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Elite Series

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ramon54

New Member
Hi Pioneer heads...i'm new to the forum but not new to Pioneer. I still have an SX-838 that i bought in '75 and i have an SX-939 that i still listen to that i've had almost as long. i do have question for any and all...

i'm considering upgrading my home theater and listening set-up with some used Pioneer Elite Series gear that can be head off ebay and other places. I'm looking at a VSX-95, VSX-52, 09TX and a VSX-99, among others, as the main receiver for the system. Does the Elite Series sound as good as the SX-Series as far as audio CD listening goes? I'd like to centralize my audio and DVD listening and watching. Currently I'm running 2 separate systems; my SX-939 i used for listening to music and i have a separate DVD home theater set-up.

If i were to combine with an Elite Series amp am i gonna lose anything in audio quality from my SX-939. The SX sounds great. I'm wondering how the Elite Series matches up sound-wise>

I'd appreciate any and all responses from those in the know. and any comments about the Elite Series models i've listed here...

thanks plenty...
 
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Don't retire the SX's, just think of how they have been there for you! :nono: I personnally keep the Home Theater and Stereo set-up's seperate.:yes:

BTW, Welcome to AK!
 
Marantzfan r u saying that the sonud of the Elite Receivers doesn't stand up to the SX Series? The SX does have a great warm thick sound...

thanks for the reply...
 
Its not that the Elite series doesnt sound as well. The Elite will be more detailed and probably wont have the warmth of the sx series. The VSX-09tx is an awesome receiver. The VSX-95 is prologic only.
 
JLindsey thanks for your response...i'm in a fog because there are too many choices. i'm not sure if i wanna continue wth separate systems or combine?

the sx939 sounds great. would an upgraded CD player be a better way to go for better sound and keep the SX-939?
 
Welcome to AK!

I have separate AV and stereos.
I have the Pioneer Elite VSX-99 AV receiver. It is an excellent piece of work, but does not have the "warmth" of the older, vintage SX-939.
The VSX-99 does provide a real 125 wpc in stereo, and is a very clean sounding, detailed presentation.
It would be great if you could maintain separate systems, but if that isn't possible, the Elite VSX-99 is a "vintage" DD/AC-3 receiver lol.
 
pete...i think i'm gonna keep separate systems now that the feedback is rolling in. anybody got a suggestion on a decent elite series CD/DVD player that can be scooped off ebay maybe?
 
ramon54 said:
pete...i think i'm gonna keep separate systems now that the feedback is rolling in. anybody got a suggestion on a decent elite series CD/DVD player that can be scooped off ebay maybe?
Click to expand...

Always best to keep in seperate. I have found that the wife doesn't like it to much when I have the volume up loud in the living room...Imagine that?..So what you need is a man cave. I have transformed one of the larger rooms in our house into my man cave. I keep my stereo set up in there, a futon, a ice recliner, a mini-fridge with beer and a coffee table. Since this room is on the other side of the house, I can listen to my hearts content without hearing "Turn it down!"..

The man cave, every man should have one.:thmbsp:
 
If you had to use one system I'd go with an Emotiva LMC-1 pre/processor. Use your SX-939 to power two of the channels. Use the two channel pass through of the LMC-1 for stereo. Then get vintage amps of your choice to power the other channels. A quad amp should work since you can contol each channel seperatly. This way you will get all of the modern processors with a 5 year warranty. The emotica should look nice next to the pioneers as well.
 
Emotiva

Emotiva sounds out of my meager price range but also sounds like it would be a great way to go...i'm divorced for a long time; the whole place is a man cave; recording studio upstairs, music listening and dvd watching downtairs wit a number of decent guitars laying around here and there...

still hoping for some affordable used market CD/DVD player suggestions? I hear the Elite Series players are decent...???
 
If you are looking for an Elite CD player, the PD65 was considered one of the best. It is a basic single disc cd player, but very, very sweet. Often show up on eBay...
 
