[Kevin L K]

Hi everybody,

I REALLY need some advice regarding whether I should by a refurbished Pioneer THX receiver.

Here is the receiver in question:

Pioneer VSX-26TX --the price is $259 before shipping.

I need some experienced advice--please help me.

I need to know if:

1) Buying refurbished is a good idea--what have been your experiences?

2) Is this a good price for the 26TX refurbished--$259 (it sure seems like a good price )?

3) Any bad experiences with ecost--overall their rating is very good with BizRate but as with anything you have to take ratings with a grain of salt--mostly people with bad experiences have an axe to grind, but I realize people have definitely been burned by them.

4) Dolby Pro-Logic II or DTS NEO:6 is not a necessity, and neither is 6.1 or 7.1. I'm a firm believer in the statement "They don't build them like they used to" and am thinking this receiver will have VERY good DD & DTS processing as well as being good for 2-channel music--what do you Folks think?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated--thank you very much for your time!

[Grant B]

Most of my electronics are Sony ES and most were refurbs.
No Complaints and great deals.

Pioneer has some great stuff, I have 2 of their LD players.
If you like build quality check out the Sony TAE/TAN Preamp/amp.
My preamp weighs more than Sonys Top of the line ES receiver...that tells you something
One word of caution, sometimes the warranty changes depending on the middle man, you might want to check
Anyway good luck
Grant