Sound quality, MCACC (auto calibration), power (130WPC), build quality, convenience features (video conversion), THX Ultra2, Dolby Prologic II, DTS Neo 6.

The remote looks nice but really is very poor for the quality of the unit (expect to get a good universal remote like a Pronto, MX-500 or RC2000MKII).

This is the best receiver I have ever owned. It has incredibly open sound, every format currently available, gobs of power and tremendous build quality. The MCACC automatic calibration saves at least 1 hour in set-up time, sounds great and is almost worth the price of admission in itself. and makes the video conversion feature is a convenience that keeps me from having to run more than one connection to my television. It even has a RF input for Dolby Digital laserdiscs and a phono input for LPs. In all a wonderful product and is as close to separates as you can get.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V2092, Yamaha RX-V890, Onkyo TX-DS575.

Incredible sound quality. Very easy to setup. Power on tap!

Heavy (like another poster said, make sure you got a stong shelf for this bad boy)

I actually have the VSX-47TX but there is no category for it... yet :-) I totally concur with the previous posters - this is one awesome receiver!! I previously had the 29TX and was, overall, pretty happy with it. But, the 47TX is leaps and bounds above the 29TX. The sound is warm and incredibly natural - not even a hint of harshness. The automatic sound calibration absolutely blew me away - talk about easy to setup! The power that this unit has on tap seems limitless - more than I will ever need. It also doesn''t seem to run nearly as hot as my old 29TX did. Bravo Pioneer for delivering an outstanding receiver! Equipment list... - Pioneer VSX-47TX Elite receiver - Pioneer DV-05 Elite DVD player - Pioneer DVL-700 DVD/LD player - Hitachi F494 VCR (yes, its old) - Hitachi SBX-50 Ultravision (50") rear projection TV - Nuance Spatial Grand 3D (4x) - Nuance N200 sub (1x) - Nuance Spacial Centre (1x) - Rockford Fosgate Whitewolf Competition speaker wire (AR ends) - Acoustic Research Pro speaker wire (AR ends) - Acoustic Research patch cables

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX-29TX

Lots of power, functions and versatility. Very easy to set up. Very sleek looking. Moderatly priced.

This is one heavy reciever! Almost 70lbs. Make sure you have a sturdy cabinet to support this baby.

This unit is awsome! I''ve been contemplating between this unit and the B&K AVR-307dts. These are only two reciever that can drive my Martin Logan Ascents and my 7.1 system. I have a room that is 25ft x 50ft and the VSX-49TX definitely has the power to fill the room. This is the easiest receiver I have ever set up, very user friendly, but the remote is a little bulkly (but impressive looking). Pioneer has set the bar for A/V receivers with this unit!

Similar Products Used:

B&K AVR-307

Its big and look nice!

doesnt sound better than the onkyo! and cant handle 4 ohm speaker

I own a Onkyo tx-ds989 and im very happy with it, but i got curiuos when i saw the AX10, could it really sound better than my Onkyo, and the answer is NO!!! My speakers are Jamo D870, D8Center, D8suround, and RELQ200 sub. The problem started after i used it for about an hour, the amplifier just died! it turned out that it was a burned fuse inside it! i bought another one and the same thing happend again! i contacted my local dealer and i turned out that the AX10 couldnt handle an impedance of 4 ohms (and the amplifier costs 3500 pounds...)!!! My advice is to wait for the THX2 and DTS24/96 uppgrade to the TX-DS989, it will be out by the end of the summer!!!

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX-DS989, Marantz SR-14

Good Remote, Awesome features and sound. Still has the BEST VALUE for anything under $5000.

Remote could have some better implementations. Could improve on auto selection of sound inputs and documentation.

I have been an avid A/V person, since changing majors to Film and Video at the University of Michigan. That being said- I love Music and Movies, and have been studying them for years. The 49TX caught my eye, as it was the first to offer Ultra2 THX certification. Not wishing to be a first adopter, however, I was very dissapointed that even still today, Lexicon and others still have not updated their products to Ultra2. That spec alone makes this product worthy. 7.1 sound that is simply STUNNING. Never been a lover of ''dsp modes'' but this has a simply STELLAR 7ch Stereo mode that works great on my old Laserdiscs, and even XBOX! I have had numerous other high end Pre-Amps-- most notably the Z1 by Kenwood. With the built in HD upconvert AND switching, along with great decoding and sound -- this is nearly a dream product. Most importantly-- Never thought I could get as great sound from existing system, as what this simple PRE-AMP [have my own amps] does for the rest of my HD system. And I am one Jaded Film/Video Home Theater Buff!

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood Z1, Denon 85XX''s, Elite 29

MCACC Calibration System, Build quality, Looks

List price too high

I''ve owned the Denon AVR-5800, Onkyo TX-DS989, Sony TA-E9000ES, Pioneer VSX-39TX, Sony STR-DA777ES and other lower Sony DE & DB series models and by far the Pioneer Elite VSX-49TX is the best sounding, feature packed, best looking A/V receiver on the market.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-5800 Onkyo TX-DS989 Sony TA-E9000ES Pioneer VSX-39TX Sony STR-DA777ES and other lower Sony DE & DB series models

All the new formats, ULTRA2 is the best THX hands down,great true calibration system.

Remote control is bulky and heavy. Only one analog multi-channel input.

By far the best receiver I have owned. The calibration system really makes a difference. I never liked Pioneer for sound and would never expect this receiver to sound this good. I bought it much more because of the features and gadgets but it''s hard to get a better sound unless you go for the US$10,000.00 separates.The sound is rich and envolving. You can connect all the gear and still have room for more. It looks good, it sounds good, it IS good!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha (several), Carver (separates).

