I have to do up another system for a friend of mine and again as I did with my last one, I'm going to use the Pioneer VSX-1015K. But this time I'm going to keep it for a week and post a little review on it. I went and picked it up today and will be keeping it in my main system until sometime next week. The main reason for this review is to address some of the absolutely bone headed comments that are flying around some of the other audio forums regarding this receiver. Some are saying it's not musical, underpowered and some are basically saying it's junk.

YEAH RIGHT!

It's easy to spot the people who have actually tried something versus posting what they think they know......and from what I have seen at some of the other forums, a lot of people are blowing smoke.

Anyway, so I went and picked up my second VSX-1015K in the last two weeks. The buddy I got the first one for is rather happy with it and has no complaints.



I have already hooked up the second one to my main system in a 5.1 configuration. (I gave up on 7.1 a long time ago!) I have been listening to music for roughly two hours and this thing like the 1014 that I reviewed many months ago, SMOKES with two channel and multi channel audio. Anyone who say's otherwise has never tried it or is expecting way to much from a receiver at this price point. It has ample power for most folks but when the going gets stupid, another amp for the front channels might not hurt. The VSX-1015 also does very well with movies. I haven't spent a great deal of time with movies but I did spend about an hour playing around with Bad Boys II Superbit version..................and the VSX-1015 does just fine and dandy thank you very much!

I will post more on it after some time has passed but here are my initial pros and cons:

PROS:

- Great sounding receiver
- Lot's of power for the average person
- Auto set-up is rather unique and comes close but SPL set-up works better
- Ability in main menu to bi-amp your fronts with the remaining surround amps if your not running a 7.1 system. Very nice for those that like this stuff.
- Idiot proof set-up menu
- Menu system is laid out and is a snap to get through
- Video up conversion is excellent. When switching between inputs there is zero delay and it's a fast clean switch.
- For those who like EQ's, this thing has a very good one


CONS:

- Variable crossover setting is missing 60 (Huge over sight on Pioneers part) 40, 80 and a host of others are in it but no 60?
- Speaker settings and crossover settings are global. It's one for all.
- Remote is cute but I don't like it. It's also missing several input setting buttons. You have to scroll to hit certain inputs. This is really dumb!
- If this sucker has on screen display, I can't get it to work
- Not enough digital inputs. 2 optical on the back along with 2 coax on the back is not enough. There is one more optical on front but more in the back would have been better.

I can't think of anything else at the moment but like I said, as more time goes by, I will post some more on it.

..........and one more thing, my glowing review of the 1015 should not be looked at as an endorsement of the THX certification standard! lol

I still think THX is a joke! If your willing to pay, you get the "Stamp" of approval. But this is for another thread.

I tried the 1014 when it was all the rave. I was apparently in the minority which didn't care for it. To me, it looked cheap, felt cheap and sounded cheap. I have since moved up the totem to Denon. The experience has turned me off to Pioneer probably forever.

That just goes to show everyone has there own tastes. I had the Denon 3805 and thought it was ok, but nothing special.

At the price point, the Pioneer holds it's own. Would I come out and say Denon is a step up from Pioneer regardless of model? Nope.

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when the going gets stupid, another amp for the front channels might not hurt

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Classic!!

Thanks for sharing your experience! The lack of independent crossover points is the thing that really bugs me about my Denon 1804, so I don't think this unit solves my problem. That thing looks like a beast, though.

Neverhappy liking a Pioneer? I guess I have now seen it all.

Thanks for the review.

I'm still not giving up my NAD stuff!

Speaking of which, how is that going? I know that you had posted saying that you liked it, but you certainly do change your opinions after a bit of time :-) Now that you have had the 773 for a while, are you still gung-ho for it?

I don't necessarily change my opinions, I just change my stuff a lot. It has nothing do to with anything being bad or good, I just like to change stuff out. I tend to do it faster with stuff that I have a fair bit of money in that I don't think is ultimately worth what I paid. It may still be a good receiver or whatever but if I don't think it's worth the money, it's out the door and I try something else.

People call it "Upgradis", with me it's more like I really do enjoy trying stuff out even if I'm moving up or moving down. I find it amazing what you can get for $500.00 or $600.00 these day's.

As for the NAD, no complaints. It's an excellent piece of equipment.

I just noticed that you are from Halifax. I was just there. Very nice part of the world and dam, are people friendly out there! I had the chance to get out to PEI and New Brunswick also. All very nice!

So, does that mean that you will be keeping it? Or, if you see something that strikes your fancy, you will change? Not to pester, but I am curious. I understand upgradeitis very well, but I was wondering if people are looking for the magic notes, or just to always have something new?

Shane D

As much as I would like to say I will be keeping it, I won't be. It's just me. NAD separates are next. I need to work out my speaker situation first. My "Bigfoot" centre from AV123 gets delivered today so I have to see how that goes.

Too bad I hadn't known. It would have bee great to get together for a beer and pick your brain about all the toys :-)
It really is a nice area. I have travelled a fair bit around Canada and the US, but I really like the lifestyle and weather here better (except for the snow!).

Shane D

So, do you return these items within 30 days, or do you have VERY lucky friends who get a big discount on almost new equipment?

Shane D

A little of both. I have built my fair share of systems for other people with my cast offs. Audigon is also a decent place to move stuff if it's mint. I also have no problem with eating shipping to send something back to a manufacture.

