Pioneer VSX-1015TX and VSX-52TX

Which one should I get? I can get the Elite 52TX for about 150 more, but is it worth it? I'd be using this just as much for music as i would video, if not more so. Does anyone have any experience with the "musicality" of these units? I think I am leaning toward the 1015TX for less money and it seems to all the same specs (in fact it has 10 more watts/channel albeit at a little higher THD %. I think I've read somewhere online that the 1015 shares the internal componentry with the 52TX. If so, its a no brainer. Thanks for any input. By the way either of these units will be mated with an Energy Take 5.2 system.

Go with the Elite. I've heard the circuitry is totally upgraded on the Elite models, and they have a sweet sound to them compared to the standard Pioneers. You can't discount distortion. I can't believe Pioneer is rating the 1015 at .2 THD. It should be either .05 or .08. That's how companies skew numbers to hit the magic buttons. I know a few guys running Elite models with Krell monoblocs and 7' tall electrostats. We're talking big bucks. If they trust Elite, spend the extra $$ and get the best.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4155_123728223_tab=B,00.html?compName=PNA_ProductDetailComponent

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4153_209686388_tab=B,00.html?compName=PNA_ProductDetailComponent

kjhawkm said:

Which one should I get? I can get the Elite 52TX for about 150 more, but is it worth it? I'd be using this just as much for music as i would video, if not more so. Does anyone have any experience with the "musicality" of these units? I think I am leaning toward the 1015TX for less money and it seems to all the same specs (in fact it has 10 more watts/channel albeit at a little higher THD %. I think I've read somewhere online that the 1015 shares the internal componentry with the 52TX. If so, its a no brainer. Thanks for any input. By the way either of these units will be mated with an Energy Take 5.2 system.

Click to expand...

The 1014/1015 is a rebadged Elite 52TX. The 1014/1015 use the the same internal components, amplifiers and power supply. They share a common service manual, weigh the same and have identical power input ratings.

These are the features removed from the 52TX to make the 1014:

12 volt trigger, RS 232 interface, second room outputs.
The 52TX also has a extra year of warranty and glossy black finish.

The 1015 is the recently shipped upgrade to the 1014. It has these added features:

- 3rd Component video input
- 100Mhz Component Video
- THX "Select 2" certified
- New THX Music, Game, and Select2 Cinema modes
- New THX setting for distance between Surround Rear speakers (used with 7.1 only, to help with their new THX processing modes)
- WMA9-Pro decoding
- Dolby PLIIx can now be used with a DTS source
- Optical Inputs are in a different location on the back panel
- Blue LED on power button (instead of no LED)
- Some new setup recommendations from THX in the manual.
- Setup microphone is slightly different, now has a plastic base, rather than a removable foam one.

The amplifier in all three units is the same. The 1015 is rated at a higher distortion level so they could "add" 10 more watts to the output without changing anything in the amplifier. I think that is called a marketing upgrade.

I own the 1014 and enjoy listening to music with it but I don't have your speakers and I mostly listen to 2 channel music with dlpII.

You're the man

Rumble,

Pioneer finally answered back. Seems like you are the man. Here's my email to them, and their response:

Date: 04/29/05
To: customer.support@pioneerservice.com
Subject: Feature and Specification|A00001|6144719582[#923043]


Inquiry:I am looking into a recommendation on the Pioneer surround
receivers and am trying to dispell a myth that you are rebadging receivers.
There is a $350 price difference here, and I can't imagine
Pioneer doing this for profit's sake.

From: customer.support@pioneerservice.com

Thank you for contacting Pioneer Electronics, Inc.
Sorry for the delay in responding.
The units are very similar. The links on the forum are pretty much
correct.
The Elite does offer features that will set it apart.
The VSX-52TX offers our Elite channel exclusivity in the custom area
with the 12v trigger, rs232, multi-room and source. A mechanical feature
of the VSX-52TX that is not on the 1015 is the "transtabelizer"...
A rigidity bar that runs across the bottom to counter resonance... We
also offer 2 yr. warranty and the Elite cosmetic.

If the customer does not have the need for the custom features or the
cosmetic... They should run over to Best Buy and grab a 1015TX...

I'm losing faith in the Elite line.

Wow i can not believe that pioneer said that. I was actually thinking about getting a Pioneer Elite Reciever, but not anymore.

Buckeyefan 1 said:

Rumble,

Pioneer finally answered back. Seems like you are the man. Here's my email to them, and their response:

Date: 04/29/05
To: customer.support@pioneerservice.com
Subject: Feature and Specification|A00001|6144719582[#923043]


Inquiry:I am looking into a recommendation on the Pioneer surround
receivers and am trying to dispell a myth that you are rebadging receivers.
There is a $350 price difference here, and I can't imagine
Pioneer doing this for profit's sake.

From: customer.support@pioneerservice.com

Thank you for contacting Pioneer Electronics, Inc.
Sorry for the delay in responding.
The units are very similar. The links on the forum are pretty much
correct.
The Elite does offer features that will set it apart.
The VSX-52TX offers our Elite channel exclusivity in the custom area
with the 12v trigger, rs232, multi-room and source. A mechanical feature
of the VSX-52TX that is not on the 1015 is the "transtabelizer"...
A rigidity bar that runs across the bottom to counter resonance... We
also offer 2 yr. warranty and the Elite cosmetic.

If the customer does not have the need for the custom features or the
cosmetic... They should run over to Best Buy and grab a 1015TX...

I'm losing faith in the Elite line.

Click to expand...

I did a ton of research before buying the 1014. Of course I never thought of writing the company and asking them. Doh.

Did not know about the missing "transtabelizer". This thing is so darn heavy I don't want to be any where near it if starts to resonate anyway.

