In my opinion best buy for the dollar; volume control - will post later

to early to tell - will post later, possibly power supply, ie in comparison to seperates

I spent nearly 5 wks reviewing rcvrs, of the near 100 units I reviewed, I came up with the following 'final' list:

Pioneer VSX36TX
Pioneer VSX27TX
Marantz SR8000
Onkyo DS787
Onkyo DS777
Integra DTR-7
Pioneer VSX35TX
Marantz SR7000
Harmon Kardon AVR7000

I wouldn't want to say I am an audiophile, but I have been building speakers for 15 yrs and I do have an EE degree. WHat I can say is depedning on your price point, if you want to be at 1K or under and get as close to the quality of a seperate as possible, this is your piece, I have only had it for a few days so I have nothing real exciting to say. But based on research alone, I am telling you that nothing will beat this. Trust me my categories included most things people don't give a rats-a%s about like damping factor, instaneous current, and power amp transistors (ie model number, vendor, etc).

However, if you have $1200, aside from the reported problems with H/K's AVR7000, this is your piece, the power supply technology will even beat out some low-end price seperates. There are issues with that unit, but I would say the power supply technology comes close to people like Krell and Forte, I know this is an elite review so I'll stop there.. I hope to have more info later, I tested the movie Pink Floyd the Wall, and Yanni live at the Acroplis, both were great

Similar Products Used:

VSX27TX, Yam RXV730, many others tested

Multi source, Muli Zone THX EX, DTS ES, Good looks, great power, easy to use!

2nd amp needed to reap rewards

I love this reciever. Never thought I would by a "PIONEER" but have no regrets. My last 2 systems were a Rotel for music and a Yamaha for movies. Then moved to a Onkyo for both. I still use the Onkyo for ES, EX and multi source. Have a Panasonic DVD, Toshiba 40" HD widescreen and PSB Alpha B speakers all around. Seems to work great for me!

Similar Products Used:

N/A

Multi source, Muli Zone THX EX, DTS ES, Good looks, great power, easy to use!

2nd amp needed to reap rewards

I love this reciever. Never thought I would by a "PIONEER" but have no regrets. My last 2 systems were a Rotel for music and a Yamaha for movies. Then moved to a Onkyo for both. I still use the Onkyo for ES, EX and multi source. Have a Panasonic DVD, Toshiba 40" HD widescreen and PSB Alpha B speakers all around. Seems to work great for me!

Similar Products Used:

N/A

Ease of use and setup, great manual, great sound all modes, fully lit remote, inputs/outputs, THX Ultra EX,

5 amps not 7, limited customization and control, runs hot

Your reviews were so helpful I will contribute as well. After much research, listening, and trying to stay under $1100, I narrowed the choices down to Integra 7.1, Denon 3801, and Pioneer Elite 36TX. THX was not a requirement for me but other features and reasons placed me in the $800-1100 range.

Sadly I couldn't ever find an Integra DTR 7.1. Product literature and website was almost non-existent as well. I heard good things about the mysterious DTR 7.1.

Higher end Onkyos are pretty nice. I was looking as the 777 was being replaced by the 787. Only saw product data on the 787. 777 is reputed to have performance problems.

The Denon 3801 is an exceptional unit for the right person with the right needs and the right equipment. I was that person but without a good speaker match. I posted a review there.

Now the Pioneer Elite 36TX. The 36TX is a fine unit with certain strengths and weaknesses which if understood could help the purchaser make the right choice.

36TX strengths:
1. OSD for setup is clear and superb.
2. Setup and operation is easier than most other units.
3. The manual is excellent.
4. The sound is great in all modes. It is not too bright like some units.
5. The surround processing is excellent for this price range. Seems more accurate than some in this price range.
6. THX Ultra EX.
7. Plentiful inputs and outputs.
8. Fully lit remote but I do wonder if the writing will wear off the buttons over time.
9. Remote is easy to learn and use.
10. 5 channel stereo is very well done. It put a very big smile on my face. Listening to CDs is an absolute delight.
11. Crossover point is adjustable to 3 settings.
12. Unit display lettering is large so you can read it from a distance.
13. The setup for FM station favorites was easy.
14. Sounds great right out of the box.
15. Would be a good choice where many people will operate the unit or less technically oriented people will operate it. Maybe a good family unit?
16. THX and surround modes sounded great.
17. Speaker connections on back of receiver seem better built than Denon 3801 but 3801 has a better layout.

36TX weaknesses:
1. Very limited customization and tweaking ability. What tweaking you can do usually affects the master settings. No way to customize by mode and save the setting just for that mode.
2. OSD presentation and adjustment for normal operation is very limited. Channel volume adjustment affects master settings. Channel volume adjustments display only on the face of the unit while listening and using remote.
3. Bass and treble adjust must be done standing at unit face.
4. Runs hot without lots of space, runs very warm with space. It really heats up the component sitting 2" and only partially placed above it. 36TX hasn't tripped out yet. (Don't rely on me for whether it trips or not - it is too soon to know bad effects.) I have only run at low volumes with 6-8 ohm speakers for hours upon hours.
5. Beware Pioneer Elite color glossy product literature and website appears to have numerous mistakes (some exaggerate, some are outright wrong, and some downplay what you actually get).
6. Pioneer Elite is trying to build a better reputation. The reputation and equipment is improving.
7. Can't turn reEQ on or off. Can turn DComp on in two levels.
8. No ability to switch rear surrounds between direct and dipole.
9. Separate amplifier needed to use two rear channels.
10. Limited ability to customize speakers - large, small, mix & match.
11. Unit appears to prefer 8 ohm speakers over 6 ohm. I would call Pioneer Elite if I planned to use 4 ohm speakers.
12. The master settings are very vulnerable to tampering.

