1974 PIONEER SX-1010 MONSTER RECEIVER

The First Monster Receiver

It was early in 1974 and the ad in Stereo Review read: "The Finest Receiver The World Has Ever Seen". It was the first time that most people had ever seen the legendary Pioneer SX-1010, the largest, most powerful Stereo Receiver in the world up to that point. And, more than that, it represented a paradigm shift. Before the SX-1010, the American audio market had been dominated by American and European companies with the Japanese firms playing second fiddle with what were considered as "inferior" products. The SX-1010 served notice that the Japanese manufacturers were now "world class" and the SX-1010 was the proof.

Spec for spec, there was simply nothing like the SX-1010. It was by far the most powerful receiver and the largest. It was beautifully made and its basic styling set the tone for the rest of the 1970's. Every manufacturer copied it, and then tried to beat it.

But, the SX-1010's basic quality was seldom, if ever, exceeded. Featuring a 100w/ch power amplifier, the SX-1010 has 2 18,000uF capacitors, which created a robust sound. The 5-gang FM tuner was that best ever put into a receiver up to that time. And, it had a host of deluxe features like dual headphone jacks and mic inputs, four (4) tape loops and even a "dimmer" for the front panel lights!  It created a reputation of its own. Every function, including the speaker(s) selected, had it's own indicator light, including Loudness and Muting. The "blue light" styling of the SX-1010 is firmly etched in most people memories of the 70's. It was THE Receiver every guy in college wanted in his room. It was an icon of its time.

And, the beauty was more than skin deep. Internally, the SX-1010 was "built like a brickhouse": all sections were fully shielded and used heavy duty components. Take a good look at the internal view below. It was massively over-built for its power output that's why SX-1010's have such legendary longevity.

All in all, the SX-1010 was a "tour de force" and it's hard to think of any single product that had as much of an impact on the audio industry as the SX-1010 did. And, it sounded AWESOME, and mine still does. It is my favorite Monster Receiver.  

Double click the thumbnails for the "big picture":

Front	Left Front	Right Front	Internal View

Left Side	Right Side	Rear Panel	Specifications

I've been fortunate to obtain a black and white copy of the SX-1010's Sales Brochure which I share for your enjoyment. I know there's a beautiful color copy out there and if someone would loan it to me, I'll be happy to scan it in vibrant color and post it here.

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Written by Chris Opfell