Which brand is better (1 Viewer)

[pfar]

I'm looking to upgrade my reciever, I have a Pioneer 1017 right now. So it's about 4 years old. It has treated me well except the two back channels went out (unless I did something wrong when setting it up, but that's for another day). Now I am basically going to be choosing between pioneer and denon, based on my research through here they seem to be the favorite for overall value. To add some information in first before I ask my questions. I will be spending around the $1,000 range. I have a blu ray player, 1080p tv, Klipsch quintet III speakers and Klipsch 12" sub. My next step after upgrading my reciever will be my speakers, so don't let that have any input on your opinions. I want something that will be overall a better product with lots of features and great potential for the speaker sound and volume. I want something that will last a decent amount of time and won't go out of date fast. 1. What are the differences between regular pioneer recievers and the elite. 2. Which is a better brand overall between pioneer and denon for recievers. 3. Which actual reciever would you guys reccomend for the value I have posted and why. Thanks

 

[Jason Charlton]

If you really are looking for good "value" then you should consider adding Onkyo to the list. IMO, they are generally the best overall bang for your buck manufacturer - better value, IMO, than Denon.


As to your question, both brands are reputable, and make very good receivers. You should choose a receiver based on connectivity and features that fit your needs (things like Internet streaming radio, iPod docks, Zone 2/3 ability).


In terms of having "great potential for the speaker sound and volume" - that's really a product of the speakers, not so much the receiver. Quality speakers produce quality sound, and efficient speakers (high sensitivity) produce high volume, so wattage numbers in A/V Receivers are pretty close to being meaningless.


The only advice I have is that Denons have a reputation for being slightly less user-friendly, so a download of both user manuals for a read through would be a good idea and may help you make a decision.

 

[pfar]

Oops forgot about onkyo. Most of these recievers in this price range seem to have the same features. Mostly airplay, 1-2 zones, and 6 hdmi inputs seem to be what most have. I don't know really know what any other features do. I don't understand why recievers do not matter so much with sound output. It is the amplifier and shouldn't it matter how strong the reciever is for how the speakers will sound? I understand that speakers have a big thing to do with how it will sound, but in theory you would think recievers would have just as much to do with it. I called Pioneer and asked what the differences between the regular series and elite and the guy said the Elite were just higher quality with better connections and better wires, basically in a nut shell and along with a better warranty. I think they transferred me to the wrong department because he sounded upset with talking about it. So what features should I look for? Also any reccomendations on other brands of recievers are welcome. As of now I'm leaning towards the pioneer elite vsx-52

 

[gene c]

A little info on Pioneer receivers: People who are familiar with Pioneer only consider the SC models to be True Elites. The current ones are the SC-55 and SC-57 which run $1600-$2200. The other Elites are based on the regular Pioneer line. In fact, the Elite VSX-32 is almost identicle to the regular 1120 (both are last years models). There are a few minor differences like a 12 volt trigger, two year warranty and orange display (and a few others) but the amp, processing and video sections are identicle. The SC models have a completely different amp section. Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer, Marantz and Yamaha seem to be the most popular. Harman Kardon is also very good but with maybe a couple of less bells and whistles and a couple of dollars more. Sony makes nice displays and dvd payers but you can do better than their receivers. I think some receivers can sound a tiny bit different than some others but not enough to stress over it. In all reality, $1000 on a receiver is probably more than you should pay with the speakers you have. Not a criticism, just a little advice. Most $400-$600 receivers will have more power, features and sound quality than you could take advantage of. Look at the Pioneer 1021/1121, Denon 1612/1712/1912, Onkyo 509/609/709, Yamaha 571/671 and I would have said the Marantz 5005/6005 but it looks like Ac4l.com is out of stock right now. If you're an H/K fan last years 2600 and 3600 can be found for a real good price. But check ac4l.com for other deals on Marantz, Denon and Onkyo.

 

[pfar]

Thanks for the info. I found a local home theater store and stopped in today and asked a few questions. He basically told me everything you just did about pioneer. So if I do upgrade it will be the SC series. Now I know I will have to upgrade my speakers and I'm not sure which I will upgrade first out of the speakers and receiver. I think I'm leaning more towards speakers right now. He informed me how satellite speakers like I have aren't the best and informed me about how standing speakers share the frequencies and he also said that with my satellite speakers they work as a single unit and it may sound weird adding in other speakers one at a time. He showed me the speaker brands B&W and the other one started with a P, he said both were great brands. What are some other good speakers to look at. I want a speaker that is a good value but is in the high mid range end and very low high end. I was thinking about building the Dayton 8's but not sure if I have the time and enough tools and I want a good looking cabinet. Also is what he said about adding speakers to my current satellite speakers that it might not sound right?

