VSX-9500S... my first score? you be the judge.... LOTs of pics, beware

bigphil

bigphil

Stop the Addiction
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purchased for 130$ CAD, 125WPC less than 0.005% THD...
Sound test so far: my dad's custom boxes in the basement, we almost went def, I think he was upset that there was no distortion, I finally have something to compete with his yammy natural sound :D... time to put it in my room on my sansuis...

This is my first venture into pro logic, I cant find any vintage stuff around here, but I'm still looking... I wont stop until I have a stack hehehe.. btw, i'm only 19, so much of this stuff is exploratory (first time) for me :)

here are some reviews:
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/amplification/a-v-receivers/pioneer/PRD_118748_2718crx.aspx

btw, it weighs 30lbs.... :thmbsp:
 
As long as you like it and it works for you, that's all that really matters. My personal experience with newer gear such as that hasn't been so great. I used to have a Pioneer VSX-315 or something like that, a small "100 WPC" prologic amp. It worked OK, but after hearing some solid vintage gear, I'll never go back (BTW, I could damn near play catch with the thing, that's how light it was). Another thing, I am really not a fan of prologic decoding. It just never impressed me.

What Yammie does your dad have? Keep your eyes open for some decent vintage gear. I started out with a little Kenwood KA-3500 and loved it, along with my KA-7100 (under $100 for both). Very solid amps that can be found at minimal prices. Just make sure you keep it fun!
 
Great if you like the sound, but damn that thing is ugly. Way too many buttons, I'd never figure it out... But, again, the sound is what matters, and I'll agree some of the Prologic receivers were pretty good stuff, IMO definitely better than the X.1 channel crap that's available now. Even if you don't keep it for your main stereo, it'll make a nice HT setup.

OT, but what is that JVC in your first pic?
 
IMO definitely better than the X.1 channel crap that's available now
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Nick, that really surprises me. Perhaps I am mistaken no what you mean, but I think DTS/Dolby Digital/Etc sounds much better than Prologic. Prologic doesn't even have rear left/right channels, its the same sound out of each speaker! At any rate, don't mean to know you or Prologic, I just think newer decoders sound much better (not that I would ever use them for music).
 
Well, I should've prolly prefaced that with the fact that I don't particularly like any sort of surround sound. You're right that Prologic is only 4-channel, left/center/right/surround, but I like it better since it's closer to the original 3-channel stereo developed by Bell in the '30s, with a mono center and satellites on the sides, and it's more natural sounding to me. A similar effect could be had from some of the tube receivers with a center output or by simply stringing a third speaker in between the two channels of a stereo receiver (which is what I usually do). The new surround stuff seems to go overboard, more with recordings than equipment I guess, with too much separation and unnecessary directional effects in the sound.

I am quite particular about this sort of thing, and it all has to do with the way I personally hear things, so I'm sure a lot of people won't agree with me here. I do see how people like the new surround, but it's just too complicated and distracting for me.
 
Hey Phil, change a few of those letters so you get SA-9500 for $120 CDN and you might be able to call it a score... :thmbsp:
 
The sound is crisp and clean... this was the hieght of dolby pro logic tech, so i couldn't resist buying it... its definately not under-powered... the sound is CLEAN beyond belief, the frequency range has a bit of that *cut off* feel that newer digital systems have nowadays... overall I am quite impressed... I am going to see if I can hook up an equalizer to tinker with the sound a bit, it has lots of pre-outs.... I admit I didnt think I would use the pro logic feature for music, but it sounds pretty good, probably because I had a voice-box given to me a couple years ago that I am using as a center, and this has a seperate center channel... I believe my sansui SP-100's are better suited to the JVC amp, so I'll look out for some nice bookshelves for this new amp... so overall, very clean, very clear, very powerful.... if you like classical, jazz, clear mids, you would definately be blown away by this amp...The look is an aquired taste, I think it looks good for an amp of its era, you can't really compare apples to oranges (or pro logic to vintage) I think its a rare find, it is by no means a light weight, it owns up to all 30 lbs...

