Pioneer 49tx vs Sunfire Grand lll ? (1 Viewer)

[Dave Moritz]

I am currently planing on replacing my Yamaha RX-V995 DTS/DD receiver soon, i hope. I have been doing my homework and listening to the new HT receivers. At first I was not sure about the Pioneer 49TX but it has grown on me, lol. I have since learned about all the nice features and now it is one of my top choices to replace my Yamaha. I am concidering the following to replace my 995:
Pioneer 49TX
Denon AVR-5803
and now the Sunfire Grand Theater lll ?
Has anyone heard the new Sunfire and what did you think? And would you get the Sunfire over the Pioneer 49TX or the Denon 5803? As soon as my checking account recovers and I can afford it I will start upgrading my system. My goal is the same as many here, that is to get the best sound in our price range. I have a feeling it is going to be a tough choice for a replacement receiver. :frowning:

 

[Yogi]

Isn't the SGT-III a processor? If so how can you upgrade to that without adding the additional expense of a separate amp? OTOH both the 5803 and 49TX are fully loaded flagship receivers capable of competing with similarly priced separates. Personally I like the Denon 'warm' sound compared to the slightly analytical Elite sound. I dont think you wouldn't be satisfied with either. Wait for a couple more months for the 49TXi to come out and then you can have the latest and the greatest processing and features in either receivers. Or better even wait for another year and a half and let the 5804 come out with MCACC feature of the Elite.

 

[Sihan Goi]

I dunno what's the name of Sunfire's new receiver, but there's not a lot of information on it yet, and no solid release date even.
Another flagship reciever you should consider is the B&K 307.

 

[chung_sotheby]

Here is the best link with the most details, while few, on the new Sunfire receiver:
Link Removed
Seems like a pretty cool machine, although I have never really been impressed with Sunfire amps for full range. Subwoofers, ok, but not for full range speakers.
Sunfire is notorious with printing info on upcoming products. Look at the Theater Grand II, all of a sudden it just popped up.

 

[Yogi]

Agree with Chung. I never likes Sunfire amps. Switching power supply induced noise and a dip in the high freq response. Plus they need to be cranked to higher volumes to show their guts. Sounded weak and dry at low levels. I hope their receivers are better.

Just my opinion.

 

[David Judah]

And for a different opinion...

I have had a Cinema Grand amp for awhile now and have been very pleased with it. On paper it sports a rather high THD which scares some away, but I am curious for those concerned about the noise, if they have actually demoed it against other traditional designs or are just going by the numbers, because I haven't found it to be an issue in real use.

It is a different design to be sure, and again that scares some folks. They are not used to a 40 lb. amp delivering the kind of power it does(wattage doubling as impedance is halved)and staying completely cool in the process.

I have found it to be very musical and with its current and voltage source outputs is very flexible for setting up with a wide variety of speaker types.

To answer Dave's question about the Theater Grand III, I spent some time setting one up and demoing alot of different material(CD & SACD). I used some Martin Logan Aerius's and a Sony 555 ES SACD player. It outperformed the Theater II in 2-channel, as expected, was very easy to set-up and comes with a decent remote. I'll have to spend some more time with it before I give my overall impressions, but I like what I've heard so far.

As far as comparisons to Pioneer's and Denon's Flagship receivers, I think you'd have to decide what your performance goals are because you are comparing receivers to more expensive seperates. The processing would be close, because the flagship receivers are hearty in that respect, but in the amp section, the ability to upgrade, and overall quality of the entire signal path the nod would go to the Sunfire seperates, IMO.

DJ

 

[Sihan Goi]

btw the new Sunfire receiver isn't the Theater Grand III, but rather is called the "Sunfire Ultimate Receiver". The TG3 is Sunfire's latest prepro.

 

[Greg Haynes]

The 5803 & 49TX are very popular here, so I know that with whatever choice you decide you should be very happy and have no buyers regret.

The only thing I think should mention about the Pioneer is that I have read it was reported to shutdown when playing loud with low sensitivity speakers (

 

[Arvin_C]

Hello.
Have to agree with Sihan...the B&K 307 is AWESOME!! I have heard it against the 5803 and Integra 9.1 and thought is was just as good (to me, better) than those flagship receivers. And although I don't own one :frowning: nor have I set one up, I have read that it is a tweakers delight interms of flexability and adjustments.
Good luck with your quest!

 

[Robert Standefer]

I couldn't find a better amp under $3k to mate with my Martin Logan Aerius i's than the Sunfire Cinema Grand.

I'm auditioning a Sunfire Theater Grand III to replace my aging Sony E9000ES sometime after Christmas.

 

[Todd_Petersen]

Why not the AVR 507 replacing the 307?

 

[Dave Moritz]

Thanks for all the input everyone
I will be going to listen to the Sunfire Ultimate Receiver around the first of the year. The main conciderations as far as myself is, flexability of the unit, shear audio/video performance and assignable digital inputs as well as multi room which is a bonus. I will be checking out all the cool new stuff at the CES show in Vegas coming up on Jan. 9-12. What ever ends up replacing my Yamaha RX-V995 will have to last for at least a minimum of 5 years. And with the Denon or anything else that has 8.1 inputs I could add another decoder later if it became necisary. The Denon has a very clean warm sound and with the right speakers can be a powerhouse. The Pioneer is alittle briter and tighter than the Denon. The Sunfire and the B&K preamps would most likely be the best bet overall. There is alot of good gear out there and making the choice between models in not a choice to be made quickly. If everything goes well my system upgrade will excede 28K easily. So the budgeting will come into play and I will just have to get the best that I can possible afford. If anyone else has an opinion on this matter please feel free to let me know. I think the only reason I might go with a receiver will be flexability and extra features that might not be available in a pre/pro. This will have to be looked into as the receiver will untimatly be used as a prepro anyway, at least that is the plan. Also does anyone know if there is a web page where they have compaired the surround processor like in a best of the best processor shot out? Just the processor itself not the pre/pro or reciever. Just a rating of the surround processor?