Pioneer LX81 - LX90 comparison

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Hi All, Both of these amps have been flavour of the past couple months with WHF and both sitting pretty with 5 stars but can the team give me a comparison between the two - I'm keen to get the SC-LX90 and recognise the advantages of the 10 channels allowing bi-amping of all front channels but otherwise am wondering how much justification there is for the price hike? Is there much difference between the two sonically?
 

TheHomeCinemaCentre

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The difference between these two amps is huge. The 81 is an amazing amplifier at the price but it just can not compete with the LX90. Every part of the sound is seriously imporved between the two, notably detail/clairty and teh overall scale of the sound. If you have a large room then the sound benefits will be more pronounced with far better placement of effects and the overall involvement within the film.

Nick
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks Nick - I do have a large room - 9x5m combined lounge / dining / kitchen so I need all the help I can get ; ) I'm asking lots of questions of course - just getting opinions before I get time to audition the LX90 - hopefully next week sometime. Was just curious as to the difference as the LX81 has been getting such rave reviews and the store I'm going to doesnt have an LX81 - just the LX90 and some older models.

Just nervous that it sounds good in-store but isn't much improvement over my 4306 for the $$$'s when I get it home. I'm sure this wont be the case as I've been less than impressed with the 4306 as a music player so I'll be running plenty CD's through the LX90 with the same CD player and speakers in the store before I get the plastic out.

I was originally going to wait until well into 09' to upgrade and look at pre/power combo's but I have an opportunity to get the LX90 for almost half the current price and with everything going up now and in the new year, I figured I'd be daft to let this one slip past.
 

TheHomeCinemaCentre

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You will be very happy with the LX90 and if you are getting it that cheaply I would grab it with both hands. Side by side with our 81 or even the Marantz Pro/Power there is no contest. The only thing coming close at the moment is the DSP-Z11 from Yamaha.

A demonstration ( possibly at home ) will help you decide.

Nick
 
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Anonymous

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Nick - Have you used the Marantz pre 8003 with other amps and if so how would this then fare against the LX90 ? The reason I personally ask, as well as helping Damien, is I'm 1/2 considering the 8003 as a HD processor, but thenÿchannelledÿinto a Naim rig I'm planning. Is it the amplification, processing or both on the LX90 that earns praise...?

Cheers, Steveÿ
 

TheHomeCinemaCentre

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Hi Steve, the amplification is something but the pre-amp stage and the signal processing is very strong. I will try to get a chance today to compare the pre-amp stages of the Marantz and the Pioneer. They are very different in presentation, the 8003 sounds like a developed and more refined Sr8002 that you have. The LX90 brings a pace and tautness to the sound that the Marantz doesnt.

Are you changing your MT30's? The Marantz will certainly favour them and the Naim should give you plenty of pace.

Nick
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks Nick. Let me/us know if you get chance to do some comparisons....

Yeah, I'm changing the lot actually, haven't really liked any of it re stereo and music, but that was probably my mistake. Only reason I'm considering something like the 8003 as part of my changes, is due to Naim's AV2 processor lacking HD codecs. The other option I have is holding out for a top end BD player with HD encoding on board and feeding that into the AV2 as analogue.....Will see what appears in the next month or so.....

The LX90 is an option, but seems a waste of £5k if I'm not using the in-built amplification. The AV8003 I can get very cheap down in Singapore, approx 1/2 UK RRP. To be honest, I don't feel excited about having to get either...!ÿ

Anyway, be interested in your feedback. ÿ

Cheers, S.ÿ
 
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Anonymous

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SC:
Thanks Nick. Let me/us know if you get chance to do some comparisons....

Yeah, I'm changing the lot actually, haven't really liked any of it re stereo and music, but that was probably my mistake. Only reason I'm considering something like the 8003 as part of my changes, is due to Naim's AV2 processor lacking HD codecs. The other option I have is holding out for a top end BD player with HD encoding on board and feeding that into the AV2 as analogue.....Will see what appears in the next month or so.....

