Pioneer Elite SC-05 - AV network receiver - 7.1 channel Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently purchased this SC-05 by Pioneer Elite. This new AVR replaced a Sony unit that was 10-12 years old. My reasoning for upgrading was to have an up to date unit capable of video switching today's HD video sources, converting playing the most current HD audio codecs such as DTS-MA and True HD. In the past year I had bought an HDTV (Sammy 1080p) and a PS3, so my existing AVR w/ only Dolby Digital and no HD video capabilities became quickly outdated.
I had looked at many different models, and was critically considering the Onkyo 806, Denon 3808, Sony ES and Pioneer. I had heard the Onkyo's run very hot and that the current 806 was not living up to the expectations set by the prior 805. The Denon 3808 is receiving many solid reviews but some criticisms were in regards to sound quality and ease of use. The Sony's were still not yet readily available nor reviewed and the previous Sony ES models had not gotten very positive feedback.
Then I listened to both the 3808 and SC-05 at my local BB-Magnolia store. The SC-05 really blew me away, both in SQ and asthetics.
I began researching the SC-05 extensively and found the following thread at AVS Forums maintained by CHP_VR, exceptionally useful.
[...]
After careful consideration I purchased the SC-05 and with its MCACC capabilities my home theater has been revitalized. It has made my B&W 602 S2 speakers come alive. It works very well with my TV and PS3 as well as my D* STB, legacy SD-DVD player and Wii. The SC-05 does all my switching and upconverts my non-HD sources to 1080p. While my TV was doing this previously, the SC-05 is more convenient for switching inputs and sources. The SQ is phenominal.
Other cool features are Home Media integration, internet radio and Neural THX radio.
I definitely recommend this AVR...the price is hefty, but worth it.

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Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH - AV receiver - 7.1 channel Review

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(More customer reviews)This was my first receiver that I have ever purchased and am very pleased overall (4 months of ownership). Set up was a breeze and the auto calibration (MCACC) works like a charm. Originally I had cheap speakers hooked up to the receiver (still shopping for quality speakers) and the sound out of them was horrible... Well, I ran the auto calibration and it made my cheap speakers sound spectacular!!! I couldn't believe what I was hearing and was starting to wonder if spending hundreds on speakers was going to be worth it. I have listed some pros and cons below. The only reason I did not give the receiver 5 stars is due to the cons that I listed which seem a lot because I tried to explain them in detail. Overall I would defiantly buy this receiver again due to the fact most of the cons listed could be fixed with a software upgrade and a new remote.
System:
Receiver-Pioneer VSX-21TXH, Monitor-Samsung LN46B-530, Center Channel -Polk TSi CS20, Fronts-Polk TSi 200s, Surrounds-Polk Monitor-30s, Subwoofer-? (Came from a computer system 300-W, 8in. woofer)
Pros
1.The auto MCACC calibration (microphone included!)
2.Price!! Buy buying from a non-authorized Pioneer Elite dealer off of Amazon I paid half the price my friend paid when buying the VSx-23 receiver from best-buy. The dealer also had a warranty and good customer service.
3.Being able to assign inputs
4.The amplifier power (Cranked up the volume in a 5.1 channel setup to uncomfortable sound levels and did not notice any distortion
5.Looks, I like the glossy front....well as long as it is kept clean, smudges are very noticeable
6.FM tuner works great!!! All stations come in very clearly. I know that some of the receivers I had listened to in the past need huge outdoor antennas to pick up stations. I just used the antenna that came with the receiver (single wire) and now get all stations in my area
7.Video up scaling. Hugh difference from using the TVs up scaling.
8.Inputs, Had all the inputs I needed excluding the third component input (Wii, PS2, DVD, VHS, HTPC, iPOD)
Cons
1.I wish it had one more component input (I still have to use my component switch)
2.Remote is a little hard to use due to the location of the buttons
3.When trying to change audio parameters when listening to a source the silver round button stops working after one push. This problem is only intermittent and has been noticed when multiple sources are selected. If your trying to change the channel level of a speaker you have to push the buttons (receiver then audio parameter then the circular Arrows) This must be done for each arrow button push. Switching to another source corrects this problem but then you can't tell how your modifications effect the sound in real-time.
4.Cheap speaker binding posts. Not really a major con but before I had purchased banana plugs for my speakers I used the post and screwed them down. I thought I was going to break them.
5.I wish the connection to the computer was a USB instead of a RS-232. I have still not connected it to my HTPC but will once I get the right cable
6.TV control seems to only work when I push the TV source button on the remote even though the remote has a region of buttons dedicated to the TV specifically (Was told that I probably just have the incorrect TV code in my remote but I still haven't gotten to correct)
7.No HD Radio, I didn't know how much I would miss this feature until I bought a receiver and now listen to the radio hours each day.
8.Receiver has to be reset when using my Home Theater PC that is connected through a HDMI cable. The receiver does not send the signal to the monitor after I turn on the PC until after I switch the receiver to HDMI source the turn off the receiver and then turn it back on. If I don't do this then the receiver just says its looking for a source. This could be an issue with my video card (ATI4650) but I'm not sure.


