Pioneer Elite - 1050W 7.1-Ch. A/V Home Theater Receiver

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• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Great receiver, frustrating interface

  • Incentivized
  • Verified Purchaser

  I had to replace a Sunfire Ultimate Receiver that finally gave up the ghost (or fried its cheap capacitors). While the sound isn't quite on that par, it is close. The build quality is excellent, although a bit lighter than I was expecting. The speaker terminals are located such that they don't block other inputs or each other during attachment. It has enough HDMI and digital inputs (2 coax, 2 fiberoptic) for most needs. The only detraction I'd have is that the interface is a bit awkward. Navigating through the menus can be a chose during set up. Even worse is the fact that there are options such as "skip input" in which Yes means no input and No means the input is shown. While it is technically correct, it is often disorienting when you are flying through the inputs trying to decide if you have all of the correct inputs showing as available. Also, trying to get up Pandora, etc. isn't exactly intuitive. Overall I'd rate it 5/5. After all, hopefully you only need to set it up once. Oh, and I purchased it in store Monday at 2 PM, but it wasn't in stock. BB arranged shipping to my home for free. It arrived the following day (Tuesday) at 5 PM. They certainly didn't cheap out on the shipping!

  Posted 10 years ago by TVMADoc

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Outstanding Upgrade

  • Incentivized
  • Verified Purchaser
  • My Best Buy® Member

  A recent purchase of a 3D projector forced me to upgrade my home theater receiver. Although my current receiver (Pioneer Elite VSX92-TXH) was still going strong, it only had 3 HDMI 1.3 inputs and 1 output. It could not pass 3D signals through it, lacked enough HDMI inputs to handle all my other sources, and any workarounds meant it would not decode uncompressed audio while playing 3D disks (Playstation did not have two HDMI outs.) No HDMI switchers or splitters would work due to the way HDMI 1.4 handshakes. I needed a new receiver to handle my new system needs. I checked out Denon, Onkyo, and Marantz, but came back to Elite because of its reputation, familiarity, video switching capability and new SC build architecture. It has plenty of HDMI 1.4 inputs (8 total), two outputs (one for my Projector and one for my Plasma) and dual subwoofer outs... which meant I could finally get rid of the RCA splitters that feed my sub and my buttkickers in the seats. The SC-71 has plenty of power and a newer version of the audio setup routine (MACC), which I have grown to appreciate due to the way my room is set up. I was able to price match this unit at our local Best Buy store, walking out with the box in hand. I was actually far lighter in weight than the unit it replaced. But once I set up it up the room, connected my components, ran it through the set up process, etc... I can honestly tell you that I was pleasantly surprised with the way it made all my sources look and sound better than before. It runs much cooler than my previous receiver. And I notice a lot of nice improvements... like how much more nuance there is to audio detail in movies, even though I have been a fanatic about running uncompressed audio for many years now. And the iPad app for control or installation/assessment... I'm sure competing receivers in this price range have similar features/apps, etc. After living with this unit for a month or so now, I am convinced that this receiver will serve me well, both now and into the future. It was was great choice for me. Just for a little background, this is my third Elite receiver. All three of them are still working, although one is pre HD and has only limited component HD capability. My second now lives with a neighbor who has no 3D needs/desires and only one or two HDMI components. It should give him many years of service. Now I have a current model that I trust will perform as well as it's predecessors. Again, I have never had to replace an Elite receiver due to a quality or dependability issue. I have replaced them because I have moved into areas that did not exist when my prior receivers were built, meaning I needed to up upgrade to gain access to those features/functions that did not exist five or six years prior. I would say that I am loyal to the Pioneer Elite brand because it has given me so many years of reliability, offers excellent features and functionality, and is a real value (not the cheapest, for sure, but justified)... all of which make it a solid investment.

  Posted 12 years ago by HD4RON

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Sc71

  • Incentivized
  • My Best Buy® Elite Member
  • Verified Purchaser

  this amp is great. The power pushes a pair of klipsch towers and surrounds with no prob. It has a great video card and the on screen menu is a big step up. The remote is still not great but the iOS app is great. Especially on the iPad. just wish it was Dolby atoms ready.

  Posted 11 years ago by Yyakk