[Adult Beverage]

I've narrowed my selection to these two:

1. Pioneer VSX-1016TX

2. Yamaha HTR-5950

I have an older Yamaha now that I like but needs upgrading for HD. I like Yamahas but the 5950 doesn't have HDMI input / output. The Pioneer has 2 in / 1 out. I found them for the same price and I won't go any higher. I'm not the kind to upgrade every 2-4 years so I want something that will be future proof. I will be ugrading HDTV on next 6 months and DVD once the format war is over. My speaker set up is for 5.1 and don't plan to change it. Anyone have advice?

[Alon Goldberg]

Yes there's plenty of advice in this thread which you posted yesterday on the same topic

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/....php?p=3043461

[Arthur S]

Hi Adult Beverage

Like AG said in your prior post, the Pioneer 1016 is a re-badged Pioneer Elite. I would just order one from Amazon for $399 delivered.

Happy Holidays

[Adult Beverage]

I like the Yamaha, never owned a Pioneer. Guess I looking for someone to tell me I need the HDMI. Can't I use component video cables for everything? Like I said, I don't want to upgrade again for a long while.

[John Brill]

Adult Beverage,

If the receiver will be a dedicated Home Theater receiver and you want 7.1 surround sound and you have more than 1 HDMI source and only 1 HDMI input into your video monitor, the Pioneer 1016 would be my pick.

However, if you want A/B speaking switching with more than 5.1 surround sound for your Home Theater and you have an appropriate amount of HDMI inputs in your video monitor for your HDMI sources, I'd go with the Yamaha 5950.

[Arthur S]

Adult Beverage

Everything is going HDMI. To be future proof, you should have as many HDMI inputs and outputs on your receiver as possible.

[Adult Beverage]

But if the Pioneer 1016 only passes video through HDMI and not audio, isn't the HDMI out just a glorified, more expensive version of component out?

[John Brill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arthur S

Adult Beverage

Everything is going HDMI. To be future proof, you should have as many HDMI inputs and outputs on your receiver as possible.

I wouldn't go that far...

If you are looking to purchase something today, HDMI would not be one of my considerations.

Sure, HDMI cleans up a lot of the cable clutter but today's HDMI does nothing for audio and all DVD/SACD players still come with optical/coaxial and analog outputs and will probably do so for years to come.

If you plan on waiting 6-12 months, HDMI 1.3 receivers will start to arrive but I doubt any of the low end models will sport more than 2 inputs which will still be inadequate if you have a dedicated HD-DVD player, a PS3, an X-Box 360, etc, etc, and you want to run them all on HDMI cables...

So, IMHO, HDMI is still not necessary and won't be for at least 1 more year. Sucks to be wanting to buy this year if you want to future proof

[Arthur S]

Adult Beverage

HDMI absolutely passes both audio and video. Also, it is my understanding that HDMI is backwards compatible. So an HDMI 1.1, or 1.2 should be more than satisfactory for virtually everything, with the possible exception of True HD and the Blu Ray equivalent. I would still put the 1016 at the top of my list.

[Stephen Hopkins]

The HDMI switch on the 1016TX is just a pass-through for video and/or audio. The 1016TX will not read the audio from the HDMI stream so you'll still have to use a digital-coax, optical, or 5.1 analog cable for audio. This is why I passed on the 1016TX (which was my first choice since I love my 1014TX). You may want to look at something like the Onkyo SR674 or Yamaha HTR-5990, both of which can be had under $600 online. The older Onkyo SR803, which is a higher end unit and does true HDMI switching/repeating but not upconversion/scaling, can also be found as low as $535 refurbished from eCost. The SR803 would probably be the best amp section if you can live w/out scaling/upconversion to HDMI.

[djsHTnut]

After fighting over choosing between many recievers, and banging my head against the wall, I picked up The Pioneer 1016TX. Best Buy had it online for $399, so I ordered it online and picked it up in the store. I am not dissapointed, the sound is really great. If you want a high quality receiver on a budget, this is the one.