why should i pick the 45 over the 43? (pioneer) (1 Viewer)

[Christ Reynolds]

ok ive been comparing receivers for a little while now. what advantages is the pioneer elite vsx-45tx over the vsx-43tx? what about usb and rs232 ports, what am i going to use them for. can the unit be upgraded through the serial rs232 port? and how much better is the auto mccac than the manual? they are only about a $100 difference on ebay, the 45 is ~850 and the 43 is 750. thanks for any help

CJ

 

[Aaron H]

Be sure and read thru this
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=168757

 

[Christ Reynolds]

thanks a lot for the link, its very informative.

CJ

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

The only 2 differences i can see in the 43TX and the 45TX are the 45TX has Auto MCACC and a better remote control. The Auto MCACC has been highly touted by 49TX owners and could possibly be worthe ther extra $$. The remote is also a decent step up from the remote that comes w/ the 43TX. The 43TX remote was a grey rectangle w/ small buttons and smaller print. It wasn't even as user friendly as the Elite 41 and D811S remotes. If you go w/ the 43TX, i'd also get a good learning remote.

I plan to upgrade to one of these receivers in the next 3 or 4 months (maybe around christmas). Which i get will probably be dependant on $$$ at the time. I would like to get the 45TX because of the MCACC, but i won't feel disapointed if i have to "settle" for the 43TX. I use a palm pilot w/ omniremote as a great learnign touch screen remote, so the 45TX remote wouldn't be a big selling point for me.

P.S. I also noticed that the 45TX has RS-232 serial interface. I've never really understood what this is used for, but i think it's used by some really high end computer controlled HT systems, but i'm not really sure.

P.S.S I keep noticing little differences. The 45TX has a front optical and the 43 doesn't. I would have assumed all of the newer elite receivers would since my 811S has this. The 45TX also has a USB port on the rear and the 43TX doesn't. What this is used for i have no idea.

P.S.S.S Okay this is a pretty big feature difference for some people. The amps on the 45TX are reassignable for multi room multi source, while the 43TX does not have this.

It seams like all of this is starting to add up and i think i would prefer to go with the 45TX, especially since i've been hearing some people finding it for around $800 shipped online, while the cheapest i've found the 43TX is $750 + shipping.

 

[Aaron H]

P.S. I also noticed that the 45TX has RS-232 serial interface. I've never really understood what this is used for, but i think it's used by some really high end computer controlled HT systems, but i'm not really sure.

The RS232 port is also used for future firmware updates and other upgrade options. I think this is a great feature and the reason many people are picking up the Rotel 1066 over the Outlaw 950, which doesn't have the RS232 port.

Aaron

 

[MikeRP]

Buy the 45 - no doubt the auto mcacc is worth the $100 or even $200 bucks.

Great feature let alone the other features.

Mike

 

[Serge Breton]

the 43tx has mcacc doesen't it? I believe the 43tx has manual mcacc while the 45, 47, 49tx all have auto mcacc.....

 

[MikeRP]

Serge: I cheated and edited my post...


Mike

 

[Serge Breton]

Mike,

just trying to say that the 43tx looks to be as much as a bargain as the 45tx at their respective price points. I should buy one of these but i have a Denon 2802 arriving shortly to be used as a home theater only prepro. If the 2802 doesen't hold it's weight then i'll get the Pioneer....

 

[Adrian_S]

Can anybody post close-up pictures of the front and the rear this receiver?

 

[David Judah]

Differences between 45 & 43TX:

1.Auto MCACC(worth the difference alone)
2.Phono input
3.On-Screen display
4.All key illumination on the remote
5.Multi-room/Multi-source with video
6.RS-232 port
7.12V trigger
8.5 digital inputs(adds an additional front optical port)
9.USB terminal

DJ

 

[DanielSmi]

other difference:
45: 41lbs. 6oz.
43: 38lbs. 3oz.
better build quality?

The USB port is used to connect to your computer so your 45tx can decode some the audio for your computer. I've don't have one but some people on this forum do so maybe they could tell us how it works and what exactly it decodes. I'd go with the auto MCACC instead of manual because I think it's pretty easy to mess up the equalizer if you don't know what you're doing. But then the 43tx does have some sort of guide to help you throught but I don't know how good it its at helping you.

Daniel Smith

 

[Chris S]

Adrian,
There are some pics on the second page of the Goodbye 3802, Hello Elite thread.
Chris S.

 

[David Judah]

The 45TX uses a Texas Instruments PCM2902 chip to convert the signal for playback(info here)from the USB input. It runs at a max of 16/48, but since most computer audio is ultra compressed, it won't be a limiting factor. For fun I'll try it out and see what kind of files it supports.
When I was looking at the service manual it had a contrast of the different parts used between the 45 & 43. The 43 uses a different board and has some different internal parts, but since I don't know alot about circuit design, I couldn't begin to describe the advantages or disadvantages between the two. Of course, the bottom line is how they sound, so you'll have to listen and form your own opinions.
DJ

 

[Dalton]

I should buy one of these but i have a Denon 2802 arriving shortly to be used as a home theater only prepro

Serge,
I had the 2802 in my system for a while and i believe it is a good processor. IMO, the 45tx offers better processing and more features. That being said, the 2802 is also about $400 less than the 45tx. Good luck.

Dalton

 

[Brae]

David [Judah], do you know what spec the caps are on the 45TX? I mean the caps storing the charge for the amplification? Are they direct-soldered to a board or via wire (any chance of adding another in-parallel)?

 

[Brae]

I'll 2nd what Chris about the other thread, and for anyone considering it or another Elite try this thread, too.
BTW, has anyone wired their XP PC to the USB port, yet? I would have had they chose the same physical connector typically found on PC's for both ends of the connector and not that more squarish connector. What were they thinking?

 

[David Judah]

Brae,

If I remember correctly, they were soldered to the board. I don't think there would be enough room to add another.

As far as the USB connector goes, JVC uses the same kind on their receivers too.

DJ

 

[MikeRP]

Brae:

I think David listed the Cap specs in another thread. Someting like 44000 uF. Micro farads? He said, I beleive, that he used to seeing 80,000 for a stand alone amp but was not disappointed in this amp. I'm paraphasing from memory - at 4 am I can't find anything let alone another thread!
It could even be in this thread.

See ya all!

Mike

Well I found it - see Goodbye 3802 - Hello elite thread.

Great discussion there by DJ on the unit. Thanks again DJ!

 

[Brae]

Morning Mike. Yes, I do remember reading the value of the capacitance, but wondered how it was physically attached. Had it not been directly to a PC board then I thought about simply soldering, in parallel, another one of equal size. This would double the stored charge, essentially. But, being that its directly to the board, no go for me.