tb1231503560936 Posted June 11, 2008 Posted June 11, 2008 Hi all, I am after some opinions or suggestions about a proposed “upgrade” of my existing HT setup. At the end of the day I know it comes down to personal preference and auditioning the various candidates, but I’m after some real world experiences from the forum. My current equipment is a Pioneer LX508 PDP, Pioneer LX70a BD player and Yamaha HTR-5550 Receiver with Yamaha NS-55 speakers. I have had the Yamaha gear for a couple of years. It replaced my old “stereo” which was a 20 year old Kenwood system with Peterson speakers and I’ve never been really happy with the sound the Yammy produced. It sounds OK for HT use, but 2 channel music just sounds flat or perhaps harsh compared to what the old system put out. It just has no punch, something is missing. I’m not sure if this is the Yamaha speakers, receiver or combination of both. So, I’m toying with the idea of replacing the receiver with a Pioneer LX60 (in an effort to compliment the existing LX gear) and the speakers with VAF DC-X’s or something similar. It’s just so hard to try out all the various combinations available out there. My questions are • How does the LX60 rate as an “all rounder”. Does it do 2-CH music as well as it does 5.1 or 7.1 home theatre or is there a better option out there such as a Denon, Marantz, Onkyo etc for this application for around the same price? • Does anyone have the VAF’s connected to an LX60? How are they? • If you live in Adelaide (fortunately I do) How do the VAF’s sound in your own home when compared to the presumably acoustically ideal VAF showroom? • With respect to the connection between the LX70a and LX508, do you lose anything in quality by connecting via the LX60 receiver (or any other receiver for that matter) rather than going direct to the PDP? Being a digital stream it should be transparent, but it’s possible there is some digital magic going on in there somewhere, which isn’t always a good thing. • Do you get 7.1 HD sound out of the optical output of the LX70a Blu Ray player or does it need to be connected to the receiver via HDMI to make full use of this feature? Thanks all, sorry for the longish post Tim
Cody Posted June 11, 2008 Posted June 11, 2008 hi tb123, cant answer all, but can have a go at a few of your questions. firstly, based on my experience i'd suggest there are much better options than pioneer AVR's when it comes to music (particularly). i went from the VSX-AX4ASi to a marantz 7002 and it was a noticable step-up. as was the yamaha 1800 i also auditioned. in terms of going for another brand, all you really "miss out" on is SR+ functionality, which is easily overcome by a good universal remote. with point 4, no you dont loose any quality, as you will be using HDMI which is digital. regarding point 5, no you wont get full hd sound via optical, you will need to run HDMI to the receiver, then hdmi again out from the receiver to the telly. going back to receivers, i dont think there is anything wrong with the pioneers as such (in fact given the features and the huge discounts that can be negotiated they represent good BFYB), its just that there are others that imo are much more "musical". if you have up around the $2k'ish (street) budget to spend, check out the marantz 7002, yamaha 3800, onkyo 875 and denon 2808. cheers
cellrsx Posted June 12, 2008 Posted June 12, 2008 hi tb123, cant answer all, but can have a go at a few of your questions.firstly, based on my experience i'd suggest there are much better options than pioneer AVR's when it comes to music (particularly). i went from the VSX-AX4ASi to a marantz 7002 and it was a noticable step-up. as was the yamaha 1800 i also auditioned. in terms of going for another brand, all you really "miss out" on is SR+ functionality, which is easily overcome by a good universal remote. with point 4, no you dont loose any quality, as you will be using HDMI which is digital. regarding point 5, no you wont get full hd sound via optical, you will need to run HDMI to the receiver, then hdmi again out from the receiver to the telly. going back to receivers, i dont think there is anything wrong with the pioneers as such (in fact given the features and the huge discounts that can be negotiated they represent good BFYB), its just that there are others that imo are much more "musical". if you have up around the $2k'ish (street) budget to spend, check out the marantz 7002, yamaha 3800, onkyo 875 and denon 2808. cheers Are you judging the LX-60/70 based on your experience with these models or previous ones? I wouldn't touch the Yamaha 3800/1800/x63 series as they all clip BTB and WTW HDMI video signals. That's a deal-breaker for me when it comes to a receiver passing video altered. I agree the Pioneer is a bit pricey though... For Tim, best thing to do is find some reviews and then try and do a few listening tests in stores/showrooms. Keep in mind too Pioneers' newer receivers will probably hit the stores around November, if you're in no hurry. Here's a review from the HCC website for the VSX-LX60... http://www.homecinemachoice.com/cgi-bin/di...p?reviewid=7448
