Power, reliability, performance

uh?

Okay. Listen up. If you want box that will rock this is it. Don't spend money on anything other than this or the Integra 7.1.

Stop reading about all the idiots who think they know what's important with a rock'n box.

Pioneer Elite Pro rear projection
Pioneer Elite DVD
Pioneer Elite THX receiver

plug in Gladiator and crack open a beer.

The perfect combo or a good Leafs game.

Similar Products Used:

Integra 7.1

could be more powerfull, no back surround amplification

This is truly a great reciever. It has a great set of features and excellent sound quality. I compared the stereo mode of this reciever to a bryston setup in the store using the same speakers. Yes the bryston sounded better but not $8000 better.
I in home demoed both the Denon and Yamaha units. Both units had excellent sound quality, however the Denon broke down twice on me and the Yamahas had too many useless DSP modes for my liking. To their credit though the Yamahas have excellent build quality. Going into the audio store I initally had my heart set on the Integra unit but the dealer told me I could have the Pioneer for just a few hundred dollars more. With all the latest surround sound modes except prologic II this thing should last for some time before becoming too obsolete.
Sonically the pioneer matches very well to my paradigm monitor 7s. The brightness I got with the yamaha recievers is not present with the pioneer. On all of the Dolby Digital and DTS DVDs I have tested they have all sounded fantastic. Stereo sound is also excellent.
I have an old pioneer 6 disc changer that did not come with a remote control and this reciever can control the cd player just by running a control cable between the two.
The remote is wonderful. I could do the system setup without using the onscreen menu. It also controls all of my other components with ease. Macros are easy to program and the touch screen is very well laid out.
Anyone looking for top notch performance bundled with the latest features should take a serious look at this reciever.

Home Theater System
Toshiba TN50x81
Pioneer Elite VSX-39TX
Pioneer DVD 434
Pioneer PDM-450
JVC 3600
Paradigm Monitor 7s
Paradigm ADP 370s
Paradigm CC350
Paradigm PW 2200

Similar Products Used:

Denon 4800, Yamaha DSP A1, Yamaha RX-V1, Integra 7.1

Remote, List Price

Yes I have really owned and un-owned the 'Similar Products Used' but I am happy with the Pioneer Elite VSX-39TX.

My gear is:

Pioneer Elite VSX-39TX Receiver
Pioneer Elite DV-38A DVD/DVD-Audio Player
Pioneer Elite PD-F19 301 Disc CD Changer
Pioneer Elite PD-R19RW CD Recorder
Pioneer Elite MJ-17D MiniDisk unit
Pioneer Elite CLD-79 Laser Disc Player
Klipsch RF-3 L/R Main Speakers
Klipsch RC-3 Center Speaker
Klipsch Quintets L/R Surround Speakers
Klipsch KSW-10 Powered Sub
Monster Power HST-2000 Power strip
A/R Inner connects and speaker cable
Sony 41" TV
JVC/Dish Network Dishplayer 7100 Sat. Rcv./Recorder

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-5800, Sony TA-E9000ES/TA-N9000ES, Sony STR-DA777ES

Great value, warm sound, THX-EX, remote

This review is really to offset the Stuart Davis review. I think his rating is unfair. The only receivers that I know of that give true 8 channels without adding a decoder are the Denon 5800 and B&K 307. Most manufacturers seem to require the additional decoder. For the price you can get for the Pioneer VSX 39TX, it is a steal - the street price is as low as $1400.00 – you can’t beat the value. Compare the value to other manufacturers’ 8 channel receivers. None of them you will find below $2000.

 Marantz 14EX - $4700 (Can get better price on the street)
 Marantz 18EX – $2500 (Can get better price on the street)
 Denon 5800 – $2700 (Can get better price on the street)
 B&K – $3700 (Can get better price on the street)

I agree with Stuart, he is a nitpicker. Review the receiver for what it is – an 8 channel system, THX-EX (DTS-ES), DD, DTS for a great price. I understand if he overpaid and is upset, but come on, a rating of two because you do not like the remote and you have to buy an amplifier. Maybe you should have spent a few hundred more for the B&K.

MANY!!!!!!!!!

none

THis is to make up for the spunk below who claims it was "to replace my VSX-39TX", isn't that the model we are reviewing here???? He has unfairly lowered this great models score!!!

Similar Products Used:

MANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THX-EX processing, touchscreen remote, component video switching, great sound, plenty of power.

Only 5 on-board channels of power.

I've only just got this receiver, so I can't comment on its reliablity (although I've never had problems with my 26TX, so I'm not worried).

I haven't really noticed too many differences in sound quality between it and my 26TX, and since I like the sound of the 26TX that isn't a disappointment. I have noticed a little better clarity here and there, which I've attributed to the extra headroom of the amp (even if it is only 20 watts higher than the 26TX per channel). My speakers (JBL ND310s in front, JBL N-Center, and Nova-18s for rears) aren't the hardest to drive loud, so I can't really say that this receiver has an endless supply of power. But I've turned it up far enough to play at a constant 100 db (with peaks higher still) without distortion or any soundstage collapse - that's plenty loud enough for me. My older VSX-498 (a cheap DD model) couldn't play that loud without the soundstage becoming flat and the music very harsh. I can't say that the power is any better than the 26TX because I've never really tried to push either to the extreme end of their range, but for my taste it is able to play very loudly very well. Bass response with the ND310s is wonderful on Nine Inch Nails material like "Where is Everybody?", and movies like Seven sound lifelike. No complaints at all with the sound. Eventually I intend to get an off-board amp to run the additional rear channels, but it is nice to know the capability is there.

