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  1. #1
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    Pioneer SA-8500 II

    Good day!

    I just picked up this sweet dual monoblock 80 WPC integrated amp. I love the face plate on this unit but I havent seen a cartridge load switch befor. It has settings for 100, 200, 300 & 400 uF. I know it is for matching a phono cartridge but have never seen one befor. If anyone could shed some light on this that would be great.I payed $120 for this.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Pioneer SA-8500 II-pioneer-sa-8500-ii-01.jpg  
    Last edited by BCbud; 05-05-2008 at 03:59 PM.

  2. #2
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    Another nice feature is the pre out / amp in. This will work well with my setup.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Pioneer SA-8500 II-pioneer-sa-8500-ii-02.jpg  

  3. #3
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    This thing is built like a tank and comes in at 30 Lbs, 10 Oz. I couldnt find too mutch info on this unit so thats why I am starting this thread.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Pioneer SA-8500 II-pioneer-sa-8500-ii-03.jpg  

  4. #4
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Cool

    WELL, it has dual power supplies for one thing.
    I had a pioneer integrated from the mid eighties, put out ten watts per channel,
    and drove anything I hooked it up to.
    People wonder why I diss Pioneer all of the time, its because they sold out to the mass market.
    They used to make stuff like this compared to this sort of thing their current
    stuff looks like a toy.
    All of their older stuff was audiophile grade, their newer stuff...dont ask.
    Anyway you got a king hell bargain, a power supply for each channel, a real
    phono stage, and looks well maintained.
    How big a bargain did you get?
    WELL, my ten wpc integrated cost 110$ new, about 400 bucks in todays dollars.
    But I guess you cant blame em too much, in order to cram seven amps into one receiver will require huge compromises, its all market driven now, thats what people want.
    So where did you get this thing? I need to know before the guy sobers up, he'll probably put the money on a 300 buck HTIB or something.
    Just remember, if you're using this as a preamp, dont.
    use the amps, they are the strong suite in this integrated, they look very good
    LG 42", integra 6.9, B&W 602s2, CC6 center, dm305rears, b&w
    sub asw2500
    Panny DVDA player
    sharp Aquos BLU player
    pronto remote, technics antique direct drive TT
    Samsung SACD/DVDA player
    emotiva upa-2 two channel amp

  5. #5
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Cool

    anyway GO TO PIONEERS WEBSITE, they can tell you something (you didnt tell the model number)
    And if you wanna know, an integrated with dual power supplies, and full discrete
    path (thats the output transitors on the huge heatsinks) will run you about two grand for a decent one, and thats without the phone stage.
    And thats how far we've sunk, this amp was middlin back then.
    And now you know why the world was scared of the japanese before the eighties crash,
    they did stuff like this in their SLEEP
    LG 42", integra 6.9, B&W 602s2, CC6 center, dm305rears, b&w
    sub asw2500
    Panny DVDA player
    sharp Aquos BLU player
    pronto remote, technics antique direct drive TT
    Samsung SACD/DVDA player
    emotiva upa-2 two channel amp

  6. #6
    Forum Regular budgetaudio76's Avatar
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    thats a sweet looking amp you have there. making me miss the kenwood i missed out on
    although it didnt look as nice as yours. some of the levers were broken at the faceplate. read that was a common thing with them.

  7. #7
    I took a headstart... basite's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pixelthis
    WELL, it has dual power supplies for one thing.
    I had a pioneer integrated from the mid eighties, put out ten watts per channel,
    and drove anything I hooked it up to.
    People wonder why I diss Pioneer all of the time, its because they sold out to the mass market.
    They used to make stuff like this compared to this sort of thing their current
    stuff looks like a toy.
    All of their older stuff was audiophile grade, their newer stuff...dont ask.
    Anyway you got a king hell bargain, a power supply for each channel, a real
    phono stage, and looks well maintained.
    How big a bargain did you get?
    WELL, my ten wpc integrated cost 110$ new, about 400 bucks in todays dollars.
    But I guess you cant blame em too much, in order to cram seven amps into one receiver will require huge compromises, its all market driven now, thats what people want.
    So where did you get this thing? I need to know before the guy sobers up, he'll probably put the money on a 300 buck HTIB or something.
    Just remember, if you're using this as a preamp, dont.
    use the amps, they are the strong suite in this integrated, they look very good
    pioneer was a good brand back then, but no, not all of their stuff was audiophile grade back then...

    that 8500 was released in 1975, cost $399 back then, and was right in the middle of the range from Pioneer...

    you did well

    Keep them spinning,
    Bert.
    Life is music!

