Pioneer A-27 Integrated Amplifier-Vintage Stereo Repair Restoration Testing Classic 2 Channel Audio

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

This channel became my favorite very fast!

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you very much for viewing and your kind words.

[@XavierAncarno]

Hello, I’m too young to have witnessed the Serie 20 in store. But I bought a pioneer M-25 along with a pioneer C-21 preamp in mint condition from Japan 2 years ago... fully cleaned and serviced. and this is an Absolute beast. I use it with a pair of Yamaha NS-30A “Big ears” loudspeakers.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Oh Man! I bet it sounds great! Thank a lot for sharing. There was so much great gear made back when I was growing up. I'm glad that someone younger is into vintage audio equipment.

[@XavierAncarno]

Vintage Audio Addict Hell yeah, it sound absolutely fantastic, and just like the A-27 it’s an A+B class with the first 30 watts in class A. Till this day with high efficiency loudspeakers the amp temperature never went above room temp. Even plugged the whole day. I will never sell or trade it. My kid will enjoy it.

[@jimscardino2603]

Amazing! What a great piece of equipment pioneer made. I am 51 years old and my father was big into audio equipment and had some Pioneer equipment himself. I never saw as a young boy back in the 70’s anything that looked like that. Thanks for sharing! The bench test on this video was exciting!

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you very much! So many great audio products were produced back in the day. Thank you for commenting.

[@raji24linkify]

I got mine today! I'm impressed about it's performance, can't wait to Recap it and listen to, nice work Vintage Addict!

[@THELIBERAL]

Series 20 Pioneer I think was the best gear Pioneer ever made but it was not successful.The originally tried selling it to high end HiFi stores that market did not take it seriously since Pioneer was considered a mass market Mid Fi manufacturer. I worked for a mail order HIFi company at the time and we purchased 200 of these and we paid 163.50 for them and sold for 327.00 and let me tell you everyone that purchased one were astonished.They also had 2 power amps one a class A amp that sweet sounding but boy did it run hot. Great stuff and I am glad you are preserving this beast. Cheers

[@truck9moon100]

I have seen alot since 1973, however i've never seen that amp. Thank-You very much.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Your welcome and thank you!

[@Rendraco79]

Wow, that is a very, very nice Pioneer amp, I just remember as a child, how warm and nice the sound was. ...Led zeppelin IV, the whole album listened in a pioneer like that was outstanding!... all the freq. from low to highs! ...an amazing piece of equipment. thanks for sharing Mr. VAA!

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Your welcome and thank you. This equipment brings back good memories.

[@krewjaime4482]

InstaBlaster...

[@j.t.cooper2963]

I seen one in 1979 at a Pioneer shop here in Wichita. I barely looked at it because it was so expensive, but that was what made me remember it, was the price.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks a lot for sharing. At $1250 I wasn't affording one either.

[@j.t.cooper2963]

@@vintageaudioaddict Same here. Especially at 16. 😅

[@dirtydon8661]

Excellent video as always. Love seeing all this different equipment..inside & out!

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you so much. It's folks like you that motivate me.

[@robertdavis5714]

Like you in the late 1970's, spent much of my time going from 1 stereo shop to the other (Pretty much 1 on every corner back in stereo wars days) and have never ever have seen this A-27.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks for sharing. I haven't found many folks that have ever seen one.

[@tedcuff9155]

I just got an SX-3700 in great shape. Getting ready to order capacitors and bulbs. I'm surprised you re-compounded the transistors. I didn't even consider that. I may change my approach to this now. Great video!

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you so much. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. The SX-3700 is a very nice receiver and good luck with your restoration. The thermal compound just gets dry after all these years. The mica insulators and the thermal compound is fairly inexpensive so it's just the time to do it.

[@kusgilb]

I like the pseudo-parametric approach to the tone controls. Great video as usual.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you, I appreciate it. I was thinking if I hide the name "Pioneer"on the faceplate would anyone guess that was a Pioneer from the middle//late 70's? I don't think I would.

[@kusgilb]

@@vintageaudioaddict I'm 55 and have been a audio junkie my whole life and thought I knew most commercial equipment, but this Pioneer amp is nothing I had ever heard of. Great piece of equipment and has surprisingly good specs.

[@robertkeefer1552]

I don't recall that series of Pioneer amps. Back in the 70's getting into stereo equipment, I hung around the old Pacific Stereo in the Oakland East Bay Area. Right now my amplifier is a Yamaha AX900U and it is wonderful.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you for commenting. I did the same in my youth. We didn't have a big dealer like Pacific Stereo but that didn't stop me.

