how good is the pioneer VSX-1014 going to be compared to the elite..... - Page 10

Matt K P · 11-18-2004, 12:21 AM

guys, i have the 1014 and a Yamaha rx-v1500 sitting on my and i continue to debate and connect, disconnect and reconnect listening to them each watching movies-listening to music so forth and so on.

I cannot make up my mind at all, as to which one is better, it seems as though the Pioneer REALLY hits hard and sounds just like i am in a movie theatre. I have had it up to +5 and the dialog in movies is extraordinary(i wont play any louder scenes for fear of losing my hearing)

but...the pioneer does not have some cool features like the yamaha such as backlit LCD display remote, more extensive EQ, more sound fields, pure direct)i know there is a direct stereo mode on the pio but it just doesnt seem as clean as PD, and quite a few less inputs, not to mention it is down by 1 in component inputs.

I think the yamaha has a much more natural and clean/clear sound though.

The price difference is really only about 180 dollars, (473+tax and warranty4y at best buy for the pio) or (600+tax and warranty6y from sound advice for the yammie).

Any input?
thanks
Matt.

Ernesto.Morin · 11-18-2004, 12:36 AM

The Yamaha has "Night Mode", does the Pio have anything like that? Is it even any good?

Stephen Hopkins · 11-18-2004, 12:40 AM

The Pioneer has a midnight mode. It attenuates bass and accentuates the center channel at frequencies above the crossover point so as to make bass less disturbing and vocals easier to understand. It works well for night listening when you don't want to disturb anyone but it's not the best for an accurate representation of the enitre frequency spectrum.

Stephen Hopkins · 11-18-2004, 12:49 AM

The 1014TX having only 2 component video inputs was a suprise to me when the specs were released but for me it's all I need. I use component for HD and PS2 while i use DVI for DVD. I can't forsee adding any more component devices and would probably use DVI for HD as well but my display isn't HDCP compliant.

A $180 difference would be alot for me, enough for a new DVD player if I shopped around, or atleast enough for a months worth of new releases on DVD. When the 1400 was initially released I was impressed w/ its features but let down by its power output. Even before the S&V review was released I thought it was a bit week in a comparisson to an Elite 45TX i did at a local retailer. The review just confirmed it for me. It did sound clear to me, but at times sounded a bit bright. Not quite harsh, but it seemed like it could get a bit edgy, not a sound characteristic I care for. To me the 1014TX sounds extremely neutral which to me is a more natural sound as it's not adding or subtracting from any part of the frequency spectrum.

Matt K P · 11-18-2004, 01:27 AM

huh, you make a very good point and i definitly need a new DVD player, for some reason mine has the lines that move horizontally up the screen(ive tried using two different inputs types to the TV for it, but it still does it?
:shrug:

It seems as though the 1014 has a huge following, i have read just about every page on it from here and on AVS, and very very few people have anything bad to say about it. I am going to try it again tomorrow night with T2. I have a month to return this receiver and about 3 weeks left on the yamaha.

Stephen Hopkins · 11-18-2004, 02:05 AM

The only way you're going to make a completely impartial decision is a combination of a switch for the inputs and a switch for the outputs. Seing at that would equate to at least a $60 expenditure in unnecessary equipment I would recommend basing your decision on what you can determine based on switching the two out by hand and figuring out how much even a minimal performance advantage is worth.

Just out of curiosity what display do you have and what dvd players are you considering? If you don't want to dis-rail the thread just PM me, email me, or im me on aim at nehpets4627. I hope you end up w/ a combination of receiver and DVD that give you the best performance possible for the money.

Good luck

Tod Golden · 11-18-2004, 01:47 PM

I currently have the 810 and was thinking of upgrading up to the 1014. Without going back and reading the entire thread. can you tell me what the crossover points are on the 1014? I would hope that they are changed on this unit because the 810 only goes down to 100.

Thanks - Tod

Yung · 11-18-2004, 02:05 PM

Tod,

The 1014TX will be much more flexible. The cross-over settings for the 1014TX are 50hz, 80hz, 100hz, 120hz, 150hz, and 200hz, with the default setting at 80hz.

Stephen Hopkins · 11-18-2004, 02:25 PM

I remember my Pioneer D810. It was a great receiver at the time and a deal at $300 (and even less online). It was my first non-HTIB receiver. I got mine on valentines day 2002 at Circuit City. I only had it about 5 months before a friend offered to buy it for enough to let me purchase an 811 online (PLII was the only real addition). At the price the 810, 811, 812, 912, 814 and 914 are all solid units but the 810 was special since it was the first very affordable receiver on the market w/ 6.1 processing AND onboard 6.1 amplification. I remember it well, it was a great receiver.

That said, the 1014TX would be a very solid step up. I went from the 810 ($300 local) to an 811 ($275 online) to a Denon 1803 ($300 online) to a Sony 4ES ($650 online) to an Elite 43TX ($575 local, closeout) and finally to the 1014TX ($445 local). The 1014TX is the best of the bunch. Tons of power, features, and processing ability. I especially like Auto-MCACC. If I had more/older video sources w/ composite/s-video I would really like the component video upconversion since it's nice to only have to run one cable to my projector. The remote won't win any awards but it does the job well, even for learning and controlling alot of devices. My only real complaint is that the crossover settings are global (you can't set individual crossover levels for each speaker). I liked that feature on the 4ES I had but got used to not having it on the 43TX. All in all I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better value out there.

Yung · 11-18-2004, 03:17 PM

Stephen,

Wow...thats 6 receivers in 2 1/2 years! I hope I never get that bug that you have.

The 1014TX is my first A/V receiver and hopefully will last me for a while... :b

Stephen Hopkins · 11-18-2004, 03:53 PM

Well, I had the 810 about 5 months, the 811 for 3 months, the 1803 for 6 months, the 4ES for 5 months, the 43TX for a little over a year, and I've had the 1014TX about a month now. The frequent upgrades happened when opportunities arrised to upgrade with a minimal out of pocket cost. The most I ever spent on an upgrade was $350 to go from the 1803 to the 4ES which was probably the most substantial upgrade i've made in terms of receivers. The rest I was able to do for $50 or les when accounting what I was able to sell the old receiver for or in the case of the 811 to the 1803 there was a trade involved w/ a friend who was looking to downgrade. I actually broke even going from the 43TX to the 1014TX thanks to audiogon.