The Official Pioneer Elite 21/23/25/27 Receivers Thread

[Steve]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

According to think link, the LAN is used to do firmware updates....so my guess is yes, the SC's can do this and the VSX cannot.

Thanks for the link forsberg. I was not aware you could do that. My apologies to dvdwatcher for providing inaccurate information.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by fireman325

Thanks for the link forsberg. I was not aware you could do that. My apologies to dvdwatcher for providing inaccurate information.

I didn't know this either until 3 minutes ago....

[dvdwatcher]

Yes I noticed yesterday the SC series all has a "Update" link on the spec sheet from Pioneer.

I like the idea of streaming music and stuff also but the cost is a factor. Huge factor I mean at 700 plus differance is the ICE amp and the LAN really that needed. I just want a really good reciever from Pioneer at a descent price, I dont know if I can justify to my wife a 1000 dollar receiver vs a 500 dollar one.

I tried to search but I couldnt really find and bench marks or comparissons on the ICE Amp and Discrete (A.D. Energy). I mean I see the wattage differance but what about quality?

And if I chose say the VSX-21 will it have enough power for the setup I want?

Polk 70's
SC2
4 FXi's

[carlmill]

Went in to Best Buy (Magnolia) to buy a VSX-23 today. Just for the heck of it I asked to listen to some music comparing the 23 with the SC-25. Bad/good move walked out with the 25! They will match any online pricing you bring in w/o fuss and you get the factory warrantee, 30 day return (and get to pay sales tax). Are we allowed to mention prices in this forum?

Carl

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by carlmill

Went in to Best Buy (Magnolia) to buy a VSX-23 today. Just for the heck of it I asked to listen to some music comparing the 23 with the SC-25. Bad/good move walked out with the 25! They will match any online pricing you bring in w/o fuss and you get the factory warrantee, 30 day return (and get to pay sales tax). Are we allowed to mention prices in this forum?

Carl

Congrats on the SC-25....and yes, you can tell us how much you got it for.......and some pics please, or it never happened. (Welcome to the forum by the way too!)

The ICE amps do make a sonic difference IMO. The audio just sounds cleaner and stripped down. It has a less "processed" sound, if you will. Basically, the Ice amps run cooler because of it's "switching" method. This helps the Ice amps in being quite efficient too, because by being so efficient, less power is actually lost from the heat emitted from the receiver.

[Jwilly019]

Originally Posted by dvdwatcher

And if I chose say the VSX-21 will it have enough power for the setup I want?

Polk 70's
SC2
4 FXi's

Yes, you'll be able to power those just fine.

Justin

[carlmill]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Congrats on the SC-25....and yes, you can tell us how much you got it for.......and some pics please, or it never happened. (Welcome to the forum by the way too!)

The lowest price I found surfing "reputable" online retailers was $1009; BB accepted that.

Looking at the Pioneer site I see that the listed retail price for the VSX-23 has gone from $900 to $1000?

Carl

[Steve]

Originally Posted by carlmill

The lowest price I found surfing "reputable" online retailers was $1009; BB accepted that.

Carl

I don't think you're gonna do much better than that.

[ryan4blu]

Originally Posted by fireman325

I don't think you're gonna do much better than that.

sad thing is that i am considering on returning my vsx 23 for a 25 or 27. should i do it? or keep what i got and add an amp?

[Steve]

Originally Posted by ryan4blu

sad thing is that i am considering on returning my vsx 23 for a 25 or 27. should i do it? or keep what i got and add an amp?

The 23 is a nice receiver. I don't know how much you'll gain in processing by going from the 23 to the 25 or 27, but you would be going to a completely different type of amp. If more power is what you're after, but you're otherwise happy with your current receiver, then I might go the route of adding a separate amp. An Emotiva XPA-5 (5 channel receiver, 200/watts per channel) can be bought for $700, whereas the cheapest I've seen the SC-25 sell for from an authorized dealer is $1048. If you're running a 7.1 setup then you would obviously have to spend more to get another 2 channel amp or one 7 channel amp. Or you could let your receiver continue to power your surround backs. You could also look at going with a 3 channel amp for just your front stage and continue to drive your surrounds with your receiver. There's a lot of options to consider if you decide to add a separate amp.

[PerL]

Hi, I don't have the sc-25 reciever yet (lx-72 in my part of the world = sweden), but it looks like one of the main candidates for my soon to be upgrade :-)

Does anybody know if it is the whole firmware including core functionality of the reciever that can be updated over the net, or if it's just a subset of functionality for the image browsing etc. (home media gallery)?
If that is so I would still have to send it in if any bugs were present in the more important parts of the reciever software.
With the complexity of these things and that HDMI compatibility mess that's a bit worrying.

