Price Paid:  $500.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
This Pioneer receiver to me represents great performance and value especially compared to other A/V receivers in the same price range.
I bought this reciever online when it first came out. I had just bought Infinity
Primus series speakers(c25,360'sx2,160'sx2
and the ps12 powered subwoofer)and was looking for a reciever with enough power for these speakers. I came across the pioneer and it had everything I was looking for 120wpc,plus tons of connections (no HDMI) but for me this is not a problem and it is also pretty nice looking too. So to make a long story short
after I plugged everything I set up the auto-calibration(with the supplied microphone) and let that baby go to work.
Everything looked good except it made the speaker distances too far from the listening position after I adjusted them I put on Gladiator in DTS and BAM! this thing rocked the house I went to about -10
on the volume control. Very cool.
All in all this is a very good reciever for the money it especially shines with DTS movies. If you can live without the HDMI jack then I would definitly recommend
this reciever.

Strengths:
Lots of clean MOSFET power. A lot of connections. A lot of surround sound options. DTS kicks ass. Good bang for the buck A/V reciever.

Weaknesses:
Blue power LED cannot be turned off it's distracting(I solved this problem by putting a piece of electrical tape over the light.) And you can turn the display all the way off but the volume display only get dimmed.

Similar Products Used:
None this is my first reciever and I am very happy.

Price Paid:  $450.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
This receiver has been in my system for four months now, and I can honestly tell you that it is an incredible value. It is a re-badged VSX-52TX less a few of the Eliteisms. I have owned three different Pioneer receivers in the past. An SX-2300, a VSX-501S, and most recently the VSX-1015TX. The quality of receiver has definitely improved over the years coming from Pioneer in the 300-500 dollars price range. It is amazing what the company has crammed into this product for the price ($449.64 paid at Best Buy).

Concerning the VSX-1015TX power supply, it is rated at 120 wpc at 0.2 % distortion (20Hz-20kHz). A look at the owner’s manual shows that it is also rated as 110 wpc at 0.09% distortion. This thing is spec’d identically to the VSX-52TX. Both receivers use a pair of 15,000 uF capacitors. The transformer in the 1015 is beefy, and the internals are very well laid out. All of these things are signs of a quality receiver. I have read that the amplifier is identical between the two as well, and I actually got a confirmation from Pioneer via email that the amplifiers are in fact the same. The dimensions are identical and the weight is only 0.2 lbs different between the 1015 and the 52 (the 52 is the heavier of the two). Both units use a single Motorla DSP chip. A great value is to be had in the 1015TX.

As far as I can tell, there are only a few differences between the VSX-52TX and the VSX-1015TX. First, there is an RS-232 jack on the rear of the 52 (which is for “future” improvements). The 1015 has an extra set of composite video inputs on the rear. The front panel of the 52 slants back a little at the top, but the 1015's plate is more symmetrically shaped. Also the 1015 is THX select 2 certified compared to THX select for the 52. This means that the 1015 will produce THX reference level volume (105 dB) in a 2000 cu ft. room when properly calibrated, without distortion. Also, the 1015 has blue lettering while the 52 has gold letters, and of course the face plate of the 52 says ELITE on the front. The 52 has a trans-stabilizer in the chasis to dampen vibrations.

After running the MCACC I found that I needed to manually adjust the equalization to get it sounding the way I liked. I use a subwoofer(PSW650), so I had to change the speakers to small (MCACC likes to set them to large) in order to get it to work. It took me about a month to really get the system sounding the way I like it. Boy does it really rock nowadays.

I really have been pleased with this receiver (I’ve had it for six months now). It sounds fabulous and has abundant power. With my Polk speakers, it makes a very good match. If you by this thing you are getting a VSX-52TX with some upgrades. I am glad to have it, and would pick it again over the new VSX-1016TX which is due to be released any day now. The 1016 departs from the 1015/52 ADE mosfet design and opts for the bipolar approach. Will this affect sound quality? It will be interesting to see.

Pros:

Elite quality at a very affordable price (power supply and amp are same as VSX-52TX)
Very stylish look with the fold down plate.
Nice looking blue light on the power button


Cons:
No lip sync delay (not a problem if you aren’t using HD DLP monitors)
Could use a couple more optical inputs
No HDMI in/outs (but I don’t need it)

Price Paid:  $387.00 from Ideal AV

Summary:
This receiver got so much goodies for incredibly reasonable price. As you know it is the world first receiver to have THX-Select2. It also have the most accurate Automatic MCACC(actually measures and calibrates your audio system for sonic perfection specifically for your living room, regardless of shape or size, automatically.) Hometheater sound is clear and powerfull.
Definitely, it's one of the best sounding receivers for the price! You're not gonna be disappointed
.

Strengths:
THX-Select2. Auto MCACC. LCD learning remote. stylish. It never gets hot.

Weaknesses:
This receiver is supposed to be rated 120 watts equall to all 7 channnels...but can't tell much difference between soundwise 120 watts vs 100 watts. Some receiver rated 100 watts plays just as loud if not louder. Stereo sound could have been better. This receiver sound is towards more for movie than music. THD is not as impressive as ELITE models THD 0.2 vs 0.09(ELITE)

Price Paid:  $459.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
This receiver is the best one I bought for the money!! It has everything in it, like for example it has the latest surround formats like Dolby Digital and DD EX as well as DTS, DTS ES Matrix and Discrete and DTS 96/24 and others like Dolby Pro Logic, DPL II and DPL IIx and as well as the THX Select 2 Certified modes. The amp section has 120 going to all 7 speakers. It has a 7.1 pre out section for use with power amps if you should need it down the road. And for you people who do not know how to setup your speakers, the receiver has the MCACC system so that it can correctly determined your size and distance of the speakers from the supplied mic. overall this is one beast of the receiver. Also the receiver has up conversion through all of the video inputs like composite to s-video or component video.

Strengths:
All of the surround formats
THX Select 2 Certification
120watts x 7
MCACC
On screen display for setup of receiver.

Weaknesses:
remote is not backlit

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha RX-V440
Yamaha HTR-5540
Kenwood VR-6050
Yamaha RX-V2095 - the best one I had!!

Price Paid:  $599.00 from Top achat (French ma

Summary:
This receiver is a distinct step up from the 814 I had previously. Immediately apparent when you listen to the two main channels in "Direct" mode driving my vintage (but very revealing) Kef 104.2 floorstanders.
In full surround this unit packs a great punch as well, especially in THX surround mode, with fine detailing and very precise imaging. You can almost "feel" the generous headroom ensuring there is never any danger of clipping. There are plenty of options too, and although the Auto setup using the microphone does more or less put things in place, it is better to make a few manual adjustments.
Rather surprised that, despite its power, this unit does not seem to get very hot, unlike previous Pioneers I have owned.
If you have speakers to do this receiver justice then it is worth spending the extra - if you shy away from the hefty price tags on the Elite range that is (although some of that range's features have, apparently, been incorporated into this model).
Doesn't have HDMI switching, but in any case I would never use it, preferring to feed my Epson TW600 directly from the DVD player (a Denon 1920).
Highly recommended.

Strengths:
Surpeb sound.
Lots of features and flexibility to be explored as you learn to live with it.
Great value for money.

Weaknesses:
Need to tweak the auto setup. But hardly a real weakness - makes you feel good when you know you've got it "just right".

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer VSX 814