The D-Train Posted June 12, 2008 Posted June 12, 2008 Hi all,I am after some opinions or suggestions about a proposed “upgrade” of my existing HT setup. At the end of the day I know it comes down to personal preference and auditioning the various candidates, but I’m after some real world experiences from the forum. My current equipment is a Pioneer LX508 PDP, Pioneer LX70a BD player and Yamaha HTR-5550 Receiver with Yamaha NS-55 speakers. I have had the Yamaha gear for a couple of years. It replaced my old “stereo” which was a 20 year old Kenwood system with Peterson speakers and I’ve never been really happy with the sound the Yammy produced. It sounds OK for HT use, but 2 channel music just sounds flat or perhaps harsh compared to what the old system put out. It just has no punch, something is missing. I’m not sure if this is the Yamaha speakers, receiver or combination of both. So, I’m toying with the idea of replacing the receiver with a Pioneer LX60 (in an effort to compliment the existing LX gear) and the speakers with VAF DC-X’s or something similar. It’s just so hard to try out all the various combinations available out there. My questions are • How does the LX60 rate as an “all rounder”. Does it do 2-CH music as well as it does 5.1 or 7.1 home theatre or is there a better option out there such as a Denon, Marantz, Onkyo etc for this application for around the same price? It will do stereo no problems. • Does anyone have the VAF’s connected to an LX60? How are they? I have a 7.1 set up, all VAF and I highly recommend them • If you live in Adelaide (fortunately I do) How do the VAF’s sound in your own home when compared to the presumably acoustically ideal VAF showroom? Again, no problems at all, they sound great. • With respect to the connection between the LX70a and LX508, do you lose anything in quality by connecting via the LX60 receiver (or any other receiver for that matter) rather than going direct to the PDP? Being a digital stream it should be transparent, but it’s possible there is some digital magic going on in there somewhere, which isn’t always a good thing. already answered • Do you get 7.1 HD sound out of the optical output of the LX70a Blu Ray player or does it need to be connected to the receiver via HDMI to make full use of this feature? already answered Thanks all, sorry for the longish post Tim Tim, have a look at my sig and pm me if you like as it seems I have most the gear youre looking at. cheers
Cody Posted June 12, 2008 Posted June 12, 2008 as always, differing opinions on SQ - hence best to audition yourself and see what you think.
The D-Train Posted June 12, 2008 Posted June 12, 2008 as always, differing opinions on SQ - hence best to audition yourself and see what you think. Correct there DG. I cant give any comparisons of the different AVR's but can comment on how the Pio/Vaf sound together. I think its fair to say whatever one you get you will be happy.
tb1231503560936 Posted June 12, 2008 Author Posted June 12, 2008 thanks for the information folks. D-Train, might give you a shout when closer to purchasing, thanks. By the way, those rear surround DC-7's look like they are about to eat your lounge! Impressive setup you have there.... I'm guessing you dont live near me (East of the city), or I think I may have heard you!
The D-Train Posted June 12, 2008 Posted June 12, 2008 thanks for the information folks.D-Train, might give you a shout when closer to purchasing, thanks. By the way, those rear surround DC-7's look like they are about to eat your lounge! Impressive setup you have there.... I'm guessing you dont live near me (East of the city), or I think I may have heard you! he he, thanks mate. No im down south way so youre safe.
Garincha Posted July 4, 2008 Posted July 4, 2008 Hi all, Finally took the plunge and got a Pioneer VXS LX-60 yesterday. It's a beautiful unit and the sound is great with my also new MA RS6s. I've got all my gear in my sig connected up, mostly via component to the AVR and then by HDMI to the LCD. This works fine except for the Mac Mini, which I used a DVI to HDMI cable to connect it to the AVR and so far I have been unable to get any kind of signal which is a bit frustrating and disappointing. I am guessing this is some kind of HDCP handshake issue, I have tried outputting a range of different resolutions from the MAC Mini without success. The LCD is 1366 x 768, and normally I have my Mac Mini set to output that at 60Hz when directly connected. I have tried 1920x1080i @ 50 & 60Hz, 1280x720 @ 50 & 60Hz but all no good. At the moment I have resorted to using a DVI-VGA cable to connect my Mac Mini directly to the LCD, although this kind defeats the intent of being able to run 1 cable to the LCD. I also noticed a yellow flyer in the packaging for the LX60 that warned that some Game machines were not compatible by HDMI and it suggests either using component or connecting directly to the display. Questions Just wondering if any Pioneer owners out there have been able to connect a computer by DVI-HDMI cable to the AVR and any of any possible solutions. The yellow flyer warning about game machines also concerns me, at the moment I have an old xbox 360 that runs via component, but I was wondering if other owners have connected PS3s and XBOX 360s via HDMI to the AVR without issues. Another observation I have made is that it takes quite along time to switch between inputs, is this normal or is related to my Big W TV possibly having an earlier version of HDMI. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, this thread is a lot smaller compared to that of other AVRs and I'm keen to share settings and impressions with other LX60/70 owners. Apologies for the double post but the multichannel sub forum gets missed a lot. Thanks, Patrick
Garincha Posted July 6, 2008 Posted July 6, 2008 Update, Ok I have just managed to get the Pioneer VSX-LX60 to pass through either 1280x720p @ 60Hz & 1920x1080i, neither resolution is quite as good a fit as the native 1360x768 but the pioneer only seems to pass through certain resolutions and doesn't like custom resolutions. It is a bit disappointing that it won't simply pass through what it is feed but if I upgrade my TV to full HD screen then I think it wouldn't be such an issue. Other settings I had to adjust include turning off HDMI video conversion and I think I also had to turn off SR+ but I'm not entirely sure what that was for anyway. Anyway I'm much happier now that I know I can run HDMI cable to my display and use the Pioneer to switch everything. I have really been enjoying listening to CDs and watching DVDs, it's quite amazing how the picture almost seems better when the sound is improved. The front Stage Surround function also seems to do quite a good job out of making the most of a 2 speaker system particularly when it's focussed on the listening position.
