Receiver Shootout. SX-980, SX-1080, SX-1280, Kenwood KR-6030, Marantz 2230 and Sony STR-DH130

benjmatt

New Member
Lets start with I am a complete newb and wanted to get some experience with different gear. I started with a SX-980 and went from there. I did own a KR-9600 for a short time but didn't care for the unit. (It was very loud though!) This is what we did and we had an absolute blast!
We listened to each receiver through the same set of 4 speakers and the same song through the Sony DVD/CD player through a Yamaha GE-30 10 Band Equalizer.
The Speakers are two of the BIC America RTR-EV15 and two Sony 3 way speakers with 10" woofer, midrange and tweeter. (I actually got them for free, the grills were scratched from someones cat but the speakers work and sound awesome for free! This setup is in my shop with measures 40ft x 70ft with 14' tall ceilings and is in the country. The only person mad about the volume was my wife in our home 350ft away.
(Yes she did complain it was too loud).

The only reason the Sony STR-DH130 and Kenwood 6030 and Marantz 2230 Receivers were there was because I had them in my possession.

3 of us recorded our opinions of each unit and shared between each unit as we went.

The Song was by Jake Owen, Driving All Night off of the Days of Gold Album.

No adjustments were allowed on the EQ except the output level. We did do bass and treble adjustments on each receiver. We tried each unit out at three volume levels, soft, listening volume and loud.

Test 1: SX-1280 (185W x 2), Bar none this unit sounded the best and was by far the loudest. It was amazing the detail of the bass and treble at mid and high volume ranges. It just felt full and had a very impressive sound and presence. After listening to both the SX-980 and SX-1080 we felt the lower volumes of these two units sounded warmer and nicer than the SX-1280. (One thing that was notably better not in this test was the FM tuner, It was far better than either the SX-980 or SX-1080 on the same antenna picking up stations and holding them in stereo.)

Test 2: SX-980, (80W x 2) This unit sounded great at low and mid volume. It started to distort sooner and was did not have the treble and bass detail the SX-1280 had. This unit sounds wonderful and is a great place to live and listen to music at a reasonable level. With the output high on the EQ and the bass and 4 speakers on, this unit will hit the protect circuit. So, if showing off how loud your stereo is your game then stick with the SX-1280. You can't play gangsta rap with 4 speakers and the bass up. It just runs out of power.

Test 3: SX-1080, (120W x 2) Like the SX-980 the unit sounded great at the low and mid volume. You could turn up the volume more than the SX-980 without distortion and this unit was able to have more bass without hitting the protect circuit. We felt for the money this is the sweet spot. The SX-1080 seems about the same in size and performance of the SX-980. This is the one that I am the most likely to keep.

Test 4: Sony STR-DH130 (135W x 2) After listening to the Pioneer SX units above, this unit seemed almost fake sounding. The treble was weak and the bass was unimpressive. It kind of sounded muted with no depth or warmth. The SX units above provided detail and sound and volume that made you feel like you could have been listening to live music. While the Sony STR-DH130 is not a high end unit, it does prove to me that microchips cannot reproduce what the old units are able. I expected it would perform and sound better and was very happy to hear that the old gear does do a better job and making music sound good.

Test 5: Marantz 2230 (30W x 2) A buddy of mine bought this at a local shop on ebay and I picked this and the Kenwood in test 6 up for him. That is the only reason they happened to be on this test. I figured what the h_ll, we have them here, lets see how they stack up. I find the Marantz down right ugly. If you are a 50s or 60s kid I am sure it is fine but for this 80s kid, it looks, well something my grandma would have run. I expected nothing out of this unit since it was only 30W x 2. When we fired it up and I couldn't believe my ears, it blew away all the other receivers at the lower volume ranges. It had a true analog sound and was very warm and just sounded beautiful. I don't know if it was the fact that we expected nothing but it really shocked me. Now it was unable to perform at the Mid and High Volume ranges the Pioneers did but geez for 30W x 2 what a great little unit. Hats off to Marantz, I am highly considering getting a 2270 for my setup to tryout. The only thing this needs is a tune up because some of the Pots were scratchy but that was nothing at fault of the unit.

Test 6: Kenwood KR-6030 (80W x 2) The unit looks very nice but was my least favorite out of the vintage receivers group. This unit had very scratchy volume POTs and didn't sound as good as any of the other units. I actually expected a lot more from this unit. But just like my KR-9600 I would have to say I would pass on this one. Nothing really stood out other than the looks. The sound was better than the Sony but if it were mine it would be going down the road. The bass seemed solid but the treble output was unimpressive. Not really sure what else to say. After it is cleaned up it will work fine for someone.

Conclusion. I feel the SX-980 or SX-1080 give you the best value out of the Pioneer units. The Marantz built some really good stuff that sounds beautiful. I am a Pioneer fanboy but I will probably be a Marantz owner soon. The SX-1280 was by far the most impressive overall and highly recommend this to the high end person. The SX-1280 was too much for me so I know that I would never consider buying an SX-1980 unless I find a super bargain.

Not sure that this will help anyone but it was a very fun time. If you have questions let me know, I would love to help. I wanted to know about the three pioneers for my own personal reference. Since I bought them all I wanted to share my opinion on them. Hopefully there is some value here.
 
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