Am I missing out? (1 Viewer)

[Paul Chalk]

There have been a couple Pioneer Elite products that have really caught my interest lately. More specifically the DV-45A DVD player and the VSX-45TX receiver.

I'm currently looking at getting a new receiver. So far I've tried the Rotel RSX-1055, the NAD T752, the Marantz 7300, the Marantz 8200 and Denon 3802. The 45TX looks nice and I wouldn't mind trying it out.

I'm also having second thoughts on my DVD player. I have the Denon DVD-1600. Its shortcomings are really starting to bug me. Like the remote, no gold tip connectors, and no coaxial output, for example. The DV-45A seems like a good replacement.

Here's my question. Pioneer Elite products are only sold at a store that I absolutely refuse to shop at. A couple of my friends and I have had way too many bad experiences from them in the past. Would I really be missing much if I decide not to try the Elite products?

As of right now, the best receiver I've tried is the Rotel RSX-1055, and another DVD player that I might get is the Panasonic RP-91. Would the Pioneers be much better than the Rotel and Panasonic?

 

[John-Miles]

Hey I have the same problem, the only place that deals pioneer elites is a hole of corruption and crapulence. my solution is to wait a little longer (no complaints formt he wallet there) and check out the Yamaha s2300 from a dealer i do like, its supposed to be comming out in canada very soon. It is even on the Yamaha.ca site now.

as far as a receiver goes.... im not even looking into those as i know it will make me want to upgrade more....

 

[BenK]

Both the Pioneer 45TX and Rotel 1055 are both excellent receivers. I'm sure you cant go wrong with either. As for the Panasonic RP-91 you wont be disappointed. Top notch chroma bug free video output. I've had mine for over a year and it still impresses me.

 

[John-Miles]

but the RP-91 lacks bass managemnt, unless you have a full set of fullrange speakers you wont be that impressed by the DVD-A on the panasonic RP-91. also many people ahve said that the rp-82 is just as good iff not better, and its alot cheaper.

 

[LanceJ]

And it looks like the Pioneer player ALSO lacks bass-management for dvd-audio--no one has yet proved it does. Why don't one of those 45A owners contact Pioneer and clear up that mess???
Personally, I don't think it has b.m. for dvd-audio: those high-speed b.m./delay PCM processing chips are expensive and the Pioneer doesn't seem to cost enough.
And, how many studio mixing engineers are actually going to put true LOW bass in the rear & surrround channels? They would have to be totally insane to think people are going to purchase FIVE FULL-RANGE speakers for their living room--no one would adopt the format!
Has anyone with a dvd-audio player actually monitored the rear/center channels & actually felt low bass emanating from them? I only have a regular DVD player and have to listen to the Dolby Digital or DTS tracks on my dvd-audios, but even with my receiver set to "large" surrounds, there is--at least on the DTS & Dolby Digital tracks--NO low bass back there (and I had the volume set at rock concert listening levels).
LJ

 

[KeithH]

John said:

the only place that deals pioneer elites is a hole of corruption and crapulence.

I understand your frustration, but that's a great line!
Paul,
I can understand your disappointment with the '1600. It is a great performer, but it is lacking in some key areas for the money, like the ones you described. Note that the '45A is lacking in terms of build quality, so while it may address some of the shortcomings with your '1600, you may not be entirely happy with it. The Panasonic 'RP91 is a good suggestion, so give it a look and listen. You might also look at some of the newer universal players if you can spend more money. These would include the Onkyo DV-SP800 and Yamaha DVD-S2300.
Another player you might consider for around $500 USD is the Philips DVD-963SA progressive-scan DVD/SACD player. It's been discussed here quite a bit, so do a search. Note that the '963SA is not out yet, but it looks to be loaded with features for the money. According to J&R Music World's web site (www.jandr.com), it will offer full bass management for SACD, including an adjustable crossover frequency. J&R is taking pre-orders on the '963SA for $400 USD, and they may ship to Canada. The '963SA is supposed to be available in the US in early 2003.

 

[ReggieW]

I honestly couldn't see anyone going from a Denon 1600 to a Panny RP-91 when the Denon has better video and audio quality. This would not be a very wise upgrade imho, despite the fact that the RP-91 is built slightly better than the DVD-1600. The only advantage I could see in getting the Rp-91 would be for its scaling ability. I would wait until a few of the Universal players hit the street before cashing in that Denon 1600. Yes, it certainly has its shortcomings, but while the lack of a coaxial plug and gold tips is disappointing, the bottom line to me is that the 1600 does deliver where it counts TO ME - In audio and video. Check out the forthcoming universal players from Onkyo and Yamaha. Denon also will be announcing a Universal player in January at CES.

Reg

 

[KeithH]

Reggie, I'm glad you chimed in here. It wouldn't surprise me if the '1600 were better than the 'RP91, especially in the audio department, but I haven't used them side-by-side. That said, if one isn't happy with the '1600 for some reason, the 'RP91 is one of the better players out there in this price range.