monster and pushes my JBL 4410's to the cleanest, purest sound possible. I know the monitors are good, but they need a strong/clean source to sound their absolute best, and this machine fits the bill. Rated at 180 per channel, they'll push most anything you can throw at them.

Model year is really 1978-80 so finding one in good condition is not that easy. (One went for $810 recently on ebay)

I highly recommend it and if you can, get some JBL studio monitors to accompany it. You'll be hearing EXACTLY what the engineers mean for you to hear, the way they meant for it to sound.

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SX980 SX939 SX890 Sony STRD915

More than enough power to deliver, nice to look at and use, quality tuner section, built like a battleship. 1978 vintage-classic!

Weighs like it looks-Heavy! I have had the power supply section give problems, mainly has been dry solder joints and leaky elecrtolytic capacitors and those stupid 8 volt panel lamps. Cannot get them here in NZ. Can use 6 volts but the life of the lamp is shortened and 12 volts lamps are too dim!

Overall,I am quite impressed with the peformance of the SX1280. The sound quality is good, quite smooth with a lot of drive, it runs my power hungry Kefs without a problem. Phono stage sound quality is good also. Cannot really say anything bad about this unit, everything on it is easy to use and I really love the flick switches on the front. Gives it the air of quality, rather than those push button swtiches, that I've heard quite a few people who own QX 949s comlain about. I own two of these monsters, my second was aquired from the local rubbish dump! The person who was going to dump had it strapped to the top of his trailer load full of tree cuttings and I happened to see it and went racing over before he dropped it over the egde into the crusher! The problem with it was a shorted diode in the power supply worth all of about ninety cents!
I recommend anybody who wants a receiver with plenty of power and versatility, go out and hunt one of these down. You wont't regret it!

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SX850,SX838

it has lots of bass, good wattage and solidly built

very heavy

It is the best system that I could get in my price range. I could play my monster speakers with not problem

awsome power, excellent reception, eye appeal

weighs a ton

I lucked up and bought this monster from a garage sale for $30 to push outdoor speakers. I sounds so much better than my 100w/ch pro-logic receiver (1993). I has become the primary receiver. The analog tuner is excellent. One sold for almost $600 recently on E-bay. Wish I had a manual for the beast.