Pio 72txv vs Yamaha 2600 vs Marantz 8500. Advice needed!

[Salamero]

Me local dealer has these units, which I been trying decide between:
Pioneer 72txv- $900
Yamaha 2600- $1165
Marantz 8500- $1165

Feature and spec wise, they all seem to be in the same league, give or take an ipod input,xm capabilities, or a toroidal amp !
I jumped at the Pioneer 72 (today) cause it was souch a good deal for an Authorized dealer. I'm a 75% music (most of it 2 ch stereo), 25% movies guy. And I'm double guessing myself now. My room is small and my mains are Energy C-3, so all three are more than capable. My setup is a disaster with my mains ceiling mounted and angled at my listening position and both the right front and rear speakers inches from the side wall , so I'll need a good Auto EQ system! I currently have an old Yamaha rx-v620 and like the Yamaha sound though I admit it can get a bit grating at higher volumes. Do you all think I made a good choice? I had set my budget ceiling at $1000 but if the extra $250 will provide a substantial upgrade in sound I'd make the effort. Please comment!

 

[ragged]

Hey, I didn't know that pioneer and marantz had a receiver that can upconvert component to hdmi. I thought only the yammi did that. Nice! I have more choices now.

Well, as for a choice, if hdmi upconvertion is equal, the marantz probably supplies the best power, the pioneer has the best looks and price, and the yammi is in the middle.

 

[Salamero]

Hey, I didn't know that pioneer and marantz had a receiver that can upconvert component to hdmi. I thought only the yammi did that. Nice! I have more choices now.

Well, as for a choice, if hdmi upconvertion is equal, the marantz probably supplies the best power, the pioneer has the best looks and price, and the yammi is in the middle.

Pioneer 72 upconverts all inputs to hdmi at 480i. The Marantz does dvi switching only. I'm more interest in the audio related features/capabilities. Hdmi swithching ,upconverting, and scaling seems to be plagued with problem across all brands.

 

[jbrillo]

Salamero,

If you like what you hear, I say keep the Pio. Especially since it gets you under your budget. Why go through all the trouble unless you just really want to. I listened to the 72 & the 2600 when I was shopping for a receiver. I liked them both but decided on the Pio. I've been happy with it ever since(got it around T-giving). I thought the 72 & the 2600 were both excellent and to my untrained ears, they didn't sound very different. Is it worth the extra $$$????? Only you can decide. I don't know anything about the Marantz, so sorry there. The 72 is an excellent receiver & for the price you got it at, I think you're better off spending that $165 on DVD's or CD's. Just my opinion.

Yes, I think you've made a good choice!!!!

 

[Salamero]

Salamero,

If you like what you hear, I say keep the Pio. Especially since it gets you under your budget. Why go through all the trouble unless you just really want to. I listened to the 72 & the 2600 when I was shopping for a receiver. I liked them both but decided on the Pio. I've been happy with it ever since(got it around T-giving). I thought the 72 & the 2600 were both excellent and to my untrained ears, they didn't sound very different. Is it worth the extra $$$????? Only you can decide. I don't know anything about the Marantz, so sorry there. The 72 is an excellent receiver & for the price you got it at, I think you're better off spending that $165 on DVD's or CD's. Just my opinion.

Yes, I think you've made a good choice!!!!

Yeah, I think I'll stay put though I just saw on J&R.com the specs on the new HK 640 (they're selling it for $999 w/free shp) and was blown away! I love the HK sound but have stayed away because of QC issues (first with heat problems and lately wire software bugs), but this new model is very tempting, with the most features I've seen on any $1000-$1400 reciever!

 

[howie85]

I went with the pio 74 got it for 1200. Have not had opportunity give a good workout but am happy with the product overall at this point.

 

[Jeje2]

I was originally wondering between Pioneer 74txvi and yamaha RX-V2600.
Chose Yamaha as it
* can upscale picture 480i [576i] -> 480p [576p] -> 720p -> 1080i
* has ability to adjust the volume level for each input separately

Been very happy with my choice.

 

[rupertoooo]

First off these are all excellent H/T receivers you cant go wrong with any of them, but since your criteria is mainly music I would do some serious checking into Outlaw Audio. For the money this is a hard company to beat, plus they have fantastic customer service. Just a little food for thought.

 

[Salamero]

First off these are all excellent H/T receivers you cant go wrong with any of them, but since your criteria is mainly music I would do some serious checking into Outlaw Audio. For the money this is a hard company to beat, plus they have fantastic customer service. Just a little food for thought.

When you say "hard to beat" are you refering to SQ? 'Cause feature-wise, both the yamahav & Pioneer have a clear edge.