I finally received the VSX-9300TX Pioneer receiver that I ordered from Best Buy, four days early no less(gold star for Best Buy)!
First impressions. This thing is big and heavy! The receiver I was using, the Pioneer VSX-912K is smaller in length, width, height and mass. You can see a picture of them next to each other here:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cchris...&.dnm=6bbf.jpg
The shipping label listed the weight of the 9300 as 50.71 lbs! Actual weight according to the manual is 44.8 lbs! I had to remove one shelf from my entertainment center just to make space for it. It looks just like the Pioneer Elite VSX-54TX and the 56TXi right down to the piano black finish, "AIR studios" "THX Select" "Dolby Digital EX/Pro Logic IIx" and "DTS-ES Neo:6 96/44" badges. But it does not have the heavy aluminum "Urushi" door, just the simple plastic door that comes standard on the non-Elite models. You can see the 54TX here:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cchris...&.dnm=7e76.jpg
However, it has the remote from the 56TXi which is a large 2 line lcd illuminated learning remote.
The rear of the 9300TX also mirrors the 54TX save for the addition of a USB input at the bottom left that will allow you to play music directly from your computer on the receiver.
Features
The 9300TX is equipped with the Advanced version of Pioneer's Multi Channel Acoustic Calibration, Pioneer's microphone aided surround setup system. It also includes a serial port that allows you to connect the receiver to your computer in order to display/print the acoustic information the receiver measures while doing it's calibration. Power output is rated at 110 wpc @ 8 ohms(20Hz-20kHz) with .09% THD. They do break this specification into front, center, surround and surround back so take from that what you will. It does have 2 2700uF capacitors so it should have decent power reserves. It seems to be endowed with all the current sound formats. These include Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS, DTS-ES, DTS Neo:6, DTS 96/24, THX Select and THX Surround EX. Listening modes include all of the aforementioned, as well as THX Cinema, Dolby Pro Logic IIx Movie/Music, DTS Neo:6 Cinema/Music, DTS+Neo:6(Processes DTS 5.1 into 6.1 or 7.1), DTS+Neo:6+THX, DTS-ES+THX. It also includes some DSP schemes such as Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Musical, Monofilm and 5/7-D Theater for movies and Classical, Chamber, Jazz, Rock, Dance and 5/7 CH stereo for music.
It features 2 5-100 MHz Component video inputs and 1 output and includes component video upconversion, 5 composite and 5 s-video inputs and 3 outputs. 1 12volt trigger, 3 Optical digital inputs w/ 2 outputs and 2 coaxial digital inputs. Phono input and ground connection are included as well as 7.1 multi channel inputs for DVD-A/SACD and pre-amp outputs for the center(mono), front(stereo), surround(stereo) and surround back(stereo) channels. Also, all digital sound and component video inputs are assignable as well as re-nameable. It is also Multi room/Multi Source enabled, capable of displaying 2 different video feeds on 2 different monitors while using the Surround back channel as the stereo sound in another room.
Overall, it seems very nice so far, however, i've only had it for a few hours yet.
How's it sound? Great! I played around with the surround back channel which I had connected to some older Sony 3-way 21 5/8" tall bookshelf speakers consisting of an 8" woofer 4½" mid-range and an unspecified size tweeter. Using these in stere output playing a selection of well listened cd's there was a lot more bass then I could ever get from my previous receiver. I was pretty amazed as I hadn't heard these Sony's sound so powerful since I had them hooked up to a late 70's vintage Pioneer analog am/fm receiver and a 2 channel Pioneer amplifier my father brought from England that still needed at 220 volt transformer just to operate in the States!
You can see more pictures of it here:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cchris...tore=&prodid=& .done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cchristi18/my_photos
Pioneer VSX-9300TX
Linear Mode
