A Brief History of

Pioneer

Pioneer’s reputation has grown further and further over the decades. Starting in Japan in 1938, Pioneer has become one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of premium audio and visual products and friendly and efficient prices to consumers and professionals alike.

December 1976 was the year when Pioneer entered the American Stock Market; since then, the size of the Pioneer corporation widened by considerable amounts. And, as the size of the corporation developed, it wasn’t before long that their ranges grew bigger and of even more quality was to be found as a result.

Originally, Pioneer was associated with the superb range of cassette decks and unique reel-to-reel machines that they built from the late 60s onwards. In the 70s, Pioneer was considered at the top of their game with their in-car and audiophile Hi-Fi 8-track cartridge players and recorders. However, Pioneer finally brought their tape line of manufacturing to an end with the CT-W208R twin cassette deck this year. However, Pioneer’s reputation within the turntable market was one of their strong points – their simple and solid designs still fetch good money today because of the brand’s strict quality rules on the manufacturing line. They even had some intriguing designs with front-loading and track search facilities on experimental models of the early 1980s. Pioneer still makes turntables and provides consumers with the inexpensive, yet substantially built, PL-990.

As the decades rolled onward, Pioneer decided to venture into the television world with their initiative of the Laser-disc player: a new video-based sensation that revolutionised the world of digital video. Of course, the laser-disc took over from the flawed design of the RCA Video-disc and put up a good fight against the aging format of VHS – although VHS remained predominantly dominative in terms of ease of use and recordable functions. Pioneer’s DVD players only expanded on where their laser-disc systems left off, leading the way in terms of cutting edge digital videos. Pioneer was also the first to combine a DVD recorder and a Hard Disc recorder in the same unit. But, however, Pioneer revolutionised the Blu-ray world with their high-end and affordable ranges of Blu-ray players. These include the superb BDP-LX54, and the affordable BDP-140. However, Pioneer sadly discontinued their range of television in 2009 because of the fierce competition from Panasonic and Sony; the same year after they moved their head office to Kawasaki, Japan.

Pioneer's BDP-LX54

Pioneer still has a range of high-performance audio components, from amplifiers, like the A-307R, to the N-50 Network Audio System – incorporating the world of digital content into the Hi-Fi system with ease and reliability. Their iPod docks, like the XW-NAC1, give dynamic and powerful performance from a small unit, whilst their VSX-1021 AV Receiver gives gripping levels of Home Cinema fun and incorporates streaming content in addition, too.

Take a look at our range of Pioneer products on the Hifi Gear website. We are sure that Pioneer has something to fulfill every need within the world of Hi-Fi and AV.

 

Tom Parker,

Sales and Website Admin