Pioneer SX-1250 vs SX-1980
The Pioneer SX-1980 is currently worth more: about $10,800 against $3,350 for the Pioneer SX-1250, based on trimmed-median asking prices of current eBay listings. Below: specs, values, price history for both, and which one to buy.
Side by side
| Pioneer SX-1250 | Pioneer SX-1980 | |
|---|---|---|
| Years produced | 1976–1978 | 1978–1980 |
| Power | 160 wpc | 270 wpc |
| Original MSRP | $900 | $1,500 |
| MSRP in today’s dollars | ~$4,900 | ~$6,950 |
| Working value today | $3,350 | $10,800 |
| Restored / serviced | $5,135 | $12,148 |
Values are trimmed medians of current eBay asking prices, updated daily. Full data on each model page: Pioneer SX-1250 · Pioneer SX-1980.
Price history, head to head
Daily asking medians; days without a fresh sync are not plotted.
Which one should you buy?
The SX-1980 is the bigger trophy and the harder purchase. It outguns the SX-1250 on paper and it is rarer, so clean examples command a premium and sell fast. The SX-1250 is the sweet spot of the flagship market: nearly the same experience, far easier to find, and easier to have serviced. Both run hot and both deserve a power supply that has been gone through before daily use. Collectors chase the 1980. Almost everyone else is better served by a strong 1250.