Pioneer VSX-94TXH 7.1 A/V Receiver with HDMI 1.3a

A

admin

Audioholics Robot
Staff member
The last Pioneer receiver review I personally did was in 2005 on an entry-level product (the VSX-815) which struck me as a good balance between available features and power. It will seem pretty obvious when I say that this flagship Elite AV receiver product trumps my last experience by quite a bit. It also, however brings a certain amount of expectation. Being a top of the line model, the VSX-94TXH has a lot of competition and is going to need to distance itself in some areas before being crowned the leader in any particular department.


Discuss "Pioneer VSX-94TXH 7.1 A/V Receiver with HDMI 1.3a" here. Read the article.
 
Seth=L

Seth=L

Audioholic Overlord
Finally, been waiting for this review. I can appreciate that Techno lovers would like a 5th HDMI input, but what does HDMI have to do with music?;):D

review said:
Editorial Note on Audioholics Power Measurements
Keep in mind most review publications don’t do continuous power measurements and they usually publish power measurements into clipping at 1% THD + N. Our measurements are very conservative and it is clear that the 110wpc power rating of this receiver is greatly understated as Marantz is delivering MUCH more than specified.
*140 watts, one or two errors in a review that long isn't unexpected.:)
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
*140 watts, one or two errors in a review that long isn't unexpected.
That was a carry over from the Marantz review. I fixed it. thx.
 
tn001d

tn001d

Senior Audioholic
I noticed you had "Realta" listed for video chip on 4308 in the comparison chart.
 
tn001d

tn001d

Senior Audioholic
I actually wouldnt compare this receiver to some of the others on the chart. Street prices on this reciever can be seen for $1200, and thats from authorized dealer. I know there were some powerbuys out there that had for even less.

Taking the lower cost, i would like to know how it would compare to the Denon 3808. I imagine the 3808 would have similar amplifier ratings as the 4308. Not sure though.
 
Q

QuidProSchmoe

Audiophyte
Minor Error

*140 watts, one or two errors in a review that long isn't unexpected.:)
I noticed a couple of minor errors:

1. In the comparison table at the beginning of the review, it indicates that the Marantz 8002 doesn't have THX certification. It does; THX Select 2;

2. On the second to last page where output is discussed, a comparison is made to the Marantz 7002, and Marantz 7002 is said to be "similarly priced." Was that supposed to be the Marantz 8002? The 8002 is closer in price ($1,999) to the Pioneer than is the 7002 ($1,399).

This possible last error makes me wonder if the specs quoted are for the Marantz 7002 or the 8002? Also, is there a review of either the 8002 or the 7002 forthcoming?

Overall an excellent review. I appreciate that you spend the amount of time that you do on actual musical performance. That's what it's all about (well, that and the hokey pokey)

Thanks,
 
E

EJ1

Audioholic Chief
Great review! I, too, had the exact same problem setting up my Cable DVR. It took me about 20 minutes just to figure out to switch it to "Digital." I also agree on the comments made about the remote and setup menu.
 
F

fmw

Audioholic Ninja
Good review. I also thought setup was a little fussy but I completed it in less than 45 minutes. Since I use a universal remote, I haven't used the supplied remote since I finished setup. I have yet to open the hinged panel on the front of the unit. The remote might well be fussy to use overall. It wasn't a problem to use for set up while following the manual.
 
Hi Ho

Hi Ho

Audioholic Samurai
So you hated the remote and gave it 4/5 stars? :confused: I have setup a couple of those receivers and I'd give the remote a -5/5. :) The receiver is nice but I definetely prefer the usability and features of the Yamaha 3800. I find it very strange that companies like Pioneer still use an antiquated GUI like that.
 
bandphan

bandphan

Banned
one thing as noted that i like about the receivers is the advanced eq options, when compared output to a rew, the internal eq was fairly accurate for my room. The GUI reminds me of the unix days. On the hdmi front, ive noticed on some of the elite 90's and 80's that if the connections are mad with the power cord plugged in, there is no handshake, which i think they mention in the manual.
 
2. On the second to last page where output is discussed, a comparison is made to the Marantz 7002, and Marantz 7002 is said to be "similarly priced." Was that supposed to be the Marantz 8002? The 8002 is closer in price ($1,999) to the Pioneer than is the 7002 ($1,399).
The SR7002 was reviewed earlier and was actually in-house. Gene wrote that comment likely indicating a loose comparison in street pricing. The SR8002 is definitely closer, however we did our comparisons to the SR7002.

What's funny is that not only did we miss these, but so did Marantz...
 
croseiv

croseiv

Audioholic Samurai
The power supply looks nearly identical to the one in the VSX-1015.
 
croseiv

croseiv

Audioholic Samurai
They probably use a different, more efficient, amp design on the Elite.
Undoubtedly, as the 94 gets nearly 20 more wpc, but the transformer and caps look to be roughly the same. Just a thought. Layout is essentially the same as well.
 
Seth=L

Seth=L

Audioholic Overlord
Undoubtedly, as the 94 gets nearly 20 more wpc, but the transformer and caps look to be roughly the same. Just a thought. Layout is essentially the same as well.
The uF rating is more than likely the same on both, the voltage might be different, but it's very possible as well that they are exactly the same. Capacitance on most receivers isn't super huge. Power amplifiers usually have a lot of capacitance, hence lots of headroom.
 
croseiv

croseiv

Audioholic Samurai
The uF rating is more than likely the same on both, the voltage might be different, but it's very possible as well that they are exactly the same. Capacitance on most receivers isn't super huge. Power amplifiers usually have a lot of capacitance, hence lots of headroom.
690VA vs 630VA with the edge going to the 94. Both are THX Select 2 rated and caps are equivalent (15000 uF 71V).
 
Seth=L

Seth=L

Audioholic Overlord
690VA vs 630VA with the edge going to the 94. Both are THX Select 2 rated and caps are equivalent (15000 uF 71V).
That makes the 1015 a pretty cool guy then huh?:D

It's possible that the Elite uses a more effective amplifier configuration, they typically don't run as hot as the competition.
 
croseiv

croseiv

Audioholic Samurai
That makes the 1015 a pretty cool guy then huh?:D

It's possible that the Elite uses a more effective amplifier configuration, they typically don't run as hot as the competition.
I've been pretty impressed with the 1015. I wish it had HDMI, but it does run pretty cool. I'll keep it until I find the right "next" receiver. It drives my Polks quite well. I like the looks of the 94 though.
 
Thunder18

Thunder18

Senior Audioholic
690VA vs 630VA with the edge going to the 94. Both are THX Select 2 rated and caps are equivalent (15000 uF 71V).
I question some of the changes from previous generations though. Perhaps the power supply is more efficient which would make sense since improvements are made over time. I just checked the back of my 56TXi and it's rated at 780VA and the caps are 27000 uF X 2. I have to wonder how those capacitors would affect the Pioneer's specs. Was the cap choice simply a cost-cutting trade-off? What about the remote? Even on Pioneer's parts website, the remote costs half as much as the, imho excellent fully backlit, 2 line LCD learning remote that came with most of the 5XTX series Pioneer Elites.
 

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