Pioneer SX-3800 Woes-

Well, I landed a very nice SX-3800 recently. Cosmetics were sterling after a clean-up. The Seller told me it had been serviced and it was within specs.
I strained my finances to the tilt to take delivery of this unit.
At any rate-
I finally got to put this unit through auditions this week. My neighbor came over to help me evaluate/enjoy the concert(s).
We started out with Swan Lake- You simply can't judge an amp and/or speaker setup using anything else.
My current audio setup is a minty Realistic STA-2080....paired up to Mach Ones (40-4029). This receiver of mine truly makes you feel as though you were sitting in the middle of the symphony. Typical of Swan Lake are the quiet passages and then Ker-Boom from the Timpani (s)...
I'm not just talking deep bass here. I talkin' about the blows being struck and the resonance only heard from kettle drums...

OK-lets see what a 60 watt Pioneer will do.
Definition was very good.
Separation was very good.
Highs were clear...but not crisp!!!
Mids were clear....but not crisp!!!
Bass was flat.:sigh: no definitions worth describing or bragging about.
The Timpani sounded like I took a copper frying pan and struck a cardboard box....:tears:
This is not good. We both looked at each other with the same complaint.
If the Fluroscan wasn't so damned good looking, I would have puked right on my living room rug.
At times, this Pioneer sounded like a nice clean stereo- but not crisp.
At times, this Pioneer sounded like a glorified Boom Box Radio-
It's low end definitions were nothing to brag about whatsoever..

I moved the bass and treble controls to the 3 o'clock....now I have a muddy bass boom...this is not good.
Next, I tried Glen Campbell's 'Classical Gas'... output was clear, but NOT CRISP!!
I connected my STA-2250...bass/mid were set flat, and treble at 1 o'clock..
It reported the timpanies alittle truer than the Pioneer. This 2250 is a 50 watts p/c.....

I reconnected the 2080, and took note that the bass/mid knobs were set flat, and trebel was at 1 o'clock...

There is simply no comparison of these otherwise nice units. The Realistic 2080 simply out-shined the Pioneer SX-3800 in every aspect of critical music appreciation.

So my question is this-
Is there an issue with this Pioneer (and it's 60 wpc), or is it operating at spec and I need a more efficient speaker setup for this unit...??? Is 60 watts per channel not enough for vintage Realistic Mach Ones...??

I used to own a Pioneer SX 3800, there definitely is an issue. However I find Realistic receivers to have a warm sound to them. The Pioneers receivers that I have (SX-950, SX-980) tend to have a neutral sound. IMHO Mach Ones were designed for the more powerful Realistic receivers in mind, so maybe that is why the Pioneer receiver sounds terrible. Certain speakers do not sound right with certain receivers/amplifiers.

I had a SX3800 and experienced exactly the same result as you. Sound was clear but lacked any depth.

Regards,

Dave

AnalogDigit said:

I used to own a Pioneer SX 3800, there definitely is an issue. However I find Realistic receivers to have a warm sound to them....

Click to expand...

Yes, INDEED-
I'm not trying to bash Pioneer and I do hope that the readers here don't see me as such.

AnalogDigit said:

The Pioneers receivers that I have (SX-950, SX-980) tend to have a neutral sound. IMHO Mach Ones were designed for the more powerful Realistic receivers in mind, so maybe that is why the Pioneer receiver sounds terrible. Certain speakers do not sound right with certain receivers/amplifiers.

Click to expand...

I rolled this around in my noggin for a day. It came to mind that maybe Radio Shack didn't offer their dream systems using Mach Ones w/less than 80 wpc back in the good ol' days....

darcyh said:

I had a SX3800 and experienced exactly the same result as you. Sound was clear but lacked any depth....Regards,Dave

Click to expand...

The unit had (supposedly) just left the bench and brought up to spec...I was hoping it wasn't a cap issue.
And I didn't want to harbor ill issues towards the vendor.
Whew!! This unit is extremely clean inside/out-not a spec of dust, scratch, ding...nuthin' but kick butt eye candy.
Many Many Thanks for the replies.
I was truly down-hearted until I sat down and studied the different problems.

I found that I had to crank the bass/treble over to 3/4 o'clock (respectively) No Loudness switched--
Adjusted the L-Pads on the Machs....moved the cabinets about an inch closer to the wall. It's satisfactory...

Now will someone recommend a more efficient speaker setup...please-

Preferably a 15 inch driver, but I'd settle for a 10 or 12.
Tower cabinets would be a plus.
Or is there a DIY efficient speaker here using the above driver sizes.

I also wondered about employing an equalizer...

Thoughts, anyone? God Bless-

I've run my SX-3800 through quite a few different speaker combination's. The speakers I liked best were Altec Santana IIs for rock and DCM TF-350s for jazz and classical. The SX-3800 is a pretty neutral sounding receiver. I always found that if there was bass in the source, I got good bass through the speakers. Where the SX-3800 really shines though is in it's phono section, one of the best I have ever used.

I'll add this to the list of 3800 pros...
I really enjoy the tuna's cleanliness.
Being in a rural area w/a small HDTV antenna, toggling the stereo reception off makes for the most crystal clear output I'd ever heard on the very weak stations.
I listen to American Family Radio at times during the day, and this tuner is oh so welcome.