Price Paid:  $370.00 from On-line

Summary:
I recently bought this refurbed receiver to replace a Harman Kardon 525, which is an excellent receiver in its own right. I just wanted to try something new and I wasn't expecting it to sound better than the 525. I was quite surprised when I got it, hooked it up, and turned it on. The Pioneer Elite sounded exceptionally clean and detailed right out of the box, even before I could calibrate it. There is more than enough power (110 wpc) for the typical household. And it's also a great-looking unit.

I didn't bother with the auto calibration; I used my Rat Shack SPL meter instead. Setup was a breeze and the remote is great. The manual is typical in terms of understanding. I really like the extras the receiver has such as the ability to bi-amp, THX Cinema and the dialog enhancement. In fact, I actually like this receiver more than my 525, and I loved my 525. For my 525, I used external amplification for all five channels in my 5.1 setup (two 150 wpc ATI amps and a 200 watt Marantz monoblock for the center channel), but with the Pioneer Elite, I don't feel as though I'm missing anything at all. So for the price, the 52TX is an absolute winner. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:
HK 525
Denon 3803