Pioneer Exclusive C7
(1992 - ?)

Almost completely unknown outside Japan, the ultimate Exclusive units ... well, didn't sell much in Japan either.
Introduced at the peak of the market (and that of the financial bubble, too), the C7 is an ultra-rarity which, like Sony's contemporary TA-ER1, didn't rely on super-duper sci-fi circuits but on plain minutious engineering of every possible detail to achieve utmost transparency and musicality - with a 0,1 Ohm output! It is however a pity the C7 was designed so bluntly - maybe a way to hint at what it holds which is impressive to say the least but I can think of a number of ways to have done that central redundancy with more grace and coherence... It is in fact a flap hiding the output, absolute phase, rec out and balanced input selectors.

Unlike the accompanying power-amplifier (Exclusive M7) which later saw a revised version (M8), the C7 remained throughout its discreet "career" the original C7 - and Pioneer's very last high-end two-channel component. Well, in fact, not really two-channel, not strictly speaking that is for the Exclusive C7 was meant to be mated with the Exclusive V7, an outboard video switcher :-)

I have no idea when these units were shelved but it is quite possible that -like Sony's R10 units- they remained available on order only for a few (wealthy) cognoscenti some time after vanishing from the catalogs. At 1,200,000¥, it is probable there were some left after the initial run which quite probably was already rather minimal. I know a few were imported in France - but where are they ?

Do click the "more" button below for the compleat technical description translated form the original 1992 japanese catalog dedicated to the C7, M7 and V7 units !