[@gsmd770]

Agreed. You see a lot of the reviews of the new equipment on KZbin. The stuff is sent to people's homes and they tell you how it sounds,but not the important that you need to know. Pioneer,Marantz,Denon,Onkyo are all under one house these days. SOUND UNITED! The measure all the new stuff now with 1kz compared to before where it was 20hkz-20hz! That 1kz looks great on paper,but it doesn't tell you what the amps true power is? That's a great amp by the way!

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you very much. Thanks also for sharing your views and for the information. I didn't know that all of those brands are now under one roof, Sound United. Thanks again.

[@user-bc6ok1yh4s]

Awesome vintage Pioneer A-27 video, I just wish I could find a good,clean A-27 myself.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you! It seems that there were not a lot of them produced.

[@jondubb35]

I’ve wanted one of these for at least 20 years. Can’t remember when I became aware of this one....

[@vintageaudioaddict]

I don't remember seeing this model A-27 back in the day when I thought I had seen about every Pioneer.

[@rustywalleye2875]

I am about to sell one on ebay

[@bixy9347]

Fantastic amp, thanks for sharing with us all 🙏

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Your welcome and thank you for watching.

[@roylehman143]

I had two of those back 1980 in germany in the service. boy did I get in trouble when I let them rip. Had a pioneer receiver hooked up to run both amps. had four Bose 901s and two pioneer hpm 1500 speaker and two hpm 1100 pioneer speakers . Bose on one amp and pioneers on the other. You want to talk about a concert. That A27 is a bad ass. wish I still had one today

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks for sharing and for your service. The vintage gear brings back so many memories for me also.

[@roylehman143]

I even had a fan plugged in to one nailed to the wall blowing back fourth on both of them. Never felt much heat at all

[@gilbertwashburn7095]

I am Gilly I remember the 20 series that American TV and Madison they had a special room with all the expensive crap I remember seeing a Pioneer 1980 on a rotating turntable with lights also a monster Sansui same effect rotating the monster send so it was great to go to the at all this great stuff thanks for doing this it keeps me inspired

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks so much for the kind words and commenting that you remember seeing the 20 series. I'm glad this channel brings back some good memories for you.

[@joyces5284]

Awesome video! I don’t remember Series equip.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you! You seem to be up on most on the vintage audio equipment so I'm a little surprised.

[@cremersalex]

Never seen this before and my mother worked for Pioneer Europe so I saw a lot of stuff. Maybe I just forgot it. Man, those tone controls! 50Hz and 20kHz!

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. Not many folks have seen them. Thanks also for mentioning the tone controls. I forgot to say anything about them in the video. That's another odd thing about this integrated amp.

[@hotjazzbaby]

Great. Looks a lot like Revox

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks!

[@speidi1]

I believe this series was primarily sold in Europe. Any,way, I got into Japanese hifi gear starting in 1971 in Thailand. I was in the Air Force, and I was overseas the entire 70's. I bought and sold so much Japanese gear... I should have kept it all. My favorite receiever was my JVC SR501. Holy cow. I bought it in Spain in 1978. I paired it with JBL-110s. Prior to that,. In Thailand, I bought a pair of Sansui speakers (can't recall model no.) that had 15 inch woofers and super tweeters on top of these monsters. Those were the days.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks for sharing your story and for your service. There was just some much good quality audio back in the day. Most anything that you purchased was good stuff.

[@ottodydaktyk]

I don't remember ever seeing that unit before, probably because of the price. My rule of thumb was to ensure that you had GOOD speakers, then a good amp. The speakers should be about half the cost of the whole system, so a package incorporating that piece would have probably been around $3k. Definitely couldn't afford that back in the day. I would not have forgotten that swing down door. I know it will keep dust off of the controls, but the fingerprints would have driven me nuts. Sweet unit!

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I was probably like you back in the day. I was working at Pizza Hut as a teen and $300 receivers were more in my vision. I agree that the speakers are the piece of the stereo system puzzle that makes the most difference. Good advice!

[@mxcrec]

Thank you for your videos! I would like a sharper and less shaky image though, if I may, because it's a great pleasure to see all those knobs and switches, wires and tiny components inside.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Your welcome, will do.

[@miharoskar]

Looks like Technics SU-V9, another great TOTL amp from that time. You've got a new subscriber. Great channel.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you so much!

[@jondubb35]

I wish you were my neighbor! 😂 That way I wouldn’t have to take my gear across town to the only reputable vintage repair guy around these parts.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks!

