Pioneer SX-1250 + Bose 901-II speakers and equalizer + Dual 1229 phonograph

[@msotil]

Bose 901 are not meant to be placed in a corner. The speaker is designed to reflect the sound from the wall at its rear. That is why the rear baffles of the speaker, each containing 4 four-inch full-frequency range drivers (total eight rear drivers), are angled in order to send the sound to the wall so it will bounce into the room with the designed dispersion. Also, the distance from the apex of the rear baffles to the wall is fairly critical. In general, the placement of the speaker in the room is very important in order to obtain the best speaker performance.

[@Blackwaterdogs]

The SX-1250 is definitely one of the top performers from the "Stereo Wars" era. I have an all-`70s, all-Pioneer vintage system that includes the SX-1250, CT-F1250 cassette deck, PL-71 turntable, RT-1020 reel-to-reel, putting the sound through HPM-100 speakers. Although it`s 35 years old, it still kicks the crap out of many newer systems. PS: The item you`re asking about @ 9:00 is a Ferrite rod AM antenna. You`re lucky, many of them get broken off somewhere along the way.

[@mrhoffame]

Talk about luck. I have a friend inTexas that just picked up a sx1250 at a garage sale for $75 in perfect working condition. Made me cry for two days. Happy for him and so sad I didn't get there first lol

[@tomconway5684]

You're right about the quality of that old reciever. Nothing compares today.

[@vintagestereo]

the pioneer is a real beauty man. clean it once every few years, keep dust from it and it will be your music partner for years after now.

[@tedtimmis8135]

I just bought the SX-1050. I love the silver face, the wood, the toggle switches, the buttons and filters, the tuner dial and the power. This is a receiver with balls; unfortunately, wives and decorators believe receivers should be heard and not seen. As a result, most current receivers are minimalist black boxes which have no character.

[@harrymuhammad9835]

These belong out front. They're art...and when lit up in the evening...Nice.

[@ArshadHaroon]

These models and such other models of Technics and Pioneer are awesome beauties. It is sad they do not make such things any more. Enjoy and greetings from Newfoundland, Canada.

[@Bgymnastics]

Just bought one yesterday at a flea market $900 never been opened since new. And I will crank up some good time rock n roll.

[@AtPeacePiece]

Bgymnastics you should make a video. Sounds like you found a unicorn.

[@Bgymnastics]

AtPeacePiece that's cool my daughter loves unicorns

[@lynneftw]

I grew up with this receiver in the 70s/80s. You don't sound very old... or old enough to have had this in your family... but I'm glad you appreciate it.

[@thorerik678]

With the exception of the cassette deck and receiver I had the same exact setup even down to the Shure V-15 cartridge. I had a Pioneer SX-1010 receiver and a CT-F7171, one of the first front load type decks. I still have the 901 II just as shown in the video and have recapped the EQ. I hope by now you have found the pedestals made specifically for the 901's and have got them off the floor and positioned properly. Rock on!

[@paulmattle6683]

I had an Pioneer SX-1050, Dual 1249, and a pair of Pioneer HPM-100 that I bought from a 50 yr old crackhead over 10 years ago. The speakers were all blown, and I didn't know what I had, so I sold them in a package deal. 3 years later I sold the SX-1050 with a pair of original Advent Loudspeakers for 600. 6 months later the receiver alone was going for almost 2x what I sold it for. My Dad finally got a quadraphonic system and has a pair of 901 s2. I found another pair with the different front on them for 190 just before Xmas. I gave him the pair as an early present the same day I bought them. So currently he's setting his quad system up with 4 901 s2. I'm hoping we can use the 1 bose equalizer he has for all 4 of them. The pair I bought him came with an ADC EQ, but I think the correct eq will make it sound so much better

[@rayinpau.s.a.6351]

I just purchased one of these from Craigslist here in Pittsburgh for $200.00 . I spent three hours cleaning the controls , all controls , and the body . it looks like I just pulled it out of the box . the power from this Amp speaks for it self . you have to own one of these to truly appreciate what it can and will do . amazing in every way . Ray in Pa