The LX90 is an option, but seems a waste of £5k if I'm not using the in-built amplification. The AV8003 I can get very cheap down in Singapore, approx 1/2 UK RRP. To be honest, I don't feel excited about having to get either...!ÿ

Anyway, be interested in your feedback. ÿ

Cheers, S.ÿ

Hi SC - Happy New Year mate. Our buddy DanTan recently bought the 8003 to partner his NAD M25 power amp and is over the moon with it - he's using it alongside the Cyrus CD8SE and just got the Pio LX71 BluRay player and is VERY happy with it all. Seems the power amp was the weak link with the Marantz Pre/Power combo, very lightweight (literally) - maybe why the pair only got 4 stars in the latest WHF group test. just speculating here of course.
 
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TheHomeCinemaCentre:
You will be very happy with the LX90 and if you are getting it that cheaply I would grab it with both hands. Side by side with our 81 or even the Marantz Pro/Power there is no contest. The only thing coming close at the moment is the DSP-Z11 from Yamaha.

A demonstration ( possibly at home ) will help you decide.

Nick

Wow, thats a big review - if you find it better than the Marantz pair I'm almost there as that was what I was previously looking at as a replacement option til' I got the LX90 offer - which I can get for WAY below the price of these two.

I looked at the Yammy too but no low price option on this one and I really like the flexibility of bi-amping all channels with the LX90 - I'll only use it for the front 3 but feel that will better balance my RS6's and RSLCR rather than how I have them set up now with the RS6's bi-amped and the RSLCR biwired - particularly given how much work the center has to do with movies, it should be an improvement.

If you feel the LX90 has a more lively sound then it could be good for me as its the laid back and slightly undetailed attitude which has disappinted me with my 4306 - sounds like SC's had the same problem.

I need to let the store know when I can hop over there. I dont think a home audition is on the cards but I'll certainly ask.

What speakers / cd player etc are you using to compare this gear?

Thanks again.
 
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Anonymous

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Happy new year Damien !
emotion-1.gif


Hey, can you get TWO of the LX90's at the low price !? May be worth a Aus trip for me
emotion-2.gif
....But I guess you're talking a low price in comparison to the normal Aussie RRP's ? Certainly would be nice to have alongside the Kuro.

Yeah, I knew Dantan had the 8003 now, had a brief chat with him re it's sound - describes it is quite warm and very large, which may balance nice with how I would amplify it.....It may be the way I go, we'll see what pops up in the next month or two...have much else to sort also and funds low !!

Steve
 
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Anonymous

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SC:
Happy new year Damien !
emotion-1.gif


Hey, can you get TWO of the LX90's at the low price !? May be worth a Aus trip for me
emotion-2.gif
....But I guess you're talking a low price in comparison to the normal Aussie RRP's ? Certainly would be nice to have alongside the Kuro.

Yeah, I knew Dantan had the 8003 now, had a brief chat with him re it's sound - describes it is quite warm and very large, which may balance nice with how I would amplify it.....It may be the way I go, we'll see what pops up in the next month or two...have much else to sort also and funds low !!

Steve

Sorry, I've only got one on offer as it is a display model and the store needs to offload some floor stock. My thinking entirely regards matching with the Kuro - figuring if I go for it, that a Pio BluRay wont be far behind ; ) might as well go for the trifecta!

Hey, when's your Kuro turning up? I had a squiz at it on Pio.co.uk - VERY NICE! bet you cant wait.

I'm trying to settle on another PVR to go with mine - the Topfield 7100HDPVRt I bought is terrible and shortly going back to the store. Its awful to use and despite having done two firmware upgrades since I bought it only 3 weeks back, there's currently no program guide - excellent.

Lucky for you, you get tuners in the media box! I REALLY wish Pioneer made a PVR or Panasonic did a standalone one instead of incorporating them with either DVD or BluRay recorders. My DMR-BW500 is a dream to use but I cant justify the cost for two so am going to have to find a good standalone PVR without a Topfield badge!

I took the in-laws out to get a Pana 50" PZ80A and DMR-BW500 yesterday and they're very happy - the units work really well together. Looking at theirs though, however nice it is; made me realise perhaps for the first time, just how good my Kuro is, its an astounding difference. Obviously there's a BIG price gap between these two tv's so a little unfair to the Pana to compare it to a 60" Kuro monitor. The Pana is a nice set but not even remotely in the same league as the Kuro - you'll no doubt be very happy to hear.
 
