Pioneer elite 49tx vs. 45tx review (1 Viewer)

[BobRoulier]

I have owned the 49tx for about 5 months now and have been consistently blown away by its performance period. I had been on the wait list prior to getting the 49tx for the outlaw 950 and decided not to wait, I paid $2550 shipped from soundpros.com. Anyways while waiting for the 950 I purchased a parasound 2205 in anticipation of the new prepro a long story short the parasound helped things out a bit with the 49tx in the amp department especially with my paradigm studio 100s.
I purchased a 45tx from tweeter for my brother and his wife when i picked up the unit (boxed) I noticed It wasn't nearly as heavy as my 49tx. When I opened the box the it was obvious the build quality was different not that the 45tx was bad its just not a reference piece for example; the 49tx weighs 65 pounds 25 more than the 45tx, the bottom of the 49tx solid copper, the inside copper shielding everywhere! just the overall build quality is worlds apart.
The main thing is the sound quality theres no contest, the sound on the 49tx is smoother, fuller and richer and more detailed. I used both as a pre and stand alone and believe me the 45tx is a great receiver but it just can not compare to the 49tx period. Honestly if i had purchased the 45tx first and had not heard the 49tx I would have been very satisfied but having the 49tx its a different level. now I know this is not a fair comparison but I have read in many forums that the 45 is just as good as the 47 or 49tx as pre just without some of the bell and whistles. Not!! The 45tx is a great buy and don't let this opinion of one man discourage anyone who's is in the market for a 45tx
Just a note; the 45tx has some features my 49tx does not have for example; dc trigger
advanced mcacc (49tx has 9 band vs 5band equalizer on the 45tx)
But I can get these plus more with the upgrade pioneer is offering.
I did like the remote better on the 45tx
So the bottom line is Pioneer offers two winners here one is a awesome av receiver and the other is a flagship reference av receiver that you get what you pay for!
Bob

 

[BobRoulier]

Sorry I forgot to mention that I have had the 45tx in my system for almost a week!


Bob

 

[David Judah]

There is obviously a reason for the huge price difference. The Elites are solid throughout the line-up(with the exception of the 41TX)and it really boils down to budget.

DJ

 

[Nick Cerretti]

What exactly is wrong with the VSX-41? Sure, it doesn't compare to the 45tx, but its not supposed to.

 

[DanielSmi]

Nick, the 41 basically the same thing as the 811s except it cost's twice as much. It has the same features except the 41 has re-eq while the 811 doesn't. Same amount of inputs and outputs. The 41 has 10 more per channel, but I've heard that they have the exact same amp section. You're basically paying for the ELITE name and re-eq, everything else is exactly the same.

Daniel Smith

 

[Steve Adams]

All i know is that in the past 3 years pioneer has put out some of the nicest consumer electronics period. the elite line, no matter what model, is one of the best buys in audio. the premier line in the car audio is the same thing. i have the pioneer reciver in the house now, and im getting the car cd/mp3 9400 model now as well.

 

[David Judah]

What exactly is wrong with the VSX-41?

Just look at it compared to the 43TX and up. It doesn't deserve to have the Elite name, IMO.

DJ

 

[Christ Reynolds]

I did like the remote better on the 45tx

if theres anything i dont like on my 45tx, its the remote. the learning remote on my old sony str-de945 was much simpler, and actually LEARNED the buttons i programmed into it. maybe i'm doing it wrong, but i'm not a moron, so i should be able to figure it out. i'd hate to see how long it would take a moron to do it. but then again, a moron wouldnt even have the 45tx to begin with
CJ

 

[MikeRP]

I do really like my 45TX but I agree that the 45 is NOT in the league of the 49 TX.. I only wish I had the cash to buy a 49.

Having said that - I firmly believe that the 45 is a great product. Much better sound than the HK 520 and the Onkyo 595 I had on demo before buying this receiver. Now the HK 525 and the Denon 3803 may be great competitors. But, its kinda like I say about the games Ohio State has been in lately with football.

Ohio State may have a tough time winning the game but the other team is gonna have a tough time whupping OSU.

I think the Pioneer is in that class.

Mike

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Bob,

Thanks for posting but what associated equipment were you using?

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Mike,
You are comparing your Pioneer Elite receiver to the Ohio State football team? That's it! This Michigan fan is selling his 47TX right now!
Of course, since you have the lower end Elite receiver, maybe it is like OSU. Hmmm....
Sorry about the thread interruption, but the UM-OSU game is only a few weeks away.

 

[Steve Adams]

i would not buy pioneer speakers or amps for my car. im getting a new audi a4 quattro. im going to install a pioneer 9400 head unit, with mb quart speakers, jl audio subwoofers and a 6ch mcintosh amp. should sound good....

 

[MikeRP]

Well Scott;
I left Michigan in that hard to beat column not to offend any of you boys from up there. Should be a hum dinger of a game!
BTW, if'in you got a good price on that 47 - I'll take it off your hands!
Mike

 

[Christ Reynolds]

Of course, since you have the lower end Elite receiver, maybe it is like OSU

lower end? i think the 45tx is stuck right in the middle, with 2 units above, and 2 below. and for $845, which i got it for, i consider it a steal, especially when the 47tx cant be had for less than ~1600-1700.

CJ

 

[BobRoulier]

Thanks for posting but what associated equipment were you using?

Lee, I thought I mentioned it but here goes

paradigm studio 100s
studio cc
mirage 595is towers (surround for now hopefully adp soon)
svs 20-39+ sub
panasonic rp 91
parasound 2205 thx ultra amp
mits 65819 hdtv
kimber kable 4tc x2 biwired to mains and center


Bob

 

[Brae]

now I know this is not a fair comparison but I have read in many forums that the 45 is just as good as the 47 or 49tx as pre just without some of the bell and whistles.

I did not see any such arguments between the two. Could you provide some URL's to some of those threads using the HTTP button in the message composition window?
BTW, I'm glad to hear that you bought and kept your 49TX. For the extra $1550, I plan on buying about 100 music CD's, or about 80 DVD movies, or somewhere in between.
BTW2, how are you enjoying your Studio 100's? I love mine!

 

[BobRoulier]

Brae, I believe avs has quite a bit of info regarding the 45tx and I read a couple different times refering to that.
I absolutely love my paradigm setup I definitely feel that I got my moneys worth and more, I can thank this forum in part on my decision with the studios and pretty much all my gear which I feel the same way about

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Christ,
I was just making an Ohio State joke, not trying to knock the 45TX. The UM-OSU game is only a couple of weeks away, and we Wolverine and Buckeye fans get feisty this time of year.
See, Mike, whenever you try to equate something to a Buckeye, people take offense.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled Pioneer Elite discussion...

 

[Patrick Sun]

The other thing that makes the Elites cost more than their non-Elite counterpart is the warranty differential between the 2 lines. I think the Elites offer a 3 year warranty (could be higher), and the non-Elites offer a 1 year warranty.

 

[BobRoulier]

2 year warrenty on the elite recievers not sure about the tv's



Bob