VSX-21TXH Is it worth it?

flyfisher

I currently have a vsx 1019ah-k i bought a few weeks ago at best buy.The thing is that i was looking at the vsk 21txh elite this morning at a local best buy store.

I can return my current one and pay the difference which is about $190.
Would it be worth it because of the preamp outputs,thx select2 plus,and some other things?

I'm about to buy a pair of RTi8's from a member on here and want to know if the elite rated at 110watts compared to my 1019 which has 120watts will be OK for now.Plus if down the road if i want more power i can always get an amp.

I have pioneer products in the past and always liked them,never had any issues etc.Just for the price difference if it would be a smart decision.

Thanks,
Anthony

ken brydson

flyfisher wrote: »

I currently have a vsx 1019ah-k i bought a few weeks ago at best buy.The thing is that i was looking at the vsk 21txh elite this morning at a local best buy store.

I can return my current one and pay the difference which is about $190.
Would it be worth it because of the preamp outputs,thx select2 plus,and some other things?

I'm about to buy a pair of RTi8's from a member on here and want to know if the elite rated at 110watts compared to my 1019 which has 120watts will be OK for now.Plus if down the road if i want more power i can always get an amp.

I have pioneer products in the past and always liked them,never had any issues etc.Just for the price difference if it would be a smart decision.

Thanks,
Anthony

I'd say definately yes. Don't let the lesser watts fool you. The Elite is probably closer to real word, not to mention it's 10# heavier than the 1019.

flyfisher

ken brydson wrote: »

I'd say definately yes. Don't let the lesser watts fool you. The Elite is probably closer to real word, not to mention it's 10# heavier than the 1019.

Yeah,i have been reading its 10lbs heavier than the one i have.That's OK with me.So even if its 10 watts less than my 1019,will the sound quality be much more better,clearer,much more true if that's what you mean?

I'm gonna pack up the 1019 and head out in a few hrs for an exchange.They had one more in stock,hopefully they will still have it when i get there:)

Anthony

ken brydson

flyfisher wrote: »

Yeah,i have been reading its 10lbs heavier than the one i have.That's OK with me.So even if its 10 watts less than my 1019,will the sound quality be much more better,clearer,much more true if that's what you mean?

I'm gonna pack up the 1019 and head out in a few hrs for an exchange.They had one more in stock,hopefully they will still have it when i get there:)

Anthony

The 10# is good. Probably bigger amps, beefier power supply, etc. I have the VSX01, last years version of the 21. Very nice AVR on a budget.

Sherardp

Flyfisher,

Is the SC-05 or the SC-07 out of reach? I'm not sure if the 21 offers the IceAmps or not but if they do then surely you will notice a difference in sound. If they don't I would say try to save just a tad more coin and try out an SC-05.

flyfisher

Sherardp wrote: »

Flyfisher,

Is the SC-05 or the SC-07 out of reach? I'm not sure if the 21 offers the IceAmps or not but if they do then surely you will notice a difference in sound. If they don't I would say try to save just a tad more coin and try out an SC-05.

Yeah that's a bit out of my range.But i should be happy with the soon to be 21.
I'm already upgrading speakers..lol.This will be be it after a while:p

Anthony

mantis

flyfisher wrote: »

Yeah that's a bit out of my range.But i should be happy with the soon to be 21.
I'm already upgrading speakers..lol.This will be be it after a while:p

Anthony

The VSX21TXH is my work horse. It's my go to receiver for everything in a system that is entry level. It's sound quality vs price vs feature ratio is the best in the business. I have yet to find such high quality sound , features , dynamic range in a under 1000.00 receiver that can outperform it in any way. I love the 21. The 23 is just a tad more and has a few more features , check it out before you buy the 21. It just might be worth spending the few more dollars.

Super Short story , I had a customer who was replacing a first Gen Fujitsu Plasma with a Pioneer Elite Plasma. They had a Denon 4802 which does not have HDMI. Customer didn't want to spend the money on a SC model so we installed a 21 in place of the Denon. The customer was walking through the room when I was just breaking it in for awhile before I ran MCACC. She stopped in her tracks and said " our system never sounded that good". I told her the system was not calibrated yet and she can sit down for a demo when I was done , then it sank in exactly what she said and I laughed. She sat down and listened some more then asked " are they the same in wall speakers I had?" I laughed again and told her "yes they are". She could not stop commenting on how good her system sounded now. I told her to wait until I was finished calibrating and then she will really here what the system is going to sound like.
This has happened many times now when we upgrade from Denon to Pioneer Elite receivers up and down the lines. It's so noticeable.

