Pioneer SX-550 vintage stereo receiver front panel in custom cherry wood cabinet by Radique Audio

Pioneer SX-550 silver face controls and tuning dial close-up with cherry cabinet

Pioneer SX-550 angled view showing cherry wood side panels and vintage 1970s styling

Pioneer

Pioneer SX-550 Vintage Stereo Receiver – 20 WPC, Cherry Wood

$795.00

✔️ 20 WPC AM/FM silver-face stereo receiver — a 1976 Pioneer classic
✔️ Fully serviced and tested by Radique Audio technicians in Ottawa
✔️ Custom Ottawa Valley cherry wood cabinetry — handcrafted, one-of-a-kind
✔️ Backed by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program
✔️ Curbside delivery in the Ottawa region or shipped Canada-wide in 275 lb test double-wall boxes

1 in stock

Categories: Used/Vintage, Amps / Preamps, Stereo Receivers Tags: 1970s hi-fi, custom cherry cabinet, Ottawa Valley cherry wood, Pioneer, Pioneer receiver, pioneer sx-550, Radique Audio, refurbished stereo, serviced stereo receiver, silver face receiver, vintage stereo receiver

Description

Pioneer SX-550 — A Silver-Face Icon, Wrapped in Cherry

The Pioneer SX-550 is the receiver that made 1970s hi-fi unforgettable. 20 watts per channel of warm, musical Pioneer power, an AM/FM tuner that still pulls in stations like it’s brand new, and that legendary silver-face panel that defined an era of audio. This particular SX-550 has been brought back to peak performance by the Radique Audio service team — and then we did something special: we lifted its original cabinet out of its tired faux-walnut vinyl wrap and re-veneered it in furniture-grade Ottawa Valley cherry. The result is an heirloom-grade vintage receiver that looks as stunning on your shelf as it sounds in your room.

🔧 Service & Condition

Full bench service: deoxidized controls, switches and selectors
Tested across all inputs, both speaker A/B channels, headphone and tape outs
AM/FM tuner aligned and confirmed receiving
Cosmetic condition: excellent — clean faceplate, knobs and dial glass
Output verified into 8Ω test loads — clean signal, balanced channels
Radique Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty included

🎚️ Features

20 watts per channel into 8 ohms, both channels driven
AM/FM stereo tuner with signal strength and centre-tune meters
Phono (MM), 2x Aux, Tape monitor with dubbing
Speaker A/B switching, headphone jack, FM muting, loudness contour
Bass, treble, balance and stepped volume controls
Pioneer’s classic 1970s silver-face cosmetics

📐 Specifications

Power output: 20 WPC into 8Ω, both channels driven
Frequency response: 7 Hz – 80 kHz
Total harmonic distortion: 0.5%
Damping factor: 25
Input sensitivity: 2.5 mV (MM phono), 150 mV (Aux / Tape)
Signal-to-noise ratio: 65 dB (MM phono), 85 dB (Aux)
Speaker load impedance: 4–16Ω
Dimensions: 18.5″ x 5.25″ x 13.75″ (470 x 133 x 349 mm)
Weight: approx. 22 lbs (10 kg)

🌳 Cherrywood Cabinet Care

Your SX-550’s original cabinet has been re-veneered in genuine Ottawa Valley cherry — locally sourced, finished by hand, and unique to this unit. Cherry darkens and deepens beautifully over time as it’s exposed to light. For full care instructions, see our Cherrywood Cabinet Care Guide.

Quick tips

Dust with a soft, dry microfibre cloth
Avoid silicone-based sprays and harsh chemical cleaners
Refresh once or twice a year with a furniture wax or natural wood oil (beeswax, tung or lemon oil)
Keep out of direct sunlight to ensure even patina development

🎵 Pair It With Streaming — RA-Twin II

Want to stream Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube through this gorgeous vintage receiver? Add our RA-Twin II Bluetooth Streamer — a Radique-designed bridge that connects modern wireless audio to classic 1970s gear without compromising sound quality. It’s the easiest way to enjoy your music library on hardware that was built to last.

💡 Why Choose Radique

Serviced, not just sold — every vintage receiver passes through our bench before listing
Sustainable by design — we restore and recycle vintage audio instead of letting it end up in landfills
Locally crafted cabinets — Ottawa Valley cherry wood, handmade by our team
Heirloom packaging — every order ships in 275 lb test double-wall boxes with industrial-grade bubble wrap and reinforced tape, so shipping damage is virtually unheard of. Watch our unboxing video
Perpetual Trade-Back Program — bring it back any time for trade credit on your next upgrade

⚡ Voltage & Compatibility

This unit operates on standard North American 120V / 60Hz power. International buyers will need a step-down transformer and appropriate plug adapter. Original Pioneer phono stage supports moving-magnet cartridges. Speaker outputs are 8Ω optimised but will drive 4–16Ω loads.