Power, Sound, Looks, Build quality, Auto Calibration, every sound format this side of japan.

Bulky remote,

This is the most amazing piece of equipment I have purchased to date. Forget all of the negative things you have heard about Pioneer, they have kicked things up to notches unknown. This unit has an auto sound calibration feature is unbelievable. The power it provides is unreal. The sound rivals separates that cost much more. It has the ability to change all of your video signals to the highest line you have running to your monitor (composite in component out, s-video in component out). It has high bandwidth component switching with no signal degradation. I have never been happier with a purchase, especially since it also comes with a remote that has allowed me to put all the other ones I own in a storage chest next to my TV. If you are on the fence I will come push you over it. This is a no brainer ( as long as you got the cash). My System:Pioneer VSX-49tx Sony 57" XBR RPTV Sony DVP-S9000es Sony TIVO 2000 Dish 6000 HDTV Receiver Sony CDP-M333es Sony Playstation 2 Monster 3500 Power Center Polk RT800i Fronts Polk CS400i Center Polk FX500i (four for 7.1) Polk PSW 650 Sub

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Denon Flagships

Clean sound,latest formats,smooth volume ramp up,tons of power,RF demodulator,IR in and out for both zones,mates well with B&W.Not to mention great looks.

Weight,very heavy,can''t use it on Bello racks,no discrete codes for zone 2.Price.

I have waited a long time to talk about this receiver.I don''t own it yeat,but when my testing is finished,it''s lookin good for now. Our store just got it in about 3 weeks ago.I Installed it in one of our Demo room''s with B&W CDM NT series 7.2(2 2500 sub''s).It sound awesome.I ran the auto setup about 4 times and let it rip.After it was setup, I tested it with music first in 2 channel stereo/direct.The power of this receiver is strong and clear.Lots of air around every sound.It almost sounds like seperates,but not quite.Dynamic power is unreal for a receiver,lots of head room.Makes listening to music relaxing and soft.I turned to movies and had a great experience.Strong output to the sub''s as we have 2 connected.fast rears and even sound all the way around.The center channel was clear and sharp but soft and laid back as if no effort was ned to drive the speaker system.We switched to Dyanaudio speaker''s and didn''t get the same result.Sound became flat and lifeless.2 channel stereo wasn''t as good as the B&W''s.The Dynaudio speaker''s are theater series(contour line).4 ohm load on all channel''s.I thing the 4 ohm load sucked some of the air out of this big receiver.The setup was changed alot.I personally didn''t care for the Dynaudio''s like the B&W''s.They are a 8ohm load all the way around.Maybe the audience line would be a better match for this receiver.I''m curently comparing it to the B&k avr307 for sound quality,as thats the onlt place the B&k can hang with it.The B&K has awesome sound quality as we have the CDM NT B&W''s on it right now.simply awesome.What I want to do is try both speaker lines for music and movies on both receiver in the same room at the same time and see what one is truely better.As of right now,it''s in the air.Both receiver''s are so impressive that it''s hard to tell.But back to the Pioneer....so far it''s the most impressive Elite receiver I have ever seen or owned.Its a great receiver period.Weather its the right one for me or not,time will tell,I will post my future tests. have fun with it,just be carefull where you put it,it weigh''s a ton.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha,other Pioneer Elite,Denon,B&K.

Great Ergonomics/Ease of Use ALL formats supported Fantastic Calibration Mapping of digital inputs/video inputs Lossless HD switching on components Absolute BEST benefit to price ratio imaginable

Remote will not replace a Pronto or a good hardbutton remote

I have owned the Onkyo 989, Debon 5800 and now the 49TX flagship. I own only a 49TX now. I have ranked each area for a subjective "winner" in a variety of categories. As I have not owned 3 concurrently (e.g., had Onkyo with the fan fix but not the software upgrade), you''ll have to forgive a faulty memory. Reposted this with edits so folks would know that there have been comparisons and would appreciate other thoughts & questions to this thread. Ergonomics: 1) User Labels: 49TX, Onkyo 989, Denon 5800 49TX allows flexibility of both assignments and user labels. The only difficulty is the remote labels the defaults on the remote itself (and you would need little stickees to change cover them up) and the unit shows default names with the little LED on the faceplate. However if you read the faceplate you really call things what you want Having "Dish" and "DirecTV" is easier to deal with than "Sat" and "TV" since neither is descriptive enough for related sources. 2) OSD: 49TX, Onkyo 989, Denon 5800. 49TX allows OSD viewing on Component output through included scaling, no need to switch inputs. (You will find how low res NTSC is by looking at the OSD in an upconverted mode). Onkyo very close 2nd behind Pioneer based on intuitiveness of menus, etc. The Denon provides a second Svideo out w/o the OSD to have a "clean" path w/o interference from the character generator. 3) Setup: 49TX, Onkyo 989, Denon 5800 While 989 is very intuitive, the automated calibration yields an easy to do good setup. This feature should not be underestimated. Unfortunately, some things in the 49TX manual are too terse or infer the wrong things (like the bass PLUS setting). The Aktis remote and mode switching for setup & non-intuitive menu choosing vs. field jumping is a hassle. 4) Remote: Onkyo 989, 49TX, Denon 5800 Onkyo is utilitarian. Onkyo is doing the absolute right thing in OEM sourcing the Pronto for future flagships. Denon should have given up the Aktis and done the same thing from the get go. Can you tell I hate the Aktis? Really hate the Aktis even after 3 software updates? While the 49TX has shortcoming, it''s still very functional as a "second remote." Do NOT buy the 49TX over the 47TX based on the remote alone, it is not worth the price delta. You''ll want an Pronto or MX500 at a minimum to deal with a complex setup. 5) More display: 49TX The ve

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo 989 Denon 5800