Denon 3805 or Pioneer Elite (1 Viewer)

[Nathan Rucker]

Hello,

Anybody care to comment on which reciever would be better for a small dedicated home theater? I think the Pioneer Elite 55 or 53 would be comparable?

Let me know what you think. I think I have narrowed down to these 2.

Thanks,

 

[Stephen M]

No doubt I would listen to the 3805 before I pulled the trigger on the Elite. In receiver years, the Elite is getting old. It is a fine receiver but the Denon has parametric eq. I suspect the amp may be a bit more powerful. The 3805 is now shown on the Denon site and it appears to be very good and will cost less than the 55txi. I think both are good receivers, but I would not lay my money down without hearing the Denon first.

 

[Steve F M]

I hope the amp is better then the Denon Avr-3803. I had the Pioneer Elite VSX-45TX and also the Denon AVR-3803. The Pioneer was better in every aspect compared to the Denon. Go with the Pioneer VSX-55TXi which has the Auto MCACC and also i-link for 1 cable hook-up for DVD-Audio. The amps on the Elite Models seem to be a step above the Denon's also.

 

[Jon_Welker]

I concur with Steve F M 100%. The amps in the Elite's are outstanding in their price classes. And, I don't see how the 53 and 55 are getting old when they were just released mid last year.

 

[Shane Martin]

About the only difference I see is that the new Denon has DPLIIX and the Elite doesn't?

Am I correct on that?

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

the 3805 upconverts composite and s-video to component. The Denon has Denon-link which is proprietary for DVD-A/SACD... the 55TXi has i-link which is supposed to be industry-standard, but the standards still aren't completely worked out yet. The 53TX does not have i-link at all.

 

[David Judah]

Are you going to switch all of your video through the receiver? If so, then the Denon is the obvious choice.

If not, or you're not sure, then wait until you can listen to them both and go with the one that sounds best to you.

Either way, you'll be getting a great receiver for the money.

Good luck,

DJ

 

[Stephen M]

The parametric eq in the Denon is superior to the eq in the Pioneer since it is more flexible in correcting room peaks and dips. I would not accept as true other opinions regarding the alleged superiority of the Pioneer amps over Denon. Both are THX select which means they must meet the same minimum performance. If you check this site and others, you will find a number of people unsatisfied with Pioneer receiver amps as well as Denon. Again, if this is a critical issue for you, you need to audition both amps with your speakers before you buy or get 30 day return privileges if you buy one now.

 

[Shane Martin]

The Denon isn't THX Select. So Am I correct in thinking that the 55txi doesn't have Prologic IIx?

 

[Don Barduca]

That's right Shane, the Pioneer's with exception to the 59txi do NOT have PLIIx. However, if you only have a 5.1 system PLIIx doesn't add anything to PLII. Also, it's already been noted that the 3805 is essentially a 3803 with PLIIx, denon-link, and the auto room setup (The Pioneer elites already have the better i.link connector and a auto room setup, so the main difference is the PLIIx and the video upconversion). Hence, the amp section and DSP section is the same as the 3803...what this means is that you can demo a current 3803 vs. a 53tx or 55txi and determine which sound you prefer.

I thought the Pioneer Elites sounded much livelier and had a much better defined and broad soundstage.

 

[MikeRP]

Hi Guys.......

Guess I'll say a little since I love the 45TX.

I purchased a Jun 02 model. The orginal 45's had a shutdown problem. Pioneer responded and all models Nov 02 or later did not exhibit this issue. I was given a new 45TX.

The euro model of this unit was tested at 135x5 at 8 ohms. Very nice.

However, it is not rated for 4 ohm speakers. Saying this, I know a dedicated tester who easily got his to reference levels with 4 ohm speakers and no shutdown.

I would love to have a 55TXi. My 45TX will drive my Paradigm Studio 40's, CC and ADPs to reference levels or 100 db average easily. Saying that, I don't do it at all anymore after I found the new one wouldn't shutdown. The most I listen to now is about 90 db average.

The auto MCACC is fabulous and the Pioneer has a clean wide soundstage.

Now, like others, I think you should consider the Denon and check out features between the two. But on amps alone, I'd match the 45TX to the Denon 38 series anytime not saying the Denon is bad or the Pioneer is better.

I'd stick with features and ease of use. The Pioneer remote is very good. What about Denon's? I don't know now.

Listening is suspect cause places that have these receivers really don't know how to get the best out of them for testing properly. I know one has to live with the Pioneer awhile to understand and use all the features properly. I've never found a store guy who could set either one up properly when I was looking at the 3803 and the 45.

Good Luck! My guess is you'll be happy with either one. But, I'm very proud of my 45TX.

Mike

 

[ZachT]

Get a yamaha rx-v1400 cheaper and does everything the denon does. Take left over money and buy something else so you get 2 new toys for the price of one. I think when you buy denon your paying for the name. I owned a denon 1804 and took it back for the v1400 yammie. I also owned a yamaha v540 before the denon and I just like yamaha sound over denons dull no umph sound. But listen before you buy. Its your ears, not ours that matter.

 

[Jon_Welker]

Yeah, you can put the savings towards a separate amp by going with a 1400...

 

[Stephen M]

Zach, why would you spend your money on a Denon if you previously owned and liked Yamaha and, then got rid of the Denon to get another Yamaha? Did you listen to the Denon before you bought it or compare it to the Yamahas?