The remote is wonderful. The reviewer who complained about not being able to program both DVD and LD functions is giving this unit a bad rap. While there may not be separate DVD and LD function buttons, one could easily program one of the other functions to behave as an LD control. You can rename keys, reprogram keys, and add item memos to the control screens - it is far from inflexible and I haven't seen anything that really outshines it. No, it isn't perfect, no remote is perfect, even the Pronto isn't perfect. But this remote makes setup a breeze, allows almost complete replacement of original remotes, and is a good deal easier for people to use. As for the lack of jog dial, huh? Jog dials are over-rated at best. I've used the jog dial of my DVD player so rarely that I doubt I'd miss it at all. I can only see it being necessary for film students, and other people who like watching things in slow-motion. Anyway, I see very few receiver remotes with jog dials, so this unit's lack is hardly unique - and hardly worth so a nasty complaint. 2 stars because of these two complaints is a little petty, considering that the reviewer says that it sounds great and looks nice. Considering that you're not likely to find a better universal remote, something that is both very flexible and very easy to use, I think it is poor to knock the system as hard as he did for such little problems.

In conclusion, the VSX-39TX is a great receiver, capable of handling a multitude of devices and sound formats, with excellent sound, and a remote that's far better than most that come with receivers - even some of the high end items.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite VSX-26TX, VSX-498, Old JVC ProLogic

price, THX-EX, DTS-ES, remote

Waiting to buy it

I had the opportunity to listen to this at JandR Computer World. I love this receiver. First the beautiful finish make it different from othe high end receivers. The remote is a very practical. This receiver cost so much less than the Maranzt 14EX, B&K 307 and Denon AVR5800. I am seeing prices as low as $1450 for a receiver that has THX-EX and I had the opportunity to listen to this at JandR Computer World. I love this receiver. First the beautiful finish make it different from other high end receivers. The remote is a very practical. This receiver cost so much less than the Maranzt 14EX, B&K 307 and Denon AVR5800. I am seeing prices as low as $1450 for a receiver that has THX-EX and DTS-ES, true 7.1 channels. It has clean and warm sound. I am planning on upgrading my receiver this year and I like the other high end receivers out there, such as those mentioned above, but am not willing to pay in excess of $2500 when all these high ends are so close in performance and features.

Appearance, Ease of Setup, Excellent sound quality, Full featured LCD Remote, Price, THX surround EX/DTS ES decoding.

Lack of 7 channels of amplification for THX Surround EX/DTS ES operation

I purchased the VSX-39TX in November, because I wanted to upgrade my existing 5.1 channel Dolby Digital/DTS system to THX Surround EX/DTS ES ( Matrix ). I was hesitant to go with the Pioneer because it only had 5 channel amplification. I got the Denon AVR 5800 initially, but had a problem with the first, and second one that I got ( two different problems ). I decided that for the $1300 less I would go with Pioneer, and purchase an additional two channel amp for the rear surrounds.

I got the 39TX, and immediately fell in love with it. Right out of the box it has a stunning appearance with it's Urushi finish, and gold striping. This receiver was a breeze to set up, and the remote's on screen display made set up that much easier. I installed two in wall speakers in the rear of my room to use as the rear surrounds, and I purchased the Audiosource Amp two to power them. After resetting all the levels using a sound level meter, I quickly auditioned a couple of Surround EX and DTS ES DVD's. This receiver rocks! At 120 watts per channel it has more than enough power to fill a good sized room, and it does so effortlessly. It does not have a cooling fan, but uses extruded aluminum heat sinks to cool itself. This does make it run warm, but it does not get hot.

I wrote a review of the VSX-39TX at epinions.com, and rather than get into alot of technical specifics here you can read the review at this link:

http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-136D-577CE85-3A2913C2-prod1

My advice is that if you are looking a for a handsome piece, that has THX Ultra certification, either for 5.1 or Surround EX/DTS ES capable, is close to seperates quality for stereo music listening, has all the audio/video inputs you would probably ever need, then give the VSX-39TX a listen. You won't be dissappointed, especially for it's reasonable price.

Similar Products Used:

Technics, Denon, JVC

Ease of use, outstanding sound, styling, EVERYTHING!!

absolutely none

Purchased the Pioneer VSX-39TX to go with my new PRO-710HDTV. This unit is simply amazing. The remote is to die for - makes everything easy to use, and actually does work EVERYTHING!!! I love the touch screen. I put all of my other remotes in a drawer - don't need them.

The sound this thing puts out is outstanding. The surround EX channels have to be amplified by an external amplifier, but everybody seems to be designing their receivers this way. And this is a true 8 channel receiver - not the expanded rear surround that is found on some Denon models.

I love getting what I pay for, and in this receiver I got much more than what I paid for. This Pioneer is simply awesome.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX-D2S, Sony, Technics

How come the five reviews that were here last week are gone???????? Strange email me rwl@rwl.net

Why have the reviews been removed...weird