It hasn't been used in that time other than to verify all was working. I just haven't gotten around to listing it for sale.
Details on Pioneer SX-838:
The Pioneer SX-838, released in 1974, features a combination of excellent sound quality, power, and classic design. Its retail price was $499.95. It delivers 50 watts per channel into 8 ohms with 0.3% total harmonic distortion. Today the x3x line from Pioneer is highly desired for both its performance and its looks.
Controls
The controls on the SX-838 are well laid out. Notice the horizontal row of black push buttons just under the dial face. The SX-838 was produced during the transition into the silver faced era. The black push buttons essentially represent the older design aesthetic and the brushed aluminum knobs and switches the new aesthetic. Later models from Pioneer used almost all brushed aluminum controls.
The speaker selector controls, filters, input source controls, mono and loudness controls are all located on this row of black push buttons. It has six program sources (AM, FM, Phono 1, Phono 2, Mic and Aux).
Pioneer added an interesting feature to the SX-838 called the Recording Selector that permits FM recording while listening to records and vice versa.
The dial face on the Pioneer SX-838 is beautiful. The blue dial scale really contrasts with the red dial pointer. The tip of the pointer glows brighter when a strong signal is achieved.
FM Tuner
The Pioneer SX-838 features PLL FM MPX, a precision equalizer, switched-turnover tone controls and a direct-coupled OCL power amp. Its other features are:
The FM tuner of the SX-838 has a number of features to enhance its performance. Its front end is equipped with a frequency-linear 4-gang variable capacitor and two MOS FETs, which contribute to high sensitivity and exceptional rejection characteristics.
The FM intermediate frequency (IF) section is designed with a 6-stage limiter and phase-linear ceramic filters to improve signal processing.
The FM MPX demodulator incorporates a Phase Lock Loop (PLL) circuit with an IC to ensure precise signal demodulation.
As a result, the SX-838 exhibits remarkable capabilities, such as an FM sensitivity of 1.8uV, FM selectivity exceeding 80dB, a capture ratio of 1.0dB (according to IHF standards), and a stereo separation of more than 30dB within the frequency range of 50 to 10,000Hz.
The SX-838 produces 50W + 50W of continuous RMS power (both channels driven at 8 ohms) with total harmonic distortion of less than 0.3%. This figure is measured and guaranteed over the entire spectrum from 20 to 20,000Hz. That’s why when most of the x3x receivers are bench tested they produce significantly more wattage than rated.
Here are the specs for the SX-838:
