I have a MAJOR PROBLEM with my new 811s (1 Viewer)

[Jim Baloga]

I'm replacing my very old D1S with the 811S. My problem is that I hooked the 811 up to hear the difference and I like the sound of the D1S better!

It's a warmer, fuller sound. The 811 sounds tight and too high pitched.

The D1S is much heavier too, are the amps different (the old case is metal but there's more to it).

What is making it sound so different, and what receiver will provide me with that sound?

I hope you can help.
Jim

 

[Greg Haynes]

Are you more of a music lover than home theater?

It has been said that the 811S is pretty good with home theater but a little too bright and thin with music. So it's probably been that your so used to a more laid back sounding receiver than switching to more forward sounding receiver.

 

[ThomasL]

Jim, is this for music listening? What source are you using?

Try the Midnight setting on the 811S and see if it helps.

I think you're experiencing what many others have. Also, does your old amp/reciever have inputs from a pre-amp? You can always use the pre-outs on the 811S to send your L/R front speakers to your older amp and see if that makes a difference in sound quality.

cheers,


--tom

 

[Jim Baloga]

Is this type of receiver better for watching TV and Movies?

 

[Greg Haynes]

Jim,

Pretty much. The Pioneer is not really known for its musical performance. Does pretty well with movies/TV.

If your more interested in music you might want to look into the Marantz or H/K line.

 

[Greg Haynes]

Try the Midnight setting on the 811S and see if it helps.

I still don't understand why this would be better. Why don't you want to hear the sound the ways it meant to be played back. Setting it in this mode severely limits the dynamics of the sound. But oh well, what ever sounds best to you.

 

[Chris Brown]

i agree you might want to try the "Loudness" or "Midnight" mode and see if that helps.

My 811s sound fine with music, but I agree that it is brighter than other receivers.

 

[ThomasL]

Greg, the Midnight mode on the Pioneer 811S doesn't seem to limit the dynamic range to me at least. There is another mode that does this called Dynamic Range Control. You can also do Loudness which sounds pretty much identical to Midnight when using my ears. All it's doing is boosting the 100HZ range and 10Khz range although Pioneer says that Midnight mode adjusts "dynamically" depending on the volume level. It's just an option to try as with anything else. What's great about options is if you don't like them you don't have to use them.
cheers,
--tom

 

[Greg Haynes]

Thomas,

Good point with the options statement. Try them out and if you don't like them turn them off.

 

[ThomasL]

I will say though if you're a real critical musical listener, the 811S probably is not for you since I think there are better options at the similar price point such as Marantz.

Jim, let us know how it goes and if you're unhappy with the 811S, even after playing around with the options, I hope you have a good return policy you can use. You may also want to do a search in this forum for "budget receiver" from the past 3-4 months. You'll see many discussions covering many brands and models in the ~$400-$600 range and it should help you in perhaps choosing another model to replace the 811S.

good luck,


--tom

 

[Jim Baloga]

How is the Denon for music.

Is this bright type of receiver better for home theater. When I used to watch a DVD with the D1S, it was sometimes difficult to hear them.

Do I need a Home Theater set up and a Music set up?!?

 

[AllanN]

The "loudness" mode really helps music soruces for me but I use the amp for %90 movies.

 

[Jim Baloga]

Allan,
What do you mean when you say you use the amp for movies?

 

[ThomasL]

Jim, I think Allan means that he uses it mostly for movies and doesn't need the Loudness feature for that.

As for being able to hear soundtracks, have you balanced your speaker channels with Avia or other calibration disc and a Radio Shack SPL meter? This would be the first thing you'd want to do in order to make sure from where you sit that each channel is outputting the same decibel level given the same volume level on the receiver.

cheers,


--tom

 

[chiante]

Thomas is correct. I have the 850s and the midnight setting makes music sound much better. It doesn't really do anything for dynamic range control as does the separate drc option. I guess this is something unique to pioneer. Musically the marantz line is a better option. The pioneer is great for movies.

 

[Jim Baloga]

I will calibrate this weekend, Thanks

Another question, I notice the receiver clipping off due to overload a lot sooner than the D1S, is there a reason for this?

 

[Will Gatlin Jr]

The D1S was one of the best receivers ever made. I wish I had kept mine for garage duty. Built like a tank!! Good luck!!

 

[Jim Baloga]

Is there Elite 47tx comparable/better than the D1S?

 

[Angelo.M]

You might want to check out the Onkyo TX-6000. It's about $100 more than the 811, but sounds an order of magnitude better for 2-channel stereo, IMHO.

You'll also get most of the same features, minus the pre-outs.

--AM