Caught between 2 Recievers and a hard place

[relaxingjoe]

Hi crew,

Just got back from Best Buy and bought an open box Pioneer VSX-515 Reciever for $89.00 (6.1-channel receiver; two component-video inputs; 110 watts per channel; bass and treble controls) This is the pic of the Pioneer

Come to find out - my roomate was given a Kenwood VR-505 Reciever.
Here is a pic of the Kenwood

This might be a better pic of both of them together:

We are hooking up right now (as i type) these items:

1) Sylvania 6842PF 42'' Plasma (only two component hookups on this EDTV)

2) DVD player

3) HD Cable Box

4) XBOX 360 (whenever it gets in)

Any thougths on which Reciever we should use? Should I retun my $89 Pioneer?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[jaxvon]

I'd keep the pioneer. The newer Kenwood stuff is kinda junky (IMO).

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hi crew,

Just got back from Best Buy and bought an open box Pioneer VSX-515 Reciever for $89.00 (6.1-channel receiver; two component-video inputs; 110 watts per channel; bass and treble controls) This is the pic of the Pioneer

Come to find out - my roomate was given a Kenwood VR-505 Reciever.
Here is a pic of the Kenwood

This might be a better pic of both of them together:

We are hooking up right now (as i type) these items:

1) Sylvania 6842PF 42'' Plasma (only two component hookups on this EDTV)

2) DVD player

3) HD Cable Box

4) XBOX 360 (whenever it gets in)

Any thougths on which Reciever we should use? Should I retun my $89 Pioneer?

Thanks in advance!!!

At $89 you can hardly go wrong with it. It will not die from lack of use and later when you need sound in another are of a house or apartment, you have it. But, in the meantime, it will serve you well too. Hook both up

 

[relaxingjoe]

Thanks but I'm going to Europe in 2 weeks and could use the extra $90. My reason for buying it at that price was because I wanted to make sure I had

A) optical hookup for the sound
and
B) enough hookups for everything.

But seeing what I want to hook up (DVD, HD Box, Plasma, XBOX360) will my Kenwood suffice? If so, I would like my $90 back.

ps Also, the guys at BB told me OPTICAL sound is "way better" b/c it goes through light etc. etc....but when I got home I thought to myself "yea, but the sound eventually has to go through copper speaker wire" ... so is it really better?

 

[markw]

ps Also, the guys at BB told me OPTICAL sound is "way better" b/c it goes through light etc. etc....but when I got home I thought to myself "yea, but the sound eventually has to go through copper speaker wire" ... so is it really better?

You're head is screwed on straight. Coax is fine if not better than that toslink hookup in all but very, very few situations which don't really affect consumer electronics. They just get to soak ya for a long piece of clear plastic.


here's a trick for ya. Try using the cheapest, oldest, nastiest, functional interconnect you have lying around and let us know how it works. You may be plesantly surprised...

enjoy. you made out like a bandit.

 

[relaxingjoe]

Thanks Mark, so i will return the $30 Optical Cable and use Coax. And you suggest I keep the $90 Pioneer over the Kenwood for what I want to hookup?

Thanks,

 

[markw]

Thanks Mark, so i will return the $30 Optical Cable and use Coax.

Smart move. Very, very smart move.

And you suggest I keep the $90 Pioneer over the Kenwood for what I want to hookup?

If the Poineer has all the I/O you need I would say so. 30-35 years ago it might have been a different story but, IMNSHO, nowadays Pioneer makes a better unit than Kenwood.

You say you are taking these to Europe? You might want to investigate the power situation there. Not all countries use 110 volt, 60 cycle AC.

 

[relaxingjoe]

Just going to Europe for vacation and could use the extra $90 if the Kenwood did the job in terms of coax/i/o puts etc...

thanks,

 

[markw]

There may be a tradeoff situation then.

Just going to Europe for vacation and could use the extra $90 if the Kenwood did the job in terms of coax/i/o puts etc...

thanks,

If they both have the needed I/O I would choose the Pioneer since I believe the Pioneer is the better of the two units.

If the Kenny has the needed I/O and the Pioneer doesn't then the Kenny has the edge there. You may have to decide which is more important to ya.

FWIW, i'd use a toslink interconnect for something if the deciding factor came down to the number of digital coax inputs.

 

[relaxingjoe]

Well, SINCE it was an open box it came with no remote and no MANUAL - as we hooked up the speakers the rear speakers were not working....we kept playing around to see how to get them on.

I just went to get the manual online and not only do I have to pay $6 for it - they MAIL it to you.....grrr....I just wanted the pdf.