THink of getting this Receiver for my set-up...

[PS34EVER]

I realize that many of you around here don't seem to like Sony Receivers, but I keep reading good reviews about this product and it happens to be the same one that my cousin has. It seems pretty nice. For it, click here.

I want to know what you guys think about this receiver and also where I can find some good speakers for it. Also, is it possible that this can be paired up with some satellite (wireless) speakers. I'm trying to find out if it can...

It's quite expensive, listed at $1699.99 @ Sony Style and Amazon, but I have managed to find it elsewhere online for about $1250.00 before tax. Is this a good deal? The thing that has me concerned is that I've read that it has some HDMI connectivity issues when connected to TV's and Players, and it is quite expensive. I was also looking at last year's model from Sony located here. For about half of the price, I am thinking that I should go with this model instead, and use the $700-$800 saved towards some better speakers.

Also, can anyone please point me in a good direction to find a good speaker set to connect to this receiver? And remember, satellite (wireless) ones are preferrred.

So, the questions that I need answered are:

1. Are these receivers compatible with Satellite speakers? Do Satellite speakers just connect to the receiver by registering them somehow?
2. Would this be a good Receiver too add for my set-up which consists of my PS3 and my Samsung HL-T5687s?

Thank You.

[crackinhedz]

personally I think you could get a better receiver for way less...

Pioneer Elite VSX92TXH for 799.99, from dealer!

(particularly the Pioneer Elite 94TXH for $999.99 )

[Downhere]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

personally I think you could get a better receiver for way less...

Pioneer Elite VSX92TXH for 799.99, from dealer!

(particularly the Pioneer Elite 94TXH for $999.99 )

+1 Pioneer Elite's are awesome receivers and would pretty much destroy any Sony receiver.

[ILLSQUAD2G]

Hello in regards to Sony receivers, the first thing you should take into account is the high distortion at rated power (its 0.09% or more cant remember) this is the distortion that is internally generated by the unit. They are also very low current in comparison to other units in this price range. So if you turn it up loud the unit will run out of juice and not provide clear sound or even high power for long periods especially with sound formats that have a large dynamic range. You would be far better off for sound quality alone with a Yamaha ,Onkyo , or Denon. I personally own the Onkyo 875 (upgrading to the 905 though for the toroidal transformer and separate Audio and Video power supplies) Well thats my 2 cents and for that much money DO NOT GET SONY. I WOULDN'T BUT THE ES UNITS EVEN IF THEY WERE SUB 800$

[PS34EVER]

Does anyone have any opinions/links on Speakers...?

[clyon]

Speaker reviews:
http://www.ultimateavmag.com/buyersg...peakersystems/

manufacturer site:

http://www.klipsch.com/default.aspx

http://www.harmanaudio.com/search_br...BFS&market=HOM

http://www.bostonacoustics.com/home_...ollection_id=1

http://www.kef.com/products.asp

www.atlantictechnology.com/

[PS34EVER]

What are the difference between the Elite and Normal AV receivers from Pioneer?

$499.99

$1600.00

Why such a big difference in price, and what are the major differences?

[Downhere]

Originally Posted by PS34EVER

What are the difference between the Elite and Normal AV receivers from Pioneer?

$499.99

$1600.00

Why such a big difference in price, and what are the major differences?

Well, the Elite receivers from Pioneer use higher quality components and a more robust amp section compared to the base units Pioneer offers. Now, if you look online you should be able to find the Pioneer Elite VSX-91TX for around the $800 mark.

Personally, I have owned receivers from the Sony ES line, Denon, Pioneer Elite, and Yamaha and to me personally the Pioneer Elite's have been the overall best receivers musically and for home theater.

[PS34EVER]

Originally Posted by Downhere

Well, the Elite receivers from Pioneer use higher quality components and a more robust amp section compared to the base units Pioneer offers. Now, if you look online you should be able to find the Pioneer Elite VSX-91TX for around the $800 mark.

Personally, I have owned receivers from the Sony ES line, Denon, Pioneer Elite, and Yamaha and to me personally the Pioneer Elite's have been the overall best receivers musically and for home theater.

I see that the VSX-1016TXV (the 499.99$ unit) doesn't support DTS-MA, but the Elite models do. Is this really that big of a drawback? Is DTS-MA really that big of a difference from other audio, such as: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital Plus and others?

