LloydM

Onkyo 602 vs. HK 330 vs. Pio 1014

I have not done any research at all on recievers lately, but I picked one up from the local Circuit City today. I picked up the Onkyo 602 and it is a great improvement over the Sony that it replaced. However, once I got home and started reading reviews, it appears that I should have went to BB and purchased the Pio 1014. Do you guys feel that it is worth the trouble of returning the Onkyo to CC and swapping it for the HK or the Pio? Or should I just keep the Onkyo and be happy?

I made a hasty choice today, so its a good thing that CC has a 30 day no questions asked return policy.

Lloyd

Nigel Hooper

Yes run don't walk. The 1014TX was picked over the 53TX, SR7400 and Yamaha 1400 for SQ by a prestigious German testing mag. It performs way beyond it's price. The Onkyo isn't close to the same league.

Pat_TL

I say keep the Onkyo; I have the TX-SR600 and although SOMETIMES I speak of its power delivery issues, the unit is beautiful and beautifully built....the all-aluminum black faceplate, un-cluttered button layout, the FEEL of the controls....Onkyo, in my opinion, is making the best home theater receiver products right now, sitting next to Denon. Of course, Im talking at a certain price point; once you get to Onkyo's top of the line $2,000 and up models, Im sure THOSE kick ass, too, but you could probably begin looking at stuff from Integra (Onkyo's upscale division) or brands like Adcom.

I would, from personal experience and advice, avoid receivers from the likes of JVC, Kenwood, Technics/Panasonic...I would also not consider Pioneer, although it is being discussed here, although I WOULD consider Yamaha....I was always pleased with their two channel stereo receivers, as I was with Onkyo's two channel power amps and receivers, and would buy a Yamaha surround receiver if it were my third choice. But first would be a Denon or Onkyo.

James Phung

Get the 1014. You're not going to find a better receiver under $500 that is as powerful and with the features that the 1014 has that you can get for $400 shipped (and authorized). 110x7 wpc all channels driven, MCACC automatic speaker setup along with auto EQ settings and composite/svideo to component video transcoding.

The 1014 is a rebadged pioneer elite 52tx, its in a much higher class than the other regular pioneer avrs.

DorianBryant

I would keep the HK strong in the mix. They are all great receivers and it will be very difficult to beat the Pioneer at that price. I went with an HK 235 and got it shipped for $330. I am not saying it is better than the Onky or 1014 but it is a great receiver as well. Logic 7 sounds incredible with my JBL's and far superior to DPL IIX...IMO

Pat_TL

When I was shopping for my surround gear --- and this is just from surface observation --- at J&R Music World in downtown New York City, I observed all the demo receivers in their demo rooms, and the Harmon Kardons seemed....I dont know....just somehow "cheaper" than the rest...some of the buttons felt like, or in some cases were, going to fall off any minute; the build quality just didnt seem to be there ever since the company kind of moved out of specialty and into mass market...

DorianBryant

Sorry but how can a 36 pound receiver have a cheap feeling???

I can understand when people thought my Panny XR50 was cheap but....

I have owned in the past few months Pioneer Elite and Onkyo, both decent receivers. All are mass market. I am not about to get into a "this one is better than that one" as they all have some good attributes.

At this price point the only way to compare is to listen to them in your environment. i found distinct differences in sound with them all. Try them out.

Pat_TL

No, without getting into the WEIGHT of these units, I am saying that the H/K "felt" cheap on the OUTSIDE with regard to the buttons and LOOK of the build quality; thats all. It was just my OPINION of the unit; doesnt mean I am necessarily right or wrong. I preferred the look and feel of the Onkyos and Denons over the other brands. Some folks are fans of certain makes, thats all.

LloydM

Thanks for the imput so far guys. I know that there is no right or wrong answer, but after reading a couple of threads about the Pio I decided that it may be worth it to go ahead and return the Onkyo.

As it sits right now, the reciever that I purchase will be the source for my HT for the next 5 years or so, because I just dont have the coin to spend on new units every other year. I know that a good set of speakers would really wake up my HT, so that is going to be my next step in the build. I just want to make sure that I have a solid foundation that wont leave me missing out on anything.

Still undecided...

Lloyd

Shiu

HK has a good reputation for sound quality. If you can in fact get the AVR235 for $330, it will be a tough choice between it and the Pioneer 1014.

Here's a link to the HK site's full-line brochure:
http://manuals.harman.com/hk/Product...04BROCHURE.pdf

According to this table, the 235, 335,435 weighs 28,31,39 lbs respectively. Yet according to the individual brochure, the 235 weights 33 lbs, 35.2 in the carton with all accessories and packing. This is probably an error, shipping weight is usually at least 6 lbs heavier than the weight of the receiver itself.

Still, 28 lbs is quite substantial, (the top part of the enclosure does seem not very rigid) for a 50W X 7 receiver. Of course HK always rates their power output conservatively.