Great remote nice to be able to flip the lid and go in and turn knobs and adjust the tone and that type of thing I haven't gotten the chance to see how well the auto setup works I bought this unit for $30 at a local Goodwill in excellent shape but I have since replaced it with a Sony de 7100 ES

Lacks bass i have a Sony DA7100ES thats in the similar Arena however the Sony does not lack Bass. I'm definitely not a fan of Sony but it sounds better. The rotary encoder knob for the input select only works well turning to the left if you turn it to the right it has issues and skips around a bit this is a problem that I've seen on cheaper Cheerios with the volume knob but on the radio this expensive this should not be happening. Otherwise it is a very well made extra heavy duty receiver but in my opinion the audio is a little bit blah on it. Some extra bass response would have been nice I'm running the sum Yamaha speakers that have 12 inch drivers that are probably overly Basie so this unit really lacks Bass

I just found this brute on craigslist for 100 bucks! I am all about old school heavy big powerful receivers and this fits the bill just fine, I'm happy with 5.1 and I don't care about video through receivers. I run a whole Def Tech system on this bad boy, mains are BP8060st's, center is a CS8040HD, and rears are BP7006's. The authority and clarity in stereo or 5.1 is a beautiful thing.I love the back lit remote,very easy setup in OSD, it is a very sexy receiver and at 42 lbs it's got the right stuff.

No negatives, i accept it the way it is,it does it's job in spades!

Processing; adjustable high pass; Price

Many settings which takes time to get familiar with; Heavy

Sound processing is great for HT and two channel setup. Used with a separate Onkyo M508 amp, produces detailed, transparent, and overall smooth-non fatiguing sound. Highly recommened.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Denon, Newcastle

Looks Great Sound Reproduction is excellent MCACC allows you to watch movies instead of putter around with an SPL 7.1 should be interesting!

None. Certainly not at this price range.

This is an outstanding product from Pioneer. The levels are clean and the soundstage is pure. I upgraded from a Technics receiver and decoder, and this is leagues ahead of them. The rear channels came alive and the fronts and centers were far more accurate. Truth be told, the video quality (s-video) improved drastically between the two sets! I don't have a single complaint about this receiver. The MCACC does wonders for the sound and is a quick and easy fix for those of us who do not want to pull out the SPL and take measurements. I don't know if the THX certification does any good, but it's kind of impressive to see on the faceplate, regardless. For those of you who are complaining about the weight--it is heavy--THAT'S A GOOD THING. The 49Tx is 20 pounds heavier and is even better than this. The equipment involved is better and the weight also indicates, to some degree, the quality of the unit. I recommend this gear completely. I researched for at least 6 months, left nothing to chance, and couldn't be happier. (well, maybe a sunfire...)

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None used, many auditioned.

Automatically balances all 8 channels using an included microphone: not just the volume, but adjusts the volume at different frequencies from each speaker so they match! Well constructed, and still great sound plus easier to use as a receiver compared to separates.

Could use video conversion between composite and component. Could use I-Link Video switching for HDTV recording, but that's newer than this model which has already been moved out of Pioneer's "current models" onto their "old models" webpage.

I've used Sony (once good enough and cheap with lots of toys but I've been corrupted by hearing other "high-end" stuff) Onkyo (what's the big deal about them?) Older model Fosgates (great quality but too expensive to buy a new one with DPL II) Sunfire (limited inputs and hated the controls so much I rarely used it) THis Pioneer takes the cake when you include as whole: sound, price, and ease of use. The best unit I've owned yet. Sounds great, love the price, looks good, well constructed. For those who complain about the weight, that is a result of its quality and power, that's not a bad thing! All high-end equipment weighs more than cheap for a reason; there's Stuff in the box. Love DPL II 7-channel modes too!

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Bought the Pioneer Premiere system for my car with the automatic speaker balancing built into it, that was what made me realize how great the feature was so I tried a Pioneer model with that feature for the home too. Makes all the difference in the world over any other manufacturer or model that is not properly balanced for your speakers within your listening environment.

