Denon vs Onkyo vs Pioneer

[titan_789]

I am running 4 Paradigm Titan speakers and a Paradigm PS-1000 sub. Mainly used for blu-ray and listening to music.

The back of the speaker reads:
Typical program: 60 watts
Nominal: 8 ohms/minimum 4 ohms

Which receiver would be most recommended.

Denon 1610
Onkyo TX-SR507
Pioneer VSX-919AH-K

These fall in the $300-$400 price range.
Would be great to hear from someone who has heard all 3 receivers.

Would I be able to hear much of a difference in sound if I went up to receivers twice the price?
My thought is that since these are small-medium sized speakers the receivers I listed above will sound similar to more expensive receivers as these speakers won't take advantage of the higher wattage rating that more expensive receivers have.

Any thoughts?

 

[Lordoftherings]

Denon AVR-1610.

Hi Titan_789, and Welcome to Audioholics.

I use a pair of Paradigm Titan speakers in my home theater.
I know that you're a Canadian too.

Any of these three receivers would do just fine.
But if I had to choose, I'll get the Denon AVR-1610.

No sound difference between the three, and don't worry about higher wattage.
Get the Denon AVR-1610, it's the best match for your Paradigm Titan speakers.
Take my word for it, as someone who owns these speakers and also these three brand of receivers.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[sholling]

I'd grab a refurbished Onkyo TX-SR606 for $320. I bought one to replace a Pioneer VSX-912 in my master bedroom that just wasn't 1/10 the receiver. Bang for the buck and quality it's hard to beat Onkyo.

 

[Lordoftherings]

I'd grab a refurbished Onkyo TX-SR606 for $320. Bang for the buck and quality it's hard to beat Onkyo.

Me too, if I was not a Canadian.

 

[rnatalli]

The 1610 gets my vote out of that list. It can be had for $298 using the 20% coupon from Electronics Expo. I would also look at the HK 254 which can be found for under $400 at times.

 

[titan_789]

Would I notice a difference in sound from these speakers if I got a receiver twice the price of the Denon AVR-1610?

 

[Seth=L]

Would I notice a difference in sound from these speakers if I got a receiver twice the price of the Denon AVR-1610?

IMO, no. Spending more money on power for those speakers will only serve to empty your wallet. If you have extra funds to dedicate to your sound system then add it to better speakers, acoustic treatments, subwoofer upgrade, etc...

I've owned several receivers over the past few years and only a small few of them actually had an impact on the sound. The worst receiver I've had was a KLH receiver. It was clearly not designed but rather thrown together by a troop of rabid monkeys. A few other receivers I've had, cheap or old ones, introduced noise that was audible at ambient levels of output. Even receivers as inexpensive as Sherwood (which I have owned a couple of those) can output clean linear power for most speaker systems in a medium sized room without clipping at an audible level.

 

[Lordoftherings]

Would I notice a difference in sound from these speakers if I got a receiver twice the price of the Denon AVR-1610?

The Denon AVR-1610 is just fine, you don't need to spend a dollar more than that.
Use the extra cash for a center speaker, if you don't have one.

 

[titan_789]

The Pioneer receiver is rated at 35watts higher per channel than the Denon. Would this not make a difference? Is the wattage of the Denon more effective?

I may upgrade to front tower speakers in the future and want to make sure the receiver is powerful enough to power them.

 

[Seth=L]

The Pioneer receiver is rated at 35watts higher per channel than the Denon. Would this not make a difference? Is the wattage of the Denon more effective?

I may upgrade to front tower speakers in the future and want to make sure the receiver is powerful enough to power them.

The Pioneer uses a smaller power supply, I'm less inclined to believe that in a benchtest that it would outperform the Denon in power output.

 

[rnatalli]

The Pioneer uses a smaller power supply, I'm less inclined to believe that in a benchtest that it would outperform the Denon in power output.