skcilroh Posted July 6, 2008 Posted July 6, 2008 Pick up one of these the other week for a good price (i think) and still working out all the options, settings etc for it for the best sounding setup, which is a bit more than my old DSP A1 . It sounds a lot better than my old one, that`s for sure. Remote could had been a lot better with bigger Vol control buttons and a backlit light as well. Looking forward to hooking up Blu-ray to it and hear how that sounds.
heyskip Posted July 6, 2008 Posted July 6, 2008 I also noticed a yellow flyer in the packaging for the LX60 that warned that some Game machines were not compatible by HDMI and it suggests either using component or connecting directly to the display. Has anyone had any trouble with either xbox360 or PS3 connected via hdmi. This worries me a little as these are the only 2 components im going to be hooking up to the LX-60 via hdmi, the rest I was going to connect straight to the tv to take advantage of individual picture settings.
Garincha Posted July 6, 2008 Posted July 6, 2008 Has anyone had any trouble with either xbox360 or PS3 connected via hdmi. This worries me a little as these are the only 2 components im going to be hooking up to the LX-60 via hdmi, the rest I was going to connect straight to the tv to take advantage of individual picture settings. Yeah, I currently only have an older 360 that's connected via component to the amp, and I don't own or have access to a PS3 to test this out. Given that they are the only 2 games consoles that can output by HDMI it would be an absolute joke if the Pioneer can't pass through either 720p or 1080p signals which are standard resolutions. The failure to pass through 1360x768 is slightly forgivable although considering the number of LCDs that have been sold with this resolution it should have been included. Hopefully someone on the forum with both a Pioneer AVR & Ps3/XBOX 360 can provide an answer
alcoop1503559994 Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 My older Pio AX2 has a PS3 connected to it by HDMI with no problems. Dont see why they would be going backwards...
modaus Posted August 15, 2008 Posted August 15, 2008 Hi I have connected Pioneer DVD recorder (DVR-550HX-S) to Pioneer Receiver (VSX-LX60) via a HDMI cable, and I have also connected the receiver to the Pioneer plasma TV (pdp-lx508a) via HDMI cable. Now, when I play DVD on player, I can see the video on TV but I can not hear any sound from TV. I can hear the sound via receiver to my external speakers. Is there any configuration I am missing? I thought HDMI cables provide both video and audio. Some times I just wish to hear the DVD sound via TV speakers and not receiver's speakers. When the Receiver is OFF and I play DVD, I can see the picture/video on TV, but no sound on TV! It should be possible according to the Receiver's manual. In the Receiver manual page 65 as note1, it says: "Note 1 • When HDMI Control is set to ON, the audio/video signals input at the HDMI IN terminals are output at the HDMI OUT terminal even when this receiver is switched off." But it does not as it says. No audio to TV when it is OFF!! I can hear the sound on TV, if I switch off the HDMI Control on Receiver , and set the audio param to "PASS THROUGH". But by this the Receiver must be turned on all the time, and you have to change different settings all the time. Is there any better solution? Hope some body can help. Thanks in advance.
Stone1503560339 Posted August 15, 2008 Posted August 15, 2008 (edited) The HDMI from DVR to AVR carries video and audio. The HDMI from the AVR to PDP is video only. You're using the MONITOR OUT connection from the receiver which is a video output, not a HDMI feed-through. You will need to run analogue audio leads from the DVR to PDP, if you wish to hear audio from the PDP with the AVR switched OFF. Edited August 15, 2008 by Stone
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