Pioneer:VSX-D811 A/V Receiver - Silver

[stealther]

Iam thinking of buying the following receiver
Pioneer:VSX-D811 A/V Receiver - Silver
£329.00 from hifibitz
Does anyone have any opinions on this receiver?
Is it worth the money?
Are there any better similar spec receivers out there for less than £400?

 

[paiger]

I would demo the Sony 1080 as well, available from around £350.

I just got one and am very impressed for the price.

Steve

 

[Iain Shields]

The Pioneer was a bit cheaper at http://www.unbeatable.co.uk/ the last time I looked, you might want to cheak it out, I think it was about £303 or so...

 

[stealther]

Thanks have ordered it along with some wharfdale diamond 8.4s

 

[Iain Shields]

Nice one mate, if you wouldn't mind coming back and telling us what you think of it when you get it up and running, that would be great as I'm also interested in it...

Thanks,
Iain.

 

[stealther]

Will let you know when its set up Iain.
It has not been dispatched yet. Iam getting Broadband on Thursday so hopefuly it will arrive then as well and make it my best day of the year!

 

[Wasabi]

So below £400 I'd say that these are the best options;

Denon AVR-1803 - price £306 incl delivery (I predict that equals at least 30% discount on rrp £450) @ unbeatable (got all the stuff as 2802 except preouts but given Denon's history, it looks like a super machine)

Yamaha RVX-630 - price £320 (29% discount on rrp £450). Just call a Richers store & quote their web price and pick it up ( (won latest What Hifi super test and another super test in the recent issue of either HCC or Home-Ent)

Kenwood KRV-X9060D - price £369 (18% discount on rrp £450) @ hiwayhifi on October issue on What Hifi mag, the unbeatable price of £332 incl del is gone now : ( (has won lots of tests German mags, see www.kenwood.de , has also THX and CSII and a 5star from what hifi)

Marantz-SR5300 - price not known (rrp £430?) should be as equipped as Denon/Yamaha plus the quality of music, however how's the reliability after all the problems with x200 series.

Pioneer's price is £311 incl del @ unbeatable, which is a meager discount of £39 from rrp. Did you guys read the supertest in October issue of What-Hifi? It did get a 5star based on their pound for pound strategy, but that was partly of the already low rrp. If they would test all the machines with the prices above and include the new Denon and Marantz, I wouldn't think Pioneer would keep the 5star.

What are your opinions? as I might be wrong as magazines opinions differ from the real users of this forum. However, isn't What Hifi ok trustworthy? And can all German magazines be biased in a country where brands/supporters really compete against each other.

 

[stealther]

Originally posted by Iain Shields
Nice one mate, if you wouldn't mind coming back and telling us what you think of it when you get it up and running, that would be great as I'm also interested in it...

Thanks,
Iain.

Well I finally got my Pioneer:VSX-D811 A/V Receiver and Warfdale speakers delivered. A month after ordering I will think twice before using Hifibitz again.
Anyway Iam well chuffed with the results having used a Technics Hifi previously as my AV receiver this has been a big step forward for me into AV gear. Iam not sure what sort of things you want to know so If u have any questions post them or PM me and I will try to answer if not to technical
Anyway as Iam in a typing mood I will give u a full break down of what Ive found.
Iam using the Reciever with a pair of Wharfdale Diamond 8.4 Speakers (fantastic speakers) and a Wharfdale Diamond Centre. For the time being Iam using my old Technics fronts as my rears together with a Technics Subwoofer. The subwoofer is all but redundant now as the 8.4s produce all but the very lowest of frequencies brilliantly.
The Receiver is connected to a Panasonic DVD player with an optical cable and to my VCR, CD, Laptop and PS2 with regular phono leads.

Setting it up was relatively quick and the instructions book was well structured let down only by the fact that it assumes that u have the remote in setup mode for configuring the receiver. This caused me a bit of agro but if you read the section on the remote control first then start from the beginning you wont have any problems.

