Which is better: Pioneer VSX-D711 or the Onkyo TX-SR500 (1 Viewer)

[Mark Tulba]

Ok, I was wondering i'm looking to buy a new receiver, but im stuck. I can't decide between the Onkyo TX-SR500 or the Pioneer VSX-D711. I'm getting the Polk Audio R40 speakers, are those the two best receivers in the price range, or is there a better one.
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...XSR500&o=m&a=0 for the onkyo
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...SXD711&o=m&a=0 for the pioneer

 

[Mark Tulba]

bump

 

[matthew_rm]

It LOOKS like the Pioneer willb e better. But in the end sound matters the most. I hope someone on here tests!

 

[JesseR]

I have the previous pioneer...710s....I like it but have only had it for 3 months and think I'm going to upgrade it to somethign a little better before i get my paradigm speakers. If there isnt much difference between the two models let me know and if you want used we coudl work something out

 

[Ralph Bru]

I just bought the TX-DS494. the TX-SR500 is the replacement as the 494 is disco'd. I have owned a top pioneer and will say the onkyo blows it away ! onkyo quality and power cant be matched by pioneer, no way! and I like pioneer.
I just bought JBL NSP-1 and a 12" sub and they sound great on the onkyo. I didnt know what I was missing.
BTW: I almost bought that Pioneer 711 and im glad I didnt. go onkyo!

 

[David B O]

Mark...you can find the Pioneer VSX-D811S for $299.95 at etronics.com which is the same price as the D711 and Crutchfield. Something to consider.

 

[matthew_rm]

Yeah, I thaught he ment the 811. It look very nice. Anyone know when it will be in stores in Canada? I went to their web site, and it was only on the US site!

 

[Daniel Mc]

Ralph,

I was looking into getting those JBL NSP1 speakers, which handle at least 100 watts each. However, the Onkyo tx-sr500 only delivers 55 watts per channel. Is this, in essence, short-changing the speakers, or do you find it good enough?

 

[Niel_JL]

Mark,

I believe 100 watts is a maximum, not a minimum. The preferred range for the NSP1's is 50-100 watts. There are a few people on this board with either the onkyo 500 or 600 with NSP1's and they all seem very happy. I just purchased a 500, but I'm getting the JBL SCS135's to go with it.

JL

 

[Philip Hamm]

Mark,

You can't lose. Pioneer and Onkyo both make really good receivers, particularly in this price range. Pick the one that looks best, has the best ergonomics, and fits your system better.

 

[Walter Smailus]

I have never had a Pioneer but I just got the Onkyo TX-SR500 to replace the Sony STR 615 I had. For some reason Sony receivers burn out easily so i gave up on them. The Sony was easier to setup than the Onkyo as the controls (remote and on the receiver) are more user friendly but the sound quality is much better than the Sony even though the Sony claimed 100 watts and the Onkyo is 65 per channel. To summarize, if you've used a Sony it's a step down in usability but definitely a step up in sound quality and hopefully build quality.

 

[Ralph Bru]

Daniel Mc

I dont think so. like metioned thats just a maximum. my Onkyo gives plenty of power and I push them only around halfway. great combo, they sound excellent. 55 watts is plenty of power for them!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Walter Smailus]

The Onkyo TX-SR500 is 65 watts @ 8 ohms.
http://www.onkyousa.com/
The older model was 55 so if 55 is good enough then 65 should be more than good enough...

 

[GregoryM]

I have the Pioneer 711 driving a set of Polk 6600's. It has a decent remote, and setup is designed to make things a bit more user friendly. For example, when setting up for the first time, instead of setting delay times for the front and surround speakers, you program the distance in feet from your main listening position and the reciever sets the delays as appropriate. Depending on how much control you like to have, this may be a good thing or a bad thing.

It sounds just fine for movies; I've watched T2, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and Superman, and all show a marked improvement over the JVC (model number forgotten) I had been using. The crossover can be set to 100hz, 150hz, or 200hz, with lower frequencies being routed to the subwoofer or from smaller speakers to larger. Bass can be boosted, attenuated, or adjusted for "midnight listening". It has the new Prologic 2, which is supposed to simulate 5.1 with two-channel stereo, and does a fair job. You wouldn't mistake PL2 for DD, but it's an improved soundfield for those who prefer surround for all movies. Personally, I prefer the mono or stereo soundtrack if that is how it was originally recorded, but preferences vary. For the price, I'm happy with the HT performance.

For music, it's a bit less user-friendly; The only tone controls are basic bass and treble, but any music enthusiast is likely to have a seperate equilizer for music listening anyway. It has a typical variety of soundfield listening environments (stadium, hall, etc.), though I usually listen to plain 2 channel stereo. I did try the PL2 with stereo cd's and found the effect rather more pleasant than any of the simulated soundfields, though I still prefer basic two channel stereo.

Hookups were easy and quick, and the manual is well organized, making it easy to find whatever reference you need.

The remote is much nicer than the Sony I breifly considered (and rejected due to relative reliability of Pioneer and Sony), and has a set of controls that make running the DVD player from the reciever remote convenient.

Hope this helps.

Greg