Ever since I read review down below by “flatline” I have thought there is something not sincere about the review. I can’t understand the motivation of “flatline” but I believe that review is a great disservice to the audioreview readers. I now have been using the VSX-D2011 (Elite VSX-45TX) for more than 6 months. “flatline” says, “The Pioneer warms up the forward sounding Klipshes nicely and they never sound strained.”. Though as an audio enthusiast I don’t agree with his speaker choice, I can say that Pioneers have usually been accused of being forward sounding, not warm. “flatline” says, “Setup with MCACC was very accurate... ...Similar control on the subwoofer output would have been nice though.“ Same control is available on the subwoofer as one of the MCACC points is at 63 Hz. “The learning feature "filled up" with commands after only the second device...”, says “flatline”. Well, my remote commands 5 components plus an air conditioner, how come? I can not understand how come the 45TX never clips at the shop at full volume, yet clips at 96 db SPL at 80 Hz., at 99 db SPL at 100 Hz., and 104 db SPL at 150 Hz.. with his highly efficient 96 db/2.83V/1 m. speakers. This almost means that he says his amp clips at 1W at 80Hz, at 2W at 100Hz, and less than 8W at 150 Hz. Complete nonsense! By the way when you take output measurements you specify the input voltage not the position of the volume control! It is clear that it’s the speakers driven to distortion here, not the amp. I don’t care about the THX specification or an amateur’s interpretation of it. This receiver has unbelievably clean sound. I have never heard it to clip. I feel sorry for those who have purchased something else. After purchasing this receiver I was interested to read that the Pioneer VSA-AX10 being hailed as the “Possibly the best surround-sound amp in the world. Staggering performance.” By the British “What Hi-Fi” magazine. The same magazine also tested the VSX-D2011 (Elite 45TX) and the verdict: 5 stars + “The baby version of Pioneer’s flagship VSX-AX10 at a third of the price. It too was tuned at air studios and the result is a big, exciting and involving sound.”. Though I don’t always believe what magazines say, this hardly sounds like a receiver that clips at 1W !

Nice sound, simple setup (mcacc.)

Cant attain THX specs for loudness, horrible remote control.

I bought this unit in concert with 6 Klipsch RB-35 bookshelves and an RC-35 Center (all 125 watt RMS and 96dB @ 2.83 volts/1 meter sensitivity.) By all acounts a fine combo, The Pioneer warms up the forward sounding Klipshes nicely and they never sound strained. Setup with MCACC was very accurate (within 1db on the five bands it could control, that checked with a 1/24 octave RTA.) Similar control on the subwoofer output would have been nice though. The remote is not very good compared to others even lower in the Pioneer line. The learning feature "filled up" with commands after only the second device, wereas the remote for my old vsx-811 would learn the commands of all 5 of my devices. The look and finish is great, phono option and usb in a good thing. Plento of inputs and outputs no problems there (except it would be nice to have rear back surround without losing the speaker B/multiroom option.) Now to the gripes! I really want to like this system, in fact I love the sound of it BUT: THX specifies the ability to play at a decibel level of 105 sustained. I have a pair of modified AudioSource SW15 subs for the lows. When crossed over at the THX spec of 80hz The amp will overload at -8db (96db SPL), at 100hz the overload occurs at -5 (99 SPL), at 150hz at -1 (104 SPL.)These tests were conducted in stereo mode front speakers only with a rather bass heavy music cd but not extreme or excessive. This exact combo (literally the very amp and front speakers) I demoed at the store with a madonna cd and was able to turn the volume all the way up (+12db)with no overload or strain. I was extremely upset to find them clipping (overloading) at home not even reference (0db) level. I checked my wire (stranded oxygen free 14ga) I tried biwire (dual stranded 14ga oxygen free) no difference. I would expect a THX amp to attain the specified loudness (with extremely efficient speakers no less) with little difficulty. This unit will be going back and I'll have to keep searching.

Similar Products Used:

vsx-509, vsx-811

Automatic speaker equalization (MCACC) Very good signal processing Very easy to set up. It's user friendly. Excellent backlit remote. Handles all the new compression formats Sounds and looks like it should cost a lot more than it does.

It's a "heavyweight". But this is really a plus. 2 subwoofer preamp outputs would be nice.

