Onkyo PR-SC885p or Pioneer SC-05/SC07/SC25?

[BadAssJazz]

My brother made me an offer that I couldn't refuse on my Rotel set up and sub, so I will soon be back in the market for an SSP or AVR. Because Christmas is around the corner, I've given myself a very strict budget < $1K. In that price range I could find another Rotel rig, but part of the fun of this hobby is trying out new and different gear. I'm looking for an HDMI unit with all of the latest codecs. The Onkyo SC885 is within my budget as are the Pioneer SC-05, SC-07 and SC-25, especially if I can find the Pios used or on eBay. Thoughts? Greatly appreciate any and all advice and caveats.

Thanks! :14:

[dakatabg]

The receivers that you listed are great! All of them look great! In my opinion I will go with the Onkyo! Pioneer receivers look very nice but I will go with the Onkyo! That is my opinion! I don't know if you will be able to buy it for less than 1K because it goes for a lot more but you never know. You may get a good deal on one of the internet sites like ebay or craislist!

[harley .guy07]

I would say that with Pioneer the Elite products are the only ones that I would take a hard look at and Onkyo is also a good product in its price range. I'm not sure which rotel rig you had but you are probably going to be hard pressed to get that level of performance from any AVR in this price range. If you can live with a posible slight loss in amplifier performance and sound accuracy in order to get the newest codecs and have it all in a compact unit then you should do allright with an Onkyo or Pioneer elite.

[pixelthis]

My brother made me an offer that I couldn't refuse on my Rotel set up and sub, so I will soon be back in the market for an SSP or AVR. Because Christmas is around the corner, I've given myself a very strict budget < $1K. In that price range I could find another Rotel rig, but part of the fun of this hobby is trying out new and different gear. I'm looking for an HDMI unit with all of the latest codecs. The Onkyo SC885 is within my budget as are the Pioneer SC-05, SC-07 and SC-25, especially if I can find the Pios used or on eBay. Thoughts? Greatly appreciate any and all advice and caveats.

Thanks! :14:

Advice?
Beg your brother on your hands and knees for your Rotel gear back.
Of course hes' too smart for that, why he made the deal in the first place.
I am partial to Onkyo, but both Pioneer and Onkyo are more mass market than Rotel,
with all of the compromises that entails.
You can get either a Integra 6.4 or 7,4, what I would go with.:1:

[kenobi]

Hi,

Thought I share the source for my PRSC 886: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKPRSC886/Onkyo/Pr-sc886-Thx-Ultra2-Plus-7.1-channel-3-zone-Preamplifier/processor-/1.html/ $999 refurb but many times you'll get a brand new unit with a refurb sticker. Check it out on AVSforum.com for more details and insight.

Also, www.clubonkyo.com occassional has really good deals as well. Sign up and become a member and get special pricing and special points for more reduction.

The Onkyo pre/pro is among my very best upgrade I have made in this hobby for close to 20yrs. You will not be disappointed.

Best regards,

Kenobi

[BadAssJazz]

Advice?
Beg your brother on your hands and knees for your Rotel gear back.
Of course hes' too smart for that, why he made the deal in the first place.

Nah, I got the better end of the deal. He was going to sell his SL500 to an acquaintance for top dollar, but instead he's going to hand the keys over to me for much less, albeit with the Rotel SSP and amp as a "down payment." His wife won't let him buy any more audio gear, but he just added an office onto his house and he wants a decent rig to handle the tunes and sports broadcasts.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I would definitely recommend the Onkyo. However, I cannot see how you would go wrong with any of these choices.

[dakatabg]

If you ask me I will go with the Onkyo but if you have the chance to listen to all of them, do it and decide which one you like by sound and look. I see most of the people say Onkyo and I will get that too so you decide.

[BadAssJazz]

If you ask me I will go with the Onkyo but if you have the chance to listen to all of them, do it and decide which one you like by sound and look. I see most of the people say Onkyo and I will get that too so you decide.

The bad news:

The Onkyo pre-pro was my first choice, but unfortunately my brother won't let me keep the Rotel amp until I can afford a replacement. So... scratch the Onkyo PRO SC885p.

The good news:

I happened to be near Magnolia HiFi yesterday evening and decided to drop in to check out the Pioneer Elite SC-25 and 27. As fate would have it, they were selling the floor model of the SC-07, which is last year's version of the SC-27. The specs are basically the same. Where it counts most, of course, is my wallet. The SC-27 sells for $2K. I got the floor demo of the SC-07 for $900.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/HomeEntertainment/AV-Receivers/EliteReceivers/SC-07

I've been up all night playing with "The Beast" as I now affectionately call it. Set up went smoothly and it melded in perfectly with my speakers. Warm, yet detailed & engaging, even more so than the Rotel. Because of the hour, I didn't get to really crank it, but my neighbor leaves on vacation tomorrow, so I'll throw some Funkadelic ("Maggot Brain"), Pink Floyd, Foo Fighters, Dire Straits, Papa Roach, and others at it then. Now if only Netflix will hurry up and send me the Blu Ray movies in my queue, I can have some fun in earnest! So far I'm loving what I'm hearing!

