I recently got the M22's and will get the QS8 surrounds. I have a very old pioneer, and it runs the speakers fairly well, but I want a little more power.
So would a new receiver be good enough for an update? Or do people generally go with a dedicated amp?
I did see someone post about the pioneer elite series being a good match with the speakers, but class D does worry me.
How big is your listening area?
My medium size (2500 cu ft) HT is populated by M22V4s, QS8V4s, VP160V3 & a pair of magnificent EP800V3s all driven by a Denon AV Receiver (a couple of models down from the top of the line).
It easily drives all of this gear to levels that can become stupid. For most movies I set the MVL at -15 db/-10 db & music concert DVD/BDs at -20 Db. I have never experienced clipping nor audible distortion.
It might be wise to update your old Pioneer with something more modern...
TAM
I appreciate the input. It does seem like Denon is also a very popular AV receiver.
I ended up with the VP150v4, and also have the M22 and plan on the QS8's. I figure the Denon is worth try.
Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer, all decent names which will drive your speaker set quite well.
I've used 2 Pioneer Elites and 1 Denon Receiver. My personal preference is Pioneer for the M22. More bass, fuller sound. I tweaked the Denon as much as I could, but it's tweaking ability was limited. Sadly had to retire it, and go back to Pioneer. Glad I did. Denon did too much bass suppression for my taste. YMMV.
Also, now that I remember, Denon also caused some brightness that was unpleasant to my ears that went away after switching back to the Pioneer. You can blame this on room response if you want, but you won't convince me based on experience. Others noticed the harshness also.
I attribute the difference to MCCAC vs Audyssey and how it works with the M22 speakers.
In order to get the best bass into my system with my M22s, I kept my Denon & acquired a pair of EP800s, ha!
TAM
I attribute the difference to MCCAC vs Audyssey and how it works with the M22 speakers.
I don't remember, but did your tweaking include disabling Audyssey?
how old was the pioneer? have hi def formats/HDMI?
Yes. The tweaking included turning it off. But that makes it sound even worse.
Here are the models used:
1st Pioneer VSX-21THX (2009)
Denon AVR-3312CI (2011)
2nd Pioneer SC-67 (2013)