Pioneer goes solo

[JeffS7444]

I wonder how much this entity known as "Pioneer" actually exists, except for trademarks and design elements.

 

[Power Pop 23]

I wonder how much this entity known as "Pioneer" actually exists, except for trademarks and design elements.

I think that's about it for what is 'Pioneer Home Audio'. In another thread I wished Parts Express would contact Pioneer Electronics to license the manufacture of select loudspeakers designed by Andrew Jones.

 

[xanalog]

@Oddball, Thanks for the news and thank you for posting it.

I had sadly learned a few years ago that the Luxman brand was part of the International Audio Group (IAG), since 2009.
I just recently found out that IAG is a Chinese manufacturer of consumer and professional audio & HiFi components.
Wikipedia states "In the past, the IAG purchased several British HiFi manufacturers: Audiolab, Wharfedale, Quad Electroacoustics, Mission, Tag McLaren, and Castle Acoustics…"

The audio industry -as we I knew them- appears more and more like a bunch of -soon to go bankrupt- horse traders.

 

[JeffS7444]

I had sadly learned a few years ago that the Luxman brand was part of the International Audio Group (IAG), since 2009.

Luxman nevertheless still exists as a Japanese manufacturer.

 

[mhardy6647]

Luxnan is also, AFAIK, still producing good stuff... albeit not inexpensive good stuff.

 

[dlaloum]

Luxnan is also, AFAIK, still producing good stuff... albeit not inexpensive good stuff.

I don't recall Luxman ever having been "inexpensive" !!

Seems to me they always lived up to the "Lux" part of their name.

 

[JeffS7444]

I don't recall Luxman ever having been "inexpensive" !!

Seems to me they always lived up to the "Lux" part of their name.

They had some moderately upscale items like turntables and receivers in the 1980s, though I thought these were kind of "faux posh".

 

[GXAlan]

I wonder how much this entity known as "Pioneer" actually exists, except for trademarks and design elements.

Company Profile | About Us | Pioneer

[Pioneer] Pioneer Corporation's corporate profile, including capital, number of employees, and financial index.

global.pioneer

And this describes what they did

EQT to sell Pioneer Corporation, a leading Japanese provider of in-car sound and multimedia products and solutions, to CarUX for USD 1.1 billion

· EQT to sell Pioneer, a leading Japanese provider of in-car sound and multimedia products and solutions for global OEMs and the consumer aftermarket, for USD 1.1 billion · Under EQT’s ownership, Pioneer has transformed into a global industrial tech firm with solid financials and strong cash...

eqtgroup.com

 

[JeffS7444]

IAG's UK brands are still based there, perhaps as a bare-bones office in what appears to be a light industrial park.

OTOH, it appears that Pioneer really does have a substantial presence in Saitama.

Perhaps this is where TAD products are made?

 

[mhardy6647]

I don't recall Luxman ever having been "inexpensive" !!

Seems to me they always lived up to the "Lux" part of their name.

Well -- they certainly have had some considerably more modest products over the years.

They had some moderately upscale items like turntables and receivers in the 1980s, though I thought these were kind of "faux posh".

To say nothing of the (in?)famous Suckface series.

A suckface in action

"The McIntosh of Japan", as many would have it.

Only two Lux pieces have passed through here. One was a completely ordinary R-1030 receiver (don't seem to have a photo handy), but the other one (an R-1040) remains one of my aesthetic favorites, and was good in terms of performance, too.



The former's long gone (I think I gave it away); the latter is on long-term loan to a hifi friend & fellow traveler on the other side of this (small) state.

Enough Lux'ing... back to Pioneer!

 

[xanalog]

We were browsing NYC CrazyEddie's for some LPs, and there she was: a knock-out and love at first sight. Luxman T-2 came home with me that day and stayed for a few decades, until DOA. Back then, there were no such things as "impulse purchase", or "buyer-remorse" but there was "AX green" card.

