Vintage Pioneer M-22 // Solid-State Amplifier / Restored WG1003957

One of the most sought-after vintage pieces, period, the Pioneer M-22 was in a class all its own. Introduced in 1976, the M-22 was the crown jewel of Pioneer's legendary "Series 20" lineup. This was at the height of the 'Wattage Wars," yet Pioneer confidently presented this amp to serious listeners who cared about other specs - clarity. At full power, this compelling Class A design delivers 10-30,000Hz response with less than 0.01% distortion. This piece is in top shape electronically, and performed well in our bench tests. If you look very closely, you'll see the front badge has a few nicks, but fade from a listening position. We're sure you'll fall in love with the sound of this amp, just be ready to answer the question, "What is that?"

PRODUCTION 1976-80 CONDITION 8/10 SERIAL NO. WG1003957 ORIG. MSRP $499 RESTORATION

• Full 30-point service check
• Replaced output transistors
• Replaced two leaking caps
• Repainted transformers and heat sinks
• Cleaned controls, switches, and chassis

SPECS

Type  Solid state power amplifier

Architecture  Class A

Power output  30 Wpc > 8Ω (stereo)

Frequency response  10Hz to 30kHz

Total harmonic distortion  0.01%

Damping factor  60

Input sensitivity  1V

Speaker load impedance  8Ω (minimum)

Semiconductors  44 x transistors, 66 x diodes

Dimensions  16.5"W x 6"H x 14.6"D

Weight  49 lbs.

THE HISTORY OF PIONEER
Pioneer was founded by Nozomu Matsumoto in 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and speaker repair shop. In December 1953 Mr. Nozomu Matsumoto succeeded in developing the first domestic dynamic speaker made of original parts. It was named A-8 and marketed in Japan under the Pioneer brand. It later became the origin of the HiFi ...
LINER NOTES

"What was striking about both the M-22 and M-25 amplifiers was, of course, their appearance. Practically all amplifiers in the late 1970s and early 1980s were fully enclosed by sheetmetal on all sides, with a ventiated cover. Pioneer took the minimalist approach, indeed, a purely industrial design approach to the design of these amplifiers. All the key components were visible, with the left and right channel components grouped in a mirror image. This really appealed to audiophiles who truly are intrigued by the "innards" of their electronic components." -stereonomono

STOCK NO. 7978673995997