Well, I'm gonna get stoned for my comment, but here it goes. I have several SX receivers, Marantz 2325, 2285B, etc and a 3 year old
Pioneer Elite VSX-45TX surround. Also have the Sonic Impact T-Amp (amazing little amp). I have a Woods speaker selector box that enables flick of a switch amp and speaker selection. We have done blindfold A/B testing with several friends over the past 3 years in stereo mode.
The advantage my SX-1250: raw power, more treble ability, more bass, unless I kick in the Elite's sub, more sensitive tuner. The SX-1250 really has more bass , more treble, and more power than I need anyway. What people call warmth is probably distortion that can sound good. Now, the VSX-45TX has the auto setup feature that sets EQ levels based upon the room, sounds like a gimmick, but it really does work. The verdict among us non professionals at normal listening levels was the VSX was more detailed, maybe partially due to the EQ ability. DVD audio and SACD sounds incredible on the VSX-45TX too. Now for looks and build quality, SX wins. One of my SX receivers has been recapped, so comparing old and newer equipment can be hard unless the old one has been refurbed. It would be interesting if more owners would do an honest A/B testing and report their results.
OK, let the stoning begin............
 
Beermaster...i'm looking at getting my sx-939 upgraded with new caps and power increase...should make a hell of a difference. the simpleness ofthe sx amps have always appealed to me...

thanks for the onesty...
 
I've had a surround settup using vintage gear for quite sometime. All you need is a dvd player that has analog 5.1 output for all the surround channels. I'm currently using a Pioneer Elite dv-79avi-s dvd player that has these outputs. This is quite an expensive piece so I am not sure how much you are willing to spend. I used to run a Pioneer dv-588a that is quite a bit cheaper. I upgraded my dvd player to the Elite which has a DVI video ouput. The 588a only has a component video output. I guess it depends on what kind of video input your tv has as to which video output you need.

I run the front outputs through my sx-1250 so I can play cd's and listen to other stereo sources and still use my vintage reciever for general stereo use. I run the rear surround ouputs of the dvd player through a Pioneer integrated sa-7500 which works very well despite it's small 40wpc.

I am currently running the center channel directly into the tv as when I switch to the hdmi inputs on the tv, it also has audio inputs for that video source. I use the tv volume for center channel volume control. I would like to run this channel into a mono amp but using the tv sounds decent. I just haven't gotten around to getting an extra amp for this.

The subwoofer output is run directly into a powered sub and has it's own volume control. I set it and leave as is. Movies are all I use the sub for as I do not need one for stereo listening.

If you look around you may be able to find other dvd players that have the outputs you need. If you want to run a Pioneer dvd player that has these outputs, the choices are slim.

I got rid of a newer Sony surround reciever that had 5.1 120wpc. There isn't even a comparison in the sound quality compared to how I have my vintage gear integrated into my surround system.
 
dvd/cd player

dennydog...your idea is something i had not considered...the great thing about forums is the suggestions that come down the pipe. and you're right, there's no comparision at all with the sony av center amps and these sx amps. without a doubt, the sx amps are warmer...and since i'm a guitar player who's very specific about tone warm absolutely means something to me. thanks for your suggestion.
 
Here's another suggestion if you would still like to run an elite amp as in my settup. Run the preamp outs of the receiver into your elite amp so you can power your front channels with the elite. That way you can still listen to the tuner through the elite amp. Then power the rear speakers with your receiver amp since this would most likely have less power anyhow but you would need to pick up a preamp to control the output for the rear. What's nice about these older pieces of equipment is most of them had preouts and main ins which gives you a lot of different hookup possibilities.

I know it may sound like a hassle not having the remote volume control at your fingertips the way I have mine settup but once you play a few dvd's through the system, you will get a pretty good idea on where to set the volumes for the front and rear channels. Since I have my center channel going directly into my tv, I can still adjust that with a remote which is the only one I really ever mess with anyway.
 
bully said:
Welcome to AK!

I have separate AV and stereos.
I have the Pioneer Elite VSX-99 AV receiver. It is an excellent piece of work, but does not have the "warmth" of the older, vintage SX-939.
The VSX-99 does provide a real 125 wpc in stereo, and is a very clean sounding, detailed presentation.
It would be great if you could maintain separate systems, but if that isn't possible, the Elite VSX-99 is a "vintage" DD/AC-3 receiver lol.
Click to expand...
I have the VSX-99 as well as a Pioneer sx-950. Not sure which one I prefer for 2 channel stereo. The choice of speakers can be significant. The 99 is cleaner and has a great tuner/phono section and noticeably more power. I like the 950 with brighter speakers. The 99 reminds be more of the old Sansui's.
 
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