Is the Pioneer 1014 "too much" receiver for me?

[AaronG]

First off, hello! My name is Aaron, which I am sure is pretty apparent by my username. I have been lurking on this site trying to soak in as much info as possible on receivers and other HT info. I am in the process of buying a receiver and have narrowed down my choices to a Pioneer 1014 and the Denon 1905.

I have read good things for both receivers and both are roughly the same price. So my question is whether the 1014 is too much for our needs. The 1014 appaears to have much more features than the 1905, but I am unsure if we would ever utilize most of those features. Maybe it's because we own an older Kenwood receiver and simply don't know how "cool" these feautres can be.

Let me give a brief overview of what we would use it for. We are not audiophiles or HT "freaks". Simply put, we enjoy watching movies and some TV and want a quality, clean audio setup to make for a better experience. We will be using a 5.1 system. The fronts are Paradigm Titans, the rears are some modest JBL N24's and the center will likely be a Paradigm CC370. The sub will be a DIY job, but I am sure it will suffice.

I don't see us going to 6.1 or 7.1 until we have a dedicated HT room, which won't be for a long time (unless we hit the lottery). We also don't need a zone 2 feature, so that is not a big deal. The receiver we pick will be used for HT about 75% of the time.

I know from my car audio experiences, people always say to buy as much as you can given your budget. Is there a clear winner between the 1014 and 1905? Does one or both have some quality issues I might not know about? Thanks for any help!

P.S. I tried to search today for more 1014 info but the search function farted out on me.

[evac311]

Get the Pioneer if it has MCACC, that will make your system sound the best it can. It's a system that uses a microphone to automatically adjust the tone and balance of your speakers to compensate for the sound characteristics of your room.

[Eric Z]

I see the Pioneer 1015 has the MCACC (auto set-up), but I'm not sure about the 1014. The auto set-up saves tons of time- especially if you don't have a lot of home theater experience (crawling around on the floor with a SPL meter).

I know you said you narrowed your options down to the Denon and Pioneer, but have you considered Yamaha? Just curious. The Yamaha that's in the same price range ($499 MSRP) of your options is the Yamaha RXV657 or HTR5860 (same thing). I have last years model and it does everything I need and more- the reason why I got it was the YPAO (Yamaha's term for auto set-up). You should be able to get it for under $400 at some places. I know electronics-expo.com has it for under $320- they even say they're an authorized dealer, too!!

Just a couple thoughts.

[Tarheel_]

added options aren't bad, you may not use them now, but in the future you may find them worthwhile. Also, check their weight, usually this is a good indication on the quality of the amps inside of the receiver.

Download both owner's manual and study/read them. This is very helpful when choosing. Look over the remote section for simple buttons and logical layout. Are both programmable and/or handle other components in your HT setup? Does one offer On screen Menus? Or auto-calibration? etc....

Studying the owner's manual can really help decide. I went this route when buying a new receiver and it help me decide. 2+ years later, no regrets.

[AaronG]

Excellent suggestion - they really help. One thing I have read on other HT forums is that the 1014 might have some type of issue with sensitivity to power surges, even minor surges. Perhaps it is a fluke, but some 1014 owners have mentioned the same problem with their receivers just shutting down after a very slight power surge, even when the 1014 was on a surge protector. Any comments on this? It seems odd that the 1014 has already been replaced with the 1015 after a relatively short life span.

[AaronG]

BTW, I am going to a local shop this weekend and look at/listen to the 1905 and the 5860 and see which one leaves the best impression. Both appear to be very solid, so I need to look at the smaller things. Thanks again for the info.

[evil__betty]

Excellent suggestion - they really help. One thing I have read on other HT forums is that the 1014 might have some type of issue with sensitivity to power surges, even minor surges. Perhaps it is a fluke, but some 1014 owners have mentioned the same problem with their receivers just shutting down after a very slight power surge, even when the 1014 was on a surge protector. Any comments on this? It seems odd that the 1014 has already been replaced with the 1015 after a relatively short life span.

A high quality surge protector and line cleaner will do wonders for any A/V reciever regardless of MSRP. Most people will back up that statement - it is a really good investment to make and it will protect your equipment. The 1014 has been replaced with the 1015 because that what happens every year - companies continously upgrade their product and release new stuff to convince you to buy it because it is 'new and improved'. In Pioneer's case it is. I suggest buying the reciever that has more functions than you have need for, because a good quality reciever should last you 10 years or more - who knows what will happen in those 10 years. You may choose to buy new toys that will have to be plugged in to your reciever and nothing sucks more than when you go to plug something in, and there are no open inputs. Then, you will regret not spending the extra $100.

[SAPSEC]

Yamaha 1500 would meet your needs.