Don't lose faith, the Elite line is still the same. With the 1014/1015 an informed consumer has a chance to get an almost Elite level receiver at a much lower price point. Pioneer gets some volume sales on a product that it has already paid for the design/production and the thx certification. And they get to stick it to the competition.

When you buy and Elite you (hopefully) are dealing with a knowledgeable sales staff. During my research I stopped into a Best Buy to look at a 1014 on the shelf. I asked some questions about it to the sales person in the audio area and got absolutely no help at all. I'm not sure he knew how to turn the thing on.

So far I'm pretty happy with the 1014. I consider it to be a very good bang for the buck purchase.

Why would you lose faith in the elite line? While the 1014/1015 and the 52 share some internal components, there are some differences in features in addition to the cosmetics. There isn't an counterpart for the Elite 54, 56, 59 in the regular line. It isn't uncommon for there to be some crossover between the high-end of the basic line and the entry level of the high-end line.

I bought the 54. I wanted the 56, but couldn't quite swing the extra bux. I was aware of the 1014, but still felt like the 54 was the way I wanted to go. Better up-converting, second zone, ability to bi-amp (and it is way easy). While I will probably never use the RS-232 port, since it is only for storing eq settings as opposed to any real firmware upgrades. I definitely plan on using the 12 volt trigger.

I just think the 1015 is an unbelieveable bargain for @$400.

Elite for me

I went with the Elite VSX-53TX from a local audio shop as Best Buy didn't have any of the 1015TX or similar series in my area. I did get the Elite for more than half off as it was a closeout and am quite happy with it. I noticed it was listed as a Japenese unit, but everything is in English. Does anybody else have one of these?

Xsound said:

I bought the 54. I wanted the 56, but couldn't quite swing the extra bux. I was aware of the 1014, but still felt like the 54 was the way I wanted to go. Better up-converting, second zone, ability to bi-amp (and it is way easy). While I will probably never use the RS-232 port, since it is only for storing eq settings as opposed to any real firmware upgrades. I definitely plan on using the 12 volt trigger.

I just think the 1015 is an unbelieveable bargain for @$400.

Click to expand...

The 1014/15 can be configured to bi-amp the front and surround back amps.

I'm curious about the improved up-converting. How does the 54 improve this?

I agree the 1015 at $400-450 is a bargain. I was able to snag a 1014 for less than $400, a crime against the competition.

What kind of bennefits do you get by jumping up to the 54tx from the 1015/52? I'm only interested in sound improvements, and mostly just the movie aspect. I have only three digital audio sources that I need to input and no video switching plans as of now....

Thanks guys

I think that the 1014/1015 is a great product from several stand points. This is the receiver to bring customers back into the Pioneer fold. It offers THX certification at the lowest cost I've ever seen, offers oodles of features and tons of power at a great price point, looks good, and seems to sound good as well. I think that the only reason that there is an Elite 52 is to sell more 1014's. Pioneer is going to be bringing in a ton of customers with this product. I think that this is a category killer for $400 US. Anyone who buys an Elite 52 should meet me out back where I will rochambaux you for the remote. I go first.

I've now stumbled upon the 9100tx. I'm guessing this is to the 54tx what the 1015 is to the 52tx?

Will the 9100tx offer any sonic improvements over the 1015 for the extra $150?

That is a heck of a find SkyFlyinBy. I can't find any info on Pioneer's site for this unit but the specs seem awesome indeed, for less than $500 US even! This guy really looks like an elite model with the yellow badging. It is not the same as the 54 though. It really looks like a another 1015. It seems like the 9300tx would be the competition for the 54

If the 9300tx is coloser to the 54tx, it's not much of a bargain. It is retailing for $999 I think and that's what the 54tx goes for too. Thats why I was thinking the 9300 was more along the lines of the 56tx. I didn't compare specs so you may be correct.

Do you have any thoughts on whether the 9100tx is a worthwhile grab over the 1015 in the sound department?

I can't say for sure. It seems like the big difference is that the auto setup on the 9100 uses the EQ for a more thourough job. The power specs seem the same. I don't think that there would be too much of a difference in sound if any. One of the guys who posted in this thread (Buckeye) actually wrote to Pioneer to get some answers and Pioneer seemed very forthcoming. I'd suggest you email them too to find out if there are any major differences. From what I've seen I'd go with the 1015, but I can't find a detailed breakdown on the 9100 like I can for the 1015.

Upon closer inspection, the 9300tx is very similar to the 56txi. They both have the USB input and have removable power plugs. The 9100tx and 54tx don't have either of these. Now I'm tempted by the 9300tx...

And I just checked, and the 9100/54 and the 9300/56 weigh the same...

If the 9300 is similar to the 56 then it is a great bargin at that price. I still think contacting Pioneer for some more details couldn't hurt though.

I sent them this email:
I am in the market for a new receiver and I'm very interested in your 9100tx and 9300tx models. I'm having a hard time finding a lot of information on them though. They appear to be very similar to the 54tx and 56txi elite receivers, could you please describe the differences between them?

Thank you for your time,
Allen

When I hear back from them I'll post up on it. But I'm thinking the 9100 for under 500 and the 9300 for under 900 seem like great deals...

Product Segment

Isn't it fair to say the what Pioneer does between its Elite and Reg line of receivers is the same thing that Yamaha does between the RX-V line and the HTR line. There is an obvious overlap in both. Both large companies what to place a product line in the high end specialty stores and still have a competent line in the large consumer chains.

The difference with pioneer, at least it seems, is that they take a few features out of their non-elite line and charge less for it. The yamahas are the same piece of equipment, but are rated differently (this is why their specs looks different). But yamaha's website claims they are the same inside and out.