I need a receiver (Pioneer EX-500 or JVC?)

Barry1 · « **on:** 17 Jun 2006, 09:34 pm »

I apologize if this has been covered before, but I'm looking for a good sounding cheap receiver and DVD player. The Pioneer Elite combo seems like a good deal for about $300, and people here rave about the sound of the older JVC digital receivers (the F10 and ES1SL) but they also seem to have reliability issues.

Anyone have an opinion on which is a better choice? Also they are both pretty old, so has anything better come along recently?

tubeytubeamp · « **Reply #1 on:** 17 Jun 2006, 11:21 pm »

I have not heard the Pioneer receiver compared to the JVC, but at that price it is a no brainer. I've read that some people think the Pioneer sounds much better.

Dennis

Carlman · « **Reply #2 on:** 18 Jun 2006, 12:56 am »

I think the Pioneer sounds much better than the Panasonic XR-25 that it replaced but I have not heard the JVC.

I can heartily recommend the Pioneer for great HT and SQ on a budget. I paid ~$250 delivered from 'hookedontronics'. I am not a videophile or a huge HT person but I thoroughly enjoy that setup every time we watch a movie. I'm using Usher S-520's for the main pair, the matching center (can't remember the model), a JM Labs sub, and a pair of RAD Micro's for rears.

lvis11 · « **Reply #3 on:** 17 Jul 2006, 09:19 pm »

yeah..the ex500 is nice sounding especially for ht..its a bit limited in inputs/outputs..and a high crossover..but still nice for the price. One thing i like is the bass output..i can set the mains as large and still have bass for the mains go out on the sub. Then i just use the x-over on the sub to blend it ...

DS-21 · « **Reply #4 on:** 18 Jul 2006, 11:27 am »

I don't know anything about the JVC receivers, except that the 300-series of the current generation ran at egg-frying heat levels whilst driving speakers to an average SPL at which the Panasonic XR55's case was at or below ambient temps. However, I just ordered an EX-500 combo for my home office system, and it'll be arriving by the end of the week I hope. If anyone's interested I'll post my thoughts on it.

My needs are pretty simple. I'll occasionally use the DVD player for SACD/DVDA, but mostly it'll be getting signal digitally from an Intel iMac. My main hope is that going with a digital connection to a receiver will be quieter than the high-end analog separates I'm running now. My 12" Tannoy dual concentric mains in that system are over 94dB/w/m and under 7' from my head, so noise is a big issue. (Then why didn't I buy a second XR55 or 57, which I know to be sufficiently powerful for the types of speakers I prefer, free of self-noise, and surpassing value for the money? Mostly because looking at the same box in two rooms would be boring.)

I might also compare it to the XR55 that's running my HT, but the Pio has only 6 channels of amplification and the XR55 is driving 7 speakers (5 8" Tannoy dual concentrics, 2 5.25" KEF Uni-Q's). Also, all those speaker wires on the receiver end in my HT are terminated in bananas, which won't work on the "Elite's" cheezy spring clips. Well, at least the HT's well labeled, so I could move the Panny into the study for a comparison. I'm most interested in learning whether MCACC (at least in this early iteration) is a net boon on speakers that already have passive xovers designed expressly for their current placement.

Sorry to hijack, but I have a question. Does the EX500 need a TV attached to set it up? If so, does anyone make a Sun 13W3 -> component adapter? I don't want to have to bring my 30" LCD to the study to tune my receiver. If I could hook the receiver directly to my auxiliary monitor - a 24" Sun CRT, model #X7124A - I think using its attached cable (the VGA cable also with it being fed into my iMac) then that would save some annoyance.

Wayner · « **Reply #5 on:** 18 Jul 2006, 01:38 pm »

How about considering a Marantz 2270? It has incredible build quality and many are avalible on Ebay. I think you could get one for under $300. I have 2 Marantz receivers that with the right speakers, will blow any but the most elaborate receivers (like McIntosh) out of the water. The plus is they come with a decent phono-section, if that trips your trigger. Just a thought. Oh, BTW, the speakers I like to pair up with these receivers are Dynaco A25XL's. they are very good quality, also avalible on Ebay for about $175 a pair. Also, if you are still into FM (I assume that's why your looking for a receiver), the marantz FM is quite good. Anyway good luck!