VSX-94TXH vrs STR-DA4300ES

[Koop]

I'm one of those guys that'll buy a reciever and keep it for like 10 years. This would be replacing my Technics system I baught back in 95' Just haven't had a need or desire to replace it until now. Mainly since I picked up the Samsung LNT4671.

So by the sounds of it your saying the pioneer is a better buy over sony, even though it only has a 2 year warrenty?

[true2_blu]

Originally Posted by Koop

I'm one of those guys that'll buy a reciever and keep it for like 10 years. This would be replacing my Technics system I baught back in 95' Just haven't had a need or desire to replace it until now. Mainly since I picked up the Samsung LNT4671.

So by the sounds of it your saying the pioneer is a better buy over sony, even though it only has a 2 year warrenty?

Sony's new ES line is very good. The 5300ES has gotten some very positive reviews, the extra HDMI inputs and all the bells and whistles it provides for the price is a great deal. Pioneer Elite receivers have always been outstanding. It all depends on what type of sound your looking for, what will you use your receiver for, HT or music, do you need extra inputs, IMHO Pioneer Elite has better sound quality than Sony ES, but again thats IMHO. You just have to demo both of them and decide for yourself. I have an Elite 84 and was thinking of upgrading to the Elite 92 or the 5300ES, I'll most likely end up with the Elite 92 I just really like Pioneer and cost wise its less and I dont really need the extra audio and video inputs and bells and whistles the 94 and 5300 offer. I must say if your looking for a future proof receiver with all the extras, and dont mind spending the money you can't go wrong with either the 5300ES or Elite 94.

[jon s]

Normally, I am a big fan of Sony's ES product line but lately their lineup has been sorely lacking. Their amp sections are rated at two channels driven simultaneously. Reading most reviews (Home Theater mag & Ultimate AV just reviewed the 4300), you will find the Sony runs out of steam when all channels are run simultaneously. Ultimate AV reported that the amp reaches 150wpc when two channles are driven but the amp falls to 45wpc when all channels are driven... a big drop in power... they said "when pushed to reference levels, the Sony started to run out of steam and sounded slightly strained.". Definitely not a good sign.

My favorite right now is the Onkyo lineup. They are beefy and the top three or four models pretty much deliver over 100wpc pretty easily. It shows in their weights too. The Onkyos are about 50lbs, the Sony is 33lbs, a good 33% less. The only issue with the Onkyo is that units prior to firmware 1.08 have a DTS HD Master decoding flaw which can be remedied by flashing the DSPs from a CD player.

I have two Sony ES receivers, a Denon receiver and the Onkyo. The Onkyo is easily the best value. I must admit that the Sony graphical OSD is pretty cool and easy to maneuver about in.