Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Experience with Pioneer Elite VSX-84TXSi?

Deos anybody have any experience with this new receiver, especially with the Axiom M60s or M80s? There are threads about it on AVS Forum, but they're kinda tangential at times. Thanks.

I see that you like that word, tangential. It's a good word. I prefer conniptionesque, myself.

I'm sorry, but I can't make any comments on the Elite.

I'm interested in the little brother, the VSX-81TXV. It doesn't look as nice as the 84 but should have all the features I need. If only someone actually owned it and could provide a review.

I too was interested in the Elite AVR until the local shop steered me to a Rotel for the same money with a 5 year warranty and better sound... I bought the Rotel after testing it and an Arcam 300 for 4 days. The Arcam was far superior in music but once the bullets started flying in Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers the Rotel proved far superior on my M60's, VP150 and QS8's

Ron, which Rotel model did you end up going with, and how much did it cost? I've also read lots of rave reviews on the Arcam 300/350 and lusted after them, but they're a little pricey. I'm not sure I'd appreciate them enough to justify the extra cost.

Probably the 1057-I too heard the rotel and the pioneer in a side by side a/b switch and the rotel sounded better to me. I don't know all the fancy audiophile terms but I'd describe it as though a bedsheet was removed from the speakers when the rotel was on. To be fair the rotel is a 5.1 unit and the pioneer is 7.1-and the rotel has fewer extras like auto eq and ipod docks and the like.

Dennis, Rotel is a good name for receivers. Pioneer has been around for awhile but every one i've had or known runs hot. Their Elite line should be beefy enough to drive the M80s and certainly would not have any problems with other Axiom speakers. Keep reading around to see if anyone has used the Elite line with 4 ohm speakers and find out more about potential for shutdown protection.

All that being said, the sonic differences between the Rotel, Pioneer or Arcams of the world will be nil when all the settings are made neutral. I have also A/B'd receivers in box stores with the switch buttons and sometimes they do sound different but this is a brutal and uncontrolled method by which to objectively judge such things. More often than not some settings have been changed or tweaked, even without the knowledge of the salesperson (customers like to play and tinker when no one is watching).
I suggest you shop for features/requirements, price, future proofing and aesthetics (or in whatever order is most important to you). This will determine if that $4000 processor is what you really want (e.g. because it looks big, shiny and silver with an lcd display) or whether that $400 receiver is plenty (e.g. because its onboard processors for DD, DTS and everything else are sonically the same as the 4k unit anyway).

There may be a review in the works of a similar receiver... of course, I can't say which at this time but it just might be playing music in someone's HT as we speak... maybe...

I went with a Rotel RSX-1056 ... List $1299.99 US as the 1057 is out they cut 20% off the list and I bit. One of the biggest sells is that Rotel carries a 5 year parts and labor warranty and when you call for support you get a human. The receiver is rated at 75 Watts per 5 channels... all channels driven not one channel check the wattage then check the next. It makes a big differnce. You can do a 7.1 but I use the back for Zone two instead.

I beg to differ the "sonic" differnces between a Pioneer a mass produced receiver, a Rotel a Family owned English company ( also owns Bowers and Wilkins speaker company (B&W)) and a handmade in Cambridge England Arcam would be huge at nuetral settings as what's left is the quality of the amp.