Pioneer CS-77A

Took the car in for a repair estimate (good luck iwth that ) and on the way back stopped at the SA. Saw the Pioneers, but I'm speakered out. Walked aroun d and saw nothing else so I returned to the Pioneers. Looked in good shape. Pulled the grills and saw the foam around the tweeters was cracked, as is common with these. Looked all over but found no price tag so I asked. "How about $5 each?" I replied, $7.50? (did I mention I'm speakered out? ) "That'll work." This is where I got the Cal Audio cdp and I've built up a rapport there. The pricing is done at the warehouse and I always see a number of small speakers that go to Robocop all-in-ones marked $15.50 each . As I went up front the manager called out to the cashier and said "$7.00." Never paid that much attention to this line to see the difference of the "A" series. Now ,what the heck to do with them.

Nice find! Photos?

I had a pair of CS-99s and during research found the more common CS-99A also. The only difference I could find was the "A" on the woofer. One person told me that that might mean an early production model and that the later ones dropped the letter.

Okay, wax on.

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Wax off. The horn is an "A" addition and I think the drivers may be different than the standard 77.

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I have a pair of CS-722s, which are one of the few pieces in my collection that have any sentimental value. Traded a car to a friend for them, and they were a big upgrade from the first pair I had for years. He struggled a lot, and I hope he's doing well, but seen to lose contact with him periodically. Well enough that when I get them refoamed, I can give them back to him.

I see 77's and 99's from time to time, usually in poor condition. I'm not really tempted by them.

nor would i. the cosmetics just don't jive with me...

nor would i. the cosmetics just don't jive with me...

Couple years ago I saw some nice 99As at a GW for $49.99. I passed. The most I've paid for a set of speakers is $100 for Klipsch Forte I's and that was an impulsive garage sale find. I'm not a flipper as it iseems more trouble than it's worth but for $7.00 I can hold on to the 77As and if they sell or don't, fine. Just bought a ragged orphan JBL L100. Don't really need it, but the woofer makes a pair for under $5. Honestly, if passed on a set of Yamaha NS-1000's for $500 it wouldn't bother me in the least. No matter what anyone says about their rep or flipping value. K-Horns, I would give some thought to. MacGyver, mentioned I bought a Realistic tt for $1.00. Non-op and not in the best condition but I got the Miracord spindles. Have you priced one? Most anything under $10 is worth a shot.

I don't know about how they sound but these vintages have a very nice antique looks. I like it.
...and for 7 dollars...only in America...
Congrats.

Shipping anything bigger than a two-way 6 inch speaker is a major hassle. Selling on Craigers works but usually for less than epay.

nor would i. the cosmetics just don't jive with me...

Couple years ago I saw some nice 99As at a GW for $49.99. I passed. The most I've paid for a set of speakers is $100 for Klipsch Forte I's and that was an impulsive garage sale find. I'm not a flipper as it iseems more trouble than it's worth but for $7.00 I can hold on to the 77As and if they sell or don't, fine. Just bought a ragged orphan JBL L100. Don't really need it, but the woofer makes a pair for under $5. Honestly, if passed on a set of Yamaha NS-1000's for $500 it wouldn't bother me in the least. No matter what anyone says about their rep or flipping value. K-Horns, I would give some thought to. MacGyver, mentioned I bought a Realistic tt for $1.00. Non-op and not in the best condition but I got the Miracord spindles. Have you priced one? Most anything under $10 is worth a shot.

that's true. say, i've heard before that those lattice covered grilles that were so popular at the time interfere with the SQ. is that true? how do they sound to you?

Sound? There are some people bright enough to realise you can't fit 15 sets of speakers in one room .

Would never think of shipping these. I shipped a Pioneer SX-636 across the country to member on another site and that was enough for me. What I've sold locally I've been lucky enough to get top dollar for and then some.

Just to round out the conversation, stopped at a garage sale this morning on the way home from my a.m. duties. They had quite a bit of audio gear, but none of it was interesting except...

A pair of Pioneer CS-88A.
Cabs and grilles an 8 out of 10
Pulled off the grilles to see there are SIX drivers!
A 12-inch woofer, two 5-inch mids, two 3-inch cone tweeters and a horn tweeter.
From the pix, same drivers as the 77A, only double the cone tweeters and mids.
All of the surrounds are intact and pliable. Terminal caps missing from one of them.

I said, "How much do you want for the speakers."
She said, "How about $15 each?"
Believing it's called a stereo for a reason, I said,
"How about $10 each?"
She said, "How about you load them? They are really heavy."
I thought, "How about that?"

I'm auditioning the first one now. I test speakers individually
so that if one has a problem, I will be more likely to hear it right away.
Sounds very good. Even hearing only the right channel, "Fool's Overture"
by Supertramp sounds very full and clear. Nice demo piece because it starts
with solo piano, and has voice, strings, horns, wind sounds, etc.

Went to the Motels first album. Has High and Mid attenuation pots on the back. Sounds just fine in the normal setting. Bass is clear without being too punchy. As you would expect with all of those tweeters, the high end is clearly defined. All in all, balanced sound, not overly bright, apparently with quite a bit of power handling.

How do these compare/contrast with the 77s and the 99s, and what is the
significance of the "A"?

Oh, and Hakka, I have recently had 15 pair of speakers in one room. They fit, but there doesn't seem to be much utility, and they take up a lot of space.

This post has been edited by doctorbongo on July 09, 2009 11:10 am

Ooooh, nice grab. The A's are head and shoulders above the non-A in both design and quality. They have the additional horn tweeter (or tweeter if 2-way) and the drivers are totally different in sound and quality. I would expect the crossovers are quite different as well. Much smoother sound. IMHO the non-A aren't worth the effort unless you need some cheap drivers.

Yeah, 15 sets is ridiculous, especially when 11 are hooked to one system or another .

i cant see a problem there, variety is the spice of life.