Pioneer VSX-820-K vs. Yamaha RXV467B

[mcomtois]

Hi all,
I am currently in the middle of building my first audio system. I have already purchased two floorstanding speakers, and am currently in the market for a receiver. I am debating between the Pioneer VSX-820-K and Yamaha RXV467B. Considering that most of it's use will be more oriented towards the playing of music as opposed to a true surround sound, which one should I pick up?

 

[JJMP50]

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I think they are pretty much a dead heat. If you listen to any compressed music (MP3s) I like Yamaha's Enhancement mode. A friend of mine picked up a Pioneer 520, their bottom line receiver and being a complete novice, he had me set it up. It was a little tedious and the manual wasn't very intuitive although once we got there it was fine. The HDMI pass through worked fine for his cable box, but I had a lot of issues with his BR player and ended up going direct to his TV and using an optic connection for sound.

 

[mcomtois]

If you listen to any compressed music (MP3s) I like Yamaha's Enhancement mode. QUOTE]

I noticed the Yamaha has more features than the Pioneer (at least in the price range I am looking at right now...), such as the 'Auto Lip-Sync' for example. My only concern is that the RX-V models are not for sale in my area, would the Yamaha HTR4063 be it's replacement?

 

[mcomtois]

Also, I noticed that the total power consumption of the Yamaha RX-V467 is 525W, while the Pioneer VSX-820 is 245W. Does that mean that the Yamaha is more powerful? If so, should it imply that it offers Quantity over Quality?

 

[JJMP50]

If you in the states, there a tons of online sellers that handle all major lines of receivers. And just to confuse you more, look at Denon and Onkyo as well. Along with Yamaha and Pioneer, the four are in constant competition with each other and they are all fine products. Just check out Amazon for a starter.