Had ther receiver for over 8 years. Was a great receiver, did everything I wanted it to. Upgraded this year to a new Pioneer Elite (SC-25).

Good build quality. Very intuitive and user friendly. Excellent remote. Digital readout can be seen from across the room. Good product for the price concious or those just starting out.

Obviuosly a mass produced product....aimed at the low to mid fi crowd....not really sure this is a weakness...more of an observation.

When reviewing a component, I always try to compare the product with others in the same category. Obviuosly, this unit won't even come close to a Theta Casa, and MC-1, or one of the Krell products. But then, given the price...my guess is it's not supposed to. So....with keeping that in mind, I find the unit to be of good build quality, capable of doing what it's supposed to do. All functions seem to work extremely well and the sound is reasonably good....again...given the units cost and purpose. I put all my money into 2 channel stuff...with a number of high end components....waiting for the DVD technology to mature a little more before I took the plunge. I used the Pioneer for DVDs and HT only. I'm now getting ready to go high end with both 2 channel and HT...so I'll be unloading the Pioneer and my BAT VK-5i for a Meridian 861, Lexicon MC-12, Krell, or Theta HTS. But for the last couple of years, the Pioneer has served me well.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Denon, ect......

Great range, good bass, great sound in two-channel stereo, lots of format flexibility (Surround EX, DTS, 7-channel stereo), good remote.

Little overpriced but I got a deal (through a friend who works at a stereo store) that brought the price down to a level that was competitive. I probably would have purchased the VSX-33TX but it did not have a phono imput.

I highly recommend the Pioneer Elite VSX-35TX receiver if you want a versitle surround receiver that sounds excellent in both two-channel stereo as well as surround modes. Because this was the first receiver I have purchased in 15 years, I spent weeks listening to and researching various receivers (including spending a lot of time on this site) and ended up with the Pioneer Elite VSX-35TX. My situation is a little different than most purchasers of surround receivers as I am using the receiver primarily as stereo receiver now and plan to add a full surround system later. As a result, the most important criteria for me in a surround receiver was its sound in two-channel stereo.

I am running the receiver through B&W DM601 S2's with a Yamaha CDC-665 CD player, a Denon DRM12HX cassette deck and an old Pioneer turntable.

When I first heard the Pioneer I compared it to the Marantz and a couple of Yamaha's (cannot remember which ones but at least one included Yamaha's TopArt technology). The Yamahas were quickly eliminated as they sounded thin with little depth (almost sounded compressed) or bass through the speakers I was demoing (the B&W's as well as the Paradigm Mini Monitors). The Marantz had the widest range, best bass and punch with the Pioneer a very very close second. However, I had to elimate the Marantz as the SR line does not have a phono input (I did not want to add an external phono amplifier). I also compared the Pioneer head-to-head with the Denon (which I thought was better than the Yamaha) and found the Pioneer to be the clear winner with much better range. Because I could not compare the Integra and the Pioneer head-to-head, I used the Denon as a reference and compared the Intega to the Denon at a different store. I thought the Integra was better than the Denon but not did not have range the Pioneer had. While the Integra was a little less money it had less features than the Pioneer and only had 5-channel stereo (versus 5 or 7 in the Pioneer).

Similar Products Used:

Marantz SR5000, Integra 5.1, Denon AVR2801 and various Yamaha

Just add some note:
Those who have poor bass reproducation problem should check the "Bass peak level" control in your receiver's surround setup menu. Because the default setting is "---dB", which means you will get nothing for the bass since the bass peak control cut all of you signal, you need to adjust it to right level. My suggestion is start form -30dB and check up & down until you get the most comfortable bass test tone via your speaker.

THX & DTS EX. Easy set up via on screen display. Function rename.

low S/N for analog souces (83dB), Remote

Front speakers - Pioneer Elite TZ-F700
Center Speaker - Pioneer S-DC1-K
Surround speakers - Pioneer Elite TZ-S700
Back S. speakers - Pioneer S-DS1-H
EQ - Yamaha EQ 70
DVD - Panasonic DVD-A7
MD - Sony MDS-JE440
CD - Technics SL-MC7
Phono - Technics SL-BD20D
Display - Mitsubishi WT 46805

This is my upgrade from Technics SA-AX7 & SH-AC500D package. To tell the truth, I am satisfied with VSX-35TX so far. It does have a lot of useful fuction such as auto signal switch for analog and digital, function rename, component video I/O, and so on. Also, it really powers my speakers better than SA-AX7 that always has troubles in treble of some operas. And I really like its 5/7 stereo DSP. What a pity that it doesn't support ProLogic II & DVD-Audio decoding. Therefore, I need to connection my DVD-A7 vai both analog and digital cables. The sound is clear even with my Sony SA-V-815ED. But it doesn't power the rear surround chennals, which means I need to get an additional amp to power them. And it is a "cool" unit compare to SA-AX7 that always heat my room as a heater. However, there are three things I don't like, which is the S/N for analog sources and its power cable. The S/N is only 83 dB that make me always need to turn down the sound level of my EQ to keep the signal in the level in order to get a good sound for both recording and play back when use analog sources. I think Technics SA-AX7 does a good job in its analog S/N (90dB). Its power cable is built into the unit that will make a lot of trouble when the cable is danmged. Technics SA-AX7 uses attachable cable that will give a lot of convenience for replacement and upgarde. Also, its remote setup keys are kind of confusing especially when I copy the keys to another learning remote. Anyway, this is still a good unit for a poor student like me and I think I will stand until I get a job with a good pay after graduate form college.

Similar Products Used:

Well, if you guys think Technics SA-AX7 & SH-AC500D package is a similar product.