    Mcintosh MA6400 Integrated
    Double Advent speakers
    Thiel CS2.3's
    *DIY Lenco L75 TT
    * SME 3012 S2
    * Rega RB-301
    *Denon DL-103 in midas body
    *Denon DL-304
    *Graham slee elevator EXP & revelation
    *Lehmann audio black cube SE
    Marantz CD5001 OSE
    MIT AVt 2 IC's
    Sonic link Black earth IC's
    Siltech MXT New york IC's
    Kimber 4VS speakercable
    Furutech powercord and plugs.

    I'm a happy 20 year old...

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by pixelthis
    WELL, it has dual power supplies for one thing.
    I had a pioneer integrated from the mid eighties, put out ten watts per channel,
    and drove anything I hooked it up to.
    People wonder why I diss Pioneer all of the time, its because they sold out to the mass market.
    They used to make stuff like this compared to this sort of thing their current
    stuff looks like a toy.
    All of their older stuff was audiophile grade, their newer stuff...dont ask.
    Anyway you got a king hell bargain, a power supply for each channel, a real
    phono stage, and looks well maintained.
    How big a bargain did you get?
    WELL, my ten wpc integrated cost 110$ new, about 400 bucks in todays dollars.
    But I guess you cant blame em too much, in order to cram seven amps into one receiver will require huge compromises, its all market driven now, thats what people want.
    So where did you get this thing? I need to know before the guy sobers up, he'll probably put the money on a 300 buck HTIB or something.
    Just remember, if you're using this as a preamp, dont.
    use the amps, they are the strong suite in this integrated, they look very good
    I got this from Used Victoria, a chain of sights in canada where we can post adds or buy used stuff for no charge.
    The guy I bought it from had a digital recording studio in his house and he was just spring cleaning things he wasnt using anymore.

  9. #9
    Man of the People Forums Moderator bobsticks's Avatar
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    Nice find

    YYyyeeeaaahhh, nice amp buddy and welcome to the forum btw. That's gonna make the foundation of a topnotch vintage system. Bet it sounds sweet.
    So, I broke into the palace
    With a sponge and a rusty spanner
    She said : "Eh, I know you, and you cannot sing"
    I said : "That's nothing - you should hear me play piano"

  10. #10
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by basite
    pioneer was a good brand back then, but no, not all of their stuff was audiophile grade back then...

    that 8500 was released in 1975, cost $399 back then, and was right in the middle of the range from Pioneer...

    you did well

    Keep them spinning,
    Bert.
    And is better than anything you could buy today for two grand probably
    LG 42", integra 6.9, B&W 602s2, CC6 center, dm305rears, b&w
    sub asw2500
    Panny DVDA player
    sharp Aquos BLU player
    pronto remote, technics antique direct drive TT
    Samsung SACD/DVDA player
    emotiva upa-2 two channel amp

  11. #11
    _ Luvin Da Blues's Avatar
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    Sweet amp Bud,

    I had a Pioneer 7900 in the day. It was a tank that drove like a vette, congrats.
    Back in my day, we had nine planets.

  12. #12
    I took a headstart... basite's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pixelthis
    And is better than anything you could buy today for two grand probably

    it'll outperform some/many amps in that price category, yes...

    but not nessecarily all of them, especially fans of new gear will say it sounds to colored, and lacks some micro detail, but for vintage fans, nothing else than vintage gear with vintage sound will do...

    Keep them spinning,
    Bert.
    Life is music!

    Mcintosh MA6400 Integrated
    Double Advent speakers
    Thiel CS2.3's
    *DIY Lenco L75 TT
    * SME 3012 S2
    * Rega RB-301
    *Denon DL-103 in midas body
    *Denon DL-304
    *Graham slee elevator EXP & revelation
    *Lehmann audio black cube SE
    Marantz CD5001 OSE
    MIT AVt 2 IC's
    Sonic link Black earth IC's
    Siltech MXT New york IC's
    Kimber 4VS speakercable
    Furutech powercord and plugs.

    I'm a happy 20 year old...

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