Thanks again to all for your input.

[captjamo]

Nice BAJ, that products reviews very well. Supposed to be very warm and detailed. I'm very interested in upgrading to an SC-27 for its sound but also for the lower heat output. How much heat is there compared to your old equip? Also interested in how it sounds at concert level. That is a great looking AVR too, isn't it.

[BadAssJazz]

Nice BAJ, that products reviews very well. Supposed to be very warm and detailed. I'm very interested in upgrading to an SC-27 for its sound but also for the lower heat output. How much heat is there compared to your old equip? Also interested in how it sounds at concert level. That is a great looking AVR too, isn't it.

Thanks!

Regarding the heat, let's see...my 4 most recently owned receivers were an Onkyo 805, a Marantz 7500, a Denon 3802 and now the Pioneer SC-07. The SC-07 runs mildly warm, but cooler than either the 3802 or the 7500, even after pushing it for an hour at high volumes. The Onkyo on the other hand, was the hottest receiver that I'd ever owned. It could easily heat a small room by itself, no matter how much ventilation or space you give it. Not kidding.

If you can audition the SC-27, do so. Once you complete the mccac setup, sit back and take a real good listen. I know it sounds like homerism, but I truly feel that the SC-07 more than holds its own against my previous Rotel separates setup. I've been playing Chris Botti to compare the two, and I'm impressed. What seems jarring, yet brittle on the Rotel comes across as poignant, yet controlled and as a result, much more organic and alive on the SC-07. I've seen Botti in concert 3 times, and that is what his music sounds like. Alive.

Assuming that there aren't any glitches down the road, I expect the Pioneer to be the cornerstone of my AV system for years to come.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Thanks!

Regarding the heat, let's see...my 4 most recently owned receivers were an Onkyo 805, a Marantz 7500, a Denon 3802 and now the Pioneer SC-07. The SC-07 runs mildly warm, but cooler than either the 3802 or the 7500, even after pushing it for an hour at high volumes. The Onkyo on the other hand, was the hottest receiver that I'd ever owned. It could easily heat a small room by itself, no matter how much ventilation or space you give it. Not kidding.

If you can audition the SC-27, do so. Once you complete the mccac setup, sit back and take a real good listen. I know it sounds like homerism, but I truly feel that the SC-07 more than holds its own against my previous Rotel separates setup. I've been playing Chris Botti to compare the two, and I'm impressed. What seems jarring, yet brittle on the Rotel comes across as poignant, yet controlled and as a result, much more organic and alive on the SC-07. I've seen Botti in concert 3 times, and that is what his music sounds like. Alive.

Assuming that there aren't any glitches down the road, I expect the Pioneer to be the cornerstone of my AV system for years to come.

Is it the concert on Blu-ray? Because this release sure is sweet looking and sounding.

[captjamo]

Thanks BAJ. Your impressions are as predicted. I would review the characteristics of my 2008 Elite VSX-92TXH and MCCAC which I feel meshes very well with B & W speakers that tend to be brightly detailed. I was all set to buy Rotel when I detected a bit too much bite on some vocals. I will definitely go hear a SC-27. I want its cooler running warmer sound than my 92TXH and better ipod connectivity. I see a place on eBay selling SC-27's in the box warrented for 1355.00. I'm very tempted indeed. Will have to check into that Botti BD Sir T.

[papasloane]

Hello, Newbie to this forum. I am looking to replace my Outlaw 990 with either Pioneer? sc-27 ~$1300. sc-07 ~$900, Denon 4803 ~$1300, can't afford the 4810 ~$2100, Onkyo tx-nr5007 ~$1800+, can't afford the Integra 9.9 ~$2100, maybe the Yammy rx-z11 ~$1900+. I do need 2 zone capacity. I will upgrade the TV when I can but for now I am interested in the sound. I do understand that I could go with a better pre/pro but I would like to clear some of the clutter. My room is 24" x ~37" with more glass than you can imagine, so it is a tough balance. What do you guys think? Any experience would be greatly appreciated. Funds are tighter than usual, So price is an issue, especially with the spouse.

[papasloane]

Sorry, didn't include my system. Here it is .

Outlaw 990
Outlaw 220 mono amps
B&K 5 channel amp
Martin Logan Theater center
Speakercraft starlet 6s L/R
M&K 150S surrounds
Speakercraft AIM8s back surrounds
Mitsubishi Diamond 65" rear projection