I got a VSX-D912 back in 2003, and I've been pretty happy with it. I need a second receiver in the house, so I thought it might be a good opportunity to upgrade and move that one to a pretty basic setup for 2 room audio.
Anyway, I've been pretty happy with the 912 since I got it. It's in a set up that has a pair of Athena AS-F1 fronts, AS-B1 rears, and an AS-C1 center, along with a Sony SA-WM500 (filled with polyfill, it actually sounds pretty good). It's primarily a gaming surround setup, occasional movies and occasional music. But the Pioneer has been solid in that setup.
Other items in the setup: Xbox360, PlayStation 3, TiVo HD, Nintendo Wii
I don't need anything too terribly fancy, and I'm trying to keep the budget below $500. My current list of contenders:
Sony STRDG820
Sony STRDG920
Pioneer VSX-1018AH
Onkyo TXSR606
Yamaha RXV663
Harmon Kardon AVR-254
In reading, seems like a lot of issues exist with the Onkyo 606 (notably overheating and sync). Sony is definitely the most bang for the buck at the 820, as I can probably live without the analog to digital video conversion (though it might be nice to have for setting up older legacy systems, i.e. NES, SNES, Genesis, etc.). Pioneer was a solid choice last time. I haven't been able to get much of a consensus out of the reviews I've read, so I'm hoping someone has some better insight on this choice. Thanks in advance.
Anyway, I've been pretty happy with the 912 since I got it. It's in a set up that has a pair of Athena AS-F1 fronts, AS-B1 rears, and an AS-C1 center, along with a Sony SA-WM500 (filled with polyfill, it actually sounds pretty good). It's primarily a gaming surround setup, occasional movies and occasional music. But the Pioneer has been solid in that setup.
Other items in the setup: Xbox360, PlayStation 3, TiVo HD, Nintendo Wii
I don't need anything too terribly fancy, and I'm trying to keep the budget below $500. My current list of contenders:
Sony STRDG820
Sony STRDG920
Pioneer VSX-1018AH
Onkyo TXSR606
Yamaha RXV663
Harmon Kardon AVR-254
In reading, seems like a lot of issues exist with the Onkyo 606 (notably overheating and sync). Sony is definitely the most bang for the buck at the 820, as I can probably live without the analog to digital video conversion (though it might be nice to have for setting up older legacy systems, i.e. NES, SNES, Genesis, etc.). Pioneer was a solid choice last time. I haven't been able to get much of a consensus out of the reviews I've read, so I'm hoping someone has some better insight on this choice. Thanks in advance.
