Pioneer 7.1-Channel Network A/V Receiver

I’ll second a choice for Onkyo. Love mine - even though I’m not taking full advantage of 1/10th of its capabilities at the moment.

I actually have a second Onkyo receiver that was given to me from my parents after they decided the Home Theater concept was just too confusing for them… and although that model is a very low-end simple unit with no HDMI, it works fine for adding a bit of volume and surround sound to the family room.

I’m very much an Onkyo convert after years of Sony, Pioneer, and Kenwood offerings. Can’t say as I’ve had any reason to switch back.

HEY! It’s one of those things I have.

This is a great system. LOTS of HDMI which is what I like, and this version will convert just about anything over to HDMI which means you only need to run the one cable to your TV (or in my case projector which was important).

The only thing I haven’t had great luck with was plugging my N64 into it, as it can only convert down to a minimum resolution, and some 64 games are below that. For instance, LOZ:Majora’s Mask works, but Goldeneye doesn’t. The solution to this would be to just run another cable to the projector that’s not HDMI, but it’s not a big enough issue for me to bother.

I’ve been looking for a new receiver but from reading all the feedback they just don’t seem to be making them with any quality components anymore. I have a 10 year old Denon that has been rock solid and still works as good as the day I bought it. Newegg is selling the Yamaha noted by someone else, but even those reviews are mainly negative due to quality problems. In this price range it seems like when you get a lot of bells and whistles, they sacrafice on quality. I will probably buy another Denon but will spend a lot more money on a better receiver. Thanks Woot - but due to all the QC problems on this - I’m passing.

I own this receiver. I almost wish I needed another one. It is an excellent product. All my HDMI devices go through it and the sound is perfect.

So I wish you luck w/the onkyo I just had my Onkyo breakdown completely just after the two year warranty expired. Now I’ll go to a pioneer or sony again. NEVER WILL I BUY ONKYO AGAIN (Horrible customer service from of course Bangladesh)…

Is the zone 2 just 2 additional speaker for another room? Or multi extra zones? I am looking for at least 2 additional zones.

I have the 5.1 version of this receiver.

It sounds great, and has a lot of useful features but one thing really gets to me about this and many other modern receivers:

It lets you plug Apple devices into it via usb. I do not own a single apple device and never will if I can help it. Would it really be asking too much just to put a standard, good ol plain jane 1/8th inch input right on the front so I can plug whatever the heck I want into it? As it stands now I had to buy an RCA adapter and use up an input on the BACK to get an input for my mobile devices.

My car, made 6 years ago, has one of these right on my dashboard. Why not on my home theater too?

As in you want 3 total zones that can do 3 different things? This receiver is dual zone, you can use the 6 and 7th channels (rear surround) to broadcast a 2nd analog audio source (so radio as example). Essentially giving you 5.1 sound and a 2nd 2.0 analog zone.

Do you really need more than one output? I can see needing multiple inputs.

I also got the 5.1 version of this a year or so ago. The only difference that I regretted is that it did not have the “pass-thru” option. This one has it. Otherwise, the 5.1 version has been GREAT. I have been waiting for another for the basement. I am in for one!

That is generally the case with these lower end zone 2 receivers. You have to spend upwards to a grand to get a receiver with digital zone 2. The Onkyo TX-NR929 is an example of this.

Or… buy a Chromecast for $35. Plug it straight into the receiver, works great with Google Play music, Pandora, Netflix, etc.

Does this have a 802.11n (or other) wireless? I did not see any wireless spec, just the plug on the back. I do not run wires around my house, all my devices are wireless (I have a 802.11AC router).

Will I need to run a cable? to get air play?

Mike

I have one that I bought because I wanted to use the pass through feature. The odd thing is; the pass through feature doesn’t work with all components. For instance … the pass through feature works with my Sony Blu-Ray player but not with the Directv box. Many people will say something is not set right or hooked up right or the receiver is not in stand by mode … they’re wrong. The pass through feature may or may not work with your particular components.

I just found the answer, it requires Optional AS-WL300, the “old” one is only $109 on line, well if it take $110 to add wireless, that blows it for me.

I have had my Pioneer for years, but I am going to buy this bad boy to finally upgrade. This is an excellent price point. Plus Woot rocks on shipping!!!

i bought the pioneer vsx-1021 from woot and it lasted less than 2 years of very light use. i’d avoid this

I love Pioneer receivers, both home and auto. Have been buying Pioneer receivers since my first (Pioneer SX 1010)in 1975. Tried Sony and Yamaha but always come back to Pioneer for quality and price. I still have the last 2 I bought, one is in the basement and the other is seeing duty in the spare bedroom. My son has the one I bought before those in his family room.
Just so you know ALL manufacturers ship some products with defects however I’ve never had a bad one from Pioneer.

I have the 1021 from Woot and it works like a champ. Would love to have this one to cut out the middle-man (chromecast) and stream straight from my HTC phone, but alas, the old on is still working too well to upgrade…

I just picked up this Yamaha from Newegg yesterday. After looking at the specs, I’m going to stick with the Yamaha. Pass-through, more analog connections (for older game systems) and better sound quality. Also, the Yamaha has a much better track record with reliability than this pioneer does. If you don’t need more than 4 HDMI ports, I recommend getting the Yamaha.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882115375