Sorry for another one of these threads...but i'm trying to decide between these 2 receivers. I think they seem to have about the same features and number of inputs. Just wondering if one is easier to use than the other or would sound a lot better. Also if anyone thinks there are better options out there for around the same price or a little less, I'm open to suggestions. Thanks in advance.
i like the amount of inputs and the video switching of these two. and where i am thinking about getting the speakers the sony is probably the least expensive receiver they offer. so i decided to look around in that price range and the pioneer elite seemed to be on about the same level. but as i said before, i'd be open to other suggestions.
I see the Sony in Crutchfield's catalog for about $800. You could buy lots of alternatives for $800. But you will give up many of the mass market features of either company. ES and Elite are rebadged products from Sony and Pioneer's mass market lines with a few upscale features and appearance thrown in to entice a different buyer - one who is worn out buying numerous low end mass market products. Since their inception as upscale lines about 20 years ago both companies have turned out some very good and in some cases standard setting products, notably Sony with their digital players (CD and SACD/DSD) and Pioneer with their universal digital players. (Pioneer led the field in LaserDisc technology but has never regained that position after DVD eclipsed the larger disc.) The receivers from either company have generally not been standard setting achievements and remain more as a way to sell an entire Sony or Pioneer system to the appearance/facility conscious buyer than as real effort to move the art of audio forward. Therefore, you could do much worse than either ES or Elite - though it would be more difficult to do so at the $800-1,000 range - but you can do much better IMO.
You will typically give up some flexibity in inputs and outputs when moving away from the more mass market driven approach to a do everything with one remote receiver. Features that are unique to ES and Elite - which normally have nice acronyms to define what the hot circuit is called this year - will be another give up in a trade off for what we can hope is a better quality product overall. So you end up trading off buttons and remote functions and ins and outs for better sound quality as the selling point for any other brand of higher audio pedigree.
As to recommendations I have no idea what you really need to make you happy. I would tell you most people don't use the ins and outs of most modern HT receiver and the remotes are less functional than the manufacturer suggests once the system is up and running. Less watts per channel would be acceptable if you are convinced they are higher quality watts. Look through the archives of this forum for advice on HT receivers in your price range and go from there. Ask what other products the retailers have to offer and ask for a fair demonstartion based on what you now perceive as your needs and desires. If the ES or Elite still tops the list, either is functionally the equivalent of the other in terms of quality IMO.
You might ask about the service centers for either line and whether you'll have easy access to repairs should they be required. Most of the mass market lines no longer support local shops and the product will need to be shipped to a central service center for most repairs, the same will be true for many of the lesser known lines. Ask about reliability since anything sounds better in your home than in someone else's service department.