One of the most sought-after vintage pieces, period, the Pioneer M-22 was in a class all its own. Introduced in 1976, the M-22 was the crown jewel of Pioneer's legendary "Series 20" lineup. This was at the height of the 'Wattage Wars," yet Pioneer confidently presented this amp to serious listeners who cared about other specs - clarity. At full power, this compelling Class A design delivers 10-30,000Hz response with less than 0.01% distortion. This specimen has a few character marks around the base, but passed our bench test with flying colors. Whether you're a collector or a daily driver, this amp is calling you.
- Production
- 1976-80
- Condition
- 8/10
- Serial No.
- XE3200359M
- Orig. MSRP
- $499
- Restoration
- Full 30-point service check
- Refinished heatsinks and transformers
- Replaced output transistors
- Cleaned controls, switches, and chassis
- Factory Specs
Type Solid state power amplifier
Architecture Class A
Power output 30 Wpc > 8Ω (stereo)
Frequency response 10Hz to 30kHz
Total harmonic distortion 0.01%
Damping factor 60
Input sensitivity 1V
Speaker load impedance 8Ω (minimum)
Semiconductors 44 x transistors, 66 x diodes
Dimensions 16.5"W x 6"H x 14.6"D
Weight 49 lbs.
- Documentation
Pioneer M22 Owner's Manual
Pioneer M22 Schematic
- The History of Pioneer
- Pioneer was founded by Nozomu Matsumoto in 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and speaker repair shop. In December 1953 Mr. Nozomu Matsumoto succeeded in developing the first domestic dynamic speaker made of original parts. It was named A-8 and marketed in Japan under the Pioneer brand. It later became the origin of the HiFi ...
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- Liner Notes
"The M-22 was a pure Class A amplifier that was rated at 30 watts per channel. Pioneer stated in its Series 20 brochure: "Class-A circuits are used throughout to reduce distortion. If operated in Class-B the M-22 would deliver no less than 150 watts per channel--five times as much--with so-so distortion. The most sophisticated circuit construction yet developed by Series Twenty is reflected here, along with truly first-class parts and components to asssure you're getting the real advantages of such design."
Like the C-21 Preamplifier, the M-22 used metallized polyester capacitors and nichrome-vaporized, metal-coated resistors. Pioneer utilized a dual mono circuit design and component layout, with a massive power transformer for each channel, coupled with two equally large 22,000 microfarad electrolytic capacitors per channel. The left and right channel circuitry was mounted to large die-cast finned aluminum heatsinks. All this was mounted to a rigid die-cast aluminum chassis.
What was striking about both the M-22 and M-25 amplifiers was, of course, their appearance. Practically all amplifiers in the late 1970s and early 1980s were fully enclosed by sheetmetal on all sides, with a ventiated cover. Pioneer took the minimalist approach, indeed, a purely industrial design approach to the design of these amplifiers. All the key components were visible, with the left and right channel components grouped in a mirror image. This really appealed to audiophiles who truly are intrigued by the "innards" of their electronic components." -stereonomono
- Stock No.
- 7950889255133
One of the most sought-after vintage pieces, period, the Pioneer M-22 was in a class all its own. Introduced in 1976, the M-22 was the crown jewel of Pioneer's legendary "Series 20" lineup. This was at the height of the 'Wattage Wars," yet Pioneer confidently presented this amp to serious listeners who cared about other specs - clarity. At full power, this compelling Class A design delivers 10-30,000Hz response with less than 0.01% distortion. This specimen has a few character marks around the base, but passed our bench test with flying colors. Whether you're a collector or a daily driver, this amp is calling you.
