artto Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) OK, here's the dumb question for the day. Which would you rather have/buy, if the price were about the same? A brand new Denon AVR-X1100W or a used Pioneer SC-63? Home theater is not my "forte" so that's why I'm asking. I have a 5 channel setup in a living room/dining/kitchen area. No fancy acoustics or dedicated HT per se'. Klipsch Chorus I mains, Klipsch RC7 center, L&R rear surround. Samsung 61" LED TV. Sony Playstation3 for DVD/BluRay. Edited February 2, 2015 by artto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max2 Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Tough call. On one hand you have a proven, hefty AVR with a big power Class D amp. Class D isn't everyone's favorite, but to each his own. The other hand you have a new Denon AVR that is falls a little lower in the food chain for the Denon AVR line, is built in China unlike the upper line which boast a built in Japan label. The Pioneer will likely trounce the Denon in the power department, especially with multi channels running. The Denon may have more features being a newer model. Im a big Denon fan, but in this case I think I would give the SC 63 the nod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmic_surfer Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Definitely the more powerful 63... I have the 65 and it is everything I wanted (until I so separate components). If given the chance at owning a 10 year old Porsche 911 turbo or a brand new mustang, hands down I am going for the Porsche. The thing I have learned in this home theatre side journey is that when it comes to the receiver/pre power, features come and go as technology changes, but power will always reign supreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K5SS Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I was not a fan of my Denon X4000. I am now looking at separates or a Pioneer SC-87. I also like the Marantz 7009 but i am worried that the amps Marantz uses are the same in my Denon X4000, since they are the same company and all.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I was not a fan of my Denon X4000. I am still considering the Denon X4000. Did you use it as an AVR with it's on board amps or just as a preamp/processor with an outboard amp? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromprof Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 (edited) I really like the sound of the Pioneer class D amps. It does nice things coupled with horns. Their MCACC is good but doesn't do much if anything for subs however. If you have a bass problem room, that could be the only Pioneer issue. Edited February 3, 2015 by tromprof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhetor Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 (edited) OK, here's the dumb question for the day. Which would you rather have/buy, if the price were about the same? A brand new Denon AVR-X1100W or a used Pioneer SC-63? Home theater is not my "forte" so that's why I'm asking. I have a 5 channel setup in a living room/dining/kitchen area. No fancy acoustics or dedicated HT per se'. Klipsch Chorus I mains, Klipsch RC7 center, L&R rear surround. Samsung 61" LED TV. Sony Playstation3 for DVD/BluRay. Hey, Artto,Do not desire to muddy the waters on your thread. But my recommendation is for you to consider the Denon 4520ci on closeout. Buy it from an authorized dealer(and get 3 year warranty (4 years with the right credit card) and it would serve you well and has all the bells and whistles (except Atmos which would not be needed in your application). This is an amazing bargain for Denon's most recent flagship discontinued model: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavr4520ci/denon-avr-4520ci-denon-s-flagship-home-theater-receiver-150wpc/1.html?gclid=CN_V-fn4xcMCFUY9gQodwqkAoA Who knows, you might even find it for less. Just something to consider in your venture into HT. I have the DENON 4311 (the precursor of the 4520) and could not be happier with an all Heritage 11 channel HT. In my experience, Denon and Klipsch go well together. I have a Pioneer Elite in my secondary 7 channel setup. I also like the Pioneer sound. Edited February 3, 2015 by Rhetor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 I agree the SC-63 sounds more powerful. It seems to also sound somewhat cleaner without the usual solid state harshness I usually hear from mass-market produced receivers. OTOH it is clearly not in the same league sound quality wise as my NAD C390DD which I decided to choose over McIntosh MC601/C2300 I was considering. The C390 is not only as good, but better IMO, especially using a direct digital source like a laptop/J River/HDMI which the McIntosh are not capable of at many times the price. OTOH the SC-63 is so complicated and has so much over kill of features, 90% of which I'll never use, not to mention the 113 page owner's manual. Setup is very time consuming and complicated. The Denon AVR-X1100W, I had setup in 30-40 minutes, and that includes making all the physical connections. It has Audyssey which seems to be a more thorough room acoustical compensation program than Pioneer's MCACC. And it has built-in WiFi & Bluetooth whereas the SC-63 requires the purchase of additional modules. I know that seems trivial, but one of my favorite radio stations has really bad reception at my location and internet radio via WiFi really makes that real easy to clear up. I don't understand why Pioneer didn't include WiFi/Bluetooth at this price point, it has everything else imaginable. Both Audyssey & MCACC, or any other "automatic" acoustical setup/compensation programs I've encountered are real pet peeves for me. I can do a better job by manually going through the system setup. All of the acoustical compensation programs sound annoyingly unnatural and exaggerated to me regardless of the settings. It's pain in the *** to keep switching between formats to find the best sound for the particular situation I'm watching/listening to. The SC-63 is particularly a pain-in-the-*** to setup & the 113 page manual just makes more tedious. I'm really trying to like this unit but finding it more of a love/hate relationship. The other plus for the SC-63 is the video through HDMI is cleaner/clearer, whiter whites, blacker blacks, better color saturation, etc. It's a very slight improvement but noticeable. Even my wife noticed it. Regarding the Denon AVR-X4000, I am considering that also. Thanks for the input. Maybe I should pass on that since it probably won't add anything to the equation except more cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K5SS Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I don't want to take away from this thread, just wanted to share my opinion on Denon vs. Pioneer. I was using the X400 as a stand alone receiver. I was very disappointed in the amplifiers, not the receiver. PM me with any questions about the Denon, I'd be happy to share my impressions. I hear that the 4520 has much more powerful amplifiers so I might give Denon another chance. I think i have it narrowed down to: Marantz 7009 Yamaha 3040 Pioneer SC-87 Denon 4520 Decisions, decisions.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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