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Elite Screens VMAX2 Electric projection Screen, 16:9 Aspect Ratio-120in (Max White) Review

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(More customer reviews)This screen is an amazing bargain, and truly puts the "theater" in home theater. We were trying to decide between the 100" and the 120". If your room can manage the 120", go for it. It's fantastic.
This is solid and easy to install, and the opening mechanism feels stable and smooth. The material is even, no creases or waves, and colors show up crisply without any issues.
One great thing to note is that this screen is compatible with the Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote with Color Touch Screen, so you can set up your Harmony remote to automatically open your screen when you turn everything on. If you don't have a Harmony Remote, there's also an optional wireless trigger out that you can get from Elite Screens and hook up to your projector, so that when you turn your projector on, it sends a signal to the screen that opens it.
You can get more expensive screens with tension, higher gains, or made of acoustic mesh so that your speakers can go right behind it, but this is a perfect entry-level price that does not feel or look entry-level at all.

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Elite VSX-33 A/V Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I am an experience AV and tech person. I had Sunfire, Sony, NAD, even Macintosh. But as I got older I notice that technology has change and sound hasn't. Speakers sound the same and I am sticking with my Paradigms. My last receiver was an Onkyo great price for what it offered. I like new technology and I am early adopter. It's an expensive taste and now that i am older i will slow down on the latest and greatest. I have friends that spent over $5000 for their receiver and i cant tell the difference. The internet market has changed the way people buy and now i am here writing my first review. I explain a little bit about myself so you can understand where the review and point of view is coming from. I am also a CFO so i understand value.
There is nothing negative about this receiver, I highly recommend getting it. If you are smart you can get this $1000 receiver for $680 on the internet. I have the iPad and downloaded the iphone app from Pioneer and works great. The reason I picked this unit is that I do own a 3D TV - Samsung PN58C7000 and BDP6900 3D Blueray player. So I wanted to run all my cables through a 1.4A HDMI receiver. This receiver is feature rich. Now there are several units out there by Sony, Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, and Pioneer. I picked Pioneer unit because they didn't charge another $100 for a docking station for an iPod and you can do so much with this unit.
I live in an apt and therefore the power is adequate at 120Watts per channel. I feel it should be a little heavier but if I wanted that i would have gotten the next model up the SC model with the "D" rated amplifier. But i didn't need that. This unit sounds very clean no hissing noise. Switching between HDMI input is a little slow. I turned off the automated pass through feature that can cause some issues with Samsung Product. I always turn on my Receiver because the sound from the TV is terrible.
My setup is still 5.1 but then again i live in apt in nyc so i don't need 7.1. onkyo offer 9.2 again overkill. The unit has Ethernet connection and i can stream music but the internet radio choices are terrible, i will just use Pandora on my Blueray player instead. Ethernet connection will be good if Pioneer does an software upgrade on the receiver. I haven't tested the DLNA capabilities but i do have DLNA storage unit one by netgear called Stora.
I wish this unit has a PC input like the onkyo but it does not and i do not like the way HDMI from my mac looks on the Samsung Screen either so it doesn't matter. VGA from MAC to TV is just fine with me 720p.
What i like most about this receiver is the surround settings this is a THX receiver and it has many surround sound options more than onkyo or sunfire or any receiver I have played with. Options are great, remote control is easy to use. I have TIVO thru RCN so it can do 1080p. I programmed the Logitech Harmony remote to follow Pioneer VSX-1120 the non-elite version which works great. The VSX-1120 is not much less in price so why pick the VSX-33 Elite version. Build quality is better especially on the front face of the receiver, i believe it is made of aluminum. It's heavier that means the heat sink for the amp is better for cooling and power control, Amber glow, more power, better remote, more inputs, THX, etc. There are a lot of little details i notice that warrant the extra price, but more importantly the ability to expand. You can assign the This receiver is future proof, it has an additional HDMI out in case i want to add a projector. I figure best street price for the VSX-1020 which is below the VSX-1120 is around $449-$499 so the best difference is $180?? to me that is a amazing deal.
The GUI interface on setting up the system is cleaner and better than most receiver. Another big advantage is the Video upconversion which is better than the VSX-32, VSX-31, VSX-1020, VSX-1120, Onkyo SR608 to 808, Denon new models etc. I checked them all out. But i don't care about this feature because everything is passthrough at 1080p for my system.
I hope this info helps, shop around carefully someone is selling this unit for under $700 including tax and shipping. I am highly impressed with this and recommend it for it's features. It can do bi-amping and other things which i was not able to test. I am probably missing alot here on what else the unit can do but to me this is alot of stuff already plus it is 3-zone capable.


