The End of an Era

When the Elite Reference series was introduced by Pioneer in the late 1980s, all the components were identified by Urushi finish front panels and simulated rosewood side panels. They made a visual statement and distinguished themselves from not only other components on the market, but Pioneer's own components as well. In 2005, the last Elite component to display this look is the DV-F07 DVD/CD player.

It is clear that Pioneer has no intention of introducing new Elite models with this traditional look. It was precisely this look that gave the components such a luxurious appearance that bespoke of quality and enhanced what product marketers call "perceived value." Over the last several years fewer and fewer of the Elite line remained having this look. Alas, the DV-F07, which has been on the market for the last five years,  is the very last of the line. Technologically, it is an endangered model because Pioneer's latest DVD models have very advanced features.

Pioneer will probably quietly phase out the DV-F09 this year. It still has the same price it did when it was introduced: $1250.00. However, the sale price at most dealers and online etailers is around $900.00. If you have a large CD collection this would be the perfect unit to put them. The DV-F09 is the end of a wonderful era.

Commentary No. 3, June 2004

Made in Japan--What a Concept!

My trusty Sony D-34 portable CD player that I have had for the last 12 years has started to show its age. It sometimes is unable to track as well as it used to and does not always play CD-Rs. One of the reasons it has lasted so long and performed so reliably, in my belief, is the fact that it was manufactured in Japan. There was a time when every Sony component was made in Japan, but that is no longer true. Virtually all the consumer electronic companies based Japan have a good portion of their electronics manufactured in China, Malaysia, or other Pacific rim countries. Pioneer is no exception. This has been going on for some time and it was no surprise to me when I went shopping for a replacement to my D-34 that all of Sony's portable CD players are now made in China--at least the ones I looked at the consumer electronic store with that big yellow sign. 

Resigned to the fact I would not find a CD player by any manufacturer that was made in Japan, I picked up a Sony model that fit my needs and just started wandering the aisles of the store when I cam across the Panasonic section of CD players. I casually picked up an SL-SX430 from the display rack, turned it over and could not believe my eyes! There is was in black and white: Made in Japan. I actually stood there with my mouth open. And then I smiled and said to myself, "See, it can be done." Clearly, Panasonic has made a corporate decision to manufacture its line of CD players in Japan. For that reason and almost for that reason alone, I put the Sony back on its rack and paid for my new Panasonic SL-SX430. 

Another reason I must admit for buying it was its good looks. Very good industrial design. One of the advantages of the new players today is their ability to play CDs for up to 80 hours on just two AA batteries. It has many other desirable features too numerous to list here. And for $50.00 I got a superb CD player that was Made in Japan. Wow--what a concept! I have written to Panasonic to inform them of my specific reason for buying their product.  I encourage them all Japanese manufacturer more, if not all, of their electronic components in their own country where quality is still king. 

Commentary No. 2, February 2004

I recently visited Pioneer Electronics Corp. website to see what was new for the Elite line for 2004. Their website has been completely revamped. It took a while to locate the Elite section. After viewing the site for while, I can definitely state the Elite stereo era is dead. Today, Elite is all about Home Theater. In fact, the stereo era started to die in the mid-1990s. Pioneer saw the future--read, Big Bucks--and decided to put their R & D into home theater and slowly abandon stereo-only components.

Interestingly, the Elite line of components were created in the mid- to late 1980s for the stereophile. It is curious that few stand-alone Elite stereo components exist today--aside from the mega CD players, and one tape deck-- for those just interested in listening to music from a company that was founded on offering stereo components! There no longer are power amplifiers like the M-91 or integrated amps like the A-91D, no control amps like the C-72 or C-91, and certainly no tuners like the F-91 or F-93.  

Also, the line separating the Elite line of receivers from the Pioneer line of receivers had become blurred over the last few years. The first nail in the coffin for the Elite line as we know it was the disappearance of the rosewood side panels that distinguished Elite models from their Pioneer counterparts.  Looking at the Elite line of surround sound receivers and comparing them to the Pioneer line of surround sound receivers, one can hardly tell the difference, at least visually.  And, of course, Elite on the front of the component is no guarantee that it was manufactured in Japan. 