As for Halifax, I can't say I blame you. If the employment situation was better, I would look at moving out there. I really enjoyed my time there.

Hmmm, on screen display works fine for me with my 1015. I wonder what could be wrong???

Maybe it's just me. Does it have on-screen when you put the volume up and down? I can get to the set-up menu but other then that, nothing. I have yet to pick-up the manual so maybe that is all it has.

Nope, no onscreen for volume up and down here. I think it's working correctly. BTW, where did you buy it?

Same place as you got yours. I worked out a deal on the floor demo. It was on the shelf sitting there not even plugged in. $590.00 everything in.

NH,

Please let me clarify. I also feel that my Denon is adequate, nothing special, but decent. I'm of the opinion that the Pioneer was sub-par, so for me the Denon, even though it was a refurb, was an upgrade.

No worries at all!

I think people are reading a little to much into my review. As I mentioned before the only reason I did it was to see if it was in fact a piece of junk that some have reported. I found it hard to believe that Pioneer would take a step back from the 1014 which was one of the most highly regarded receivers of 2004.

They didn't......... At this price point, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this receiver. I have compared it in many ways to my NAD T-773 and although it's an unfair comparison, the Pioneer has nothing to be ashamed of. It doesn't have the power of the NAD or some of the features that make NAD what it is, but none the less and again I will say it, at the price, this is a decent little receiver.

I paid $600.00 Canadian tax paid for this one. The NAD is well over $2000.00 at most places before tax. This is how I judge the value on something. Is the NAD worth almost 4 times what the Pioneer is worth? That is what makes the Pioneer a decent unit. If I'm being honest with my self, the answer on the NAD is no.

Hi NeverHappy,

Just a few comments. Your review is quite interesting and agrees mostly with the impressions of a reviewer friend of mine (he reviews for CNet) who called me to say that the 1015's auto level/distance/speaker size setup was remarkably accurate, as accurate (he said) as he could do manually with an SPL meter. He also noted that the auto-EQ "didn't make his system sound worse, but also didn't improve it".

David Ranada, the tech editor of Sound&Vision, with whom I used to work, just reviewed a Pioneer budget model, the VSX-815 ($365) which has the same auto-setup mode. He, too, noted that its auto setup mode was idiot-proof and quite accurate. However, he suggested turning off the auto-EQ because it made his system too bright. The 815 also had quite good clean power output with five channels driven into 8 ohms (70 watts per ch.), albeit at 1 kHz.

My Cnet reviewer friend also noted that his 1015 drove his 4-ohm Dynaudio system with no problems, although I wonder about this. In the past, I've not recommended Pioneers for 4-ohm loads like the M80s because they'd go into current limiting, which is why I've always recommended Denon and H/K and NAD, whose receivers will drive 4 ohms with no restriction of power output.

Anyway, it's welcome news that Pioneer has an auto setup that's really effective and easy to use, which would be a huge benefit to newcomers who are confused or mystified by the setup process.

Regards,

Alan,

Thanks for bringing up a very good point. Ease of use is extremely important for a beginner in HT. I remember when I first got my HTIB, all I wanted to do was plug everything in and start watching movies. If I had to learn about crossovers, speaker distance, level matching, etc, I would have been frustrated. Most who consider themselves "audiophiles" would scoff at an auto-eq feature, but I think it is like gold to the "newbie."

After all, most people aren't crazy like us about all things audio.

Hi ya Alan,

Would Pioneers choice of going with Mosfet circuitry in the 1015 have something to do with it being able to hande a 4ohm load?

Here is a quote from Pioneer on the 1015:

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The Amplification of Quality

Pioneer has once again pushed the envelope with the development of Advanced Direct Energy MOSFET circuitry. This new advancement offers high-power drivability, ultra-efficient amplification, stable imaging, and low energy loss. The VSX1015TXK is designed with heat compensation in the power chip and an AC/DC isolated amp module to minimize power imbalances that can distort the sound stage. Power amplification units are placed symmetrically to precisely optimize each MOSFET condition and to maximize electric power. As a result, each channel achieves powerful output, exceptional sound quality, and clarity in every audible detail, even at low impedance.

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Hi NeverHappy,

Hey, that's very likely the answer, because Mosfets handle current at lower impedances much better.

Regards,

Wow, $590 CDN excellent deal. Way to work over those youngsters.

I purchased this receiver about 2 months ago. I haven't had anything else in the past. I am new to this audiofile stuff.

I have a question for you. What do you mean by "bi amping the fronts" if you run a 5.1? I run a 5.1. I listen to a lot of music, so I am wondering if I should do it?

What kind of speakers were you using in the demo?

Also, where is the eq???

In the set-up menu there is an option to use the additional surround channel amps as another pair of front amps. If you look over the manual, they actually have it covered in decent detail.

EQ options can also be found in the set-up menu and again Pioneer does a decent job of explaining it in the manual. I could cover it all here but it will be easier to follow if you do it step by step per the instructions in the manual.

As for speakers, I used Monitor Audio Silver series and will also be running a set of Onix 550MKII's sometime next week.

You should of course have speakers that have 2 sets of connecters on them if you want to bi-amp as well.

I have the Elite 54tx, also with Mosfet circuitry, and it never even seems to get warm at extremely loud volume.This sucker weighs almost 40 lbs. I think they are pretty good receivers and had no issues driving 4 ohms, although I switched to Axioms and the 60's setup, and they sound tremendous.