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Bodyclock Elite 300 Review

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(More customer reviews)I had an old BioBrite analog light alarm clock for 15+ years, which got damaged. So I knew I loved having one, & was willing to pay the price for the Lumie Bodyclock. This replacement is definitely an upgrade. It is a 5-star light. The price is steep, and I have had one minor issue, which is why I only give it 4 stars. It is easy to use and feature rich, and I would definitely buy it again.
Some details of this light that are not necessarily obvious, but that I would have liked to know before purchasing:
- Display. Very bright when alarm is off. When alarm is on, you have a choice of either a dim display or for the display to turn off entirely. If you have it turn off, you can press most any button to see the dim display for 12 seconds.
- Very easy to set & change the alarm time. You can either set one time for every day, or set individual times for each day. If you set individual times, if you then set the overall time it switches to that. This is useful for a vacation week. I still set the alarm in order to dim the display, but have it set to later than I wake up. After vacation, set a day (any day) & it will switch back to the individual settings.
- Sound spa feature. You need to turn on the sound and then turn on the alarm. This will keep the volume you set all night. When the light starts brightening in the morning, the sleep sound turns off. When the light reaches full intensity, whatever you selected for the alarm will sound. (If you use the 'sunset' feature, you can start the sound in advance to maintain a constant volume. Or you can use their 'auto-fade' to a low volume or off, your choice.)
- Audio options include radio, pre-recorded sounds, SD card, or external audio. I haven't tried the SD or external options. The included sounds include rain, white noise, waves, birds, and an interesting 'city noise' option. They also have, in multiple languages, a guided sleep meditation with a couple music choices. The woman (with a slight British accent) can also tell you to get up in the morning. In the 'wake up assertive' option, the very pleasant voice says 'get up now'. It's rather cute. I like the rain one for a soudspa, and the birds as the alarm. I have not tried the meditations.
I have had one minor issue. One night, with the display off option, I pressed a button so I could see the time. The display was scrambled. In the morning, I unplugged and replugged the unit, and it fixed itself. I have had the Bodyclock for about a month, so I hope that was just a fluke. It did keep all my settings through being unplugged.
Update January 2011: The unit is working well. After around 4 months, that odd display problem I mentioned above has not repeated itself. I'm still loving the light, & feel it is worth the (admittedly expensive) price.

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