Also, what are the big differences between these models:

VSX-94TXH
VSX-92TXH
VSX-91TXH

And another question. With my PS3 being my Blu-ray player, do I just need to connect my PS3 to one of these Elite Receivers with another HDMI cable to acheive my Premium Sound? And to get excellent sound from TV (such as DirecTV), do I need to connect another HDMI cable to my TV, or connect a Component cable to my DirecTV box?

Sorry for all of the questions, but you guys really seem to know your stuff.

Thanks so much!

[quetzalcoatl]

First off all elite parts are hand tested. They have been doing this for years with this line. So you get a 2 year war. provided you buy from a authorized dealer. Differences in those two units is huge. There are just too many to mention. But the lower one does not do any video processing at all. And the lower one cannot do DTS HD MA or TrueHD decoding. And does not list what type of HDMI it is using so it is probably 1.2. And this list can go on and on just look at the specs.

But the bottom line is the same reason Sony has a $300 receiver as well as the $1600 you asked about.

My first question would be how many HDMI devices are you going to be hooking up? Since the orignal receiver had 6.

Then since I see you have a PS3 are you going to keep that for you main Blu-ray player? Since it cannot bitsteam the audio the decoding for it is not as important.

Then lastly what is your budget? Speakers included. I know when I am doing a receiver upgrade I go as high as I can take spending since of all my componets I keep it the longest.

[Downhere]

Originally Posted by PS34EVER

I see that the VSX-1016TXV (the 499.99$ unit) doesn't support DTS-MA, but the Elite models do. Is this really that big of a drawback? Is DTS-MA really that big of a difference from other audio, such as: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital Plus and others?

Well, while the newer receivers that have HDMI 1.3 support DTS-MA, they only do so via bitstream. So, if your player cannot send the bitstream out it's pretty much useless either way. Now, the problem with the VSX-1016 is that I don't believe it will accept multi channel PCM from your Blu-ray player (PS3, etc.). So you would have to look at the Elites for that feature. The lowest Elite that accepts multi channel PCM would be the one I mentioned above.

Now if you want something in the $499 price range, you can look into the Denon receivers which most of their models will accept Multi channel PCM. The Denon AVR-1908 retails for $600, but if you look online you may find it cheaper. It was just released and may be something to look into.

http://usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/3635.asp

You could also look into last years models for Denon which can be had at good prices, albeit refurbed units which are practically brand new either way. You can check out ecost.com or secondact.com. I know ecost has the AVR-2807 for around $500. Might be something to consider as well.

[quetzalcoatl]

Originally Posted by PS34EVER

I see that the VSX-1016TXV (the 499.99$ unit) doesn't support DTS-MA, but the Elite models do. Is this really that big of a drawback? Is DTS-MA really that big of a difference from other audio, such as: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital Plus and others?

Since I just got my 95 Blu-ray player I can tell you without a doubt. Yes it is that big of a difference. I see the 91 was suggested I donot reccommed that unit since it does not do MA as well that starts with the 92. But remember your PS3 cannot do MA. So that would be for a future upgrade or waiting to see if FW will do it for you.

[PS34EVER]

Originally Posted by Downhere

Well, while the newer receivers that have HDMI 1.3 support DTS-MA, they only do so via bitstream. So, if your player cannot send the bitstream out it's pretty much useless either way. Now, the problem with the VSX-1016 is that I don't believe it will accept multi channel PCM from your Blu-ray player (PS3, etc.). So you would have to look at the Elites for that feature. The lowest Elite that accepts multi channel PCM would be the one I mentioned above.

Now if you want something in the $499 price range, you can look into the Denon receivers which most of their models will accept Multi channel PCM. The Denon AVR-1908 retails for $600, but if you look online you may find it cheaper. It was just released and may be something to look into.

http://usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/3635.asp

You could also look into last years models for Denon which can be had at good prices, albeit refurbed units which are practically brand new either way. You can check out ecost.com or secondact.com. I know ecost has the AVR-2807 for around $500. Might be something to consider as well.

I see. Thanks for that info. I also edited the previous post and added some more questions. Could you answer those as well? Thanks!

