Onkyo or Pioneer Elite?

Re: Onkyo or Pioneer Elite?

I will go with Onkyo 706. Personally I have an Onkyo receiver and I am fully satisfied.

Re: Onkyo or Pioneer Elite?

I like Pioneer Elite.

Re: Onkyo or Pioneer Elite?

Between the two... I prefer the Onkyo for a couple of reasons:

1) Audyssey EQ vs MCACC
2) 4 HDMI inputs vs 3
3) Aluminum front panel vs plastic
4) Cirrus Logic DAC vs Wolfson DAC (ok, I'm grapsing at straws here for a 0.0001% diffrencen in THD ).

Personally, I don't have a great love affair with Pioneer equipment. Granted there Elite line uses much better quality components than their non-Elite line but I still don't like them. With that said, if I had a choice and a similar budget, neither Onkyo or Pioneer would be on my list. This begs the question of what would be... more than likely a Denon or Marantz 5003 or 6003.

Re: Onkyo or Pioneer Elite?

Juan,
I strongly recommend that you thoroughly check out and listen to both models. It's certainly worth your time to check out Denon, also. There's a lot to consider with a receiver. Personally, I've owned Elite receivers, and I know a few people with Onkyo receivers and assisted with their set-ups. Sometimes it's the little things that can make or break a decision, so consider all aspects of your set-up and how you will want to expand in the future.
John, have you heard any of the new Elite receivers in action? I went to check one out recently, but the AV store dropped Pio all together since they got out of the TV business. The Onkyos seem very bright to me. I don't know if I'm just overly sensitive to it, but Audyssey is a plus, because supposedly it gives plenty of control to tone that back.

Re: Onkyo or Pioneer Elite?

I will fully admit I have not reviewed a Pioneer product in the last 4-5 years. The last time I did, I was not impressed and as the Onkyo is bright, the Pioneer went the other way and sounded completely muffled.

I feel the same way about Yamaha (and do own an RX-V540). A little on the bright side but capable which is probably true of all the mid-level brands (Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer, Panasonic, Denon, etc, etc.). I've always prefered H/K and Marantz in this price range for musicality but that means a bit of a compromise on the feature sets offered by the others for Home Theater. However, if your budget can be expanded by a couple of hundred $'s, hand down, I'd pick up a NAD.

I've gotten a new itch to upgrade (I call it upgradeitis) lately and have pre-ordered an Emotiva UMC-1 to complement my existing setup and negate the need for a new receiver. However, I'll probably sneek into my local shop this weekend and check out the Marantz 5003/6003 nonetheless, just for fun

Re: Onkyo or Pioneer Elite?

We all have our preferences with different brands and in reality they all have their strengths and weaknesses. It seems as though Audyssey is the best of the auto setups and should give a certain receiver which has it (particularly the advanced versions) the edge but Pioneer Elite, and the 1019, are very fine receivers as well. I would also put Marantz at the top but they generally cost a bit more, have a couple of fewer features and the video processing is said to be merely average at best. But the sound, for those who feel they can hear a difference, is the best.

I've owned an Onkyo 702 and an H/K 435 a while back and also felt they sounded too "digital" too me. Much prefer my present H/K 520 and Pioneer Elite 59TXi. But it's all probably in my head . I haven't heard the new Pioneers or Onkyo's at any length, though.

In any event, as I've said so many times in the past, if you've narrowed it down to two or three models then download their manuals and give them a good going over. Features and price always seem to give Onkyo a bit of an edge over the others.

Re: Onkyo or Pioneer Elite?

I've been a Denon, B&K and now Onkyo owner. I was very happy with the Denon that I had years ago. The B&K wasn't that much better for the price and they aren't really supporting their "upgradability" very well (which was a big factor in me buying it). I was very happy with it's performance, I'm just disappointed with the company's current offerings, their speed to market and their support of current owner's. I just recently went with an Onkyo 876. I'm very happy with the Onkyo. I was really having a hard time deciding between the Denon 3808 and the Onkyo. It all came down to the features and the price. Now the Denon has come down in price and the Onkyo has gone up, so my decision would be much harder today. The Onkyo also has slightly better components for both audio and video, though their implementation of the video may not be absolutely perfect. Those are really the only brands I ever considered. I think you could be happy with any of the brands listed, it just comes down to your preference. I don't feel that the Onkyo is either digital or bright sounding, but all of the receivers will sound somewhat different in different locations and with different components. After hearing the Audyssey in action, and seeing a lot of people compare other room correcting software, I (personally) would only consider brands with Audyssey, and that would narrow the field quite a bit. That's just me. If you have a chance to listen to a brand you think is worth considering, I wouldn't let someone's opinions steer you away from it. Go look and listen for yourself.

Re: Onkyo or Pioneer Elite?

I am torn myself. I have just begun re-vamping my whole HT area.

I have pretty much decided on the 55" Samsung LED U55B8000
B&W 685 Fronts
B&W DS3 for rears (funky room dimension and sofa against the wall)
B&W HTM62 Center
I am looking at the SVS 12" sub

But what amp would drive them all. I am 95% movie/TV watcher and very little music for the system. Sony has a new line-up out in July but it doesn't look that impressive. I would like 4+ HDMI 1.3a inputs and viseo upconversion. Budget around $1000 for the receiver. Shoot me an e-mail with suggestions. I would appreciate it.

Dave