Pioneer 1015 vs Elite 52 vs Marantz 5600

[MontyBurns2000]

I bought a Mordaunt-Short 500 THX system speakers system (2 Floorstanding w/ integrated subwoofer + center + 2 dipoles rear speaker) and now I have the difficult (but fun) task to find a receiver who can drive them properly. I narrowed my choices at these 4:

Pioneer 1015 (550$ CND + 50$ for 3 year warranty)
Elite Pioneer 52TX (900$ CND)
Marantz SR5600 (765$ CND)
Marantz SR7500 (1215$ CND)

I will use the system for 50/50 music/HT.

I listened a Peter Gabriel DVD with the Elite and the SR5600…. (on a 2500$ CND B&W system). I liked the Marrantz better on the softer / more acoustic passages but found it a little flat when things began to rock a little harder, compared to the Elite. But all in all it was no real big deal to my ears. Didn’t try one of those in stereo yet.

So my questions are

1- Is there a big difference of sound quality (stereo / 5.1) between the Pio 1015 & Elite 52TX

2- Is there a big difference of sound quality (stereo / 5.1) between the Marantz 5600 & 7500?

3- If I have to chose between the pio 1015 & the Marantz sr5600 (budget’s choices), wich one would be better to drive the Mordaunt Shorts?

I need your 2 cents on this one! Thanxs

 

[j_garcia]

The 1014 falls far short of it's power rating, IMO, so I would say the 1015 would not be on my short list. It has decent sound, but when cranked with my 902s it showed signs of struggling quickly. I believe the 52Tx is basically a 1014/1015 with a better warranty.

Out of all of those, the 7500, no question. Mordaunt Short is a sister company to Marantz. The difference between the sound of the 7500 vs 5600 is probably not that big, but the 7500 has a lot more power than the 5600, and it is also THX Select. (the 1015 is Select2, but...).

 

[chas_w]

Here are some lab results from 52tx testing:

http://www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/1204pioneer/index2.html

 

[Xsound]

That doesn't look anemic to me.

Here are some lab results from 52tx testing:

http://www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/1204pioneer/index2.html

 

[j_garcia]

Nice review. Still have to say, I was not impressed with the 1014 in my first hand experience with it. That may mean that the 52 and the 1014/1015 do not really share everything, if in fact they are actually related.

I posted my opinion of the 1014 here and on another forum. On the other forum, I was attacked for putting it down, however, there were more than a few who had basically the same findings in their own experience with the 1014, so I don't think I'm off base in what I'm saying. If I felt it was a great receiver, that's what I would say; just relaying my impression of it.

 

[Magoo]

If you liked the Pioneer, maybe look at the 74txvi.
I've the same speaker set-up, and went with the 74. It's going into my still under-construction house, so I can't give a review yet.

 

[rumble]

Nice review. Still have to say, I was not impressed with the 1014 in my first hand experience with it. That may mean that the 52 and the 1014/1015 do not really share everything, if in fact they are actually related.

I posted my opinion of the 1014 here and on another forum. On the other forum, I was attacked for putting it down, however, there were more than a few who had basically the same findings in their own experience with the 1014, so I don't think I'm off base in what I'm saying. If I felt it was a great receiver, that's what I would say; just relaying my impression of it.

Sheesh. The old 1014/15 is not the same as the 52tx argument has been settle d long ago. This is ganked from an older thread:

The 1014/1015 is a rebadged Elite 52TX. The 1014/1015 use the the same internal components, amplifiers and power supply. They share a common service manual, weigh the same and have identical power input ratings.

These are the features removed from the 52TX to make the 1014:

12 volt trigger, RS 232 interface, second room outputs.
The 52TX also has a extra year of warranty and glossy black finish.

The 1015 is the recently shipped upgrade to the 1014. It has these added features:

- 3rd Component video input
- 100Mhz Component Video
- THX "Select 2" certified
- New THX Music, Game, and Select2 Cinema modes
- New THX setting for distance between Surround Rear speakers (used with 7.1 only, to help with their new THX processing modes)
- WMA9-Pro decoding
- Dolby PLIIx can now be used with a DTS source
- Optical Inputs are in a different location on the back panel
- Blue LED on power button (instead of no LED)
- Some new setup recommendations from THX in the manual.
- Setup microphone is slightly different, now has a plastic base, rather than a removable foam one.

The amplifier in all three units is the same. The 1015 is rated at a higher distortion level so they could "add" 10 more watts to the output without changing anything in the amplifier.

 

[rumble]

The 1014 falls far short of it's power rating, IMO, so I would say the 1015 would not be on my short list. It has decent sound, but when cranked with my 902s it showed signs of struggling quickly. I believe the 52Tx is basically a 1014/1015 with a better warranty.

How can they get THX certification on a receiver that falls far short of its power rating?