Sony STR-DG 910 vs Pioneer VSX-917V-K

[Justin Cider]

I'm looking for some help deciding between these 2 receivers.Can somebody help give me some opinions on both.I have heard that Sony receivers aren't good till you get into the higher end stuff,and I have heard that there just fine.Just trying to figure it out which one to pull the trigger on.Also looking for some opinions on speakers for either as well.I'm not looking to get too crazy,but a nice mid range 5.1 system would be great.Thank you in advance

 

[gus6464]

I'm looking for some help deciding between these 2 receivers.Can somebody help give me some opinions on both.I have heard that Sony receivers aren't good till you get into the higher end stuff,and I have heard that there just fine.Just trying to figure it out which one to pull the trigger on.Also looking for some opinions on speakers for either as well.I'm not looking to get too crazy,but a nice mid range 5.1 system would be great.Thank you in advance

That's a tough decision. Both are receivers from good companies (still have my 6 year old Sony AVR and it is still going strong). Only thing is I don't know if the Pioneer can do MPCM over hdmi so you can get the high def sound from a BD or HD DVD player and I know the Sony can. If you have or are thinking on a BD or HD DVD player I would say go for the Sony. And if you don't I would still say go for the Sony as you never know what you might get later on.

 

[Seth=L]

The VSX-917 can not process audio over HDMI, it is pass-thru only.

The STR-DG910 can process audio from HDMI, and also features 3 HDMI inputs instead of the standard 2 typically found on this level of receiver.

Other options to consider in this price range that also handle HDMI audio are the Yamaha RX-V661, Onkyo TX-SR605, and Harman Kardon AVR-247. Any of those three would likely be a better choice than the Sony, even if you have to pay $100 more.

 

[B3Nut]

The Sony current-limits itself if all channels are being driven hard, though that almost never occurs in real program material. Still, other receivers do better indicating possibly a better power supply than the Sony has. This same magazine has tested the Onkyo 605 and Yamaha 661 mentioned above, the amp sections of those units are a bit more robust judging by the measurements.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/receivers/2354/test-bench-sony-str-dg910-av-receiver.html

Interesting that the Sony lacks multichannel analog inputs, multichannel audio can only go in digitally. That can be a limitation in some installations.

 

[Seth=L]

The Sony current-limits itself if all channels are being driven hard, though that almost never occurs in real program material. Still, other receivers do better indicating possibly a better power supply than the Sony has. This same magazine has tested the Onkyo 605 and Yamaha 661 mentioned above, the amp sections of those units are a bit more robust judging by the measurements.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/receivers/2354/test-bench-sony-str-dg910-av-receiver.html

Interesting that the Sony lacks multichannel analog inputs, multichannel audio can only go in digitally. That can be a limitation in some installations.

I enjoyed looking through those benchtests. The Onkyo TX-SR805/875 are top notch in power. Nothing can touch them in this budget.

 

[Warpdrv]

What is your price range, maybe we can help by offering something else in your budget...

I like pioneer, but the best bottom line receiver is the Elite 91 in my eyes..

 

[gus6464]

He said he had $300. At this price range I would go for the Sony as it can be had for around that price. What is it with everyone knocking on Sony? Have most of you guys actually owned any of their AVRs? I have an old sony driving 4ohm speakers right now and doesn't break a sweat. For example I would take a 910 over the onkyo 605 at his budget.

 

[Warpdrv]

He said he had $300. At this price range I would go for the Sony as it can be had for around that price. What is it with everyone knocking on Sony? Have most of you guys actually owned any of their AVRs? I have an old sony driving 4ohm speakers right now and doesn't break a sweat. For example I would take a 910 over the onkyo 605 at his budget.

I'm sorry, I must have just glanced to quickly over the thread...

gus has your back here... apoligies

 

[Seth=L]

He said he had $300. At this price range I would go for the Sony as it can be had for around that price. What is it with everyone knocking on Sony? Have most of you guys actually owned any of their AVRs? I have an old sony driving 4ohm speakers right now and doesn't break a sweat. For example I would take a 910 over the onkyo 605 at his budget.

