Receiver: Pioneer VSX1131 vs. Denon AVR-X2300W

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Receiver: Pioneer VSX1131 vs. Denon AVR-X2300W

BuckoNZ

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#205010 26-Oct-2016 15:34

I have always been a Pioneer fan... I'm on my third Pioneer home theatre receiver - a LX70 - and have always found good value in Pioneer products.

I have just purchased a new TV and to make the most of all it's features, I really need to upgrade my Receiver. I don't have the funds to purchase something in the LX range equivalent, but have settled on the following two -

Pioneer VSX1131:
http://www.pioneernz.co.nz/products/VSX1131
http://www.whathifi.com/pioneer/vsx-1131/review

Denon AVR-X2300W:
http://www.denonasia.com/ap/product/hometheater/avreceivers/avrx2300w
http://www.whathifi.com/denon/avr-x2300w/review

Although I have never owned a Denon amp (I almost bought one for my first home theatre amp in 1995), I'm leaning towards the X2300W.

Thoughts?

jarledb

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#1658295 26-Oct-2016 15:55

Have had lots of equipment from Denon and always been very happy with the quality, have an AVR-1911 and very happy with it. Still running like clockwork.

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dclegg

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#1658307 26-Oct-2016 16:04

May not be overly helpful, as I have no experience with Denon. But I recently replaced my entry level Pioneer AV receiver (VSX-517) with a Yamaha RX-V381, and have regretted the move away from Pioneer.

My main gripe (apart from HDCP woes, which I expect I'd have with most modern AV receivers) is that Prologic II is nowhere near as good on the Yamaha. It is a lot more fussier about what it'll apply it to, even if I try to explicitly force it to be always on. As a result, some sources will play 2.1 sound instead of 5.1, no matter what I do.

This is one area my Pioneer really shined, and setting it to ProLogic II would guarantee you'll always have 5.1 output, and a pretty good facsimile created from 2.0 sources too.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're happy with Pioneer, you may want to consider if you really want to move away from that brand. I jumped to Yamaha thinking I'd be getting a better amp (and to be honest, things like music do sound better with it), but all things considered I actually miss my old Pioneer and regret not getting a more modern take on their entry level gear. My main motivation for upgrading was a broken speaker clip, and the desire to have HDMI support (another thing that didn't work out too well for me :-)).

Dunnersfella

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#1658527 26-Oct-2016 20:35

You did buy the very bottom of the line Yamaha to be fair... stump up for the higher end models and you'll be fine.

I'm assuming you're suffering from sources dropping quality when the bandwidth to net based video services... um... drops off a cliff?

Re: Pioneer vs Denon - go into a store and have a play (grab a remote, go through the GUI / try HDMI switching etc).

If you're in Chch B&W NZ carry the Denon and Harvey's have the Pioneer.

If you're in Auckland AV World have the Denon and Harvey's have the Pioneer.

If you're anywhere else you're pretty much out of luck.

dclegg

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#1658707 27-Oct-2016 08:26

Dunnersfella:

You did buy the very bottom of the line Yamaha to be fair... stump up for the higher end models and you'll be fine.

I'm assuming you're suffering from sources dropping quality when the bandwidth to net based video services... um... drops off a cliff?

It was also the bottom of the line Pioneer (at the time), so the comparison in performance is fair. And the Yamaha was specifically chosen after seeing it rise to the top of many reviews of entry level receivers.

I don't want to derail this thread by getting into the details of my problem. I just wanted to point out that different manufacturers may have different ideas as to what constitutes an important feature. For me, one of the most important features is a consistent ability to output 5.1 sound regardless of input source. The entry level Pioneer shined at this, whereas the entry level Yamaha does not.

The OP may have other feature requirements that are well met by his current brand, that are not necessarily met as well by another one. So brand loyalty sometimes can make sense.

As an aside, the WAF of the Yamaha is extremely low, due to HDCP issues. I suspect the protocol, and inconsistent implementation across devices, is more to blame for this than the AV receiver. But this does mean that if we did get a Yamaha higher in the range, my wife would be pretty miffed if that particular problem remained.

afe66

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#1658803 27-Oct-2016 11:06

I'm happy with my denon x3000.

but then it was an upgrade from the sony home theatre amp I bought in 1993.... Apparently there are these new connectors called HDMI !

A.

BuckoNZ

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#1673983 19-Nov-2016 09:44

I pulled the trigger on the X2300W and I'm very happy with it. I was worried about dropping a "class" of receiver, however the sound through the Denon sounds great - in fact, I dare say better than the LX70! My 20 year old Klipsch speakers seem to have foudn new life! :)

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rokki

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#1674369 20-Nov-2016 06:07

I have had the odd Reciever from Yamaha and Pioneer to demo but I have to confess I am a Denon fanboy from my first AVR-1604 then an AVR-2808 till now a AVR-X4200W nothing short of brilliant.

My gear 55" Samsung 4K SUHD LCD HDR , Denon AVR-4200W Reciever in 7.1.2 Surround , Denon 2 Channel Amp to power ceiling speakers , Combination of Polk Audio Fronts And Tannoy Surrounds plus 2 Cambridge Audio Ceiling Speakers Pioneer Downfiring Subwoofer , Oppo UDP-203 UHD Player , Roku Ultra , Apple TV 3