bopicasso

I just bought this receiver about a month ago and cant be more happy with it. It is the best sound I've had in my system since I began this roller coaster ride. Its the quality of sound it produces. I owned a Rotel rsp1068 and a Onkyo 805 before this. The rotel was close but lacked modern features that are a must have if you will use it for home theater.
The onkyo was a tank of a receiver but I didnt like the sound it produces. The elite 21 is more realistic. Love it, this is the first time since I started this journey that I feel content with a piece of equipment. If I could just afford the speakers I want!!! lol

flyfisher

Awesome.I exchanged the receiver last night and got the 21.
Just woke up and pulled it out the box..this thing is beautiful and i can feel the 10lb difference.

I feel like a kid on Christmas morning..lol Off to set it up and will see ya guys later.Thanks for the input.

Anthony

moodyman

I just found out today that the Pioneer VSX-9040TXH is an exact clone of the VSX-21 except for some cosmetic differences and a 1 year warranty instead of the VSX-21's 2 year warranty.

learn something new everyday....

flyfisher

xcapri79 wrote: »

What is the price difference betwen the two?

The local best buy where i live has the the 9040 on sale for $664 and the elite 21 for $699

Sherardp

Congrats Flyfisher on the new gear. How are you enjoying it? Any pics coming down range?

bopicasso

They can both be had for under 500 on videogon and ebay.

cnh

Those are both nice AVRs in their price range....

Enjoy!

(sorry Bop.. I can't agree about the 805--that produces spectacular surround sound almost equal to the ICE amps IMO--the power is prodigious and pretty 'clean' for an AVR).

cnh

flyfisher

Sherardp wrote: »

Congrats Flyfisher on the new gear. How are you enjoying it? Any pics coming down range?

I absolutely love it.Maybe its just me but i do notice sound differences compared to the 1019,I cant think of the word..lol.Natural,better,quality,clean....its just different and I am happy with the upgrade,no doubt about it.

Anthony

cnh

Congrats...

The VSX21 may not be an ICE amp powered Elite but it has much better amplification and DACs than the other Pioneer you had. You are not hallucinating..the difference is 'real'!

cnh

flyfisher

cnh wrote: »

Congrats...

The VSX21 may not be an ICE amp powered Elite but it has much better amplification and DACs than the other Pioneer you had. You are not hallucinating..the difference is 'real'!

cnh

I was watching Armageddon last night.It was incredible and i haven't calibrated it yet with MCACC

bopicasso

Its 100% better calibrated

fouraces

mantis wrote: »

The VSX21TXH is my work horse. It's my go to receiver for everything in a system that is entry level. It's sound quality vs price vs feature ratio is the best in the business. I have yet to find such high quality sound , features , dynamic range in a under 1000.00 receiver that can outperform it in any way. I love the 21. The 23 is just a tad more and has a few more features , check it out before you buy the 21. It just might be worth spending the few more dollars.

Super Short story , I had a customer who was replacing a first Gen Fujitsu Plasma with a Pioneer Elite Plasma. They had a Denon 4802 which does not have HDMI. Customer didn't want to spend the money on a SC model so we installed a 21 in place of the Denon. The customer was walking through the room when I was just breaking it in for awhile before I ran MCACC. She stopped in her tracks and said " our system never sounded that good". I told her the system was not calibrated yet and she can sit down for a demo when I was done , then it sank in exactly what she said and I laughed. She sat down and listened some more then asked " are they the same in wall speakers I had?" I laughed again and told her "yes they are". She could not stop commenting on how good her system sounded now. I told her to wait until I was finished calibrating and then she will really here what the system is going to sound like.
This has happened many times now when we upgrade from Denon to Pioneer Elite receivers up and down the lines. It's so noticeable.

Dan, the 4802 is pretty old, I think from maybe 2005, so I'm not surprised that a receiver that came out a year ago kills it. How does the 21 compare to the newer Denons w/ Audessy such as 1910, 2309ci, 2810 etc?

fouraces

I've been looking on the web for 21s (and other receivers) for 6 hours tonight. If what I'm reading is correct, Pioneer may have sold out of the 21 until June. You can still find a few online here and there, but the sparseness of these is noticeable - in that you can actually find the 23 for the same price or cheaper at some places (see amazon, ebay, one or two others.)

mantis

fouraces wrote: »

Dan, the 4802 is pretty old, I think from maybe 2005, so I'm not surprised that a receiver that came out a year ago kills it. How does the 21 compare to the newer Denons w/ Audessy such as 1910, 2309ci, 2810 etc?

