Pioneer Elite 49TX looks mighty tempting (1 Viewer)

[RajeeK]

Alex,

One last thing. There are many good deals to be had on Acurus amps. I got my 5 channel 200 Watt Acurus for $800. I have seen used 3 channel models out there for around $500. So likely for the total cost of the Denon you could easily get additional ampage for the 49TX which should best the Denon. Hope this is not all too confusing.

 

[RobertGeo]

thanks for the info RajeeK. rob

 

[Robert George]

Alex:

You are now at a point that I consider purely subjective territory. You are attempting to compare two products that are going to be so close in virtually every area of performance that it will be a toss-up more often than not. Where the Pioneer might have a slight edge in something like the MCACC, the Denon will have a slight edge in DACs.

In general terms, my advice to a friend might be something like this...

If budget is not a factor and no external amps will be used, go for the Denon. If budget is a factor and no external amps will be used, go for the Pioneer.

Finally, since you have stated you will be using an external amp, I feel that will offset the only major advantage I think the Denon has over the Pioneer, that being the internal amps. In this case, flip a coin. Personally, I would choose the Pioneer for the following reasons...

Cosmetics

MCACC auto calibration

Video format conversion

On-screen display through component out

Lastly, I happen to like Pioneer Elite gear (mostly).

Bottom line, you will be very satisfied with either of these pieces for years to come.

 

[RobertGeo]

robert george, with the amp powering the front 3 channels, do the back channels still come in loud? also how is the music side with and without the amp? i dont have the money to get a amp if i was going to buy the 49tx (at this time). not sure if you have this but if you do how is dvd-a and sacd through the 49tx? im more into music but things do change and from all the posts the movie side sounds great on the 49tx.

ive been looking at the 49tx for some time now. since pioneer just put out the 47a i think its time to do a big jump. thanks, rob

 

[Robert George]

RobertG:

There is no problem at all with balancing the surround channels when using an external amp to power the front three channels. In fact, with the load of the front channels off the power supply, I found the level of the surrounds calibrated lower due to increased current.

By itself, the 49TX is an exceptional sounding receiver, especially if one is using speakers that tend toward the "bright" side. The amps in the 49 use MOSFET output stages which generally will have a somewhat "warmer" sound than the average receiver amp. Even so, these amps do not lack in detail.

I do have DVD-A in my system and the 49TX is a great receiver for multi-channel music formats. The analog input offers both a pure analog pass through or the option of using the receiver's internal processing and bass management.

 

[Alex Yang]

Robert George,
Thanks for the great input!!! I was just going to mention the COSMETIC factor for the Pioneer, there is DEFINATELY something to be said for HIGH GLOSS PIANO BLACK vs. matte black finish... )))
For me the proverbial "toss up" wouldn't have occured until Pioneer had the same bells and whistle that the DENON has, (THANK G*D it didn't because it sure made my job easier...!!!)
Question: Would you buy?
Pionner 49TX @ $2100 (as mentioned by Rajeek)
vs.
Denon AVR-5803 @ $3800 (Best price before scouring the net)
Answer: Hell NO!!! The extra features does NOT justify the extra $1700...
Question: Would you buy?
If the Denon were only $2800 (difference of $700)
Answer: Yes!!! ONLY if the sound was the same and the EXTRA $$$ went to features I would use...
Just one last question for your Robert? Video Conversion? Do you mean composite to SVIDEO AND composite or SVIDEO to COMPONENT? If so, DENON has this too, just not the ON SCREEN to Component...
Thanks again for you excellent input and insight much appreciated!!!
-Alex

 

[RajeeK]

Pionner 49TX @ $2100 (as mentioned by Rajeek)

Not sure I mentioned $2100 (that is around dealer cost). I believe it was around $2350, which I got mine for. Still a wonderful price for the unit. Best of luck on your decision. Post if ya got more questions.

 

[RajeeK]

One last thing that I really prefer about the Pioneer is the display. I sit about 14 feet away from my reciever and the Denon LCD, especially the dB level, was just so small I would always strain to see it. It really got to be a pain the rear while watching movies to have to lean forward a few feet to see it. This was on a 3803 BTW, which I believe has about the same LCD dimensions as the 5803. Just one last thing to consider if something like this would bother you.

 

[Robert George]

Alex:

As I mentioned in your other thread, Denon's website does indicate the 5803 does the same type of video format conversion as the 49TX (ie, all video inputs converted to component output). The difference is that the 49TX has on-screen display with the component output and the Denon does not.

I know the Pioneer's component switching/conversion is the best I have seen in a receiver, but I have not seen the Denon so that is something you will have to find out for yourself.

The Denon at $2800 is actually more like a $400 - $500 increase over the 49TX. I have seen the Pioneer for as low as $2400 myself, but I recall someone else posting they got it for $2300. That's about as low as it will get. At this pricepoint, I don't consider $400 a big enough difference one way or the other. I would let other factors govern my decision.