Pioneer VSX-819H-K 5-Channel vs. onkyo sr507

[abar20]

They are both at similar price points and both 5.1. Only the pioneer is 110 watts per channel and the onkyo is 80. The thing i like about the onkyo is the audessy dynamic volume. it makes watching movies at night a lot easier(my bro has it). apart from that, i like the higher wattage of the pioneer, bc even at low volumes it means more clarity, correct? My budget is about 250 and 5.1 is perfect. I need true hd decoding also. any recommendations?

 

[Adam]

Just a note - the Pioneer 819 does have an Automatic Level Control (A.L.C.) setting, but it is only for stereo mode. It doesn't have A.L.C. for multi-channel audio as far as I can tell.

 

[njedpx3]

They are both at similar price points and both 5.1. Only the pioneer is 110 watts per channel and the onkyo is 80. The thing i like about the onkyo is the audessy dynamic volume. it makes watching movies at night a lot easier(my bro has it). apart from that, i like the higher wattage of the pioneer, bc even at low volumes it means more clarity, correct? My budget is about 250 and 5.1 is perfect. I need true hd decoding also. any recommendations?

What speakers are you running ? Depending on the speaker's efficiency(sensitivity) 75 watts may be fine (Onkyo TX-SR507 is only 75 watts into 8 ohms). Low efficiency ( around 80dB ), average efficiency ( 88-90 dB ) and high efficiency ( close to 100 dB ) determine how low a speaker will sound with a given amount of input power. If you have high efficiency speakers and/or possibly high average 75 watts should work.

Also remember power is logrithmic 110 watts is not that much more than 75watts. only 1.66 dB


Extra power is good if you need the swing in a dynamic frequency range: this is called head room. However at low volumes , the extra power doesn't come into play.

However, both receivers are fairly low-end and the Onkyo 507 only has pre-outs for the rear surrounds and subwoofer and the Pioneer 819 only has pre-outs fro the subwoofer. If the power isn't enough you will have to upgrade your AVR.

I personally would choose the Onkyo.

Good Luck!

Forest Man

 

[sharkman]

Also, be aware that Pioneer doesn't say, at least on their website, at what frequency and THD this receiver will achieve 110 watts. Audioholics has it listed in their review area as doing 110 @ 1 kHz, not 20 hz to 20,000.

 

[DJ in TX]

They are both at similar price points and both 5.1. Only the pioneer is 110 watts per channel and the onkyo is 80. The thing i like about the onkyo is the audessy dynamic volume. it makes watching movies at night a lot easier(my bro has it). apart from that, i like the higher wattage of the pioneer, bc even at low volumes it means more clarity, correct? My budget is about 250 and 5.1 is perfect. I need true hd decoding also. any recommendations?

I have the Pioneer VSX-819, and it has a similar feature called midnight mode. I haven't used it because I only have a two speaker setup (i think it only works for surround sound), but it processes the audio so that even at low levels you can hear a greater sound range and not wake up the whole house. In any case, this should level the playing field between the Pioneer and Onkyo in this regard.

Personally I am loving my Pioneer, however I cannot speak for how it compares to the Onkyo (or any other receiver for that matter). I feel like it gives my speakers plenty of power.

Comparing the two, my thinking is that since they are approximately the same price they are probably very similar in power and SQ. I would be surprised if there were an audible difference in a blind test, but of course I do not have audiophile ears. If you are unable to do a listening test with both, then it might just come down to which brand you prefer.

I hope this is helpful.
Good Luck!

 

[Adam]

I have the Pioneer VSX-819, and it has a similar feature called midnight mode.

Ahhh! I misread the original post. I was thinking about dealing with commercials.

Yes, I believe that you are right in that the midnight mode (Pioneer's name for dynamic range control) only works when processing digital surround sound. I can't find any mention of that limitation in the owner's manual, though. Perhaps they have a more advanced system than they used to.

 

[anamorphic96]

Another thing to keep in mind the Pioneer is not 110 at full bandwidth. Only at 1 khz. The Pioneer is 80 watts at full bandwidth. Pioneer does this to mislead customers into thinking the receiver is more powerful than it really is.

So in a nutshell they are pretty much the same amplifier wise. But I would give the edge to the Onkyo in the amp section. Especially for dynamic output.

 

[rnatalli]

Another thing to keep in mind the Pioneer is not 110 at full bandwidth. Only at 1 khz. The Pioneer is 80 watts at full bandwidth. Pioneer does this to mislead customers into thinking the receiver is more powerful than it really is.

So in a nutshell they are pretty much the same amplifier wise. But I would give the edge to the Onkyo in the amp section. Especially for dynamic output.

Exactly what I had in mind. The 1019 was benched at 28wpc into 5 channels. I would give the edge to Onkyo in terms of power.

Any reason why the Denon 1610/590 isn't being considered? It can be had for under $300, has a great amp section, and Audyssey MultEQ to boot.

 

[njedpx3]

DJ .. Nice review

I have the Pioneer VSX-819, and it has a similar feature called midnight mode. I haven't used it because I only have a two speaker setup (i think it only works for surround sound), but it processes the audio so that even at low levels you can hear a greater sound range and not wake up the whole house. In any case, this should level the playing field between the Pioneer and Onkyo in this regard.

Personally I am loving my Pioneer, however I cannot speak for how it compares to the Onkyo (or any other receiver for that matter). I feel like it gives my speakers plenty of power.

Comparing the two, my thinking is that since they are approximately the same price they are probably very similar in power and SQ. I would be surprised if there were an audible difference in a blind test, but of course I do not have audiophile ears. If you are unable to do a listening test with both, then it might just come down to which brand you prefer.

I hope this is helpful.
Good Luck!

Nice review DJ .. you are well on your way to becoming an Audioholic

Take Care,

Forest Man