Last month Ara picked up an Apple TV for use in his media room. That became the fourth HDMI device which was one device too many for his Yamaha RX-V2700 receiver. So he contacted Pioneer to see if he could review the Pioneer VSX-94TXH 7.1 A/V Receiver. In actuality, Ara was auditioning the receiver for his own personal use. Within a few days the receiver showed up and it's not going back! Just so everyone is clear, Ara has to pay for the receiver to keep it.

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Great Review.

I have all tube amps for my front stage (L,Center,R) and TriPath Digitally power amps for my four rears . I was wondering if there are Pre-Amp outputs for each 8 channels, on this devicce.

Better yet...does Pioneer offer just a Pre-Amp version of this reviewed device?


www.CraigLeMay.com
Born2Rock@pdq.net

But the article conveniently fails to mention what this receiver costs!

Today, there are many comparable AVRs with these features and MSRP is a needed mention to compare value of such a device to a user.

Pioneer doesn't offer any surround pre-amps. If you can get your hands on an Integra DTC-9.8 surround preamp is THX Ultra II (MSRP-$1,699) and it is almost the equal of Anthem pre-amps that are 3 times the cost. I believe Onkyo makes a version of the same pre-amp, but I also think the Onkyo TX-SR875 (MSRP $1,699) receiver is a much better deal than the Pioneer, although it doesn't look as good. It has the superior REON HQV video chipset as opposed to the inferior Faroudja in the Pioneer. Of course, if you have an HDTV with great de-interlacing and scaling then the video chipsets aren't that important. But there are very few HDTV's with great video processing.

Of course, the Pioneer Elite is still a very nice receiver, albeit with an awful remote. You will definitely need to get a good Logitech or other remote to make your device control much easier and more enjoyable.

Greg

Greg, you mention that the REON HQV video chipset in Onkyo's TX-SR875 is superior to the Faroudja in the Pioneer. Can you say the same about the ABT 1010 Yamaha's AVRs include (like the RX-V1800 or 3800), and do you know how the REON HQV video chipset and the ABT 1010 compare? On another forum some claim the Yamaha's ABT processor is superior to the REON HQV.

If the other receivers have the same two new ABT chipsets as the OPPO DV-983HD, then I would be very confident with their video scaling and de-interlacing. If they are older and cheaper ABT chipsets, I would take the REON HQV. The REON, while not the REALTA, for most practical purposes does an excellent video performance. As always, the engineering surrounding the chipsets has a great effect too.

I would look at the "Secrets of Home Theatre" review on the OPPO which mentions the two ABT chipsets and see if the Yamaha uses the same.

Greg

I found it and some additional info and it says the OPPO uses the ABT 102 deinterlacing chip and ABT 1010 scaling engine, while the Yamaha RX-V3800 brochure says "Using Anchor Bay Technology’s proprietary 10-bit Precision Video Scaling™ engine (ABT1010), upscaling is provided to 1080p." Sounds like the same, or close to me.

You? Thanks.

Actually Oppo's site says the DV-983H has "ABT102 chipset provides AutoCUE-C™, Progressive Cadence Detection™, and Precision De-interlacing™. An ABT1018 chip handles Precision Video Scaling™, frame rate conversion, aspect ratio control and video zooming."

So maybe the Oppo's is just a step up?

Found some more info

From ABT's site:
"The ABT1010 is Anchor Bay Technologies' second generation video scaling chip that is targeted at low-cost DVD player/recorder applications requiring up-conversion from 480p/576p to high-definition formats including 1080p. The ABT1010 features Anchor Bay's proprietary 10-bit Precision Video Scaling engine that can independently scale an image horizontally and vertically to achieve an outstanding picture quality for today's high resolution video displays."

"The ABT1018 is Anchor Bay Technologies' second generation video scaling chip that is targeted at Blu-Ray & HD-DVD player/recorder, HDTV set-top box, and AV receiver applications requiring up-conversion from 480p, 576p,720p, 1080i to high-definition formats including 1080p. The ABT1018 features Anchor Bay's proprietary 10-bit Precision Video Scaling™ engine that can independently scale an image horizontally and vertically to achieve an outstanding picture quality for today's high resolution video displays."

Seems the difference is what they start to convert. The Yamaha site says the RX-V3800 can convert 480i (NTSC)/576i (PAL) → 480p/576p, 1080i, 720p, or 1080p and 480p/576p → 1080i, 720p, or 1080p.