Pioneer A-777 Amplifier

So the A-676 is not meaty enough for you, huh? Then feast your eyes on its bigger brother, the 391b A-777. This monstrous amp offers a similarly copious range of facilities for three tape decks, three line sources and both MM or MC cartridges. It has the same chunky binding posts around the back with local relay switching and full electronic protection for up to two pairs of speakers.

In addition there's a -20dB muting facility plus the option to power-down the MM/MC phono circuit. Pioneer claims this reduces unwanted noise when listening to alternative sources like CD or tape, for example.

Other sources of noise are defeated by Pioneer's Direct Connection II and Clean Ground techniques while its two mains transformers are screened within a pair of huge, cast alloy blocks. You'll find a truss, supplied gratis, in the packing...

In terms of topology, however, there is little difference between the A-676 and A-777. Both employ similar power amp 'cards' for left and right channels with transistors matched for their 'complementary non-linearities'. The A-777 simply uses two pairs of devices per channel with higher quality and higher-rated components throughout.

Sound quality

And another one bites the dust . . . yet another crate of an amplifier that disappointed our listeners with its sluggish delivery, congested midband and what was described in fatigued terms as a 'general boringness'. Unwarranted abuse on the part of the panel? Not really, the listeners were simply taken aback by the stunning indifference of its music, an indifference shared by so many of its over-sized breathren.

But back to the music. Tracy Chapman, in common with Lisa Stansfield, Mary Black and our other 'pop references', sounded uncharacteristically slow and heavy, the music struggling through a sea of subjective treacle. Brahms plodded in similar fashion, the Symphony lacking speed and attack.

'It has weight, but is oh so ponderous' they bemoaned. Strings, by contrast, were wiry instead of vibrant and full, a reaction duplicated once the MM input was pressed into service. And when time came to spin the Marty Paich LP, our panel likened his jazz sax to a copper kettle.

Conclusion

Informed of its price, our panel retorted with choice phrases like 'you're kidding'. And no, they didn't think it under-priced. A very disappointing product then, especially from a company like Pioneer who has already proved capable of far greater things.