PIONEER "ELITE" M-10X Amplifier

team_canada

Has anyone ever used this amp?? I am looking at purchasing one to power my surrounds so I can bi-amp my fronts.

I have the Elite 56TXi receiver and feel this would be a good match. I don't want to spend alot of money and this amp fits into my budget.

I can't find any reviews on line so any personal opinions would be appreciated.

ohskigod

i havent heard it, but if your allready using elite gear, and this is an elite amp, I say go for it. If your biamping the fronts, you might actually get beter results using the "new" amp in the biamping process, not to power surrounds.

Dennis Gardner

Don't rule out different options...................

The 10X is a decent amp. I assume you can assign amp channels with the 56? I would personally look for a used M90 or M91 to really drive your mains properly and forget biamping. One of these Pioneer beasts of an amp will sound better than any receiver amp channels in a bi-amp setup.

i know this doens't fit into your budget you have set out since they run $300-$400, but a purchase of one of these could possibly be your last amp ever needed for your main speakers. I have more than once considered the big Elite amps as a great buy, and I don't run Elite gear besides by DVD player.

Just my .02,

Dennis

team_canada

ohskigod wrote:

i havent heard it, but if your allready using elite gear, and this is an elite amp, I say go for it. If your biamping the fronts, you might actually get beter results using the "new" amp in the biamping process, not to power surrounds.

The sound should remain the same if I try what you have suggested as they are both Elite products, right?

team_canada

Dennis Gardner wrote:

Don't rule out different options...................

The 10X is a decent amp. I assume you can assign amp channels with the 56? I would personally look for a used M90 or M91 to really drive your mains properly and forget biamping. One of these Pioneer beasts of an amp will sound better than any receiver amp channels in a bi-amp setup.

i know this doens't fit into your budget you have set out since they run $300-$400, but a purchase of one of these could possibly be your last amp ever needed for your main speakers. I have more than once considered the big Elite amps as a great buy, and I don't run Elite gear besides by DVD player.

Just my .02,

Dennis

Thats right Dennis, I can assign my rear surrounds to bi-amp my fronts. I have looked at the M90 and M91. I was also looking at the 10X as it is a new model like my receiver.

Does the sound change over time or remain fairly consistant with receivers and matcing amps??(meaning older Elite amps and receivers compared to newer ones)

Dennis Gardner

Ski and I are on the same page, I'm just a little further down the paragraph.

A good separate amplifier will beat using receiver amp channels in almost all uses. Using the separate amp will actually improve the performance of the receivers surround and center channels as it frees up transformer power from the mains to be used.

Dennis Gardner

Amp voicing is pretty consistent throughout a series design. The Elite line does have a pretty neutral sound that should match regardless of the year model.

Good luck,

Dennis

ohskigod

not necesarily, that amp might throw out more current, as seperate amps usually do. its the whole reason people eventually move into seperate components down the road, as I have in the last few years. I know little about pioneer elite gear, but I would have to assume your gonna get better sound out of a seperate amp than a reciever without knowing any other information. I know some companies (like onkyo and Integra) made sperate amps that were just like the amp sections of their higher end recievers. in that case, it would be the same, i'm not sure with the equipment you have though. Just by virtue of the "Elite" badge doesnt nesecarily mean they will sound the same.

ohskigod

ooops, missed posts again, i've been doing that alot lately

team_canada

ohskigod wrote:

not necesarily, that amp might throw out more current, as seperate amps usually do. its the whole reason people eventually move into seperate components down the road, as I have in the last few years. I know little about pioneer elite gear, but I would have to assume your gonna get better sound out of a seperate amp than a reciever without knowing any other information. I know some companies (like onkyo and Integra) made sperate amps that were just like the amp sections of their higher end recievers. in that case, it would be the same, i'm not sure with the equipment you have though. Just by virtue of the "Elite" badge doesnt nesecarily mean they will sound the same.

My 56TXi is 110 WPC while the Elite amp is 100 WPC. The specs on the amp are as follows:
100 Watts Per Channel (Stereo): 4 ohms from 20-20,000 Hz with no more than .3% Total Harmonic Distortion

Advanced Direct Energy MOSFET Amplifier Design

Wide Range Linear Circuit

Transformer tabilizer

Amp Mode for seamless remote interface with EX Receiver

I have Polk RTi70 towers, CS400i center and R15 surrounds and surround rears.

Dennis Gardner

Don't confuse receiver watts with separate amp watts. That single tranformer in the receiver has to divide its power between 6 amp channels, digital processor, preamp, and tuner electronics. The amp transformer is pretty much dedicated to doing the soul job of amplifying the signal.

As a general rule, separate amplifiers give more wpc in the area of reserve power than similarly rated receivers. They may both put out the same rated power with the same level of distortion, but above those levels, the amp may have reserve power to spare when the receiver runs out of steam.

team_canada

Dennis Gardner wrote:

Don't confuse receiver watts with separate amp watts. That single tranformer in the receiver has to divide its power between 6 amp channels, digital processor, preamp, and tuner electronics. The amp transformer is pretty much dedicated to doing the soul job of amplifying the signal.

As a general rule, separate amplifiers give more wpc in the area of reserve power than similarly rated receivers. They may both put out the same rated power with the same level of distortion, but above those levels, the amp may have reserve power to spare when the receiver runs out of steam.

O.K., I understand. Now, the Elite amp is a two channel amp. Would I bi-amp the fronts using the amp to one set of terminals on each speaker and the receiver to the second set of terminals on each speaker.

Am I better off just bi-wiring the fronts off the amp??

Frank Z

I used one for my rear channels and later for my 2 channel rig. I was happy with it, no problems to speak of and the sound was clean and uncolored.

Dennis Gardner

Bi-Wiring is using one amp channel split into a parallel wire to hook onto both sets of posts. This normally has little effect on the sound. Most improvement that people hear are due to using better wire than the biwiring itself.

Bi-Amping is using separate amp channel to each post set of the speaker. Tweeters get their own channel, woofers get ther own.

If you purchase the M-10X as you planned, I would bi-amp using the receivers rear channels that you freed to drive the tweeters and use the main front channel to drive the woofers of your RTi70s. This puts the different amp on the surround channels and any different voicing that may exist in that amp will be less noticeable.