The Receiver has three main sound modes Stereo, Standard and Advanced Surround.

The Stereo mode selects just the Front left and Right speakers and the Subwoofer if required. I have found this to be the best sound production for listening to Bass’y CDs as for some reason the Bass is significantly better than when Dolby Pro Logic II is activated.
Having said that for most tracks I listen to, I use the Dolby Pro Logic II facility and just manually increase the bass level as I prefer to be immersed in the music.
My Neighbours must be getting pretty sick of hearing the new Coldplay album.

The Standard Sound Mode (inappropriately named as it actually contains the more dynamic sound functions) contains the previously mentioned Dolby Pro Logic II(5.1) setting with both Movie and Music options. This also contains the Neo 6(6.1) Cinema and Music settings. I only have a 5.1 setup at the moment so I cant comment on the effectiveness of the Neo 6 Sound settings yet. The Empire Strikes Back (VHS) sounded quite good using the Dolby Pro Logic II Movie setting. A definite noticeable bass presence from those stomping ATATs.

The Advanced Surround mode is used when a DVD player is connected this setting automatically detects the audio signal being transferred and displays the appropriate logo in the receivers display. The settings under this mode are Movie, Music, Virtual Surround Back, Expanded and 6 channel Stereo. The movie and music options are self explanatory the Virtual Surround Back is a useful feature when like me u only have a 5.1 setup as it simulates the presence of a surround back speaker when playing Dolby Digital Surround EX or DTS-ES this sounded particularly good when listening to Blade 2.
Expanded mode gives a simulated surround sound to stereo sources.
The 6 or 5 Channel as in my case sends the same sound to all speakers subject to low pass filter settings. Not sure what use this setting is tho.

Generally when Listening to Movies I favour Dolby Digital to DTS, Terminator 2 sounds fantastic in Dolby. I was particularly impressed with the balance of the sound on my old system I used to on occasion have to turn up and down the volume depending on what was going on in the movie.
Going back to Terminator 2 it’s the little differences that I have noticed that bring a smile to my face for instance the Shotguns now actually sound like shot guns! The motorbikes sound like the ones I hear on my drag strip (street) every day.
But by far the best sound I have yet heard was Blade 2 with DTS ES (Virtual Surround Back) setting used.
The built in tuner is good and can be used with all the above sound settings. The receptions in my area is a bit hit and miss so it’s hard to judge the sound quality.
Con: No Clock, No Alarm and No Discrete Infared codes for my Pronto on remotecentral.com
Overall I am really glad I went for this receiver it has more settings that I have not had time to explore fully yet.
I cant ever see me reaching the limits of the receiver in terms of volume as It is very loud.
Hope this was of help to you.

 

[James45]

Originally posted by Wasabi
So below £400 I'd say that these are the best options;
Marantz-SR5300 - price not known (rrp £430?) should be as equipped as Denon/Yamaha plus the quality of music, however how's the reliability after all the problems with x200 series.

great amp, I paid top dollar at £460 but honestly not too bothered as I wanted shop back-up. Built like a tank, a dream to operate with a cracking tuner and v good sound, Marantz seem to have dealt with any problems that may have existed with the x200s.

 

[Iain Shields]

Thanks for the info Stealther, you have now given me a choice to make as I was also considering the Denon 1803...

It sounds like the Pioneer is making a good case for itself, I guess I'll just have to give them a head to head test myself to see which I prefer.

Now all I have to do is find a place that'll demo them both for me near to where I live.

Thanks again mate, the info was a great help

Iain.

 

[stealther]

I considered the 1803 but decided that the 80 watts per channel wouldnt be enough power to drive my speakers.
With the benifit of hindsight I would have demoed the 1803 as well because I dont think I will ever use the 100 watts per channel that my receiver is rated at and I now think 80 watts would have been sufficient for my needs.

I would definatly try and demo them both and decide for yourself