Best speakers for Pioneer 1014? (1 Viewer)

[Allen Hirsch]

Q: what speakers work best with the Pioneer 1014 receiver?

I just got HD cable for my HDTV in the family room, and don't yet have surround sound there. I've ordered the Pioneer for that setup, and I'm thinking of replacing an old Technics receiver in the bedroom as well (where an HD LCD panel is probably going to reside shortly - so I want better surround when I have HD in it, too).

I have a system of 6-year-old Cambridge Soundworks cubes in the bedroom now, which can take 100W/channel, but are probably too "low end" to mate with the 1014, unless someone can tell me otherwise I may try them in the family room w/ the Pioneer just to provide surround in the interim).

There are definite space and WAF factors that limit the size of the speakers I can use in both the family room and the bedroom. (I already have a dedicated HT elsewhere with much larger speakers, so I don't need to "go big" with either of these systems - it's just I want more surround sound to go with the HDTV capability in those rooms - use will probably be 50% HDTV, 40% HT, 10% music.)

I was looking at the Athena Micra 6 compact package - small enough to meet the WAF issue, with some good reviews - would they work well w/ the Pioneer? Or would I just be disappointed with something so small and cheap with the capability of the 1014?

Other suggestions?

 

[Allen Hirsch]

wow - 16 pages of threads about the Pioneer receiver, but nobody visits the speaker sub-forum, apparently.

Surely SOMEONE here has some recommendations??

 

[ScottCarr]

I just finished hooking up an HT with the Pioneer 53tx and Axioms M22, VP150, QS4 with the SvS PB10isd. The system sounded EXCELLENT. The Axioms are a good size for a small room or bedroom.

My Ht is powered by a 49txi and the speakers that I have had are the Cambridge Sound Newtons MC500s. they jsut did not posses the same sound as a wood material cabinet creates. The system jsut did not seem to have any depth. The next set up speakers were the Klipsch RF3 and RC3. Far more performance but the size is probably out of the question. Then came the RF7 set up again huge and probably not in the plans. So the Klipsch Pioneer combo was a little too bright. The highs had too my emphasis. I had the chance to use a pair of Klipsch RB75s and they were very good but again the highs were a little too much.

Now I am using Rockets 750s for mains and the 250mkII bookshelfs for surrounds. The 250s are a heck of a bookshelf and is worth inquiring about across the forums. They are a great speaker for the pioneer system. Spendy they are but to me well worth it.

Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions

 

[TimMc]

Recommendation: you should go with what sounds good to you - period. None of us can have your ears, etc. so our opinions & preferences & recommendations really work best just for ourselves.

That said - the change in speakers will be the greater majority of the difference in what you hear (they're the mechanical part, they're actually what make all that noise, & differences introduced by the mechanical part are usually orders of magnitude greater than differences from the electronics). This in no way means you might not hear a difference in electronics, but once you get to an adequate level (and believe us, the 1014TX is definitely adequate ) then the differences in electronics aren't as large a piece of the puzzle.

Other things matter, too. Your age, just for one (hearing in males "rolls off" as you age) so how old you are does influence your perceptions & preferences. And of course, the budget. If price is no obstacle then you're looking at all sorts of options...

And the best part is that there are tons of great options. I kinda like Paradigms and think ours sound wonderful w/ the Pioneer. Axioms also sounded fine. There are a bunch of folks who like Rockets (or Swans), Ascend, etc. If price isn't an issue then listen to something like P-dgm Signatures (little S2's are small enough & have high WAF) or any of that ilk. The trick w/ Axiom, Rocket, etc. is that they're all mail order so listening to them takes some planning or being prepared to ship them back. If you can find something to audition locally then that certainly makes the listening tests just a bit easier. Good luck!

 

[john_FE]

You didnt mention your budget, For size you can go with Swan 2.1's for front and rear and the C3 for a center. The faux black cherry is cheaper than the rosewood and sound ver neutral with the 1014. I am very happy with the sound. Throw in whatever sub you can get by your wife and there you go.

 

[Allen Hirsch]

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm not looking to spend alot, nor am I on a strict budget limitation for speakers, so price is a lesser concern. I'm more concerned with getting the best performance in small-ish speakers for the 1014 receiver (so I can meet the WAF issue and still have quality surround with HDTV in both the family room and bedroom setups).

I'll be auditioning the ELT Rockets soon, in someone's existing setup.

 

[AlexO]

Allen, I am in a similar position so I'll appreciate hearing your decision.

Thanks,
Alex.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

Do not hesitate to check out JBL E series Northridge speakers. E80's (towers, so you will neeed to go with e50's or e30's) as mains, E35 center and say e30's as surrounds + sub is a nice way to start.
Check out BPhoto.com you can get various conifgs of those speakers with a sub for $1000.

I have a Pioneer VSX-811 and they match VERY well with my JBL's.
Warmth of the JBL's even out the brightness of the Pioneer.

 

[Tom D]

I would recommend Canton LE series. They have wide dispersion, soft dome tweeters. Just set up a Karat series ht, and the sound is WOW. my .02 cents.

 

[AlexO]

All the references I was able to find state that the Pioneer 1014TX is warm, not bright.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

My 811 is kind of on the bright side. Not extremely, but it def sounds thinner.

 

[brentl]

I honestly think the 1014 is a different class of receiver, it's not Elite but it has the heritage and the sound of an Elite receiver.

Sounds fantastic with my Athena As-f2s

Brent

 

[MikeyWeitz]

No reason it won't sound nice with the JBL's. The Northridges are considered to be nuetral to warm sounding.

 

[Dave Hahn]

Allen, I'd try it with your existing Cambridge Soundworks cubes. The auto-calibration feature of the 1014 may just bring out the best in your old speakers. If you need a micro system for the WAF, you might want to have a look at these:

http://www.htd.com/htdmiddies.html
http://hsuresearch.com/
http://www.canton.de/www/index.php4?pg_id=16,16,,1,en
http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...9zz&type=store
http://www.av123.com/products_produc...s&product=36.1
http://bostonacoustics.com/hs_products.asp?CategoryID=7

 

[AlexO]

"WAF"? Waf's that?

 

[Sam_S]

I'm also interested in the answer to this question... Please make sure to update with your sub choice- or even better, your thoughts now while you're deciding on one. I've got the 1014tx, and with all of my talk of speaker setups and seeing my HD picture- another member of my family has decided to take on the project of making a mini-HT for personal use

He's living above the garage, already wants me to order him a pioneer 1014 like I have, and now he wants "cubes". Because he's over the garage, he's a lot closer to the attached neighbor's bedroom (they share an interior wall)... so I need to find JUST the right sub for him. Enough bass to shut him up, but making sure it wont overpower everything and get the cops called on us is just as big a concern at the moment for me... heh.

Don't want to thread hijack- just wanted to explain that I'm interested in the same info... but want your reaction to the info you asked for too!

Thanks.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

WAF is wife acceptance factor.

Sam_S, hit up your local Compousa and see if they have any HSu vantriliquist sets left, they are blowing them out and should be what your other family member needs (and pretty cheap).