Pioneer 919ah, 1019ah or Onkyo HTRC160

[Burton N.]

Hi,

New to Home Theater arena. Any advice on entry level or midrange a/v receiver would be appreciated; am open to other suggestions that what I've listed in the subject.

Current set-up:

HDTV: Samsung PN50BR50
Dish Network: ViP7222 DVR
Blu Ray Player: LG BD390
Speaker: Polk Audio 50 Soundbar (will graduate to actual 5.1 set-up later)

Future add-ons will include:

Turntable
CD player

Looking forward to any suggestions and a big thank you in advance,
Burton

 

[Knucklehead90]

Welcome to Audioholics -

OK so you have interest in 2 Pioneers and one Onkyo. The most glaring difference is in warranty. Buy the Onkyo and get 2 years warranty - Pioneer gives you 1 year.

In that price range why not take a look at the Denon 1610 (5.1 channel) or 1910 (7.1 channel) also? Both have Audyssey MultEQ - I don't think there is another brand of receiver at that low a price with the MultEQ. The RC160 has 2EQ - a step down from the Denon's M-EQ.

The Pioneers of late seem to have trouble delivering their stated power output.

 

[Burton N.]

Thanks for the advice. I'm gonna take it to heart and look into Denon's AVR1610; I was steering clear from this one originally because of the negative reviews regarding the remote...and being a 'newby', I was a little skittish of that. But, I'm definitely going to look beyond that, and the price is right. Thanks again Knucklehead90!

 

[rnatalli]

In that price range why not take a look at the Denon 1610 (5.1 channel) or 1910 (7.1 channel) also? Both have Audyssey MultEQ - I don't think there is another brand of receiver at that low a price with the MultEQ. The RC160 has 2EQ - a step down from the Denon's M-EQ.

The Pioneers of late seem to have trouble delivering their stated power output.

Agreed. The Denon's are great units once you get through the setup. Don't worry about the remote as anyone going surround sound should have a Harmony or URC

 

[Burton N.]

Awesome...thanks a lot!

 

[damnngina15]

I agree with the above mentions on looking into the Denon's. I recently purchased a HT setup and was initially looking at the Pioneer Elites but when I went to go audition them next to the Denon and Yamaha the sound quality just could not compare. To me the Pioneers seemed to sound too "tinny" I ended up going with the Denon AVR-2807 and could not be happier (even though now I am looking at getting a seperate amp. I guess you can never have enough!) Best of luck with your decision because in the end it is what sounds best to you.

Andrew

 

[deeselcyde]

If looking at the Denon 1910, also look at the Pioneer Elite 21TXH. They are substantially heavier than the 1019 and can be had for some pretty low prices online. See if BestBuy will price match you on anything.

 

[deeselcyde]

I agree with the above mentions on looking into the Denon's. I recently purchased a HT setup and was initially looking at the Pioneer Elites but when I went to go audition them next to the Denon and Yamaha the sound quality just could not compare. To me the Pioneers seemed to sound too "tinny" I ended up going with the Denon AVR-2807 and could not be happier (even though now I am looking at getting a seperate amp. I guess you can never have enough!) Best of luck with your decision because in the end it is what sounds best to you.

Andrew

The Elite must not have been set up right....

 

[damnngina15]

The Elite must not have been set up right....

I listened to it at two different stores (Magnolia and A&B TV in Austin, TX) and came to the same conclusion. This is just my personal opinion as everyone has their own personal taste.

 

[rnatalli]

Generally, if receivers are level matched and run in direct mode, you'd be hard-pressed to hear a difference. That said, Denon and Pioneer use different room correction methods (Audyssey vs. Advanced MCACC) so with those engaged, you'll likely hear differences. I personally prefer Audyssey MultEQ to MCACC.

 

[sholling]

I've given up on low end Pioneers and would only consider their Elite line of receivers. If it were me I'd go doe a refurbished Onkyo TX-SR607 or last year's TX-SR606 for $330 or $300 respectively. I replaced an anemic VSX912 with the Onkyo and I'm much happier.