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| My love for Pioneer components from the Silver Era began in 1974 when I bought an SX-727. I purchased a CT-F9191 cassette deck in 1977. The list of components listed in this website will continue to be expanded as photos and data are obtained. Cassette decks and reel-to-reel tape decks categories will be added in the near future. Click on the links to the left to go to that web page. From there, you can click on the component link to see the photo and description. A Brief History of Pioneer Electronic Corporation In 1938 Nozomu Matsumoto established Fukuin Shokai Denki Seisakusho, the predecessor of Pioneer Electronics, to repair radios and speakers in Tokyo. In 1961 the company changed its name to Pioneer Electronic Corporation and listed its shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The following year, Pioneer brought to market the first stereo that offered a pair of speakers separate from the amplifier and turn table. Pioneer Electronics USA Corporation began operations in New York in 1966. Pioneer branched out into car stereos in 1972. The mid-1970s were marketed by the stereo product line that grew over the next decade to include the components covered on this website. Pioneer essentially split its stereo components into mass-market consumer products and its high-end Elite line in the 1980s with the advent of home theater trends, by which time all its home electronic components were black. Why did stereo component manufacturers in general and Pioneer in particular switch to black? One theory was the trend set by Japanese-made cameras. The high-end professional-grade cameras were the first to get the all-black treatment. Amateur cameras still came with silver finish with black textured vinyl. Then, it became cool to have a professional-look camera, and the manufacturers responded. Soon, virtually all Japanese-made cameras were black. This also facilitated the use of engineering plastics for use in camera bodies. Market studies were done to see the response to black stereo components, and the response was very positive. Japanese manufacturers of components switched to black anodized aluminum front panels and black plastic knobs. By the mid 1980s, the transition was complete. There was hardly a silver component to be found. Today, however, these silver components are being rediscovered and appreciated.
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