I agree. It's unlikely the Pioneer will outcrank the Denon. Denon usually does well on the bench whereas Pioneer generally comes up short (SC series aside).

 

[Lordoftherings]

Seth=L is absolutely right, the Denon receivers always perform very well for power and noise figures, that is a fact.

>>> Titan_789, the ratings mean ZIP, NADA, they are just that, ratings.

* If you can stretch your budget for the Denon AVR-1909 (789), that's cool.
If not, the Denon AVR-1609 (589) is perfectly adequate with your speakers, you can rest assure of that.

Bob

 

[titan_789]

The Denon AVR-1610 will hold up good with the Paradigm PS-1000 sub?
Right now the sub is running on a Sony STRDG820 and the sub sounds really distorted when I turn up its volume. I don't think the receiver is a good fit for it.
The Denon should be better, should it not? What are the specs to look at when determining subwoofer performance?

 

[Davemcc]

The sub is self powered and unless the signal it receives is distorted, any distortion you hear is likely generated by the sub's own internal amp or driver. There may be setup issues that are causing the problem as well. I don't think there is anything inherent in the design, build or quality of the Sony that would indicate subwoofer distortion as a characteristic of that receiver. Once you choose a new receiver though, you may be able to diagnose the cause of that distortion more easily.

 

[Seth=L]

The Denon AVR-1610 will hold up good with the Paradigm PS-1000 sub?
Right now the sub is running on a Sony STRDG820 and the sub sounds really distorted when I turn up its volume. I don't think the receiver is a good fit for it.
The Denon should be better, should it not? What are the specs to look at when determining subwoofer performance?

Which version PS-1000 is it, if it doesn't state a version then it's version 1. I've personally never heard my PS-1000 distort with any receiver.

 

[Lordoftherings]

Which version PS-1000 is it, if it doesn't state a version then it's version 1. I've personally never heard my PS-1000 distort with any receiver.

I bet it is the first version. And that Paradigm subwoofer is a great small sub with very good punch, great low extension down to 25hz, and no distortion whatsoever. It will also fill a medium sized room quite well.


*** Note for Davemcc: Dave, what happens to your cat's Ninja mask?
I kind of like it, plus it was very appropriate.

 

[titan_789]

I will listen to it more carefully and see what it sounds like. It sounded less clear and bit rough at higher volumes.

 

[Seth=L]

I bet it is the first version. And that Paradigm subwoofer is a great small sub with very good punch, great low extension down to 25hz, and no distortion whatsoever. It will also fill a medium sized room quite well.


*** Note for Davemcc: Dave, what happens to your cat's Ninja mask?
I kind of like it, plus it was very appropriate.

The first version is ideal, it's got a solid amp on it and triple flared ports that allow you to tune it. Tuning it is as simple as plugging ports. If you plug a port you lose some overall output but the depth increases as does tightness. I personally have two ports plugged and have no problems with output, and my extension is certainly effective below 20hz. The only beef I have with the PS-1000 is that it does exhibit port noise at a few select frequencies, but it's usually not a problem. I've had subwoofers in the past that had much worse port noise than this thing does.

 

[Lordoftherings]

I will listen to it more carefully and see what it sounds like. It sounded less clear and bit rough at higher volumes.

The Gain (Volume level) on the rear of your subwoofer, should not be set to more than about "half" max. of it's rotary knob position.

The final adjustement for the volume level is done in your receiver, for the subwoofer's channel level.

 

[Lordoftherings]

The first version is ideal, it's got a solid amp on it and triple flared ports that allow you to tune it. Tuning it is as simple as plugging ports. If you plug a port you lose some overall output but the depth increases as does tightness. I personally have two ports plugged and have no problems with output, and my extension is certainly effective below 20hz. The only beef I have with the PS-1000 is that it does exhibit port noise at a few select frequencies, but it's usually not a problem. I've had subwoofers in the past that had much worse port noise than this thing does.

Cool man. Ya, I know that it has useable bass down to 20hz, but with lower level output.