Tough choice : Onkyo TX-SR502 or Pioneer VSX-D914 (1 Viewer)

[Bebert]

Hello!

I am hesitating between these two receivers, will be used for music more than movies... The receiver will be paired with Polk Audio R15 bookshelf speakers (fronts only).

Onkyo TX-SR502 for 500$ CAD
or
Pioneer VSX-D914 demo (floor) unit for 400$ CAD


I can't make up my mind. My friend says that Onkyo will sound better for music and Pioneer is more movie-oriented. But still, the D914 looks like a nice unit (basically a D914 for the price of a D814).

Any thoughts, my friends? I really don't want to regret my move but I still want the best bang for the buck.

Thank YOU!


Bee :b

 

[Jose G]

Those two units are right up there with each other. The Pio will have a few more features such as MCACC (Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration Circuit) which is nice and many people rave about. I think your friend is probably right but I've not heard the Pio. I do think that Onks are a bit base heavy in general. Great little unit for the money (Here in the US). You can get a refurb here for $149 (US) though. The floor demo would be a factor for me. I've seen how some places beat up their units, unlike most high end shops where they tend to take care of the floor models. I would buy refurb (with warranty) before buying a floor model. The auto calibration of the Pio is nice if you don't want to bother getting a calibration disk and a rad shack meter though. I think you can't go wrong with either of them, unless you want them to do more than they do and haven't realized that yet. Check out all the features and see what you need and what you don't. For example, do you need a/b speakers? Do both units have this? Etc. Good luck!

 

[Bebert]

Hi!

Thanks for taking some time to reply to my post.

The Onkyo is *very* easy to manipulate. I played with the setup menus and could find my way around very easily. CNET said that this Onkyo has the best remote around; this is an interesting thing too but I guess it all comes down to personal choice. (gotta admit that the Pioneer remote looks very, very crowded with buttons and labels)

;-)


Bee

 

[JeremyErwin]

It's not the best remote around-- the best remote around would be programmable It's actually rather intimidating.

pics of onkyo 502, including a closeup of the remote

 

[Will-Layfield]

I did notread the whole post butI am pretty sure the pio has preouts which is a great feature for upgrading in the future!

 

[eddieZEN]

Bebert,

My experience with Onkyo (the 601) is that while they look nice and are very easy to setup and use, their music performance is lackluster. I returned my 601 and shelled out an extra hundred fifty for a Marantz 5400 and love it. For HT though the Onkyo would've been fine---I don't think HT requires anywhere as much finesse as music.

I haven't listened to the Pio 914 personally but from what I've read (and listened) about Pioneer receivers, I'd HIGHLY doubt that they could possibly be any worse at music than the Onkyo in particular an entry-level 502.

Best bang for your buck would be to get a Pioneer 1014 (there's a huge huge thread on it here) for $400 US, I don't know how much that is Canadian but it sounds like just a little bit more for something you can be pretty sure you won't regret in a couple of months or years.

Otherwise both the Pio 914 and Onkyo 502 can be had at jr.com for very good prices (you can also haggle them over the phone) and I've heard that Canadians are able to get them from jr.com without paying extra shipping/tariffs, not sure if that's true but you might want to check into that---they are a very reputable dealer and usually squash local retail prices.

If you decide to go for the 502 I'd look at ecost.com they often have them for around $150 US refurb and around $200 US new.