First post

[MDS]

Receiver choice is another thing that is mostly personal preference. All of the top tier names have been in business for 50 years or more. If you asked me, I'd say Yes there are better receivers than that Pioneer - namely Onkyo. Others will disagree wholeheartedly and that is ok with me.

You have to realize that the receiver has very little to do with the sound quality. The speakers and the room acoustics account for pretty much ALL of the differences in sound quality. If the Pioneer has enough power to drive the speakers you have to the volume levels you like and also has all of the connections and features you need then don't bother replacing it. Concentrate on speakers instead, which I see is the main point of the thread.

 

[AlphaWolf]

I keep hearing that Onkyo is good as well, though the problem I have is that these receivers are almost as difficult to compare on paper as the speakers, so it is hard to make this kind of judgement.

BTW, I am still within the return period for the Pioneer so it isn't as if I would need to go nuts trying to sell the thing.

The only features I really need are an internal remote controlled audio source selector switch (I don't want to buy a separate one, they are way overpriced) DTS support, and DD support. I would like LPCM and TrueHD support, but the lowest priced receivers I can find which support those are way beyond my budget. I don't need any video features at all though; my TV has 5 HD inputs and 3 SD inputs, and I like being able to listen to audio from one source while seeing video from another source, so using *any* video features of the receiver is counterproductive here.

One thing I like about the Pioneer is the MCACC feature which automatically adjusts the gain for each sound channel for optimal results across the entire audio spectrum, and its automatic 5-band equalization feature; this is time consuming to do by hand, and I think it does a better job of it than I can. I haven't found many other receivers in this price range which have a similar feature though.

So long as the Pioneer works fine for me here then, I shouldn't even bother considering switching receivers anyways?

 

[Seth=L]

I keep hearing that Onkyo is good as well, though the problem I have is that these receivers are almost as difficult to compare on paper as the speakers, so it is hard to make this kind of judgement.

BTW, I am still within the return period for the Pioneer so it isn't as if I would need to go nuts trying to sell the thing.

The only features I really need are an internal remote controlled audio source selector switch (I don't want to buy a separate one, they are way overpriced) DTS support, and DD support. I would like LPCM and TrueHD support, but the lowest priced receivers I can find which support those are way beyond my budget. I don't need any video features at all though; my TV has 5 HD inputs and 3 SD inputs, and I like being able to listen to audio from one source while seeing video from another source, so using *any* video features of the receiver is counterproductive here.

One thing I like about the Pioneer is the MCACC feature which automatically adjusts the gain for each sound channel for optimal results across the entire audio spectrum, and its automatic 5-band equalization feature; this is time consuming to do by hand, and I think it does a better job of it than I can. I haven't found many other receivers in this price range which have a similar feature though.

So long as the Pioneer works fine for me here then, I shouldn't even bother considering switching receivers anyways?

You are making excellent use of your signature, that was a keen idea.

 

[AlphaWolf]

You are making excellent use of your signature, that was a keen idea.

Thanks

BTW Does the Onkyo TX-SR505 support 8 channel lossless LPCM audio? If so then I think it actually is potentially better for me feature wise than the Pioneer. I am not well versed on the audio capabilities of HDMI, and if I am reading another article corrrectly, then all HDMI receivers must be capable of decoding 8 discreet channel lossless audio from whatever source in order to have the HDMI logo, correct?

Also, should its Audyssey 2EQ feature be as accurate as the MCACC feature on the pioneer?

I don't want to have to buy another receiver once I start using HDMI audio sources, which is also another concern here. And it looks like I can buy the Onkyo 505 for roughly the same out of pocket cost as the Pioneer (about a $20 difference.) The amp has a wider frequency response range, better signal to noise, but about 30 watts per channel lower wattage (which I don't need) so it is looking like it is actually more in-line with what I am looking for, assuming the Audyssey feature is worth its weight in salt.

 

[Adam]

I have the Pioneer VSX-1015TX, so I'm familiar with the MCACC feature. It is quite handy...just know that it tends to set all speakers to "large" even when it's preferable to have them set to "small"...just something to keep in mind. I haven't used a receiver with the Audyssey system, but it got good reviews on this site when they reviewed a Denon unit that had it. I'm seriously considering getting an Onkyo, and I've read nothing but good things about their 500-series units. In the $250 range, the 505 would be at the top of my list of units to consider. You can always get one, try it out, and return it if you don't like it. My Pioneer cannot do two-position calibration like the Onkyo 505 can (perhaps yours can). Don't know if that's a big deal to you.

 

[no. 5]

BTW Does the Onkyo TX-SR505 support 8 channel lossless LPCM audio? If so then I think it actually is potentially better for me feature wise than the Pioneer. I am not well versed on the audio capabilities of HDMI, and if I am reading another article corrrectly, then all HDMI receivers must be capable of decoding 8 discreet channel lossless audio from whatever source in order to have the HDMI logo, correct?

Unfortunately, the 505 does not support audio over HDMI, but the 604 and 605 do.

 

[AlphaWolf]

Unfortunately, the 505 does not support audio over HDMI, but the 604 and 605 do.

Awwww....that sucks. Anybody happen to know off hand what the lowest priced 8ch LPCM supported receiver is?

FWIW I found the manual for the 505, but it is very vague...it mentions LPCM support, and AFAIK HDMI is the only transport means available for that, but it doesn't say if that is available on the 505 specifically:

http://63.148.251.135/redirect_service.cfm?type=own_manuals&file=TX-SR505_En.pdf