PIONEER VSX-D912 vs. YAMAHA RXV740RDS

Simon Young · 09-24-2003, 06:05 AM

I live in Britain and am wondering which of these two amps to go for:

Pioneer VSX-D912 Silver
Yamaha RXV740RDS Titanium

Both of them can be had online for just under £400, which is my budget for a new amp at the moment. I have placed an order for the Pioneer, as it has 7.1 inputs, auto accoustic calibration and a nice looking remote control. However, when I saw the Yamaha for a similar price, I was uncertain that I had made the right choice. Its RRP is actually a lot higher than that of the Pioneer, and it looks a lot nicer (IMHO). The remote looks less nice, but does have an LCD display. It doesn't have auto accoustic calibration, but it probably has more actual power. Overall, I'm wondering if it will sound nicer (with stereo music too). Some sites list it as not having multi-channel DTS 96/24 performance, but this might not be a big deal for me. I've had a Yamaha before and been very happy with it - should I change my mind, sacrifice a few funky features and go for the safer bet? Can't find any online reviews of the Yamaha, so I'm relying on you guys!

BTW, I don't need radio in it, so should I go for an amp as opposed to a receiver? Is that the only difference, or do amps generally have less features than receivers?

Cheers, I really need help on this one!

Wayne Ernst · 09-24-2003, 09:03 AM

Hmm ... this is a tough one.

Pioneer 912: Many successful purchases of the Pioneer 811 was made last year - and they allow you the opportunity to use separate amps if desired.

Yamaha 740: Beginning with this line, Yamaha was supposed to have a bit of a different sound - apparently a bit less bright (as represented in a review that I read).

Decisions ... Decisions. Maybe, you'd want to flip a coin - and let that decide.

Simon Young · 09-24-2003, 09:20 AM

Thanks for that info!

On the other hand, I could spend £250 more and get the Harman Kardon 4500, which has all of the same features of the Pioneer (plus on-screen display), minus the MCAAC, but will undoubtedly sound much better with both movies and music.

Could anyone tell me...how much of a difference am I likely to hear, given my limited set-up:

- Panasonic A-360 DVD player
- Mission 772 bookshelf main speakers
- Mission 77c1 center speaker
- Mission 70 surround speakers
- Mission 70c1 rear center speaker
- Velodyne CHT-10 subwoofer
- Profigold interconnects

In theory, would I hear a huge difference using my existing speakers (in my admittedly small room) with the HK, or would I really need a total overhaul to get the best from it? IOW, should I go for the cheaper option?

ChrisLazarko · 09-24-2003, 11:20 AM

If you are open to other brands I think Harman/Kardon would be a much better choice over the two. for $400 euro's I think you should be able to find a HK AVR-225 or ever the AVR-325 which is 7.1 over the 225 5.1. The amps on them are very good and it is rich in features. Not to mention the nice looking fron panel.

www.harmankardon.com

Simon Young · 09-25-2003, 06:47 AM

Thanks for the advice Chris. I just realised that the UK model (4500) I was looking at isn't actually a 6.1 amplifier, so I'd need to go for the 4550 which is £750. Why are the electronics so much more expensive here?! How much would it cost me to import a US model, and where would be a good place to buy online? Obviously, they would have to ship internationally...

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Burki · 09-25-2003, 07:37 PM

I have the same problem here in Hungary and there are no sites which will ship you electronics internationally. Also i was looking to HK's here and model no's are different,actually whole system is different and sux...

Bhavesh · 12-10-2003, 01:00 AM

After endless searching I eventually did find a site:
audiovisiononline.co.uk



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