Pioneer VSX-45TX Elite.... (1 Viewer)

[Mat_H]

It seems highly doubtful that it only has 1 component video in. What would be the point? You could just run it straight through to the tv instead. The lower-end non-elite 811 has 2 component-ins, so it likely has at least that many. My guess is it actually has 3, but they don't want it to seem too similar to the much more expensive 47tx, so they are intentionally being vague and just saying "Component Video In/Out" But that's just a guess. It likely has 2 or 3, but you can't tell from their website. Anyone actually has one of these can verify?

 

[Brad Newton]

Will it have dts-es discrete like the Onkyo 900 unit?

 

[MikeRP]

I'll check out the component question tomorrow night and let you all know if there is only one in. I'm out of town today.

Could be a weakness in this receiver. I know it only has one place to plug in power supply from additional equipment.

However, I know the spec's are the same for the component section as the 47 tx - I checked them out last night.

I wouldn't know what the spec's mean - they just read the same.

Mike

 

[DanielSmi]

Yes it'll have DTS-ES Discrete, Kevin just wanted to know what sounds formats it had that would make 6.1/7.1 soundtrack out of 5.1, it'll also have the usual DSP, of which only use 7-D Theater for certain video games like Ico very good game for PS2, of 7ch stereo for like relaxing music such as those cd's that mix the sounds of rain and thunderstorms with weird new age music. In my opinion the 45tx is a great value about an equal value as the Denon 3802. I'm not saying the 45tx is only as good as the 3802 but that it is it's (3802, i mean... weird grammar usage) equal in a best bang for your buck way, actually it's better with the MCACC, THX cert and processing, and some other stuff for only like $300 more.

Daniel Smith

 

[MikeRP]

No doubt the 3802 is a great reciever! I have a hard time distingishing between several receivers and it comes down to personal preference.

HK is still my preference. But, I prefered the Pioneer because of the features and price point. I didn't want to miss out on DD-EX which I beleive neither the HK 520 or the Denon 3802 had available.

I'm not a Yamaha fan or even Sony anymore so I really didn't consider these machines. They could be great - again just personal preference.

Thanks for your comments!

Mike

 

[Josh_Z]

The VSX-45 has a cleaner amp section than the 3802, construction is better, lower crossover point, better remote, Mic System, as well as THX. The 45 sounded like a much more expensive receiver. It weights almost as much as the 4802!

In case you can't tell, I like my 45. : )

By the way the unit has 2 component ins.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Daniel- Thanks for the info!

 

[MikeRP]

Hey Josh:

I have a 45 too and would be interested in some discussion about the type of speakers you are using and your results with the mcacc and also any further thoughts you have on the sound as you listen.

When I want to change settings using the OSD the sound shuts off. Any way to change settings without the sound shutting off?

Have you found any things you don't like?

Thanks

Mike

 

[Greg S]

Ok,

I guess I should jump in now since I have had mine since Friday.

1 - WHERE PURCHASED: I got it from Docdvd on another forum for $910 shipped and it was shipped the day I placed the order and I had it in less than a week.

2 - WEIGHT: It weighs at least 40lbs - nice and heavy.

3 - HEAT: I have run mine for 12 straight hours and noticed that the case was only mildly warm (granted I have about 6-8 inches of clearance above it).

4 - SHUTDOWNS: None noticed at all even at loud volumes. Keep in mind I am running my MAINS off of separate amps (Active Biamping) and all my speakers are nOrh Marble speakers (not the most difficult to drive).

5 - COMPONENT INPUTS: It DEFINITELY has 2 in 1 out (ie 3 sets of connections back there). I believe I read that they have enough bandwidth support for HDTV (I am not sure though and have no way to test)

6 - SACD/DVDA: I do not have either of these so I cannot comment.

7 - USB PORT: The way the manual reads is that you would use this to play files directly from the PC to 45TX (ie MP3s). I should be able to test this out since I use an HTPC in my room with the 45Tx.

** I will try to snap some PICS of the front and back of the unit when I get home tonight. Also if I can get off my a$$ I will scan the manual for it as well (pretty thick one though) if someone wants to HOST it as I do not have the ability for this.

COMMENTS:

OK no here is the meat and potatoes.

Overall I am VERY HAPPY with this unit. I am former Denon (3801, 4800), Yamaha (5580), & Onkyo (595, 795) owner and this unit has them beaten HANDS DOWN!

