Pioneer 1019

[gillies]

Broke down and bought a Pioneer 1019 today because Best Buy had an open box for a great price - $400. Went home, read the manuel, hooked it up, ran the MCACC, and sat down for a listen to Hellboy II and Sniff-n-the Tears' "Drivers Seat" and Monster Magnet's "Silver Future." All three of these sources represent a bit of my taste and a true torture test for my system.

The Pioneer 1019??? FAIL.

I do not claim to be any audiophile, but I like my music and movies and have since the purchase of my first system in 1980. Like most of you, I've listened to countless other systems over the years, and I know what I like in the price range I can afford. The Pioneer 1019 aint it.

Compared to my nine-year-old Yamaha HTR5450, the Pioneer sounds thin, harsh, and lacking in substance. Sure, it gets loud, but I got a headache after only a few minutes of it turned up to what the display said was "0db". The same sound level with my old Yamaha rocks my world, and I can spend hours listening to it. The HTR5450 sounds much fuller, richer, and with a substance that fills the room but doesn't drive me away.

Tomorrow the Pioneer goes back to Best Buy. I've been wanting a new receiver for the full HDMI and benefit of all the new advances that have been made in the last nine years, but sound quality still counts and, in my opinion, the Pioneer 1019 doesn't have it.

P.S. At indicated "0db" while playing music, the 1019 repeatedly shut down and reset itself like maybe it was overtaxed? Never had a receiver do this before in my life. Maybe there is something to be said for the physical weight of a receiver - the 1019 is light, light, light compared to my 5450.

Lastly, I've really been wanting the Marantz SR6003 but thought I'd give the 1019 a try because of the cheap deal and relatively good reviews I'd read on the boards and at Cnet. Can anyone here with Marantz SR6003 experience tell me if this is the way to go? Will it power my system and not sound like a banshee screaming in my ear?