[@timschutte8310]

, what an absolute beautiful receiver. I miss the equipment from that time period. much much better than now a days

[@kevinfournie]

No way. Been looking for one in good shape for some time. Sending it off for a complete recap. They are awesome receivers

[@dougg1075]

Nice! I’m a second owner, my friend bought it in Subic Bay 1976. I have the original bill of sale, manual and schematic. It sounds amazing

[@Robert8455]

Very nice amp. My buddy had this same setup in 1980. He played a lot of hard rock at full volume and had his speakers on the optional stands. You really need a bigger room to get optimal speaker placement with those 901s.

[@steveafanador6441]

That's a kick ass old school setup. I bet it sounds incredible 👍👍

[@MrReallyHard]

It is quite rare to find these in such pristine condition. Very nice.

[@AudioCrossingVideos]

While vintage receivers are cool, "they don't make them like they used to" is true but not in the way you mean it -- amplifier technology and part quality has improved greatly over the years, and build quality remains just as robust if not more so in the same $4000 price range ($1000 inflated to 2012).

[@cmoore185]

Being a baby boomer, I remember skimping on food but having 3 months pay in a stereo. One of the things I remember was how we all tried to one up each other. Today, I have a Kenwood 9400 and a 1229 that I would never sell. I have Norman Lab 10's , but have had two sets of 901's, a series 1 and a series 11. The series 11 used a Norman equalizer. I love seeing the vintage equipment. As for your comment about the high water mark being the Pioneersz1250, it depends on who you ask. Pioneer, Sansuii, ken wood, Marrantz, mac, etc, all made equipment that could outperform the human ear. Unfortunately, they made some low end junk, too. I have an Akai reel to reel but that unfortunately is a media that never really caught on. Enjoy.

[@generalzod7959]

I love the style of the old school recievers!

[@scott32661]

Your right!! I had this reciever personally myself, and Correction, it powers 500 watt at 8 ohms and 250 at 4 ohms with a kick ass loundness boost that comes with the gear. And i do mean kick aSS! I never had a set of speakers that can handle this big boy. I had up graded my set back in 1995, and still decided to use this ball buster for a power amp. I now have a 2008 new set, but not to talk so much, but i never could get over the exstream power this reciever had in those times.

[@perlewitzaudio]

You sir have a very beautiful setup there! And you are 100% correct, records sound incredible compared to crappy MP3 recordings! Go Bose and go Pioneer!!

[@SamuelBarrPhotography]

Hi! Congratulations on a great system, just viewing this video. I'm not going to hate on the Bose 901's. May I recommend that you grab a pair of stands and get them off of the floor. They will sound a lot better off of the floor. Enjoy your system, it's very nice!

[@SamuelBarrPhotography]

You're gonna really enjoy those 901's once you get them off of the floor and bouncing off of the rear wall. A whole new experience awaits you, enjoy!

[@tedtimmis8135]

I have the Pioneer 1050. The toggles, the dial and the wood are pretty sexy.

[@jessebebout3646]

I have the pioneer SA 5500 11 & TX 5500 11 They are beautiful and the sound Quality is incredible! I cant believe this guy put those Bose on that sytem! Do like i did 2 sets of pioneer Hpm 40' s Pioneer Hpm 60's Pioneer Hpm100 Kenwood Kl777 Altec Lansing 840 And 3 sets of vintage 15' Jensens total of 12 speakers on each side wired in series parellel. It sounds incredible and will blow the windows out !

[@gmjunkyard3403]

Yeah that 1250 is the O.G. Monster power receiver of the 70's ! Whatever you do, DON'T part with it. They sell for over 2,000 on EBAY all the time. That 1250 should beat the crap out of those 901's. I have a 1280 and a 1980 and I would not part with them for anything.

