Pioneer VSX 1121 receiver. Good? Bad? Comments?

Pioneer packs a lot into their receivers these days. One reviewer calls them the Swiss Knife of A/V receivers. I own an Elite 23-vsx which is kind of a predecessor to the 1121. The 1121 is similar to the Elite 52-vsx which is a direct decendant of the 23. I've also owned an Elite 32-vsx which is a year or two newer than the 23. The good about Pioneer is reliability (depending on who you ask), crystal clear sound, good looks (in the eye of the beholder), easy to setup and operate (to me, anyway), they run very cool to the touch, weight over 30 lbs, detachable power cord, include 9.2 channel assignable pre-outs for adding additional amplification and have a pretty nice remote control. The 6 MCACC presets is a big plus to me. Like having six seperate equilizer and speaker volume controls in one receiver. They also now allow video processing (via the excellent Marvell Qdeo video chip) through the hdmi inputs. Previously, any video input through hdmi went through the receiver un-touched. I'm quite happy with my vsx-23 (and the Elite SC-27 in another room) because I think they are the best option for me. Denon, Marantz, H/K, Yamaha, Onkyo, etc might be better for someone else. But all is not rosey in Pioneer land.

The bad is, they only allow one crossover setting for all speaker groups set to Small so if you have tower speakers in the front and tiny satellites for surrounds (like my brother) then this might be a bit of a problem. Also MCACC doesn't eq the sub like Audyssey MultiEQ does. It also doesn't have multi-channel analog inputs or s-video inputs (both of which are quickly disappearing from receivers these days). And the amp sections on their entry-level models might not be as stout as some other brands, but the 1121 should be fine in this area.

Most any receiver in this price range will have enough inputs and outputs so features and price are the things to really look at. I'd down-load the Manual and Product Sheet from their website and give them a good going over to see if Pioneer has what you're looking for. Also, if you buy from an un-authorized dealer Pioneer probably will not honor the warranty. This includes Walmart and Costco where the 921 and Elite vsx-31 have been selling recently.

You will be blown away by the difference between Dolby ProLogic and DTS Master Audio. You're in for a real treat! BTW, what speakers and sub woofer will you be using with the new receiver?

In that price range with towers the Polk Monitors from newegg.com are the usual recommendation.

Monitor 70's ($400/pr) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290209

Monitor 40's ($130/pr)

CS2 ($150).

Also check out Vanns.com and OneCall.com's clearance centers for special deals on customer returns and floor models.

Any interest in building your own from plans or kits? Check out Partsexpress.com's Speaker Building Projects.