Everything

none yet

Wowzers that’s what a real stereo sounds like. I used to own a Sony and I thought that it needed treble and bass. Now all I have to say is wow this is what my speakers can sound like. The separation is awesome, and even running flat this has more sound than my Sony ever did. It takes a while to setup and has a very nice on screen display. I don't have the subwoofer working, kind of odd that it doesn't seem to be putting any sound out of the preamp out even kick on sub. But the sound is amazing, the separation between center channel, surround sound and front speakers is the best I have ever heard. It also has more bass and treble running flat than my Sony receiver could put out when it was set to +10 on either setting. The remote control is awesome too, it is very large but I can throw my other ones away now. This remote can be programmed to run anything that you might have. Another nice feature is the that you can reprogram the optical ports for whatever you might need. I got the best deal ever on this receiver online at yahoo auctions sealed in box and brand-new. I would highly recommend this receiver just based on how it sounds alone.

My System:
TEAC Tape Deck
Sony 5 disk cd
Sony DVD
Pioneer VSX-35TX
Zenith 31' TV

Speakers:
Infinity C3007 (main)
BIC CLR (center)
JBL (surround)
POLK 350PSW (sub)

Similar Products Used:

none Sony STR725

Wide range of supported formats. Assignable digital inputs. Multi-talented remote. Fantastic sound and power. Easy to use.

Confusing setup (but only need to do once). Remote is ugly.

The setup is a pain on this one, but once it is done, it's done. The manual is fairly easy to read and follow, but it's also essential for initial setup.

The remote is ugly as heck, but it is darn functional. It's preprogrammed for most common equipment (select your code off the list - which can be found on the On Screen Display, Nice!), and also works as a learning remote. 5 minutes, and I had it configured to control the TV, DVD, CD, and Satelite recevier. Another 5 minutes and my wife could use it all too!

Video switching is very clean, and supports Composite, S-Video, and Component video connections. Multiple assignable digital inputs and outputs are nice.

THX EX, user friendly, good resolution

The sound is on the bright side

This is not an actual review, it is most of all a reply to Ted's question about if this model variable crossover frequencies. And the answer is "yes", you can set it to 80 Hz, 100 Hz, or 150 Hz. If you want to know more about this receiver (or another Pioneer product), go to
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/Home/
and register yourself there (free of charge). Then you can search their database and find the user's manual as a PDF document. Very nice!
I have listened to this receiver at Pause Ljud & Bild (in english that is "Pause Sound & Picture") and compared it to Onkyo TX-DS676 together with the Canton sub/sat speaker system I earlier have bought from that store. Onkyo's sound was warmer, but Pioneer showed off more details in the music (I only listened to normal stereo music). But the differences was certainly not big, they both sounded great. To my opinion neither of them lacked bass, actually... I turned down the volume of the sub, the level was set for movies - not music.
But I have choosen to buy the Pioneer VSX-859RDS (that is the European name for VSX-35TX, it is the same receiver if you remove multi-room and add mpeg multichannel), mostly because of the THX EX ability. The people at Pause will call me when they get the gold version, it shall be released sometime during January 2001 here in Sweden. I'll return with a review when I have used it at home a while...

Similar Products Used:

N/A

Ease of use, quality of both home theater and stereo playback. Good backlit remote

Only 100W for switched outlets.

First you should know there is a call back on the VSX 35TX. Less than 1% of the units develop a fatal problem. I didn't know this at the time of purchase, else I would've gone with either the VSX 36TX or the Onkyo 787. I chose the 35TX, though, because it had all the power I needed for the room it is in. I have it set at -15db and it is just about right. A little more for stereo maybe, if I'm in the mood for big volume. The clarity I believe is noticeably better than my old receiver, which is admittedly a cheap thrills unit (still used by Home Theater mag for that price level reference). It is especially better at music I think. Home Theater had a favorable review of the 36TX. The 35TX is cosmetically and case wise identical, but less power and no Burr Brown. A THX theater playback is a new thing in my house and I can tell you there is a difference, but I'm not exactly sure what. It would take some time to compare a few movie segments subjectively to get a grip on the difference between THX, DD and DTS modes. There is possibly a volume difference, like some dynamic range variations. I'm just tripping on the THX for now. My speakers aren't THX spec'd. though. Anyway I'm pleased after several hours of use and just hope it doesn't turn into the 1 in 200 defective unit. I do wish I could hook up my 150W sub to the 35TX. Even the Kenwood could handle 150W. Now I have to switch it separately, and I don't always remember (sob). I would give it 5 stars for it's price range if it could just do that. So I give it 4.5 stars instead.

Similar Products Used:

Previous receiver Kenwood VR 309

THX, DTS, 7.1-capable, good set-up options

Manual needs to be re-organized--constant redirecting
Ummm...where's the subwoofer output for music?

My primary beef motivating this post is the subwoofer signal. This receiver has a cross-over network with 3 sets. It has a subwoofer pre-amp output. It has numerous analog and digital sound inputs. Soooo...why do I only get a subwoofer signal when playing movie soundtracks? What the hell? I don't get anything when listening to CD's, cable music channels, or the receiver's radio tuner. If I use my front speaker wiring as an input to my sub (JBL-12), then I lose the bass out of other channels. Besides, 5.1 sountracks want an avenue for that .1 signal, right? So it is like I can have either music or movies. I really want to solve this problem. If anyone else understands this issue, please reply directly, or at least here on this site.

Otherwise, the receiver is great. 5 stars if not for this subwoofer issue. The shuttle jog knob post was bent to hell upon receipt with no visible damage to the box. I believe they sent it damaged. Knowingly. I could've sent it back, but I would have had to wait for another to appear and re-bid. The jog works, but it rotates eccentrically. At this bid price (warranty? what warranty?! Oh, that 60-days thing? Ha!), I hope I won't have to complain.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood DP-M5540 Dolby Pro-Logic 4.0