I researched this receiver purchase for 6 months. I traveled to dealers near and far to hear them all. It came down to the Denon 3803 and the Elite 45. Both are excellent. Performance on both music and DVD movies is a toss-up. I had to strain to hear any differences on direct A to B listening comparisons. Here's why the Elite won. It's far easier to integrate into your system and into your home. The Elites auto speaker equalization "MCAAC" works superbly. Remember your room is part of the final sound you hear. The Elite in effect "tunes your room". I predict all the other brands will copy this very worthwhile feature. In fact the new $4000 Yamaha flagship receiver has this. Pioneer hit a homerun with MCACC. One more thing. The Elite has a classy quality look. All the other receivers out there are just dull black boxes. The Elite 45 is the best value at anywhere near its price.

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Onkyo Sony

Great features. Sound quality. Low noise. Build quality. Weight (Yes it's heavy, but that's a good thing when it comes to audio components.)

Hmm, none that I can figure. It doesn't do video up converting, which the Denon 3803 does, but I don't use my reciever for video switching anyways, soo.

This is a great product. It drives my Klipsch Reference 35 series wonderfully. I love the auto configuration, although for my setup the rear surrounds were a little on the high side. Still it saved me a lot of work. I was able to get the Pioneer remote to do everything I need for all my other equipment, although I still use the cable remote when channel surfing. The ability to fine tune the EQ and sub cutoff for each channel is great. I don't use it for video switching or FM tuning (no reception), so I don't know how it handles them. It looks great, and sounds great. Musically it is better than some of the comparable units. For this price range, you really can't go wrong. As all my reviews, my ratings are influenced by price.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3803, Denon 2802.

SOUND QUALITY,CONSTUCTION WEIGHS 42LBS,LOOKS,REMOTE

RUNS A LITTLE WARM, I RECCOMEND A FOUR INCH AC FAN WITH REGULATOR ON TOP PULLING THE AIR UP THROUGH UNIT,NOT BLOWING DOWN IN THE UNIT,BLOWING DOWN WILL MAKE IT HOTTER, REMEMBER HEAT RISES.

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A RECEIVER FOR OVER TWO YEARS NOW,I HAVE TRIED ONKYO,787,797. MARANTZ 7000.DENON 3802,2803. SONY ES,TWO MODELS ONE WAS STR-DA2ES THE OTHER I DO NOT REMEMBER,IT WAS AN EARLIER MODEL.I HAVE TRIED MORE BUT THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT I HAVE TRIED.NEEDLESS TO SAY THEY WERE ALL RETURNED AS I WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH ANY OF THEM,I DID HOWEVER KEEP THE SONY ES STR-DA2ES WHILE I KEPT LOOKING FOR THE RECEIVER THAT WOULD FINALLY END MY SEARCH.WELL MY SEARCH IS OVER,THE PIONEER ELITE VSX-45TX IS AN OUTSTANDING RECEIVER,THE SOUND QUALITY IS IN LINE WITH MY REFERENCE SYSTEM WHICH IS A HAFLER DH-500 AMP AND LUXMAN TP-114 PRE-AMP.IT DOES NOT SOUND AS GOOD BUT IT HAS THE SAME SONIC QUALITIES,WHICH I WOULD ATTRIBUTE TO THEM BOTH BEING MOSFET BASED AMPS.EVEN WITH THE BUILT IN FAN IT RUNS A LITTLE WARM BUT I ALWAYS USE AN EXTERNAL FAN ON ALL RECEIVERS ANYWAYS.SETUP IS EASY,THE REMOTE IS VERY GOOD,THE ONLY THING I WOULD HAVE LIKED THEM TO PUT ON THIS RECEIVER IS SEPERATE B-SPEAKER TERMINALS.CONSTUCTION IS FIRST RATE, AND THE LOOKS ARE VERY GOOD.OH I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT ONE OF THE RECEIVERS I TRIED WAS THE PIONEER ELITE VSX-36TX BUT IT TO WENT BACK,THE NEW ELITE RECEIVERS HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY REDESIGNED AND ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SOUNDING.WELL THAT IS MY TAKE ON THIS RECEVER,THE FUNNY THING IS I HAVE THREE PIONEER CAR DECKS,BUT I DID NOT THINK THAT I WOULD END UP WITH PIONEER IN THE HOUSE, JUST GOES TO SHOW.

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PIONEER ELITE OLDER,DENON,SONY ES, MARANTZ,ONKYO,