However in my time as a Denon owner I grew to really like the "warm" sound the Denon produced and the Pioneer does not have it. The Pioneer sounds very good and has a tad bit of warmth but it is primarily neutral. On scale of 1-10 (1 being BRIGHT, 5 being NEUTRAL, and 10 being VERY WARM sounding) the ratings would be

Denon -- 9
Pioneer -- 7
Onkyo -- 5 (dead on neutral here nothing added to the sound IMHO)
Yamaha - 1 (can stand the Yammies (sorry )

The Pioneer IMHO does everything well and I cannot see myself wanting to change UNLESS Denon releases something with MCACC and in Budget (1K).

The MCACC is truly the BEST and most innovative thing I have used on any piece of audio gear and honestly wish that EVERY manufacturer had it. It setup everything perfectly for me and the ability to then tweak it some manually was also a major plus (It has 2 Custom settings in addition to the FRONT ALIGN & ALL CHANNEL ADJUST options). In actuality you can be set for either of the MCACC choices and still adjust the "level" parameters for each speaker. Within the setup menus for MCACC you can adjust just about every variable I can think crossover, distance, delay, size, etc.

Sound on CDs is very good and very enjoyable. Again I would definitely PREFER the Denon sound here but thats only because I got so used to it with my previous gear.

Movies sound VERY CRISP and clean and surround effects are EXTREMELY IMMERSIVE and definitely come at you from all directions.

Power output on this was WAY MORE than I could physically tolerate in my room so I think unless you have a HUGE room or a strong desire to be completely deaf in a short amount time you will be in good shape with what the 45Tx can do.

GRIPES:

The remote is HUGE. It is fairly easy to use but it is so big I feel like I have a 10lb weight in my hand. It is ergonomically speaking pretty well laid out and understood.

BASS PEAK LEVEL:

Here is something that REALLY irritated me. When I first setup the unit and began the audition period I had absolutely no BASS. I wasted TONS of time on checking everything out to find out why. Well fortunately for me another forum member was able to set me straight on this and bam I had more bass than I knew what to do with. The manual is pretty good and straight forward but somehow I found this part to be lacking in substance (of course it could be me).

*** BE SURE YOU SET THIS BEFORE YOU AUDITION YOUR RECEIVER!!!

Would love to have the video upconvert that is on the 49Tx -- but hell what do you expect for $900.



***NOW WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW

45TX vs 49TX:

Let me first state that my ONLY experience with the 49TX has been with IN-STORE auditions only. I have never had one in my home.

Sound wise IMHO they sound darn near the same. I think that the 49TX may have a slight edge on the sound quality (mostly because of a more tweakable EQ). I firmly believe that while I would COMPLETELY enjoy the 49TX sound I know I am not disappointed by any means in the sound of the 45TX.

Build quality on the 49TX feels better, ie your grab it and pick it up and feel like you have something substantial here. Again the 45TX is not some cheap piece of crap chassis either. Its nice and solid and feels like it could take a pretty good beating on its own. I believe its firly on par with all the other receivers I have tried.

Features -- Well OBVIOUSLY the 49TX has the better options here and thus also attributes itself to being an excellent BUY for the money. Again though the 45 is no slouch here either.


So are the extra inputs, features, and power of the 49TX worth an ADDITIONAL $1500 more over the 45TX???

IMHO --- NO!

In general I think for ME ONLY the 45TX is a "poor mans 49TX". Myself I am pleased that the 45 is this good and I know I will happy for good while. With that being said I will add that if I get the chance to nab a 49TX at good price I would still go for it(sub 2K (naturally a used one).

I am not going to tell all of you to run out and buy this over some other receiver you have been looking at or auditioning. Here's why .... ONLY YOU can decide what is best for your needs NOT ME! I will say I this is a VERY NICE receiver for the money and will surely be bested later in life but for now I think its gonna be tough to beat it for the price.

Good Luck with your choices and I will do my best to answer any and all other questions that I can.

Oh yeah as a frame of reference here is my equipment list.

Speakers:

MAINS: nOrh Marble 7.0s (actively biamped)
CENTER: nOrh Marble 4.0
SURROUNDS: nOrh Marble 4.0
SURROUND BACKS: nOrh Prism 4.1
VMPS Larger Subwoofer with soundcoat and megawoofer options

Receiver/Amp:

Pioneer 45TX
nOrh Multiamps x 2 (Actively biamping the Marble 7.0s)
QSC PLX1602 for subwoofer

Other Gear:

Sony 50 Disc Changer
California Audio Sigma TUBE DAC
Panasonic RV30 (SDI modded and UPGRADED Coaxial Digital Output)

Cables:

Catcables Silvercats throughout and Thundercat Digital Cable for the DVD player.