[@DavesNotHere56]

I have been buying factory made reel to reel tapes lately. The sound quality on my Pioneer RT-707 is excellent.

[@mkc1rrc]

Awesome tuner, you definitely know your stuff there. I did want to mention you're also on the right track with your understanding of mp3 vs vinyl, however, I cannot emphasize enough that there absolutely is NO comparison whatsoever. Vinyl has a far more dynamic range than an mp3 could ever have due to the compression that is involved. Well done overall though, thanks for sharing!

[@Royalbigness]

That black bar you pointed to at the end of video is the actual on board antenna. You have hooked up an External antenna via cable as you expressed to the antenna terminals. This is to provide a better signal in bad reception areas where the on board antenna can struggle to get a signal. But, given the quality build of the 1250, you probably wouldn't need to hook up an external antenna.

[@AtPeacePiece]

I honestly don't obsess that much about sound quality. I mostly like the build quality and looks of this system.

[@maggothawk]

it runs 200 watts at 4 ohms and 160 watts at 8 ohms per channel . it's an awesome receiver and a great investment .

[@Smaug1]

CD sound is well above that of MP3s. MP3s are compressed, whereas CD .wav files are not. The only thing with CD is that it has a sharp cutoff at 22 kHz, whereas records go up to 60 kHz. CDs have a bit better bass though.

[@scott32661]

Very powerful reciever VERY POWERFUL....i had one and i must say that i went threw many of speakers MANY. I no longer have it because of a flood that came threw but those gooooood old memories.....

[@adolpholiverbush2]

165 wpc. I have that amp. Stunning. Beethoven is cool. And you should experiment with placement on those 901's. Very temperamental on placement. Wonderful tt as well. I had some Dual tt's for awhile. Great stuff.

[@Royalbigness]

I just got my hands on one of these recently. Mine is a one owner in Pristine condition too. Soooooo Gooood ! Congrats on yours friend.

[@MrWeb49]

one bad ass reciever ever made. always wanted one. but did get a 1010 that was great great video

[@georgecleary8171]

Mr. Peace Great Video. Nice to hear someone talk about there equipment.

[@Sooopa_Doopa]

$1500 for a SX-1250 would be a steal in 2021

[@johnnykaldani633]

That big black thingy in the back of the receiver is your AM band radio antenna.

[@LaserFocused]

I was given this receiver by my uncle, and did not come with manuals. Thanks, I for the info I will look for the manuals online. Nice receiver. G

[@Lazylizardgear]

Dude that rocks. I love the old style stuff with lots of heavy duty mechanical parts. Like you said they don't make 'em like they used to. lol such a cliche phrase but it's really really true for stuff like this.

[@rickr7333]

Nice setup, I'd like that. I love vinyl and have about 400 records but just so you know, the best vinyl, 58 db signal-to-noise, the best cassette (dolby B 62 db; dolby C 67 db; dbx 72 db). MP3 can't compete with any of those for total sound quality, however it is better on signal-to-noise up to 90+ db but it doesn't have the smoothness of analog.

[@AtPeacePiece]

@ClubOC Yessir! I have them set up on tv dinner tables for now haha. I got my hands on all the original manuals for the whole set up so I learned about how they should be placed in the room. I'm going to be doing another video soon with some more questions about the set up. Thanks for checking the vid out.

[@cato12]

I finally got my dads old sx 1250. Great condition. I was very surprised

[@AtPeacePiece]

I'm probably not the right person to ask, I just used thick gauge speaker wire from Best Buy. I would however suggest using an equalizer along with the receiver.

[@jdmccall56]

Also, LP's do not have greater dynamic range than CD's. You may be confusing dynamic compression and data compression. CD has a dynamic range of 90+ dB compared to around 60 for LP's. The killer of sound quality in today's CD's is not the CD; it is called the "loudness wars", where recordings are mastered with squashed dynamics to make them as loud as possible.