Today, many of the Elite components are made in China or other countries in the Far East. This detail  view of the back of the Elite DV-C36 DVD player plainly shows Made In China under Pioneer Corporation in the center of the back panel.  As a consequence, we are starting to see more and more B-Stock units being resold on the internet. Only the most expensive components are made in Japan any more. However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn Pioneer manufactures its excellent rear projection TVs for North American right in the good ole U.S.A.!

Owners and collectors of ELITE components that are the subject of this website must realize Pioneer will probably never again manufacture stereo components of the quality and performance that the ELITE name became famous for.  I plan on keeping mine for the rest of my life.

Commentary No. 1; July 2003

In the March 1988 issue of the Stereo Review, the editors published an article "Do All Amplifiers Sound the Same?"  Previously, the magazine had published an article "Do all CD Players Sound the Same?" The editors found most listeners could not hear any discernable difference between the least expensive CD player and one costing thousands of dollars.  The editors felt much the same would be true of amplifiers.  That was actually quite a bold thing to do, considering a magazine lives or dies on ad revenue. 

The amplifier test was quite revealing.  Listeners during this test were not emphatic about the difference between, for example, the Futterman monoblock amps costing thousands and a Pioneer receiver costing a couple of hundred dollars.  (The Pioneer had separate amp and preamp; a different preamplifier was hooked up to the Pioneer's amp section).  The article was extensively documented with comments from listeners.  The results didn't surprise the editors, but it did cause an uproar with readers.

I would like to blow some holes in this argument.  I also own Phase Linear equipment: a 400 amplifier and two 3300 preamplifiers.  I compared both preamps running the 400 amp and one of the 3300s sounded distinctly better that the other.  I kept switching back and forth between the two preamps and there was no question about it.  One of them sounded much better than the other.  I took off the top covers and noted one had a somewhat different circuit board than the other.  Even between two supposedly identical preamps, I could hear a difference.

If it were true that all amplifiers (and preamplifiers) sound the same, then there should be only a handful of companies making audio equipment today, instead of the many that have thrived for years supplying equipment to an eager market. There are others involved in audio equipment, like Pioneer ELITE, that transcends sound alone.  The entire basis of the ELITE line was to build electronic components of unsurpassed quality that were aesthetically pleasing and as sonically pure as it was possible to make. ELITE components were and are designed to last for many years, even decades.

Let me draw an analogy. Why do such great automotible companies like Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Lamborghini and the like continue to have waiting lists for their cars? Won't a Honda or Pontiac get you to your destination? 
Of course they will, and they cost much less.  But which would you rather drive? (At least occasionally).  A $50.00 quartz watch is just as accurate as a Rolex Daytona chronometer, but there is no shortage of buyers for that prestigeous watch that costs thousands of dollars. And Rolex sells every watch they make.  There is an interesting story that surfaced some years ago. Over dinner one night, the president of Rolex was asked by someone else at the table, "How is the watch business?"  The president of Rolex paused for effect, and said, "We are not in the business of making watches."  The individual who asked the question was baffled for a moment, then understood the asnwer.  If all Rolex was selling was a watch, then any watch would do.

I believe the same is true of stereo components.  It is especially true of ELITE stereo components, and Pioneer has always understood this.  Owning ELITE components is not just about sound, it is about the entire experience: audible, visual and tactile.  Pride of ownership is very much part of that experience. 

The advent of surround sound processors to provide a concert hall ambience and the rise of Home Theater did a number of things to the audio and audio visual industries.  Stereo amplification started to fall out of favor with the majority of consumers.  Surround sound receivers became the all-in-one components to use with every other signal source.  Pioneer in particular greatly expanded it home theater receiver line and began to reduce its two-channel (stereo) ELITE components in the late 1990s. 

The other major effect of HT was the demise of a number of audio magazine all of us were familiar with.  Stereo Review became Sound & Vision.  AUDIO, which was founded in 1947 as Audio Engineering and survived for over half a century; the October Annual Equipment Directory became the standard reference for stereophiles and are highly sought-after today.  Audio ceased publication in 2000 with the February-March issue.  High Fidelity began publication in 1950 but published its last issue in 1988.

However, there are now many specialized websites devoted to the joy of stereo music.  You will see some of the links on the Links page of this website. And stereo ELITE components is what this website is all about.