Room Size:

23(l) x 22(w) x 10(h)


Greg

 

[Greg S]

P.S. - With the exception of one Bass issue I am still having I could not be happier about my purchase.

Greg

 

[DanielSmi]

No you can't enter the OSD and still have sound. My guess would be because if you change any of the settings it's going to need to change the aglorithims used for processing. For example if you change your speaker distance from say 7.0 ft to 8.5 ft it'll have to put the new value in for the speaker delay, and I guess it can't do it in realtime.

Daniel Smith

 

[Josh_Z]

Mike,

My observations so far are that the amps offer a very balanced and clean output. This is one of the few receivers that I demoed around the pricepoint that doesn't really call attention to itself in certain frequencies.

I also like the Rotel 1065 receiver, but never liked Rotel processing. They don't offer enough options or have equivilent features.

I am using Diva 5.1 for my mains, Mirage Center and Mirage Surrounds. I will upgrade everything else around the Divas next, I really like them. They sound like much more expensive speakers.

I think the remote could use some simplification. I will probably replace my microphone, if I can find something better for a reasonable price. (I will post if it has any different or better results).


What are you seeing?

 

[Aaron H]

Josh, I'd be interested in hearing more detailed impressions between the Pioneer and the Rotel receivers. I'll most likely bring both home, but since this is my first receiver purchase, I don't think I'll be able to pick put all of the differences that a more experienced HT'er would.

Thanks!
Aaron

 

[DanielSmi]

Hey Greg glad you mentioned the USB port I forogt all about it. I'm really interested in the idea of a receiver decoding the signals for the computer, so could you tell me more? What exactly does the manual say about the USB port?, do you need any software for this to work?, will it work in windows only of can you use a mac too? Any and all info would be greatly appreciated.

Daniel Smith

 

[MikeRP]

The same Josh.... I like this thing very much. Just enabled the bass peak level tonight. Nice feature. I put my sub on 60 Hz and cranked it up to about 1 o'clock. Put the bass peak level adj on and worked it till I got some distortion and backed off.

Tried my reference CD - Eagles - Hotel California and the bass was great but did not distort my sub as it can with the level I set the sub at without the limiter.

This should solve my problem of having to adjust the sub more than I want because of the dynamics of different cd's, dvd's, etc.

So far so good.

Mike

 

[Dave E H]

I'm a happy 49TX owner, but this unit sounds like a great budget pre-amp. If I were doing it again, I might get this unit + a 2k 7 channel amp and call it a day.

 

[Charles M]

I stopped by Tweeter's today to check this thing out. Since I'm still in the hunt for a new receiver. It's kind of weird that they didn't have in stock, only in the warehouse. They had the 41, 43, 47 ,49tx. I assume it's the same size as the 43. This thing was pretty deep. It almost looked like an Marantz 8200 in size. This year is going to be my last year of waiting for a receiver. The biggest things I'm looking for are quality and upgradability. When the new Denon's, H/K's, Yamaha's, and Marantz come out than that's it. I might even try Outlaw. They should be announcing something soon after they release their new amp.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

My local HiFi Buys (same as Tweeter's) said that they only had 2 45TXs in the entire greater Atlanta metropolitan area and none of the stores in the area would have it on display. I looked at the 43TX (only difference being the remote and the lack of Auto MCACC), and really liked it. I ABd it w/ a 2802, 3803, and a 41 (as reference to my current 811S), and in my opinion it sounded better than all of them, especially the 41. The soundstage was alot more open and discrete than the others. W/ the others (in comparison) it seemed that all the sound was muddled up in the area right in front of the center speaker. This was true on the 41 more than any, and the 3802 less, but still noticeable.
I would really like to make the 43TX my next receiver, maybe in 4 - 6 months.
The guy who said it would make a great budget preamp... that makes me laugh, just because it's really hard for me to even see my self paying $1000 for a single piece of HT equipment (other than my TV, and $1200 for a 43" RP HDTV was still a stretch). Maybe when i'm in the working world instead of college things will be different

 

[JohnDW]

was is the bass issue/trick/solution that teh previous posters are referring to ?

 

[DanielSmi]

He actually started another post which I replied to here's the link:
Pioneer Experts .......... Bass Peak Level Question
Daniel Smith