Enough Lux'ing... back to Pioneer!

Never owned a Pioneer, so I was trying to use Luxman as my cudgel about the state of the audio industry, as a whole.
Sorry!

 

[mhardy6647]

I've never bought any Pioneer components new - at least to the best of my recollection.
Most of the Pioneer-branded stuff that's passed through here has been of dump find provenance.
fourentrylevelers by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
(dump finds all -- and all long gone except... well... guess which one?!)

A few nicer Pioneer pieces have been purchased used for one reason or another.

 

[ban25]

Absolutely true that Onkyo implemented DLBC way before D&M. But wasn't there a period where there was no DLBC as firmware update broke it - which seems to be fixed now?

Also, did not hear any commitment from Onkyo for ART. D&M "officially promised" implementation by end of this year.

Pioneer and Onkyo make great AVRs, so the above is just to get the fact rights. Hope that Pio continues making great AVRs. And would love to see their AVP as well.

If you calibrated your system before the regression was introduced late last year, there was no issue. If you calibrated after that point, you'd end up with a hole in your frequency response unless you set crossovers for all speaker groups to 120 Hz (which you'd of course have to know to do). The bug was patched recently.

 

[Oddball]

If you calibrated your system before the regression was introduced late last year, there was no issue. If you calibrated after that point, you'd end up with a hole in your frequency response unless you set crossovers for all speaker groups to 120 Hz (which you'd of course have to know to do). The bug was patched recently.

Thanks - that clears the facts. I knew there was something going on there - good to hear all clear now.

 

[eric-c]

Pioneer was the go to manufacturer of consumer and I assume professional laser disc players especially the karaoke versions. I was an invited to a consumer session of theirs in the HQ just north of toronto, ontario in the late 80's early 90s. The 20ish story building had their logo on it. Got a blue pioneer sweat shirt with their logo on it. Think I may have it buried away somewhere.

 

[dlaloum]

Pioneer was the go to manufacturer of consumer and I assume professional laser disc players especially the karaoke versions. I was an invited to a consumer session of theirs in the HQ just north of toronto, ontario in the late 80's early 90s. The 20ish story building had their logo on it. Got a blue pioneer sweat shirt with their logo on it. Think I may have it buried away somewhere.

Yes they were.... where I worked, we sold the Pioneer LD players...
And an extensive range of "Grey Import" Video material on NTSC North American standard discs.

The local PAL standard discs had a much more limited library, and the business imported the LD's from the USA, one of our big selling items was the multi-standard PAL/NTSC players (we were also one of the first places in the country to do surround sound... which went alongside the premium video medium...) - this was circa 1985-86

 

[eric-c]

I also recall back in the day Pioneer was at the forefront of rear projection crt tvs and then plasma's that were in the five digit cost range.

 

[raif71]

I also recall back in the day Pioneer was at the forefront of rear projection crt tvs and then plasma's that were in the five digit cost range.

I still have a 720p pioneer plasma more than 10 years now. It has cloudiness at some parts of the screen that can be seen whenever there is a bright picture. It serves me well when the wife is hogging the main tv. I get to watch sports and news using the pioneer plasma. Opposite of the tv is also an old pioneer receiver sc-1224 which I use listening to music and watching movies.

 

[babadono]

IAG's UK brands are still based there, perhaps as a bare-bones office in what appears to be a light industrial park.
View attachment 464470

OTOH, it appears that Pioneer really does have a substantial presence in Saitama.
View attachment 464473
Perhaps this is where TAD products are made?

Yes just wanted to add isn't/wasn't Pioneer the parent of TAD? I love my TAD 4002 drivers.

 

[mhardy6647]

Yes just wanted to add isn't/wasn't Pioneer the parent of TAD? I love my TAD 4002 drivers.

Yes.
Technical Audio Devices, or Development, or something like that.
Like Toyota's TRD or Mercedes AMG, I suppose.