This unit with the speakers I have (Acoustic Energy Aegis Ones seamless with Polk 300i surrounds) really sounds excellent compared to many combinations I have heard. I am picky about sound and it puts a big smile on my face in all modes.

I'm having trouble hearing voices in movies but that may be because I haven't bought the subwoofer yet and changed speakers to small. I am witholding judgement there. The Denon 3801 was good because widescreen DSP emphasized the voices among other things.

Someone who wants a simple, easy to use and set up unit that sounds great in all modes should check this one out. I'm actually someone who prefers the complexity and customization of the Denon 3801 but the 36TX sounds so absolutely wonderful compared to the 3801. Sound is pretty important after all.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 2801/3300/3801, Yamaha (various), Integra 5.1, Onkyo 777 & DS989, others

Price, Remote, Midnight mode, Sound Quality ,

None

I'm really impressed with this unit. I've been out of the HT enviroment for awhile, and have been waiting for 2 years to get back into it! I'm very happy with this reciever. The options are great, along with the sound. The remote is so easy to program, its funny. It's not a nifty LCD remote, but it preforms everything it needs to, and is simple. I wasnt going to spend very much on a receiver, but I really wanted to be ready for 7.1 DD. With upgradeability in mind, I picked this one. Even if THX is all hype, the tingels I get when I hear the THX logo on a THX re-mastered movie are definatly real. This receiver is great! If you have any questions about it, email me and I will be happy to respond!

Jeremy

easy set up, excellent remote, full complement of S-video connectors, assignable digital inputs, simple operation, excellent sound (music and home theater)

bass needs extra tweaking to get maximum sound from system, user manual hard to follow at times (normal dialogue compensation adjustments, etc.)

I have had this receiver for about a month now. It is proving to be an "awesome" receiver. It was easy to set up and adjust sound levels (except bass).

The remote is to die for. All your components in one remote (pre-programmed and learning mode). What more can you ask for? Good bye, Pronto.

The thing I notice most over my older Yamaha 1105 receiver (also, an excellent unit) is the realistic sound reproduction. Broken glass sounds like broken glass, crashes like crashes and dialogue crisp and clear. Also, sound separation in 5.1/7.1 is outstanding. Home theater sounds transitions smoothly from speaker to speaker and rear surrounds generate a very natural back sound field. The stereo surround 7.1 is especially nice and my CD's have never sounded so good. I had to play around with my subwoofers and receiver settings to get it just right.

Just add a seperate stereo amp and two rear speakers for Dolby Digital EX (and DTS/ES). "The Haunting" will truly haunt you and be ready to duck from the helicopters in "The World Is Not Enough". Can't wait to watch (and listen) to Toy Story II on this receiver. Pioneer did their homework on this one.

Disregard the MSRP and shop the Internet. There are some good buys out there for this receiver for less than a $1000. I paid more but I picked the sales representatives brain on this one and expertise has to be worth something.

Home Theater System

JVC Satelite Dish receiver (Echostar)
Pioneer Elite VSX-36TX - receiver
Infinity Kappa 5.1 Series II - front speakers
Infinity CC2 - center speaker
Infinity P - QPS - surround speakers
Cambridge (di-pole) - rear speakers
Toshiba SD-3109 DVD player
Mitsubishi 45" rear projection TV
Mitsubishi HS-U795 VCR
Panasonic Hard Disk Recorder PV-HS2000
Sony CDP-CX300 CD player

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RVX-1105

It is THX certified. This model will replace the
Pioneer VSX-26TX.

The manual is a bit comfusing during installation.

Just got the receiver in a day or two. T & J marketing sold me for $870 + UPS shipping($25) comparing the MSRP=$1450.
You can run 2 front floor speakers+ center speaker +
2 side speakers and 2 back speakers + a subwoofer. However,
the 2 back speakers need another low-end speaker to run.
(Are you confused, yet?) Got a Pioneer Dv-05 THX certified
DVD. Try to use optical cable to connect the two. Now, how
can I connect them? BOSE speakers are used. I must be old.
The sound is pretty much the same as my old SONY receiver
without Digital D options. Will try few THX DVD and see how
it goes.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX-26TX.