[@tonybalm1513]

The later A series Pioneer's A50 - A90 work in a similar fashion to this. I own the A70 a very sweet sounding amplifier with one of the best record deck inputs I have ever heard. My amp was full of dry joints when I first got it. Still got to recap it though.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you for your comments

[@vcp93]

You need to check out Stereophile magazine. John Atkinson goes through a myriad of testing and presents his results.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks for the info.

[@venturarodriguezvallejo9777]

You're very right. Nowadays, almost all audio reviewers speak quite a bit about how (usually) good the new stuff gear sounds (for them, sure), but you cannot find a serious test bench, if any. Don't know why, but one must take their subjective opinions if one does not have the opportunity (with the increasing on-line selleing it's the norm) to listen personally the so much praised stuff. And this state of things seems to go for worse, I'm afraid. My "vintage" Luxman top of line pieces, for example, date from more than 30 years ago and I READ about them (complete testing included) first and listened to then in the Hi-Fi store before taken a purchase decision. The items remain in excellent conditions, thank God. I'm quite skeptical about this would be possible today, unless I could find a real exclusive store (at real more exclusive prices, of course). Excelent video. Thank you and you have a new subscriptor.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Your welcome and thank you so much for sharing your views. The day's of going to a stereo shop is coming to an end. There are very few left. We "listen" to an expert on the internet that tells us what is good instead of "listening" to our own ears. There are just so few brick and mortar audio store's left. Also the larger audio shops back in the day had their own service departments with suitable test equipment and a technician or two. Business is just done differently now. Congratulations on having your Luxman equipment for more then 30 years. I have a Luxman M-300 in my collection that is a wonderful amplifier.

[@venturarodriguezvallejo9777]

@@vintageaudioaddict Thanks for your answer. My Luxman "group" comprises the DP-07/DA-07 digital combo, CL-360 tube preamp and MQ-360 tube power amp (now I use this one exclusively to drive a pair of AKG K-1000 headphones; for driving the speakers I bought later the well known Mc 275). Also, (do beleave me) in the hot days of summer, I change the above for a vintage Cyrus II SE plus Cyrus PSX auxiliar power supply. And, apart the periodic change of the output tubes, my main system continues in very good shape and sounding nice and well ( ! ).

[@btu45nh]

I Always liked the onkyo Green lights series amps,they use to sell those at Radio Shack in the late 70s .

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Onkyo made some really good audio equipment. A friend of mine back in the day would always show me his "Onk" equipment as he called it.

[@Zockopa]

Back in the day C21/M22/U24 was in the hifi shop around the corner.(Was a big shop added to a factory that produced washing maschines and dryers.) Well,i was lucky that the factory owner was a big hifi fan. That was way before "high end" was a term. In the late seventies. So me as a boy quickly got hooked on music (the shop also sold records) and high quality audio gear back then...

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you very much for sharing your story.

[@Zockopa]

@@vintageaudioaddict In japan the A-27 had a different model number and was the top model of a integrated amp series consisting of four models. A-typicaly only the biggest amp was exported. At least to my neck of the woods. Normaly its the other way round and the top models are japan exclusive only. Anyway,the A27 certainly is on eyes heights with the top models from Sansui,JVC,Yamaha,NEC,Technics,Kenwood Luxman or Sony of that time. When i look back i can clearly see the consumer benefit of a competitive market....

[@1michaelricci]

Fantastic channel. I very much enjoy your work and have learned quite a bit of technical information. The Vintage Knob lists the output devices for this series of amplifier as “RET” or Ring Emitter Transistor. Were you able to find modern equivalents or find a source of NoS? Also, I did find a cosmetically pristine A-27 in my area for $1500. What is you opinion on that price for a non restored unit. It seems quite high assuming I would have it reconditioned. What price would you have charged for the parts and labor you performed on this unit? Knowing that price will help me determine if I should pass or negotiate. Thank you!

[@vintageaudioaddict]

First of all thank you for your kind words and for watching. I didn't have any issue with the RET's so I didn't touch those. I'm just a hobbyist and not a professional so I only work on my own equipment. I'm not sure about the cost but for sure it would be several hundred dollars in parts and labor. I always feel if you like something then the cost is secondary.

[@DrummingMan1]

Wonderful! Fantastic design class A? Amazing! I am in the market for a vintage monster receiver but, your video might just change my direction! Oh the drama ha ha Ha ha ha

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you for watching. The A-27 is a great piece of audio history. There was so much good audio equipment produced years ago. I'm sure you'll get a vintage unit that you can enjoy for a long time.

