Pioneer Elite VSX80TXV vs Pioneer VSX1016TXV vs Yamaha V661

[pzaur]

I'm trying to help my Dad find a new receiver. His old Denon recently died and he wants to replace it. We don't want to spend a ton, yet, still want a lot for the buck.
Can y'all help me with our decision process here.
We're (I'm) looking at these three (four if you include the Pioneer 917):
Pioneer Elite VSX80TXV
Pioneer VSX1016TXV
Yamaha V661
Pioneer VSX917TXV

Speakers attached will be a pair of Klipsch Quartets and other surrounds to be determined. No center channel. Planning on using the "phantom center" modes the receivers have. Not going into the reasoning, but no center channel.

Thoughts as to what you'd choose? Any additional ones to look at?
The Elite 81 model looks very enticing. I don't know if he wants to spend that much.
If you can add a little blirp on your reasoning, that would be fantastic.

 

[jcPanny]

Entry level receiver

For his lower end Klipsch speakers, an entry level receiver should be adequate. Check out the pioneer 816 or the Yamaha RX-V659 for about $300. If he wants to spend $1k, I would recommend a speaker upgrade and a reasonably priced receiver.

 

[Seth=L]

I agree with jcPanny, if your dad needs HDMI switching he may want to look at the Onkyo TX-SR604 or the newer model TX-SR605 that has HDMI 1.3. The Klipsch Quartet system won't need loads of power, so the Pioneer Elite and 1016 are overkill, IMO. The Yamaha RX-V661 is also a very good reciever. I would chose the RX-V661 because it probably represents the best performance to cost ratio (has loads of features like audio processing over HDMI, autosetup and preouts).

Also, I am not an advocate of the 07' Pioneer budget receiver line-up, they cut back on features and they cost more than last years. The VSX-816 is a good deal, but the 817 and the 917 are lame in my opinion.
Good luck.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

The quartet was a good speaker, and just because it's efficient..... doesn't mean that just "any cheap receiver" is good enough. I'll have to say that I disagree with both responses because the quartet was never a 'bottom end' speaker either......

The receivers listed are all fairly similar in quality, so which is best really depends on which features are most important to your dad. Make no mistake... a quality power source is necessary to make the quartets perform to their full potential.

 

[Seth=L]

The quartet was a good speaker, and just because it's efficient..... doesn't mean that just "any cheap receiver" is good enough. I'll have to say that I disagree with both responses because the quartet was never a 'bottom end' speaker either......

The receivers listed are all fairly similar in quality, so which is best really depends on which features are most important to your dad. Make no mistake... a quality power source is necessary to make the quartets perform to their full potential.

Oops, I thought the Quartets where those satellite speakers, my mistake. Since the speakers are full size then a more powerful receiver would be nice, but he could still get the RX-V661 and put a power amplifier with it. I would look on Ebay and Audiogon for a used Carver, Adcom, or perhaps buy one of the Emotiva amplifiers.

 

[pzaur]

Thanks for the responses!

We're leaning towards (99%) the V661. Just curious on a weight issue now.

One question that I really can't answer is why the weight difference between the two? The Pioneer comes in at 35 pounds and the Yamaha comes in at 25 pounds. Any thoughts?

I can see where confusion about the Quartets would come in since the Quintets have a similar name. Totally different animals!

-pat

 

[darien87]

I can't comment on the weight difference, but as an owner of the 661, I have nothing but good things to say about it. It looks good, sounds good, and has a ton of features for a sub-$400 receiver. About the only thing I wish it had, was the ability to set different crossover points for each channel.

One kinda lame thing though is that it does allow you to rename your source inputs, but the display only shows it for a couple of seconds and then switches back to showing what soundfield you're using. No big deal. I just would rather the display stay showing what source I was listening to.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

One question that I really can't answer is why the weight difference between the two? The Pioneer comes in at 35 pounds and the Yamaha comes in at 25 pounds. Any thoughts?

It's all about the power drawing ability and the power supply parts necessary make it happen!!

Have you ever seen the insides of entry level verses more expensive receivers?

The difference is quite dramatic.....

That's why as receiver price goes up.........so does the weight!! That's why entry level receivers typically weigh 20-25lbs, $1,000+ receivers weigh 35lbs-45lbs, and why $5,000 receivers weigh 60-70lbs.

 

[Seth=L]

Thanks for the responses!

We're leaning towards (99%) the V661. Just curious on a weight issue now.

One question that I really can't answer is why the weight difference between the two? The Pioneer comes in at 35 pounds and the Yamaha comes in at 25 pounds. Any thoughts?

I can see where confusion about the Quartets would come in since the Quintets have a similar name. Totally different animals!

-pat

The Pioneer doesn't offer any processing over HDMI or upconversion like the Yamaha. Since the Yamaha has more features it costs about the same as the Pioneer. If your dad doesn't want or need advanced HDMI features (nice for future upgrades) he could get the Pioneer. I want to be clear, the Pioneer VSX-1016 not the 917.

 

[pzaur]

Thanks for all the responses! We've settled on the Yamaha V661. Now we're looking into rear speakers for surrounds. I've got another thread going in the "Loudspeaker" section about those.

-pat

 

[budpierce]

I need advice on buying an A-V receiver

I am a new member and am ready to puchase a new receiver. I own a mitsubishi WD-65831 : 65" 1080p DLP® HDTV. I would like to keep my cost under $500. I am considering a pioneer VSX-1016TXV and a Onkyo TX-SR605. Can someone make a recommendation on which of these to buy or if there is a better receiver to consider in this price range? Thanks so much.