I need some advice from 950/770 owners. I'm completing my HT and am trying to decide between the Pioneer 49txi and the 950/770 combo. They both have the features I need. The 49tx has some nice to have features that the 950 does not (Auto calibration, video upconvert, THX). Features aside, for me, the real and olny issue is how does it sound. Have any of you 950 owners had a chance to compare with 49tx or 5803? From a purely sound perspective, were you able to tell the difference between the 950 and a flagship reciever? I really appreciate your input!

dreiter:

in looking back, i really have to say that the player you use, the formats you listen to and your speakers really matter.

while waiting (6 months) for the 950, i brought home and listened to: onkyo 898, marantz sr 9200, and integra 8.2.

i have 5 large speakers, over 3,000 watts over monoblock bridged-to-mono and sub amps, and what i consider to be a pretty darn good sacd/dvd player.

i listen to multichannel sacd, and prefer dts soundtracks and music videos.

i heard a huge difference in detail with the 950. this was verified by my wife (miss critical ears), and my 2 sons (both musicians with strong opinions). hands down, the 950 sounds better.

keep in mind, i did not listen to the receiver's amps (but i am sure they would have sounded less than as preamps through my amps). they all sounded good. it's just that the 950 hides nothing. if the rest of your playback system is good, that, to me, is a good thing. my opinion.

I agree with Bosso. All too many people who bought super-receivers a few years ago thinking they were comparable with separates are now buying separates rather than buying another super-receiver. Sometimes as an intermediate step, they buy an outboard amp and use their receiver as a pre/pro. But eventually, you'll probably want separates, if sound quality matters more to you than features. And, not that magazine reviews are that meaningful, but I haven't read any that say a super receiver sounds better than a modern separates system.

Bosso and Will

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I truly appreciate the excellent input.

dreiter: glad to help. let us know what you end up choosing and how it works out.