Pioneer vsxd810s vs Onkyo ds595 vs Denon avr1802 (1 Viewer)

[Allen Longcor]

I'm going to be buying a receiver very soon and was looking at these three. By no means am I going to have or am I looking for a top of the line receiver. This is my first excursion into serious HT and I want a quality receiver with lots of features, but I don't want to break the bank. Honestly I probably couldn't tell the difference in sound between a top of the line receiver and a good receiver. My speakers aren't going the greatest either. So I was wondering if you guys could recommend a good choice between these three. The Pioneer has all the features I want, but seems to lack power in a lot of people's reviews. The Onkyo and Denon I haven't read much on, but they both have strong followings. My budget for this receiver is about $300 - $500 and I can find each of these online for about that price range. I will be doing more movie viewing, but also a lot of cd listening. Any help you could give or personal experience with these receivers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Allen Longcor]

any opinions?

 

[Chuck C]

I have last year's great-sounding Onkyo and Denon AVRs (575x, 1801). Both are solid performers; each have their quirks.

Onkyo: easy to use, almost plug-and-play, great remote

Denon: Sleeker profile, I really haven't had time to mess around with it yet, but I love it

You can't go wrong with either...as for the Pioneer, I have no basis for comparison

 

[Kyle_Y]

DO NOT BUY THE PIONEER!!!!!!! I bought a Pioneer because it was deiscounted so much, it will make you happy for the first month, but I hope you don't have good speakers, or I hope you don't have 4/6 ohm speakers because they will screw with the Pioneer. I have four ohm ADS towers upfront, they suck the power out of the Pioneer, the protection circuit has been activated before. It also gets VERY HOT! Don't cheat yourself, I know you are thinking that the Pioneer says it has more watts and may be cheaper, btu really, the Denon and Onkyo may not have as many features but I will tell you, when you crank it, you will know the diffference. I'm upgrading my Pioneer to either an Onkyo 696 or Denon 2802. Good luck!

 

[Peter Jessee]

With your $300-500 price range, you might consider a closeout on a "last year's" model - you could get a 2801 or 676 for that money. This year's big features are DPLII and 6.1 channels, so you would have to do without them with this strategy, but you'd be buying a class above what you can afford from this year's models. Since the 595 and 1802 don't have 6 channel amps, you'd only be giving up DPLII, but get more inputs, more power and a better remote control.

Happy I could help make your choice more difficult.

Peter

 

[ReggieW]

Allen,

I have a Denon 1802, and must say that I believe it is the best receiver currently available in it's price range. The pre-amp option made it a no-brainer for me. I pondered for weeks before resting on my decision (waffling between the Onkyo 595 and Denon 1802). Peter has given some good advice as well, however, you must be sure to evaluate the value of 6.1 to you. I have 215 DVD's and only seven of them have ES/EX tracks, therefore, I passed on the 2802 for now (Though the 5800 is on tap when I get in a home). There is no question that the ES/EX titles will grow in the years ahead, but I usually don't buy the films that are likely to have them. The Onkyo 595 would be my second choice, especially since it has a decent remote (unlike the Denon), and a very nice sound as well. Good luck in whatever you choose!

Reg