What is the previous experience from older pio recievers, were there bugs that needed updates or are they very careful in testing?

Thanks,
Per

[petty77]

I am planning on buying the sc-27 a couple days after Christmas. I have [noticed it is jumping in price. I saw it on for around 1245 or so on amazon and some other web sites. I know see it 1400 on amazon. Do you think it will drop again soon?

[ryan4blu]

Originally Posted by fireman325

The 23 is a nice receiver. I don't know how much you'll gain in processing by going from the 23 to the 25 or 27, but you would be going to a completely different type of amp. If more power is what you're after, but you're otherwise happy with your current receiver, then I might go the route of adding a separate amp. An Emotiva XPA-5 (5 channel receiver, 200/watts per channel) can be bought for $700, whereas the cheapest I've seen the SC-25 sell for from an authorized dealer is $1048. If you're running a 7.1 setup then you would obviously have to spend more to get another 2 channel amp or one 7 channel amp. Or you could let your receiver continue to power your surround backs. You could also look at going with a 3 channel amp for just your front stage and continue to drive your surrounds with your receiver. There's a lot of options to consider if you decide to add a separate amp.

thanks, ya i have considered that idea. also a few others have recommended that setup. i think a 3 channel amp would work better, thanks

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by petty77

I am planning on buying the sc-27 a couple days after Christmas. I have [noticed it is jumping in price. I saw it on for around 1245 or so on amazon and some other web sites. I know see it 1400 on amazon. Do you think it will drop again soon?

The best place I know to look for a Pioneer Elite is 6th Ave. Check their website and if you don't see anything, give them a call. They sometimes have them in stock but not shown on their website. 6th Ave usually has pretty good prices on the Elites.....its worth it to give them a look to at least compare prices.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by ryan4blu

thanks, ya i have considered that idea. also a few others have recommended that setup. i think a 3 channel amp would work better, thanks

Good luck ryan....the XPA-3 is still a great amp! All I know is when the time comes for me, I am going with the XPA-5....I will probably power all but my rear surrounds and let the SC-05 take of them. With so little audio tracks with 7 channels, I think it is much more worth it and a better future proofing move to get the XPA-5 than the XPA-3, especially since the price difference is only $180 for the extra 2 channels........

[beefytwinkie]

Originally Posted by carlmill

The lowest price I found surfing "reputable" online retailers was $1009; BB accepted that.

Looking at the Pioneer site I see that the listed retail price for the VSX-23 has gone from $900 to $1000?

Carl

Can you please tell me which online retailer you are referring to? I want to pick one up soon. Thanks!

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by PerL

Hi, I don't have the sc-25 reciever yet (lx-72 in my part of the world = sweden), but it looks like one of the main candidates for my soon to be upgrade :-)

Does anybody know if it is the whole firmware including core functionality of the reciever that can be updated over the net, or if it's just a subset of functionality for the image browsing etc. (home media gallery)?
If that is so I would still have to send it in if any bugs were present in the more important parts of the reciever software.
With the complexity of these things and that HDMI compatibility mess that's a bit worrying.

What is the previous experience from older pio recievers, were there bugs that needed updates or are they very careful in testing?

Thanks,
Per

Yes, I'm pretty sure the receiver can be updated over the net using the LAN interface....here is a link as to how that works......

[bighouse]

What is the best price someone has found the pioneer elite vsx-21. I found one on price grabber for $450. 6ave says they will beat any price on price grabber. Has anyone dealt with them before. Also, for the price, does anyone believe there is a better receiver out on the market. I just want the best receiver I can afford and I can't afford anything over $500. I love all the info I have read on this site. You guys really seem to know your stuff.

Sorry about all the questions.

[Steve]

Bighouse I just checked on this very receiver for someone else a few minutes ago at 6th Ave and was told it was currently $499. That's a good price IMO, but if they would match or beat $450 then that's even better. I'm not saying this is THE best receiver out there for the price, but I believe it's among the best in its price range. What I like better about the Pioneer than other brands like Onkyo is that it has a full set of pre-outs which gives you the option of adding a separate amp down the road if you want to. Without pre-outs you would have to start all over with a new receiver or pre/pro if you ever wanted to add an amp. 6th Ave also does free shipping (or at least they did for my SC-25) and you don't get charged sales tax unless you live in a state where they have a physical store.

[carlmill]

Originally Posted by beefytwinkie

Can you please tell me which online retailer you are referring to? I want to pick one up soon. Thanks!

Best I see today with a few minutes search is $1014 at http://www.tvcity.tv/productview.aspx?ID=2798

Prices seem to change daily.

Good Luck,

Carl