Pioneer VSX-1015TX First Impressions/Question

[Blundaar]

First, what it's plugging into...
Fronts:KEF Q75 Center:KEF Q100 Rears: DCM TF-400
Sub:Mirage Frx-10 Replacing:Sony STR DB-930 (100W/Channel)

First thing I noticed off the bat was how much longer this receiver was compared to my old Sony. In order for it to sit properly on my HDTV (51" Hitachi Ultravision), I laid down two wood rails in order for the back legs of the Pioneer to rest on a solid, level surface.
When wiring up my components, I took advantage of the fact that this receiver allowed me to use my unused rear channels to bi-amp my front speakers and did so without hesitation (why?- because I could, that's why!)
Now the really good:The auto surround calibration was SPOT-ON in every respect. I could not have done a better job myself. What DVD's I tested (a DTS demo disk, Peter Gabriel's Growing Up in concert, Dinosaur, LOTR, and Fantasia 2000, for starters) were simply amazing. The power supply is like a clear, deep, slowly moving stream that never waivers. I'm picking up details in the audio that I never knew existed and would recommend this receiver on its' movie watching merits alone. BUT- as wonderful as this Pioneer is, there are some faults to be found and are as follows.
1. Out of the box, 2-channel CD audio is somewhat flat and will need more tweaking compared to my old Sony. More bothersome still is the fact that, unlike my replacement, the LFE is disabled in 2-channel audio unless the front speakers are configured to "small". Hey Pioneer, subs are for more that just movies, you know!
2. My HDTV allows me to use its' speakers as another front center channel. The pioneer receiver does have a center-output terminal right next to the sub-output terminal, but I'm not getting audio from my TV speakers when operating in this mode (no problems w/the Sony). The receiver manual does not contain any information in regards to this not-uncommon configuration.
3. Volume Control (more of a question): This is an apples-and-oranges comparrison to my replacement, but the Pioneer volume reads out in decibels (-80 to +12) whereas the Sony has a 0-10 volume control. My average listening volume, for the most part, on the Sony was between 2-3 on the dial whereas I find myself on the more powerful Pioneer listening to movies between -20 to -15 decibels . If I remember correctly, decibels are not a linear function, but I want to make sure that I have no cause for concern in regards to pushing the amp too hard all the time. Could somebody give this NOOB a lesson on decibels vs power output (like, for instance, what does 0 decibels imply?)?
All-in-all, I'm very happy with my purchase and recommend it to anyone in search of an amazing movie-listening machine. Any comments or feedback will be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Takeereasy]

Congatulations. Sounds like you made the perfect decision for yourself. While I can't give you a detailed explanation of the DB chart for your receiver I can tell you this; there is no need to worry about pushing the amp too hard. You are well within safe listening levels. What you may want to do is every once in a while after extended listening periods feel the receiver. If it feels too hot for your tastes then you may wish to consider placing a fan in a position to blow on it. I really doubt that this will be the case, but I'm just throwing it out there for you. Congrats again, I'm sure you'll take care of your one or two little issues eventually through some tweaking.

 

[farscaper]

Congratulations Blundaar.
I upgraded to the 1014 last year. I was really impressed with the 1014 when you consider the price. It wasn't my first choice but my other choices were 2X the 1014 price. I found a few issues with it as well, but I just remind myself that my last recevier was a Kenwood. I also listen to movies from about -20 to -15, except maybe LOTR, which is usually -10 to -5. Love it.

Now I just have to upgrade my bookshelf speakers...hummm...Axioms or Monitor Audio...

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Pioneer VSX-1015TX First Impressions

Blundaar. Thanks for the info. We don't get many 1st impressions on Pioneer units. Sounds like a great purchase. I thought I'd add to Take's advice above.

there is no need to worry about pushing the amp too hard. You are well within safe listening levels. What you may want to do is every once in a while after extended listening periods feel the receiver. If it feels too hot for your tastes then you may wish to consider placing a fan in a position to blow on it.

Very good advice.

I just received an email from a buddy in Dallas who threw a house party. He's a 35yr old mechanical engineer-supervisor mind you, with too much cash(dink-dual income no kids). His great room is probably 25'x25' with 22' ceilings and opens up into a huge foyer and an open kitchen. It's quite a bit of room to fill with sound. Here's part of what he said.

...we (his Dallas friends) "told you not to buy Denon (2803)". Of the guys there, one had Pioneer Elite, one Sony ES, one Rotel. It was so hot, that you couldn't touch it for more than 5 seconds. My one friend who works for Sony said that was normal, but I don't think it should get that hot. At one point, I was so fed up, I pushed everything behind the tv, tore the drywall, and it all crashed to the floor. Dude - I was so pissed, I was ready to heave everything into the pool. I was too drunk to figure out what was wrong or to have to deal with it. We were all a bunch a drunk idiots with short fuses trying to figure out what was wrong.

I haven't heard back yet but my guess is he was driving all 6.1 speakers inside, and his outdoor speakers on "B" - all at the same time. I'm also assuming he didn't have his indoor speakers set to "small." To make matters worse, he's driving a 7.1 set of Paradigm Monitors with 4' towers. I think the spl rating is under 90dB. Lesson - if you plan to push your unit like he did for music, only use the towers, set them to "small," and allow your sub to take care of the bass. Run your "B" speakers as you normally would, and check the temperature of the unit every 30 minutes or so. Any receiver or amp, when pushed that hard, is going to shut down (go into protection mode). I need to smack him for pushing his unit behind his tv.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Just got an update. OK, I'm not as P.O.'d at him now, but he still should have checked the unit periodically.

Na, it still works fine. I was sooo fired up. I guess I just took for granted that the thing would be fine since I was operating it per the manual. I had it in 2-channel stereo so that the towers and sub were on A and the bookshelves on B. I never bought outdoor speakers, I just put my back surround speakers out there.

Had I been thinking clearly, what I should have done was just leave the whole 7.1 channel set-up on A like it typically is when we watch DVD's, and just put the two back speakers outside. Then I would have just been playing 7 channel stereo and everything would have been fine. What an idiot I am when I drink. See, the problem, is that I never want the sound on in the house, that's why I used A and B. But, since it was a party and I wanted sound in and out, I should have just left it all on A with stereo.