If someone said they were gonna buy a Pioneer VSX-1015TX what would you suggest in place of it.
bustertn
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Ok I have been looking for a while and seen both good and bad posts on this and other boards about my potential choice. I am looking in the price range of the 1015 and I do not have by any means a great ear for good sound. Currently I am upgrading my home theater setup. I have recently purchased a HDTV and now want to start to focus on my audio. I currently have a kenwood HTIB system that I have had for 3 or 4 years and its a bit underpowered but I have little complaint about the actual sound quality(although I realize it shouldnt be that hard to upgrade my sound). My main reason to upgrade right now (and start with my receiver which I realize wont give me the sound upgrade I will get after I upgrade my speakers) is that I am short on digital optical connections to my reciever otherwise I would work on speakers first.
I would like to have 3 optical(or more) and 1 (or more) digital coax. I would also like 2 or more Component Video Inputs.
This setup will listen to 5% music, 70% movies/TV, and 25% games
Speaker upgrades will most likely happen shortly after christmas unless I start with a new center or fronts.
bustertn
Unregistered guest
Posted on
oh yes and I am willing to get a refurb if its got a factory warranty
ZiggyZoggyOiOiOi
Unregistered guest
Posted on
The Pioneer 1015 seems like a pretty decent unit, but it's lacking some features that it "should" have (adjustable bass crossover frequency, to name one). Part of what you're paying for in the price of a 1015 is the THX certification, which is not worth much to me.
I just picked up a Harman/Kardon AVR235 from Harman Direct on E-bay for $261 to use as a pre/pro in a new system that has all the features you're looking for and should sound great on its own (i.e. without an external amp). The models above the 235 would serve you well, too, but they cost more.
The Yamaha HTR-5860/5890 or RX-V657/757 should also provide everything you're looking for.
I agree with Ziggy. I have an HK AVR335 and it's surround and music performance is excellent. I won't discourage you from the Pioneer,however I will say that THX certification is rather overrated as there is a lot of equipment out there than isn't THX certified that will easy meet and often exceed its THX counterparts in way of performance.Since THX came into play in home equipment, there have been several instances where a THX peice of equipment has had problems such as the chroma upsampling error bug that plagued Onkyo THX dvd players in the past,yet they still passed these supposedly strict standards. In short don't choose a piece of gear over another just because it has the THX badge on it, give both a good listen. Good luck in your audio pursuits!
I'm really surprised that the Pioneer is stuck with 80 Hz bass management...
ZiggyZoggyOiOiOi
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Peter... I was surprised about that myself.. I even e-mailed Pioneer to confirm. They also don't offer an AV Sync/delay. Those 2 items made the 1015 disappear off my list real quick.
Glad I didn't buy a 1014 last year! I think the flexible bass management of the h/k 325 is what turned out to be the most valuable feature in my case...
bustertn, this is a limiting factor if you end up with speakers of varying capabilities all around. My mains are at 40 Hz, my surrounds at 60 Hz and my center at 80 Hz. On 2-channel, i set the mains to large and the sub to R+L at 40 Hz.
bustertn
Unregistered guest
Posted on
thanks for the replys. I know hks have a good rep. I have two questions about them though
1) I know a 50watt per channel hk has more power than a 50watt walmart special.. but which current models would give me close to the same power of the 1015?
2) I notice that a lot of the hks on ebay atm look to be old models.. am I going to be making a mistake to look at an older model?
No buster n. Any of the current HK models starting with the entry model the Avr135 wil be about as powerful and dynamic as the 1014. Certainly the AVR235 and AVR335 will and any model above these such as the 435 or 635 will beat the pants off the Pioneer. You can look at the older models on Ebay as well. Look at the 230 or 330 or higher as I don't think the entry model,although quite good, will be enough to satisfy your needs.
ZiggyZoggyOiOiOi
Unregistered guest
Posted on
also make sure you check out the HK refurbs from Harman direct. Edster turned me on to them - factory refurbs sold directly by HK with full factory warranty. Just search E-bay stores for Harman. As I said earlier, just won an auction today for an AVR235 for $261. Best price on a new one from an authorized dealer (onecall.com) was ~$350.
Nothing so magical about 100W anyway. I just spent an hour listening at about 0.01W...
bustertn
Unregistered guest
Posted on
ok you sold me on the HKs I think. I now have a new addiction thats called ebay.. anybody able give me a clue on average prices for the 230s-430s I hate to overpay and I think I can figure out what what i should be paying for the current models