What's up with the Pioneer VSX-1016?

[rexracer]

On paper it looks great...THX select 2, 110 wpcx7, HDMI passthru. Great connectivity, preouts... Does anyone know anything about this receiver? I'm looking at this, the yamaha rx-v659 and the onkyo 604. Nobody seems to have it in stock, but i found one ("open box", full warrantee) for a good price. Does anyone have one of these, and how do you like it?

 

[ndangrd]

i bought one to pass the time until hdmi 1.3. i love it & it can't be beat for the money. i worked my way up from a 816 to 1015 to the 1016 when i was trying out receivers this last year. i really liked the 1015 but the 1016 (minus the fold-down face) has many other little upgrades that the 1015 doesn't have. hdmi, ipod, xm, sound retriever, etc.

many people seem to overlook the 1016 because it won't pass audio via hdmi. well, i don't have a hd dvd or blue ray & am not buying one until there's a standard hd dvd format so the lack of audio doesn't bother me at all. i wanted the digital video connection and i wanted it to work...and the 1016 does both for me.

the 1016 is a better receiver than the other two you listed in that price range. sound quality is subjective so i won't go there...

 

[rexracer]

I couldn't get anyone to commit to a time frame for the 1016, so I bought the Yamaha 659. Can't wait to get all the parts and put it together. I'm sure I'll love my Bose beater!

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Your choice is fine; the 659 will serve you well.

 

[modman]

I love my 1016

I purchased the 1016 as a stop-gap measure until the hullabaloo about HDMI blows over. I was using a Marantz SR7000, and I love that old unit's synthesized 5.1 surround for 2-channel music...so I was very wary about a new unit.

But I could not be more pleased. Dolby PL-II for music is even cleaner than my old Marantz (technology be praised!!!!), and the clarity of the music is great. The mike-based auto setup worked like a champ for me. Full-bandwith video switching has finally enabled me to go to a one-remote life.

I'll hold on to this receiver for 12-24 months until I see that next "ledge" in the price/performance ratio come along.

PS -- The HDMI thing turned out to be a dud for me. I stuck with component cables to my Panny 50-inch plasma, and all is well.