[@jaimecaro6723]

Hola tengo un Pioneer A-27. Lo enciendo y suena bien pero a los 25 minutos se oye un estallido y se aísla el volumen. Es como si se protegiera. Tambien sucede que si le conecto audífonos también se queda sin sonido. Agradezco su respuesta gracias

[@paracutin1]

Hello, I hope you are well. I know this video was posted some time ago. I recently bought an A-27 integrated amp. I bought the 4 large capacitors and replaced the old ones (three of the old ones were bulging), now there is no sound on the right channel, and the left channel only has very low volume. Do you know what could be wrong? Thank you for your time and for your videos.

[@QuintilianA]

I actually own one. I found one for 500 on a local pick up about a year ago. Needed just basic cleaning and it can run any speakers I hook up to it.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Congrats on owning one!

[@geirendre]

Nice video even if the design of this unit isn't my kind of stuff. Regarding the reviewers today not benchtesting equipment, I think that might have to do with the fact that most amplifier today measures just about the same. Great bandwidth, very low distortion etc. so not so much to compare against other units with. After all what really matters is what it sounds like, and that's what buyers want to know. So that's probably why reviewers only listen to them and tries to describe what they think it sounds like. BTW, the only Pioneer I have is an old LX-450.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you as always for your kind words and commenting. You know back in the day at any price point Pioneer, Sansui, Marantz and many others all had similar published specifications but independent reviews still verified the manufacturers claims. Sometimes the equipment did not meet their published specifications for one reason or the other. I just think if you publish that your equipment meets certain specifications it should be verified by independent measurement....But that's just me.

[@dwoodog]

I'm kinda on the fence about the looks, but nice work as always. Just missed it, before my time. My hey days of wasting stereo store salesman's time was from about 85-95 give or take a year or two.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you! LOL....You would have fit in well a decade or so earlier.

[@OldWurlitzerMusic]

great video , now i know this amp is solid and clean ill remember this model !, hope you do a sx 1010 rebuild and tour iv ave owned 2 of them , on my second and its my favorite receiver

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you, Sir. The SX-1010 is a wonderful receiver. I don't have one at the moment but I'm always looking.

[@btu45nh]

Wow it is rare ,I never seen one.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Me either, it doesn't seem like there were a lot of them around. They were $1250 retail. A SX-1980 receiver was $1295 retail.

[@scottmiller3025]

I am soooo jealous!😄

[@leel9680]

Hi can you let me know where do I can get parts for this unit I have the poineer A-27 just stop working on the left channel.

[@jameshanoomansing1442]

excellent as usual ... please do a review on a sansui au 719, if you ever come across one. big respect from Mauritius

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you very much! Greetings from the USA! You are on a beautiful Island. I've never had a AU-719 but I'd like one. There are so many great pieces of vintage equipment. I guess I can't have them all, LOL.

[@dednside5229]

Interesting Phono 2 Is the first input position on the knob . IE The MC Phono stage Let's you know what the main purpose was of a high end piece .... A high end source -

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Very good observation!

[@btu45nh]

Believe it or not they use to sell a lot of pioneer systems at Lechmere, I never seen this series.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks for commenting

[@tcygler]

Hello i have 1 question !! i Have this Amp... and i cant find DC POWER terminal No. 5 and No.8 where is ? ?

[@dtasca3366]

Audioholics do bench testing of products it reviews. You are correct though in that very few if any third party reviewers test bench the equipment they get I thought I saw this video already Have you renewed it?

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks for commenting. It's seemed that way but I'm not really up on the new equipment so I thought maybe I just wasn't looking in the right places. Yes, It had a copyright claim so I removed it, updated a lot of it and re-posted.

[@dtasca3366]

Thx for the clarification I love your thoroughness and honesty I find your videos quite informative Great work

[@musicman8270]

Where do you find such sweet gear?

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Most of it came from Craigslist, garage sales, estate sales etc. Most of it I've had for many years. It's getting much harder to find good deals on vintage audio equipment.

[@Mrzizzy69]

ufff ...beautifffffuuuulllll

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you!

[@vincentleeapresto9184]

is this 100 volts

[@skip1835]

Thanks, really liked your video - I feel a bit skeptical about the A-27 running up to or near 30 watts in pure class "A" before sliding into A/B operation - - were you able to determine or verify if that is indeed true during your testing?

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you! No, I didn't check the Class A vs A/B operation. I was going on the Pioneer technical information for the A-27.

[@jondubb35]

Do you ever sell any of your amps or receivers?

