Feedback on Denon v. Pioneer Elite

[mung]

First, just want to say thanks for all the great info on this board and all the very helpful members to someone who is learning about HT systems. This is a great place to learn, thank you!

I am about to make my first av receiver purchase and have it narrowed down to the Denon AVR-2807 or the Pioneer Elite Vsx91 TXH. They are both new and I can pick them up locally for about the same price. I have read great things about Denon's Audyssey, including the review on this site, but know very little about the Pioneer. They seem to be very similar to my untrained eye as far as specs are concerned, but I have zero real world knowledge or experience with either. I plan on installing this in a 16'x20' family room with 9' ceilings and think these will both have adequate power. I like the multi-zone and HDMI features for both.

I am also looking at the Paradigm Reference series speakers and have a Paradigm sub to pair up with whichever receiver I choose. I'm looking for insight from anyone who may have experience or knowledge regarding how these two units compare.

Just received an email from the dealer saying they will throw in the iPod dock for the Denon unit.

Thank you for your help!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I am about to make my first av receiver purchase and have it narrowed down to the Denon AVR-2807 or the Pioneer Elite Vsx91 TXH.
Just received an email from the dealer saying they will throw in the iPod dock for the Denon unit.

Thank you for your help!

NO WAY. Get the Denon 2808---that's right----28**08**, not **07*, and not Pioneer. I have all separate components, but if I were to do it all over again, I would get DENON without a DOUBT.

 

[mung]

Great, thank you for the quick feedback! I was only looking at the Denon and Marantz initially, until the sales rep in another retailer started pushing the Pioneer ELite. Both sounded great, but my search on this forum resulted in good comments for each.

Thank you again for the feedback!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Great, thank you for the quick feedback! I was only looking at the Denon and Marantz initially, until the sales rep in another retailer started pushing the Pioneer ELite. Both sounded great, but my search on this forum resulted in good comments for each.

Thank you again for the feedback!

I think they will probably sound the same, but in the back of my mind I will be thinking, "The Denon has a THD of 0.05% and the Pioneer has a THD of 0.09%" and this will bug the heck out of me! If THX is what gets your attention, the Onkyo SR805 is THX-Ultra (THD 0.05%), while the Pioneer is "ony" THX-Select

 

[j_garcia]

I think it will come down to features more than anything, but I also tend to prefer the sound of Denon to Pioneer.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I am extremely pleased with my new Denon receiver and DVD player, and what I got were their cheapest entry-level models. I hate to imagine how great their higher-end stuff must sound!

 

[Seth=L]

I think they will probably sound the same, but in the back of my mind I will be thinking, "The Denon has a THD of 0.05% and the Pioneer has a THD of 0.09%" and this will bug the heck out of me! If THX is what gets your attention, the Onkyo SR805 is THX-Ultra (THD 0.05%), while the Pioneer is "ony" THX-Select

I second the Onkyo TX-SR805, best receiver for under $1000 without a doubt.

 

[Seth=L]

I think it will come down to features more than anything, but I also tend to prefer the sound of Denon to Pioneer.

Would the change in sound character be caused by Mosfets? I am under the understanding that Pioneer has more efficient amplifiers, and that make some sacrifice.

 

[j_garcia]

Would the change in sound character be caused by Mosfets? I am under the understanding that Pioneer has more efficient amplifiers, and that make some sacrifice.

I can't say for sure, but the Pioneers, across the whole line, have always sounded a bit flat to me. Perhaps the Mosfets do have an effect on their sound.

 

[mung]

I think they will probably sound the same, but in the back of my mind I will be thinking, "The Denon has a THD of 0.05% and the Pioneer has a THD of 0.09%" and this will bug the heck out of me! If THX is what gets your attention, the Onkyo SR805 is THX-Ultra (THD 0.05%), while the Pioneer is "ony" THX-Select

Well, I'm not sure about THX. Isn't THX something similar to Audyssey in the way it "creates" the surround sound? I have visited the THX website, but wasn't Dr. Holman(?) part of the LucasFilms "experiment" that created THX? And isn't Dr. Holman also the one who took his money, after Lucas bought his share of THX, and developed Audyssey?

It was represented to me that Audyssey is sort of an evolutionary step out of THX...larger listening sweet spot.

 

[j_garcia]

Audessey is for calibration of your system and very well could be considered an evolution. THX is essentially post processing that can be added on top of other formats (can be applied to DD, DTS, etc...), but it does not take into account your configuration and your room, rather it expects that you have already done this yourself.

 

[mazersteven]

I second the Onkyo TX-SR805, best receiver for under $1000 without a doubt.