In reply to:
Are they really a must have
I enjoyed my home theater before I experience MCACC/YPAO (I've had both in my home) but I now enjoy it more with the EQ feature.
For me, future receiver upgrades must have this feature. I believe that Pioneer and Yamaha have set a precedent with the auto EQ feature and other manufacturers will have to follow if they want to keep up. I can't help but believe that the EQ function will soon be standard on most "mass market" receivers and that it will only get more sophisticated with each gereration.
In reply to:
also ... which is better... pioneer or yamaha?
"which is better" could mean a lot of things but here a few of my
opinions. If you want a definitive answer to this question, you may have to wait for third party reviews from the "audio press" such as Home Theater, Stereophile guide to HT, Audioholics, or sushi
.
As far as:
Sound quality - I liked them both and couldn't say that one sounded better than the other. You must listen for yourself to be sure.
Build quality - They are both hansome in apperance but the Pioneer Elite has a more elegant look and feel. To my untrained eye, they both seem equal in build quality. I'm sure Masa (sushi) has a better take on this than I do and I know that he will surely correct me if I'm wrong
.
Features - Both have an amazing feature set but with some slight but significant differences ; manual EQ adjustment and front presence channels just to name a few. You'll have to decide for yourself which is better depending on your needs and desires.
It's realitively easy to audition them in your home. Tweeter Electronics offers a 30 home trial period and a full refund if you return within 30 days. They also have a 120 day trade up policy ( I got them to agree (in writing) to 6 months). I firmly believe that an in home trial is the only way to get a good feel for these products.