 

[gene c]

Actually, yes. At best you would have to stick with Klipsch since they have a very specific sound to them compared to other speakers. But if you changed out the front three you could use the Klipsch surrounds for a while. I would also get the speakers first. We prefer internet-direct speaker companies around here like Axiom, Aperion, Ascend Acoustics, etc but other brands to consider are Energy, Infinity, Paradigm, Canton, Mordaunt-Short, PSB, Monitor Audio, etc. The list goes on and on. And receivers are almost like desktops (remember those?) these days. Some new "must-have" feature is just around the corner. BTW, I had an SC-35 (last years model) a couple of months ago and for some reason, I sold shortly there-after. But I just picked up an SC-27 (2 years old) off Audiogon and I really like this one. Not sure why yet, but I do. I also have an older VSX-23 in another room. But i'm sure you would be happy with any receiver brand that fit your needs. This can all esculate in price real fast if you're not carefull.

 

[pfar]

Paradigm that's the one he said. Have you heard of B&W? I read some of the things you put in the speaker thread section and saw there's a lot of talk about Svs and I went to their website and looked at some and saw a 5 speaker set for 3,000. I think m-2? Sorry I'm on my phone now. I liked the way it looked and the specs seemed good, but the normal impedance was 4 ohms for the towers and center. Can you have different ohm levels with one receiver? Also would my current reciever, pioneer 1017- 110 watts per channel, power these speakers correctly until I upgrade recievers. Im convinced on getting speakers first now. I listened to a pair of paradigms today and they sounded good.. A lot better than my klipsch with a similar reciever.... Also listened to a set of B&W speakers that were 15 thousand a speaker. They sounded amazing. He didn't turn them up much but it sounded like the person singing and playing the piano was right across the room.

 

[Al.Anderson]

If you liked the Paradigms and are looking for value consider Axiom. They are both Canadian companies (which tend to have similar sound) and are a bit less expensive. You can run 4 ohm and 8 ohm speakers off of the same receiver, BUT the receiver has to be able to handle 4 ohm speakers, and many receivers are not rated for that. It appears that the 1017 is not rated for 4 ohms. (Many people ignore the receiver rating and run them anyway. I can't recommend that, but in most case the receiver will just shut down if there's a problem. In other case it could ruin the receiver.

 

[ariel rodriguez]

Go with Denon or Onkyo. They have Audyssey calibration on board.

 

[pfar]

If you liked the Paradigms and are looking for value consider Axiom. They are both Canadian companies (which tend to have similar sound) and are a bit less expensive. You can run 4 ohm and 8 ohm speakers off of the same receiver, BUT the receiver has to be able to handle 4 ohm speakers, and many receivers are not rated for that. It appears that the 1017 is not rated for 4 ohms. (Many people ignore the receiver rating and run them anyway. I can't recommend that, but in most case the receiver will just shut down if there's a problem. In other case it could ruin the receiver.

Where will it tell if it can run 4 ohms? I'll check out Axiom. When looking at speakers what is important to look at when buying?

Go with Denon or Onkyo. They have Audyssey calibration on board.

What does that do?

 

[Al.Anderson]

Where will it tell if it can run 4 ohms?

Page-56 of the 1017 manual says: Switching the speaker impedance We recommend using speakers of 8Ωwith this system, but it is possible to switch the impedance setting if you plan to use speakers with a 6Ωimpedance rating. Use the front panel controls to do this. So it doesn't actually say no 4Ω, except by omission.

Go with Denon or Onkyo. They have Audyssey calibration on board.

Auto calibration is nice, and Audyssey is considered the best by many. But auto-calibration is not necessary, as it can easily be done manually with a cheap SPL meter. But even if you decide you want it, almost all manufacturers have some sort of auto-calibration now. I wouldn't base my purchase decision on specifically having Audyssey.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by pfar /t/317529/which-brand-is-better#post_3886848