thx ultra, es discrete, Finish

Non powered 6th channel

As with most here I wanted a 6.1 receiver and used this site heavily to research what to buy. I decided against the onkyo because of the problems reported on their page. It prettty much came down to this pioneer, the denon 3801, and the yamaha 1000. The only dealer in my area that carried the pioneer is about a 2 hour drive away, but I hapened to be down their anyway so I stopped in. They also had the denon and the yamaha so i could a/b on the same set of materials right there. I was pre disposed to the denon, mainly because of the built in power and because i did have a local denon dealer. However in sound seperation it was now where near as good as the other two. We were using a scene from the haunting, and from the yamaha and the pioneer you could distinctly hear things from each speaker, the denon tended to blur the effects together. The yamaha and the pioneer both sounded as good as the other, the only difference between them was that the yamaha had better sound efffec fields and silent listening. The silent listening, by the way, if your going to watch movies with headphones would be a selling feature, it's not a gimmick. It actually made a better seperation then the denon did in a pair of headphones. However i will never use headphones, and actually don't like a lot of soundfields, it's just more things for my wife and kids to mess up. So I went with the pioneer because of the thx ultra, it may just be marketing term, but it can't hurt it. Also it did a couple of things i liked, the bass and treble could be controlled on each channel, which i liked. I bought the unit online from acousticsounddesign, they had the best price plus the would back tha warranty on it at a local repair place. This is actually a better deal for me then buying from the store two housouth of here, there is an elite certified replair place a 30 minute drive away. I would have to taken it back to that store to get it fixed, according to them.
Got the receiver a week after ordering, nicely double boxed. Exceptionally easy to setup, the instruction manual reads like it was written in english first. Still getting little things tweaked in, like programming the remote, but an easy experience to do. Even my wife agrees there is a distinct sound differnece between this and an older denon 2800, and old sony we had auditioned.

Equipment used:
wharfedale opal 100's fronts
wharfedale valdus 400's rear side
wharfedale center channel
wharfedale opal 30's for new rears
Veldoyne sub
Sony vcr
Apex dvd
Digital cable box
Toshiba 32 inch tv

Similar Products Used:

many

Sounds great, runs longer in class A mode than most receivers.

Runs a little hot, needs a lot of space around it...

I have had a few receivers in my day. None that sound as good as the VSX36. A friend of mine went out and bought that huge flagship Kenwood receiver the VR-4900 and paid almost twice what I did. He could not believe how much beter my set up sounded. This says to me that the price of a piece of equipment does not always tell of its preformance. I was blown away when I watched a DTS movie on my dvd player, the sound was better than a movie theater. Music reproduction was great. The direct mode made the sound balanced and true. I could go on and on about how great this receiver is, but listen to one for yourself and then decide. My friend has since taken his Kenwood recieve back and purchased the Vsx39 and is happier with the sound. it is nice to see that in this age of garbage electronics that are passed off as good, one company still knows how to make quality equipment. The Vsx36 is the best bang for the buck...

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Rotel, Yamaha, Denon, Harman kardon.

Best Bang for the Buck!!! Excellent Film reproduction using B&W speakers and music sounds great, but needs tweaking at times. 7.1 and THX certified

Unit gets really hot and remote control isn't as easy to program as it could be.

All right, first things first. Everyone knows that if you have the money to buy the best, then you are going to want to go with non-integrated separates rather than all-in-one receivers; however, some of us only have $5000 or less to invest in a home theater and that doesn't get you very far if you are including a nice TV. Spending $800 bucks on a receiver gives you at least $3000 to spend on speakers which is what I believe to be a very, very important element of your sound. The 36TX sounds great and if you put all of your money in your speakers and keep them matched you will be amazed. I personally have $10,000 in equipment all together, and unless you plan on filling an auditorium to watch movies, this unit is more than enough to fill a very large room in a house. Don't waste your money on the 37TX or 39TX--the wattage difference is not noticeable and you get everything you need with the 36TX. Yes, it requires a separate amp to go 7.1, but you'll find that you probably aren't ready to go 7.1 until more DVDs are out there to give you the sound you want. You're probably replacing an older receiver, which can be utilized as your rear receiver. How does this receiver sound compared to the best system in the world? Well, not the greatest, but for the under $5000 class this receiver really surprised me. I thought Pioneer was a crap company. I've always been a Yamaha man, and I think this Pioneer Elite is unquestionably the best bang for your buck, and the only route to go if you want to put most of your money in your speakers. If you can afford speakers, I recommend B&W 600 series as a low-end match, or even better, the B&W upper lines. B&W speakers sound really great with this unit. If you can find a store that carries both B&W and Pioneer, which is unlikely, get them to demonstrate the sound with at least the best set of speakers you can find in the store. Use your ears. If you think you find something cheaper that sounds this good, then buy it, but anyone who tries to convince you that there is a noticeable difference between a Denon, Sony or otherwise is just trying to get you to spend more than you need. The only differences in sound you're going to notice are between this class of receiver and seperate components that run in ten's of thousands. Most of us can't afford that, and probably wouldn't find the differences worth the investment. Try one out and then let people know what you thought. My ratings are based only against receivers in its same class. If comparing this unit to things out of its class its value would be 5 stars and Overall rating 2 stars, which isn't bad when you think that a 5 star rating out of class would be a $100,000 setup.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Denon, Sony, Adcom, Sumo, Rotel,