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Anonymous

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Well, the KRP-500 AW Kuro is currently sitting in the hallway at my folks in the UK !
emotion-6.gif
....Needs to be crated up and then sent out, then, I'll have a lovely 'negotiating' session with Thai customs to look forward to no doubt...! But, Pioneer Thailand, with a serious face, want just about twice as much for the standard black KRP. They are asking 249,000 Baht, to which I just p***** myself. So for 1/2 that, I got the ltd edition white version from the UK. I could of bought 2 !

I'll give you a shout when it's here and on my wall !
emotion-2.gif


Yeah, the media box is handy in some ways to me - it certainly removes my need for a AVR with video switching etc, hence my interest only in a pre-amp or processor - but the tuners are no good to me here I presume, the TV signal comes via a separate sat box supplied by the monopoly cable company in Thailand. But, least I have it as a switch box for now, and if I ever go back to grey England or move on to Aus, then perhaps I can use it's functions more....

I know what you mean matching everything in the LX line. The LX91 BD player is on my list obviously, though I waiting to hear anything about it or even a dealer with one - haven't read one review yet.....

Best, S
 

TheHomeCinemaCentre

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We have been using a whole lot of set ups to test these amps, mainly PMC's, Kef XQ , Dali Helicon or the Pioneer EX series. We also run the Marantz pro/power on the Sunfire speakers and the LX81 works a treat on our Dali Motifs at the more modest price point. The LX90s we have sold have been mostly on Pioneer EX's for floorstanding set ups and the Sunfires for onwall set ups.

As for the LX91 it is a very nice bit of kit. We have only had a handful through and they were all pre-sold but we did manage to have a breif shot with one while it was being installed. Build quality is superb and first impressions on the PQ are stunning, a real step up from the 71. I would like to test it properly though so will have to wait until we get enough to put one on the showroom floor before making a firm decision on it.

Nick

Nick
 
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Anonymous

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Sounds good Nick....

I just want a top end BD player that 1, er works with all discs. 2, has the best available PQ. 3, top notch sound encoding onboard and analogue outputs. And 4, looking 1/2 decent wouldn't hurt either !

It seems to much to ask at present.

ÿ
 

TheHomeCinemaCentre

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The LX91 will fit the bill as will the Marantz BD8002. You wont need the onboard decoding if you are opting for either the AV8003 or the LX90, in fact you wont need it with the SR8002 either and the BD8002 is the perfect match.

Nick
 
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Anonymous

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Unfortunately, you are correct, SC, that there currently really is no high-end Blu-ray Disc Player that is 'perfect' - and that is a real shame. Especially considering that the budget players, mainly from Panasonic, load discs quickly, are superbly specified (including Profile 2.0), yet, the higher-end models from Pioneer and Denon are not as well-specified and don't load discs as quickly!

Looks like the best thing to do at the moment is just to hang on, until the higher-end models are fully sorted out.
 
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Anonymous

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If the amp is doing the decoding is there much to be gained in paying extra for the LX91 over the LX71?
 
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Anonymous

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@ Nick - just wanted to step back in and say thanks for the advice and push in the right direction.

You were spot on - after a marathon listening / watching session I got the card out and brought the LX90 home. It is truly phenomenal to the point that my 4306 is quite embarassing in comparison.

I was lucky enough to listen to it with my cd player and speakers instore (Cambridge 740C / Monitor Audio RS6's). After a brief tangle with settings (we kept getting an 'analogue input over' warning using the 740C and thinking the amp sounded awful with the attenuation turned on - but switching it to the 'Stream - Analogue Direct' mode solved it, I was able to give it a good go with a fair variety of music over about 3 hours. I have to say I was spectacularly shocked at the difference to my 4306 with the same speakers and cd player. I really didnt think the amplification would make so much of a difference and was beginning to think the RS6's were a bad choice - but no.

The sound was open, punchy, detailed and fast, real fast - awesome. Its nice to finally solve the riddle as I was beginning (with the 4306) to question speaker choice and the cd player, cables everything as the setup was just lacking life but firing up the LX90 was like a whole new world. The RS6's really sing and reveal massive detail from the 740C - they just kept on trucking to extreme volumes with no hiccups, no distortion - just fabulous room-filling lively sound. Amazing how you can seriously get it wrong with one wrong choice - in this instance the Denon amp.

My experience here should serve as a lesson to others that sticking with kit you know is not always the right way to go - try other brands and if somethings not right, try something else. I should have benched the Denon much earlier.

Thanks again - v-happy ; )
 

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