[@leeshepherd6512]

I'm a record collector and I love my LPs but trying to say they have better dynamic range than CDs is ludicrous. A record at best has

[@sampochin]

I remember my old pioneer hifi and I cd system has ever sounded as good. Actually my friends nait was close but that was many thousands

[@sumcaps4492]

we have that as the garage receiver with a cd player that my dad bought back in the 80s. i had no idea my dad was sitting on a gold mine.

[@AtPeacePiece]

They sound ok for now unless they're really called upon for deep loud bass. I probably won't even mess with checking them as I would like to have a set of HP-100's instead. Thanks for dropping by :)

[@itmsjim]

Not sure if anyone has already mentioned, but the 901's should not be in the corner. Even the manual says that. I have the same pair. Also, I have a Pioneer Quad Amp QX from the same era...it's not real wood :-P You did later correct it and call it veneer. We have very similar set-ups...I love it. The 901 Active EQ does rock!!

[@jdmccall56]

I'll put one up. But, please don't take my comments wrong. I really dig your receiver and I'm also a big Bose 901 fan, so...I was just defending the CD, which does get blamed for the crappy sound of many pop music recordings today, when it is merely "telling it like it is". Blame the people making the recordings instead!

[@LaserFocused]

Just connected the pioneer SG-9500 to my SX1280 and old Sony speaker. The equalizer makes a huge difference!! Will probably get some Audioquest Bi-wire speaker wire for the Helicon400 speakers. Have not tried these speakers with the vintage pioneer since I have no appropriate speaker wires. G

[@gigibyte3479]

yes im rebuilding a system. Pioneer SX 1080 with older 1980s Infinity RS2000 will be adding a Dual TT while currently using a Teac. The old R2R do actually provide excellent sound with propoer tape and mastering.

[@BaltimoreAndOhioRR]

That 'giant thing' is the AM antenna

[@louisrosas1630]

I love you passion when describing this wonderful work of art. Thanks so much. I want one and i always wanted a bose 901 speaker system.

[@toneyisaiah3556]

It's very hard to find something that is not around today.

[@dmptcb]

Records can never sound as good as a full digital cd no way

[@AtPeacePiece]

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhh!!!!! I'm quite aware that amplifier technology has progressed during the past 40 years. However, you could have purchased this unit at a normal electronics outlet when it came out, whereas a $4000 unit can not be purchased at say, a Best Buy or something. The absolute best unit you could find at a Best Buy is not even close to the same quality as this Pioneer. Also, I'm definitely not an expert on amplifiers, speakers, etc.

[@coffeefish]

901's baby. great sounding system.

[@AtPeacePiece]

What do you use for your stereo? I didn't see any videos on your channel. I received these speakers for free. I don't have $500 to spend on vintage Pioneer speakers or I would already have purchases some. And NO, I will not be buying new black colored speakers from Best Buy.

[@ClubOC]

Nice set up ! Be sure to keep those 901's out of the corner of the room. I don't recall for sure, but I believe they should be 18 inches away from the wall behind and to the sides. I hung mine from the ceiling. The sound is fantastic !

[@herrtrigger7220]

Adjust your speaker cables, the negative terminal has some bare wire sticking out close to the positive bare wire above it. If they touch it'll short out the unit.

[@gregsimpson621]

Nice setup, Mine is Sansui quad from 73. I love my Dual turntable from then.

[@BlueSparks25]

Greg Simpson thats awesome. I have a similar setup... Sansui QRX- 7001 and a Dual1229

[@gregsimpson621]

Mike Romero I've had it since 1975. Never had an issue. Your the first person I've found that also has the Dual turntable!!

[@octavev7076]

That was my first stereo equipment combined with a Technik turntable 1978.

[@LowEnd31st]

Consider this -- 900 dollars in the late 70s is how much today? Probably 2000 or more. Today, you can probably get a more powerful and better sounding amp for that much money. Sure big box cheap receivers might not be the best today, but the quality of components, in all electronics has improved. This was just pretty much the best for its day. Put it against the best of today and see what happens. Reminds me of proponents of old school car audio. True, many companies made big, powerful great sounding amps. Most of them got too hot IMO. Now the top amps are small, cool, and sound excellent. PS def agree that more attention was paid to detail back then, heavy, quality, metal, instead of plastic.