The avr4802 should distroy the VSX21txh for dynamic range and clarity but it does not. It's dyanmics compared is embarrassing .
The 1910 2309ci and the 2810 all get embarrassed as well. Denon just doesn't have that "PUNCH" like the Elites do. I don't like Denon anything anymore.

Go and listen side by side on any speakers and find this out for yourself you will.

TG Meat

I have upgraded most everything in my system, but I still love my Pioneer as a surround processor. My only advice would be make sure you buy a unit with pre-outs, just in case you opt for amps later.

wutadumsn23

TG Meat wrote: »

I have upgraded most everything in my system, but I still love my Pioneer as a surround processor. My only advice would be make sure you buy a unit with pre-outs, just in case you opt for amps later.

I couldn't agree more.

-Jeff

cnh

mantis wrote: »

The avr4802 should distroy the VSX21txh for dynamic range and clarity but it does not. It's dyanmics compared is embarrassing .
The 1910 2309ci and the 2810 all get embarrassed as well. Denon just doesn't have that "PUNCH" like the Elites do. I don't like Denon anything anymore.

Go and listen side by side on any speakers and find this out for yourself you will.

That's a pretty strong statement Dan. While I agree about the newer model Denons..some of the older models did have more punch than more recent Denons. And the 4802 was a heavyweight that dwarfs the VSX-21. Of course calibration has 'improved' on new Pioneers...but for RAW power can we compare the two? That's just hard to believe. I would suggest that you probably don't like the Denon "house" sound anymore but prefer the Elite sound? That's fair enough.

I have an older 280X series and it can take any of the models (1910,2309,2810) no problem...it's also heavier and better built than any of those models?

cnh

fouraces

mantis wrote: »

The avr4802 should distroy the VSX21txh for dynamic range and clarity but it does not. It's dyanmics compared is embarrassing .
The 1910 2309ci and the 2810 all get embarrassed as well. Denon just doesn't have that "PUNCH" like the Elites do. I don't like Denon anything anymore.

Go and listen side by side on any speakers and find this out for yourself you will.

Now that's confidence. I am going to go listen to them today if I can find a store in SF that has both.

bopicasso

I prefer this amp over the onkyo 805 which has alot larger amp section.

cnh

bopicasso wrote: »

I prefer this amp over the onkyo 805 which has alot larger amp section.

As we all know this hobby is 'subjective'. Though I like the Pioneer ICE amps quite a bit. Unlike Dan, I don't think they are the end all and be all of all AVRs. The sound is a very neutral sound, clean and detailed. Some of us prefer more warmth. The kind of sound you might hear from an HK or a Marantz?

Also, Onkyo sound is not for everyone, nor is Pioneer, nor Denon. It's not just an issue of raw power. Although within a series (any mentioned above) you will find that the AVR with the more powerful amp section 'often' sounds better than the mid-range models.

In effect we don't really have a disagreement here. Just a difference in 'tastes'. There are some here that love the higher level Yamahas--and I can't really tell you that they're not good because they are better than the lower models, absolutely.

The important thing is to go out and buy what you 'like'! What sounds good to you! And nothing more can be said, really.

cnh

bopicasso

It is definately a matter of preference. I have been through 3 different receivers, a preamp, and 2 amps looking for the sound and features I want. I feel like Im getting really close. My next piece of gear will probably be a tube preamp with ht bypass.
Thats what is great about this hobby, trying new equipment to find out what you like.
But if your like me, Im not sure if there will ever be a time where Im not going to try something else.. I just love finding deals and trying something new!

cnh

bopicasso wrote: »

It is definately a matter of preference. I have been through 3 different receivers, a preamp, and 2 amps looking for the sound and features I want. I feel like Im getting really close. My next piece of gear will probably be a tube preamp with ht bypass.
Thats what is great about this hobby, trying new equipment to find out what you like.
But if your like me, Im not sure if there will ever be a time where Im not going to try something else.. I just love finding deals and trying something new!

I couldn't agree more..who is ever satisfied? But, I do think you've got one nice system going there....a very very nice one. The Pioneer makes a great Pre for that B&K--for now, of course!

cnh

bopicasso

Thanks!

flyfisher

TG Meat wrote: »

I have upgraded most everything in my system, but I still love my Pioneer as a surround processor. My only advice would be make sure you buy a unit with pre-outs, just in case you opt for amps later.

That's one of the reasons why i exchanged the 1019 and paid a lil extra for the 21.