[PS34EVER]

Originally Posted by quetzalcoatl

Since I just got my 95 Blu-ray player I can tell you without a doubt. Yes it is that big of a difference. I see the 91 was suggested I donot reccommed that unit since it does not do MA as well that starts with the 92. But remember your PS3 cannot do MA. So that would be for a future upgrade or waiting to see if FW will do it for you.

If you click on the Specifications on the 91, it says it does MA...

Are you sure? It's right there on Pioneer's website...

[Downhere]

Originally Posted by quetzalcoatl

Since I just got my 95 Blu-ray player I can tell you without a doubt. Yes it is that big of a difference. I see the 91 was suggested I donot reccommed that unit since it does not do MA as well that starts with the 92. But remember your PS3 cannot do MA. So that would be for a future upgrade or waiting to see if FW will do it for you.

Your actually thinking of the VSX-90 that cannot do DTS-MA or TrueHD. The VSX-91 does have those features...

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pn...tailsComponent

[quetzalcoatl]

For your connections for the best sound and picture you would just use HDMI cables. If you want to make it to where you have a choice for my HR20. I run a HDMI to my receiver and I also run componet to my TV directly with RCAs. That way I can listen to it with or without the surround system. The big difference between the 91 and 92 is the video decoding. For the 92 to 94. You get one more HDMI connection, 10 more watts per channel, and usb connection, and a ethernet connection. The ethernet allows for what Pioneer calls Home Media Gallery use.

[Downhere]

Originally Posted by PS34EVER

And another question. With my PS3 being my Blu-ray player, do I just need to connect my PS3 to one of these Elite Receivers with another HDMI cable to acheive my Premium Sound? And to get excellent sound from TV (such as DirecTV), do I need to connect another HDMI cable to my TV, or connect a Component cable to my DirecTV box?

Sorry for all of the questions, but you guys really seem to know your stuff.

Thanks so much!

All you would need for your PS3 is just an HDMI cable. That will send out your audio/video in one shot. Then another HDMI cable to go from your receiver to your display. For DirecTV, if it has an HDMI cable I think it would work similar to your PS3.

[quetzalcoatl]

Originally Posted by Downhere

Your actually thinking of the VSX-90 that cannot do DTS-MA or TrueHD. The VSX-91 does have those features...

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pn...tailsComponent

You are right was thinking the 90. Thanks

[PS34EVER]

Originally Posted by quetzalcoatl

First off all elite parts are hand tested. They have been doing this for years with this line. So you get a 2 year war. provided you buy from a authorized dealer. Differences in those two units is huge. There are just too many to mention. But the lower one does not do any video processing at all. And the lower one cannot do DTS HD MA or TrueHD decoding. And does not list what type of HDMI it is using so it is probably 1.2. And this list can go on and on just look at the specs.

But the bottom line is the same reason Sony has a $300 receiver as well as the $1600 you asked about.

My first question would be how many HDMI devices are you going to be hooking up? Since the orignal receiver had 6.

Then since I see you have a PS3 are you going to keep that for you main Blu-ray player? Since it cannot bitsteam the audio the decoding for it is not as important.

Then lastly what is your budget? Speakers included. I know when I am doing a receiver upgrade I go as high as I can take spending since of all my componets I keep it the longest.

Alright. Yes, my PS3 is going to be my Blu-ray player (at least for the next 1-2 years) as I simply cannot afford to go out and buy a stand alone Blu-ray player.

As for my HDMI devices. I am going to have my PS3, my Samsung TV (3 HDMI ports), my A/V Receiver (probably one of the Pioneer Elite's), and maybe a HD DirecTV box-if they have HDMI ports. I am not sure if they do or not, since I have no HD Satellite Receiver yet.

Budget, I would like to spend no more than $2000-$2500 (preferably $2000) total with the Receiver/speakers.

Thoughts?

[Downhere]

Originally Posted by PS34EVER

Budget, I would like to spend no more than 2000-2500 total with the Receiver/speakers.

Thoughts?

As for speakers, that is very subjective. One speaker may be great sounding for someone but not for somebody else.

You may want to go out to an Electronics store and start listening to some of their speakers. Or, you could go the Internet direct route and look into Internet speaker companies that give you some great bang for the buck as far as quality goes. I know you can get a whole nice set up from SVS including sub or you could check into Ascend Acoustics and add an SVS or Hsu sub to that. But, it will depend on what kind of sound you like.