[@vintageaudioaddict]

No, I don't. I'm a collector that needs to sell some stuff but doesn't, LOL.

[@ultraneight]

After watching this video months ago I started looking for one of these and lucked out finding one in mint condition. The manual and original spec sheet were included and stated that it ran in class A up to 3 watts and then switched to class B. This was surprising because everything I've found online says it stays in class A up to 30 watts per channel. Any idea why the discrepancy?

[@alphizal]

Hi there, this amp runs Class A up to 30 W

[@aiofilms]

Do you sell the vantage units you repair and rebuild?

[@vintageaudioaddict]

No, every piece of vintage audio equipment that you see in my video's are from my personal collection.

[@baronofgreymatter14]

I'd buy that amp right now. Is it for sale?

[@rustywalleye2875]

I got one that I am going to sell on ebay

[@inforobob]

Stereophile and Australian HIFI do test.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks for the information

[@inforobob]

Do not remember these. Pioneer was always midfi to my circle.

[@Audfile]

Really? This would be like $8000 today

[@inforobob]

HiFi News from the UK also does bench testing. Very good magazine by today's standards. I am of the opinion that listening should also be done. Only arrogant Humans think measurements tell all.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you for commenting.

[@OmarRamos1]

Very I nice, I have a sx-727

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you. The SX-727 is a very nice receiver.

[@Mr57Teddy]

I doubt that the Series 20 was actually available in the U.S. Wasn't it intended for their home market?

[@vintageaudioaddict]

I never saw one but some folks have commented that they remember it here in the USA back in t he day.

[@jked7463]

Stereophile magazine tests equipment in their magazine

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank for the info

[@357Shakey]

What’s with the thumbs down? Must be Millennials - no shiny lights to keep them entertained!

[@georgegraves9635]

I beg to differ with you vis-a-vis your comment that audio magazines no longer actually test equipment. Stereophile’s John Atkinson does an in-depth evaluation, using the latest computer-aided software, of every unit Stereophile reviews. Certainly, another Stereophile writer does the “subjective” evaluation and then Atkinson tests the units on the bench. the British Magazine, “Hi-Fi News and Record Review”, tests its review samples in a similar fashion.I suspect that there are a number of non-English audio publications that do the same, but I don’t know that for sure.

[@Si1983h]

Nice looking amp. A controversial view here I know, but I find a lot of vintage audio too blingy/garish, and a lot of the wood finishes are pretty rough. I like clean, elegant looking kit, which this is, very.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you for commenting. There's nothing wrong with liking what you like. I like the looks of some of the vintage audio better then others too. One thing that the vintage equipment has is the engineering and build quality. This A-27 was very expensive back in the day but even the smallest receiver in Pioneer's line was still built well. There is a lot of wonderful modern audio equipment but it is very expensive. Then you have the junk at the low end that you throw away when it breaks. In today's world there doesn't seem to be a lot of audio equipment in the middle. When I was a teenager working at Pizza Hut I couldn't afford a A-27 but I could afford a $300 receiver. Time has shown that those $300 receivers are still operating. Today, I don't think a teenager will have his or her equipment in 40 or 50 years. Most will be in the landfill.

[@btu45nh]

The Integra series Amos by Onkyo

[@leeholzmann1023]

i live in australia i am dam sure that model never made it here we really only had the much cheaper rondo models etc ...

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thanks for sharing. I guess the A-27 was here in the USA but I don't remember ever seeing it.

[@justsumguy2u]

Ahh, now that's a real piece of Pioneer equipment. Made in Japan (not China)...built to a performance standard, not a price point.

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Yes Sir. This equipment has truly stood the test of time.

[@aussie8114]

There's nothing like a good rant 😂 Not sure why it has dual tone controls 🤔 We used to have a pioneer integrated amp. I lost count of how many times I blew the internal speaker fuse while experimenting with my homemade speaker configurations. My dad was NOT happy, he would take it to pioneer to get them to fix it then within weeks I would blow it again 😂 They ended up just giving him a bag of fuses. Did you know if you turn it up to maximum then touch the speaker wires together you can make a spark 😂🤣😂

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank for commenting. Good thing you had a "Nice Dad". I'm afraid I would have been in jail if I was your Dad, LOL.

[@waynepatrick1646]

No, I never saw one

[@ramongomez6720]

check Audioholic , they measure

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Thank you for the info

[@donaldheitger6731]

No I never did

[@vintageaudioaddict]

Seems that most of the people haven't. I've heard from a couple of folks that remember the A-27 and the Pioneer series 20 components in general but not many.