Pioneer SA-5500

Stereo Integrated Amplifier (1977-78)

The Pioneer SA-5500 has plenty of power at low distortion. Pioneer's original newly developed monolithic power IC is employed which composes a differential input SEPP OCL circuit in the power amplifier section. Ample power and low distortion stable stereo reproduction are assured.

Current limiter and thermal shutdown circuits are combined in the protection circuit. Speakers and power IC are protected from shorts due to faulty speaker connections or other causes. A muting circuit is also included which blocks surge noise when the power switch is operated on-off.

Stringently selected PNP and NPN transistors are used in a direct coupled circuit in the phono equalizer. Frequency deviation governing record playback is held to within ±0.5dB. This design also achieves improved stability at low frequencies and advanced SN ratio.

In addition to special jacks for turntable and tape deck, auxiliary (AUX) input jacks are provided for connecting a cartridge tape player or other component. Virtually all program sources can be connected.

The speaker switch can be used to select between two sets of stereo speaker systems. A-B comparison listening or simultaneous listening with speakers installed in another room become possible. A single SA-5500 functions as two stereo amplifiers in this manner.

Center point click stops are provided for tone and balance controls, while the main volume control uses a 41 click stop system. Ease of operation is given full consideration in the design.

Front panel layout is designed for both eye pleasing simplicity and operational convenience. Since a matching stereo tuner is also available, a high quality easily operated stereo system can be set up.

Specifications

Power output: 15 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz

Total harmonic distortion: 0.5%

Damping factor: 30

Input sensitivity: 2.5mV (MM), 150mV (line)

Signal to noise ratio: 71dB (MM), 87dB (line)

Output: 150mV (line), 30mV (DIN)

Semiconductors: 2 x IC, 7 x transistors, 7 x diodes

Dimensions: 380 x 124 x 269mm

Weight: 5.2kg