[@LowEnd31st]

Thanks idiot.

[@Sky1]

150 REAL watts!

[@LordAbriel]

The wood is walnut, not cherry. The case is veneer, but the two corner blocks in front are solid. Knobs are aluminum, but again, not solid, they're set on plastic centers. The comments regarding your 901's being on the floor are correct, they need to be up and off the ground, and away from the walls. As far as the 1250 being the high water mark, you are correct if you're considering sound quality only. A year later Pioneer came out with the XX80 series of recievers, and the SX1980 had 270 watts of power, which I believe was and is still a record for power rating. I think most will agree though, the 1250 is the one to own.

[@deekay2]

The Technics SA-1000 was the highest power rated receiver ever made at 330 watts/channel into 8 ohms.

[@Sallyhearts]

I have the sa-5760, 165wpc sweetness. Can't use it right now because of speaker repair, foam rot lol, cerwin d9 speakers.

[@jeremywhittler8591]

Those are the Bose to have. They sound good , I've heard them. If they weren't , there would be no Bose today.

[@mohammadyaeeshibnabootaleb4628]

Old ils gold as Said by elders.....

[@toddhagist8395]

This is the best receiver ever made I had one and I miss it ! my boss speakers are (1968 901 ser one)

[@MegaHotSoup]

Wow! I just happened by this video. I have the same reciever that I got in 1976. Fantastic reciever. :>)

[@VIDSTORAGE]

Nothing wrong with classical music right before you get ready to put on a Deep Purple album ...Good quality cassettes are great to listen to ..

[@vintagestereo]

this receiver is top of the top but I really think you can have much better sound when you change the speakers

[@outboardfun3353]

No the top of top for Pioneer was the SX-1980 the 1250 was mid line.

[@edsonarantes7500]

Beautiful set-up. Just properly place the BOSE 901s.

[@davefaddel6761]

You are going to replace Bose 901's ...... with what ?? You need to look at the system as a whole, it's only lacking in the turntable department, I love it

[@toneyisaiah3556]

It's important to keep up your stereo equipment and maintenance.

[@billbettencourt7053]

Nice system. I have some 901 series 2 that I bought as a teenager (I’m now 64 and retired). They sound great and are in pristine condition. Looks like yours are in great shape too. Funny thing, I have the Dual 1229 turntable, too. I have a Pioneer, but it is model 780...looks as good as yours but not as powerful. Some folks are Bose ‘haters’, but to me they sound really nice, and I have no complaints, except that I wish I had a huge room to use them in. Oh well, they are keepers for sure. Do you still have your Bose 901s (this post is in 2020). Did you find those used, and what did you pay for them?

[@BigMoe1965]

FYI, that is not cherry wood. It is walnut wood. I own one and still have the manual and brochure for my SX-1250 It is a 4 Ohm unit but the true output is 190 watts per channel. One more tidbit, Never try to see if your bose speakers can handle the power, they wont. I have seen the SX-1250 destroy them.

[@WatchWithCareOK]

The receiver is beautiful but a pair of 901s on the floor in the corners of a room is too much for me to bear.

[@BrodeyDoverosx]

WatchWithCareOK lol

[@mercedezz1]

Cassette is garbage ? I have a Pioneer CT-F 1250 and with a new metall tape you dont know what you hear !

[@AtPeacePiece]

@SrJoben Oh it is most definitely true, this thing is amazing and I encourage anyone to buy one if they can afford it.

[@kkoller8952]

Actually CD's have a higher dynamic range and S/N ratio than vinyl records. Where records have an advantage over digital sources is that they reproduce original sign wave signal of the recorded music with all the harmonic overtones that gives music it's natural sounding textures. Digital sources are just samples of the original music with a lot of these harmonics either compressed or left out as in the case of MP3's! Yes CD's can sound more dynamic and quieter but vinyl sounds more like music!

