Pioneer Elite SC-37 vs. similar $1500 receivers

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Oh, it's too confusing.

I think the whole point of a one-piece like a receiver is to cut down on the confusion.

Pre-pros + amps may add to the confusion, especially if you have a cable TV line in the same room and the amp may pick up all that hum noise.

If you are willing to go pre-pro + amp, be prepared to invest some more time into this hobby.

 

[HitsOfMisses]

I think the whole point of a one-piece like a receiver is to cut down on the confusion.

Pre-pros + amps may add to the confusion, especially if you have a cable TV line in the same room and the amp may pick up all that hum noise.

If you are willing to go pre-pro + amp, be prepared to invest some more time into this hobby.

I'm confused about which pre-post to buy then about the decision of receiver or pre-post. Any suggestions (for pre-post combination)?

I'm willing to spend some time. Tell me, where can I start?

 

[cpp]

Quote:
Originally Posted by AcuDefTechGuy View Post
I think the whole point of a one-piece like a receiver is to cut down on the confusion.

Pre-pros + amps may add to the confusion, especially if you have a cable TV line in the same room and the amp may pick up all that hum noise.

If you are willing to go pre-pro + amp, be prepared to invest some more time into this hobby.
I'm confused about which pre-post to buy then about the decision of receiver or pre-post. Any suggestions (for pre-post combination)?

I'm willing to spend some time. Tell me, where can I start

$1500

the OP noted that his budget is $1500, going to pre/processor and a amp is going to drive his investment up and it's not just his time, it's his wallet. A good receiver as the ones noted should bring you a lots of enjoyment but only your ears know for sure. As AVRat noted what are your room dimensions ?

 

[PENG]

Pioneer SC-37:

THD+N from the CD input to the speaker output was less than 0.007 percent at 1 kHz when driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load. Crosstalk at 1 kHz driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load was –97.27 dB left to right and –96.79 dB right to left. The signal-to-noise ratio with an 8-ohm load from 10 Hz to 24 kHz with “A” weighting was –105.63 dBrA.

Those measurements, especially the crosstalk, would put most components to shame.

http://www.hometheater.com/content/pioneer-elite-sc-37-av-receiver-ht-labs-measures

AVR-4310's:

http://www.hometheater.com/content/denon-avr-4310ci-av-receiver-ht-labs-measures

"THD+N from the CD input to the speaker output was less than 0.005% at 1 kHz when driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load. Crosstalk at 1 kHz driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load was –89.37 dB left to right and –87.47 dB right to left. The signal-to-noise ratio with 2.83 volts driving an 8-ohm load from 10 Hz to 24 kHz with “A” weighting was –112.28 dBrA."

So the Pioneer is better in cross talk and the Denon is better in SN. Even the Denon's cross talk figures are very respectable, 10 dB or more better than the $2000 Anthem and the $1599 Marantz. In fact it equals that of the $5,000 a pair (at launch time) Marantz separates in cross talks and SN.

Unfortunately there has been no lab measurements available for the AVR-4311 so it does look like the SC-37 is an excellent choice as long as you are comfortable with class D amplifiers, but if you must have the latest greatest Audyssey and/or want to stick with the conventional class AB, then the 4311, Onkyo's 5008 are you best bet as they both of the top of the line XT32.

 

[HitsOfMisses]

Thanks for a detailed explanation.

What is class A B & D amPlfiers? Which one is better?

 

[3db]

Seems fairly accurate from a quick glance point of view.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_amplifier

Amplifier classes in the simplest terms are defined by how much of the wave form gets amplified. Class A amplifies the entire wave form, class AB amplifies 50% so you need a pair to get a 100% coverage. Class D and H are of a different beast and one really needs electronic theorey to understand this. Its the best I can do to simplify it.