Is it worth trying out? a Definate Yes, I think many of you would enjoy it... Would I buy another pro-logic amp? Probably not... Will I sell this one? definately not, I'm a bit of a stickler with my hobbies, this amp will quench my pro-logic apetite, I think I'll get all that the pro-logic era had to offer from using this amp for a while... something 1970's to 1980s is what I'll seek out next though he he.

I'll repost info on my other amps in a bit...

P.s. I dont like surround sound either, the amp has an "off" setting, so i can use raw 2ch stereo @ unaltered 125Watts, thats what I was mostly interested with in this amp :)...
 
That Pioneer receiver looks great. As was mentioned in the next post after yours, though, it's how it sounds to your ears that matters. I have a 200-total-watt Aiwa bookshelf system here, nothing fancy, with the speakers (3-way with powered subs) on stands, but it sounds good to me at the volume levels at which I use it (can't play it too loud as I live in an apartment building). However, if you like that Pioneer set and it sounds good to you, I'd say hook it up to a CD and/or cassette deck, or even a nice flat-screen TV if the receiver has more than one aux input, and a good pair of speakers and enjoy it; it could be the center of a home-theater system. If the receiver is in good shape it should serve you well for many years. Much if not most of the solid-state audio gear from the late '70s-'80s was still made solidly and sounded very good if a good brand of speakers were used.
 
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I agree

Vintage is the way to go. If you get the chance to audition a vintage system locally, give it a try. The difference in sound quality is obvious. Vintage amps, recievers, even speakers. All my stuff is 25 years old and I've heard what even high powered modern equipment sounds like. There's a lack of liveliness, warmth and just plain balls. The heavier equipment, just seemed to have the sonic heft to back up the appearance and the build quality was not "what could we get away with", but "just how bad-ass can we build it!".
 
lol... i dunno i'm liking it more and more everyday... after it warms up its a real kicker... I wouldnt pass up another flagship model if I saw one I dont think....

its hard to find good vintage stuff around here (toronto)... anyone have any pointers?
 
bigphil said:
The sound is crisp and clean... this was the hieght of dolby pro logic tech, so i couldn't resist buying it... its definately not under-powered... the sound is CLEAN beyond belief, the frequency range has a bit of that *cut off* feel that newer digital systems have nowadays... overall I am quite impressed... I am going to see if I can hook up an equalizer to tinker with the sound a bit, it has lots of pre-outs.... I admit I didnt think I would use the pro logic feature for music, but it sounds pretty good, probably because I had a voice-box given to me a couple years ago that I am using as a center, and this has a seperate center channel... I believe my sansui SP-100's are better suited to the JVC amp, so I'll look out for some nice bookshelves for this new amp... so overall, very clean, very clear, very powerful.... if you like classical, jazz, clear mids, you would definately be blown away by this amp...The look is an aquired taste, I think it looks good for an amp of its era, you can't really compare apples to oranges (or pro logic to vintage) I think its a rare find, it is by no means a light weight, it owns up to all 30 lbs...

Is it worth trying out? a Definate Yes, I think many of you would enjoy it... Would I buy another pro-logic amp? Probably not... Will I sell this one? definately not, I'm a bit of a stickler with my hobbies, this amp will quench my pro-logic apetite, I think I'll get all that the pro-logic era had to offer from using this amp for a while... something 1970's to 1980s is what I'll seek out next though he he.

I'll repost info on my other amps in a bit...

P.s. I dont like surround sound either, the amp has an "off" setting, so i can use raw 2ch stereo @ unaltered 125Watts, thats what I was mostly interested with in this amp :)...
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I've got an Elite VSX-95 which is very similar. And, it does sound good! However, I would ENCOURAGE you not to give up and, if necessary, score one of the nicer real vintage units on E-Pay. It will be money well spent! Until then, ENJOY!!! I sure wish I had something like that when I was 19!
 
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