[@jamesderocco9360]

The Bose 901's need to be on stands, parallel to the back wall. The point of the design is that sound reflects off of the back wall and bounces around the room. To replicate the sound of an auditorium. The way you have them, most of the sound is going straight into the corners. Your room may just be too small for that speaker. Just to add, the speaker driver in the Bose 901 is incapable of reproducing the entire spectrum of what the human ear can hear therefore the equalizer is a necessity.

[@brandtzeigler]

You may want to take that cassette comment back. There are a lot of people still collecting tapes. And they are definitely rising in price.

[@Blackwaterdogs]

@ AtPeacePiece....Yes, to my ears, the TOTL vintage gear is pretty hard to beat, especially for the $ spent. A chiropractor I know was bragging about his new surround system (Sony $3K receiver, with a gaggle of Bose hideaway speakers). I thought it sounded OK, but a bit thin. I had him over one day, and spun up Dark Side Of The Moon (on vinyl). His jaw almost hit the floor...."WOW" was all he said for about 20 minutes :-)

[@thomassmyth65]

i remeber playing with my dad's reciever spining the tunning knob just like you were, its was so smooth, i think he had a old jvc, that system is sick, i would love to throw on the who's tommy on vinal on that system, or the original star wars score on vinal

[@truthseeker4690]

Don't knock cassettes until you listen to a Chromium Dioxide tape in a Nakamichi player. Standard heads were rated 20 - 20,000 Hz and the tape hiss is really low even without Dolby engaged. Tapes are coming back!

[@geeo57]

I will Never Sell My SX-1250.

[@skyblinked]

nice. My dad has something exactly similar except the receiver is a marantz from the late 70s era. Same speakers though! Cant wait to hook them up, but first, i will have to get them out of storage...

[@nhardy1962]

AM Antenna is the black tube with wires you are asking about.

[@jamesbond9873]

I have a 650 Pioneer with bose v speakers love it. Just get the speakers off the floor. Cheers

[@zekediablo69]

Is he saying vinyls?

[@gsmd770]

Great vintage system!!!! GREAT!!!

[@kkoller8952]

Great system.....love that Dual turntable. Actually CD's have a overall higher dynamic range.... vinyl has the sonic advantage in that it's represents an exact analog sign wave of the original recording. Where-as CD's are only digital samples and MP3s very compressed digtal samples that have to be converted analog! Also may I make a suggestion, if you really want those Bose 901's to perform at their best put them up on stands (original Bose pedestals) and move them out from the wall 18-24"!

[@toneyisaiah3556]

Vintage stereo equipment is very hard to find in the age of digital media.

[@AudioCrossingVideos]

Not true, the high-end Onkyo, Denon or Cambridge Audio receivers available at Best Buy far outclass this receiver for about half of the inflation-adjusted priced of this amplifier. Digital as well as analog circuit components have not only become better-sounding but cheaper as well.

[@itsGnTO]

U don't know what u r talking about

[@AtPeacePiece]

I just received a Teac A-4300 real to real this month but I've yet to set it up. These old sets are so awesome aren't they?

[@kevinfournie]

Had a pioneer pl l000 redone and re doing a set of hpm 100s I found. That reciever as you know is the heart. They dont make them like that anymore

[@maxwellritchie4725]

"They don't make em' like they used to." Ain't that the truth!

[@AtPeacePiece]

@bikingshaun Oh Marantz receivers are so sweet! I'm really getting into these vintage receivers and speakers.

[@EddieJazzFan]

Is that a home-made base for your Dual turntable or is that the way you got it? Anyway great system. I bet it sounds great in person. Oh, another question, did you have that receiver re-capped and if so, about how much did it set you back. I have that same Dual turntable. Those old Duals are built like tanks. Take care.