Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K vs. Denon AVR-2308CI

[sellnbrew]

Hi there,

I received a $600 gift card to Best Buy and would like to buy an AVR. I have narrowed it down to two choices - either the Denon AVR-2308CI or the Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K.

A first I was leaning towards the Denon, because it's normally $799 on sale for $549, but then I figured out that it's the outgoing model making room for the AVR-2309.

Along with getting great sound, my desire is to get the latest compatabilty for Bluray and HDMI. I will be hooking it up to:

50" Pioneer Kuro 5020
BMW 685 speakers
BMW Center Channel
PS3

Thanks in advance for your opinion! Again, since I only have a Best Buy card, the selection has to come from Best Buy.

Rear speakers and sub are still on the buy list.

 

[zumbo]

The Denon.

 

[Adam]

I like Pioneer gear, but I don't know anything about that Denon so I won't say which I think is better. Mostly, I wanted to suggest that you check prices at authorized dealers (even on the internet) and then ask Best Buy if they'll match the total price. Never hurts to ask, and it might save you some money. They did a price match on my Pioneer 1015 when I bought it back in 2005, and it saved me about $100.

 

[pzaur]

Pioneer 1018 over Denon 2308

Here's why:

Pioneer = Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, 3 HDMI inputs
Denon = No Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio, only 2 HDMI inputs

You get much more future proofing with the Pioneer than the Denon. Blu-Ray audio formats should be a definite consideration when purchasing a receiver.
If you don't need or want video scaling, I'd check out the Yamaha 663 Yes, I own one and love it.

-pat

 

[zumbo]

No Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio

I missed that. My bad.