🏆 The Radique Advantage

Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty — every unit covered front to back
Perpetual Trade-Back Program — trade credit toward your next upgrade, forever
Exclusive Ottawa Valley cherry wood cabinetry — handcrafted in Ottawa
Consistent, high-quality 275 lb test packaging for safe Canada-wide delivery

📺 Curious about our small but growing audio business? Check out our YouTube channel for behind-the-scenes videos and more!

⭐ Don’t Just Take Our Word For It

Radique Audio holds over 600 customer ratings averaging 4.97 stars across six public platforms — Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, Canuck Audio Mart, Google and others. Every rating lives somewhere we don’t control, so you can read the originals yourself, including the less flattering ones. See what our customers say. 👉

$795.00

Additional information

Weight	33 lbs
Dimensions	18.5 × 23 × 10 in

About brand

Pioneer at Radique

We service Pioneer, too. Bring us your own Pioneer receivers, amplifiers, tuners, turntables, cassette decks and CD players for repair, servicing or restoration (not reel-to-reel decks), with a 90-day warranty on the work. See our Audio Service page

Pioneer began in Tokyo in January 1938, when Nozomu Matsumoto set up shop around the A-8 speaker he had built the year before. By the late 1970s its SX receivers were at the heart of the hi-fi power race. We carry Pioneer stereo receivers and AV receivers, CD players, cassette decks, tuners and equalizers. We've had more than 240 Pioneer listings so far, covering 140 different models. Every used Pioneer here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Don't see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we'll email you when one arrives.

Pioneer is one of our two top-selling brands of vintage amps and receivers, along with Marantz. Our five best-selling Pioneer models so far: the SX-650, SX-750, SX-580, SX-780 and SX-680, all vintage stereo receivers from the 1976 and 1978 SX families. We also offer our custom cherry cabinets for these vintage Pioneers, hand-made from all-natural Ottawa Valley cherry, and we've upgraded dozens of Pioneers with them so far.

The Pioneer story, 1938 to today

Nozomu Matsumoto developed the A-8 speaker in 1937, and in January 1938 he set up Fukuin Shokai Denki Seisakusho in Tokyo. "Pioneer" was first the name of that speaker. Some histories give 1936 in Osaka as the start, but Pioneer dates itself to January 1938 in Tokyo. The company was incorporated in 1947 and renamed Pioneer Electronic Corporation in 1961.

Stereo and the US. In 1962 Pioneer introduced the PSC-5A, which it calls the first stereo with separate speaker cabinets, and its first PL turntables. Pioneer Electronics U.S.A. was founded in New York in 1966.

The power race. After a 1974 US Federal Trade Commission rule tightened how amplifier power was rated, receiver makers competed on watts. Pioneer's SX-1250 of 1976 was rated at 160 watts per channel, and the SX-1980 of 1978 to 1980 at 270.

CD and Elite. The P-D1 of 1982 was Pioneer's first CD player, and Elite-branded components were on sale by 1985.

Today. Pioneer sold its home audio business to Onkyo in 2015, keeping its car and DJ businesses, and Pioneer-branded home theatre gear was later made under licence. In December 2025 CarUX, part of Taiwan's Innolux, completed its purchase of Pioneer Corporation, which now focuses on in-car products.

Which Pioneer is which?

Early-1970s SX receivers: models such as the SX-424 to SX-828, rated at about 15 to 50 watts per channel.

The 1976 "x50" SX receivers: from the SX-450 at 15 watts per channel up to the SX-1250 at 160. Our best-selling SX-650 and SX-750 come from this family.

The 1978 "x80" SX receivers: including the SX-580, SX-680 and SX-780 we sell most, up to the SX-1980 flagship with quartz-lock tuning, which weighs more than 35 kg.

Spec and Exclusive separates: higher-end amplifiers such as the Spec-1 preamplifier (1976 to 1980) and the Exclusive C3/M3 pair (1974).

Elite: Pioneer's upper line from the mid-1980s, for example the PD-9010X CD player.

PL turntables, CT cassette decks and CD players: PL turntables from 1962, such as the PL-12 and the linear-tracking PL-L1; CT decks such as the three-head CT-F1000; and CD players from the 1982 P-D1 to magazine-loading changers such as the PD-M6.

Buying used Pioneer: what to check

Controls and switches. Crackle when you turn a control or work a switch usually means dirt, and restorers clean every pot and switch.

Capacitors. Electrolytic capacitors in 1970s receivers are often past their best, and full restorations replace them.

Big SX models. Owners and restorers report heat stress on the power-supply board of large receivers such as the SX-1250. Ask what has been done.

Relay, lamps and bias. The protection relay is a common replacement, dial lamps burn out and are often converted to LED, and restorers set the bias and DC offset.

Cassette decks. Check the heads, fast-forward and rewind, Dolby and every button. Belts age even when the deck looks perfect.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.