I have owned a more recent Sony AVR, it was one of the worst AVRs I have ever had short of a KLH. From what I understand about Sony, it's hit and miss. Some models are great, some aren't. I am not too thrilled about Sony's build quality lately either.

 

[gus6464]

I have owned a more recent Sony AVR, it was one of the worst AVRs I have ever had short of a KLH. From what I understand about Sony, it's hit and miss. Some models are great, some aren't. I am not too thrilled about Sony's build quality lately either.

Man I guess a lot of today's AVR's are not like the ones of yesteryear. My 6 year old Sony is still working perfectly just like day one. And when I had my Yamaha 661 hooked up to the Epos it would run a lot hotter than the Sony at moderate levels. The sony barely gets warm to the touch.

 

[Seth=L]

Man I guess a lot of today's AVR's are not like the ones of yesteryear. My 6 year old Sony is still working perfectly just like day one. And when I had my Yamaha 661 hooked up to the Epos it would run a lot hotter than the Sony at moderate levels. The sony barely gets warm to the touch.

Sony used to have great stuff, some where they just fell off. And there are some great in between models here and there, but it's a guessing game.

 

[Justin Cider]

Yes,my budget is around the $300-400CDN and I have found the Sony for 350 and the Pioneer is about $30 more.I will be running a Viewsat 9000HD sat receiver,Samsung upconverting DVD player and an Xbox 360 not sure if I'll run the Xbox on HDMI though.I have been looking a a set of Klipsch RB-10 Series as well but I'm still debating them to.Thanks for all the input I really appreciate it.I am leaning toward the Sony,but I still could be swayed.This turned out to be a harder decision than I thought,and I still haven't made a decision on the speakers either,I think i'm going to go insane.Once again to everyone thanks.

 

[S.R. Johnson]

He said he had $300. At this price range I would go for the Sony as it can be had for around that price. What is it with everyone knocking on Sony? Have most of you guys actually owned any of their AVRs? I have an old sony driving 4ohm speakers right now and doesn't break a sweat. For example I would take a 910 over the onkyo 605 at his budget.

i will have to agree to disagree with this statement. i for one will get the 605 over the sony 910. you will get more performance and bang for your buck with the onkyo 605.

 

[Seth=L]

i will have to agree to disagree with this statement. i for one will get the 605 over the sony 910. you will get more performance and bang for your buck with the onkyo 605.

The Onkyo TX-SR605 may be out of the poster's price range.

 

[gus6464]

i will have to agree to disagree with this statement. i for one will get the 605 over the sony 910. you will get more performance and bang for your buck with the onkyo 605.

Yeah and with that bang for the bucks comes popping, heat, and crappy service from Onkyo.

 

[Seth=L]

Yeah and with that bang for the bucks comes popping, heat, and crappy service from Onkyo.

As much as I keep hearing about this, the less it makes me want to recommend the TX-SR605. I haven't recommended it for some time, and to be honest I was never extatic about it. It doesn't have preouts, it pops (the TX-SR605 doesn't have the heat issues so much though), and also the crappy service (dealt with it once myself, ended up finding the problem on me own). I guess Onkyo figures everyone that calls is just a moron that doesn't know how to use their simple to use receivers.

 

[S.R. Johnson]

Yeah and with that bang for the bucks comes popping, heat, and crappy service from Onkyo.

quite honestly i have not heard of the popping noise when i install these receivers. when do they do this?

 

[gus6464]

quite honestly i have not heard of the popping noise when i install these receivers. when do they do this?

It happens randomly when receiver is decoding. From what I have read at AVS onkyo has been telling the owners that this is normal for the processor to do that but find that to be complete BS and they just don't want to acknowledge the problem.

 

[B3Nut]

From what I've been able to deduce from many postings on the issue, it seems to be a function of excessive heat affecting the DSP board. I know an overheat condition can cause a microprocessor to generate errors, so it's possible that the DSP processing is running into errors due to parts of the chip die itself becoming too hot. Some have reported that the popping ceased when they placed a fan atop the unit to draw additional air through and out the top of the unit. If this is indeed the case someone made a grave engineering mistake. One should not have to install a fan to obtain normal operation in a normal usage situation.