Pioneer SC-LX81 Review changed???

[Andrew Everard]

Edwich:The ratings are not changed in the printed magazine!

Oh, but they are - it's just that, due to print scheduling, the ratings in the Buying Guide have always changed a month behind the main body of the magazine.

 

[jase fox]

Andrew Everard:
I'm not sure you do. You were suggesting that we were giving Sony backhanders, whereas some people suggest Sony gives us backhanders for good reviews, when of course neither case is true.

And please don't call me Sugar - at least not in public, Honey...

Oh yes i do !!

No, like i said previously i was only joining in with the pathetic bunch who do think that exists and just having fun with John is all, this is the only problem with typing you cant hear how its meant to sound.

As for me calling you sugar Andrew you havnt complained before? Or is it just the "in public" thing? ha

 

[Andrew Everard]

I think I give up...

 

[Big Aura]

Simon Lucas:

Big Aura:Although surely the Sony can't be that great that it lops a whole star off everything else?

Oh, it is and it does.

Then get Sony to give you a few for a competition!!

 

[Gerrardasnails]

It seems a lot of people on here are only bothered by the rating so that they can say, I've got a five star product. Why else would you be bothered if you bought something and it dropped a star? The reviews and ratings are just guides. WHF is not saying, buy this it's five stars and not that one it only has four stars.

Of course ratings should change. A positive is if a product is reviewed more than once, it's probably because it's one of the best in it's class and is in a group test. As for dropping stars for every product in the chain, that's just too much to do. Remember the stars are only dropped on products that are reviewed more than once.

 

[Boca]

It was a Group Test between the the Pioneer , Rotel ,Yamaha and the Sony.

How do you want them to test it... I don't get why people are complaining so much.

This magazine is the ONLY one I know of that does comparisons like this. (DO NOT STOP DOING THIS!) Or I will stop buying this mag. I feel from past readings of the mag. If they felt the need to change the star status it was justified.

They tested it and found the Sony at the price is a class leader. I guess if the Sony was around the £2000 price the appeal may not be as high but they brought it in at £1500. I am not saying people shouldn't complain but... before we all start to complain we should really go out and listen to it. Once we do maybe we will understand the change.

my 2 pence/2 cents

 

[Anonymous]

Well, It's still a 5 star product to me. As that's what it was when I bought it.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Big Aura:Then get Sony to give you a few for a competition!!

You mean you missed the 'win a few Sony STR-DA5400ES receivers' competition?

Seriously, I don't think that's likely to happen. Sony's PR machine probably hasn't even noticed it got a good review; they all seem to be busy demonstrating Walkman players on London Tube trains with Z-list celebs and arranging the next PR event at some painfully trendy place in Shoreditch ATM...

 

[Big Aura]

Andrew Everard:

Big Aura:Then get Sony to give you a few for a competition!!

You mean you missed the 'win a few Sony STR-DA5400ES receivers' competition?

Seriously, I don't think that's likely to happen. Sony's PR machine probably hasn't even noticed it got a good review; they all seem to be busy demonstrating Walkman players on London Tube trains with Z-list celebs and arranging the next PR event at some painfully trendy place in Shoreditch ATM...

I walk through painfully trendy Shoreditch to get home from work each day. I will keep my eyes peeled.

 

[manicm]

The Rotel also got downgraded to 4 stars, so why all the noise?

 

[The_Lhc]

Probably because the Pioneer appears to be quite popular with folk around here, whereas I can't remember the last time anyone mentioned the Rotel amp.

 

[Anonymous]

Good Point - Well Made.

I hadn't picked up on that

 

[ukgthor]

So after fours months of waiting, I still do not have my SC-LX81 and it's moved from a 5 star rating to a 4 star rating.

I chased my dealer this morning, and they still have no idea on when it will be available, however he did inform me that an updated version (SC-LX82 ?) will be released by Pioneer in September.... it just gets better and better...

 

[professorhat]

I'm pretty sure I would have cancelled the order after 4 months. You still could and pick up a 5 star Sony

 

[Big Aura]

I don't think I would wait for more than 6 weeks on a bit of kit. Once you go beyond 6 months from the release date, you're already staring down the barrel of the shotgun of obsolescence.

 

[ukgthor]

Agreed, I am getting towards the end of my tether on this.... therefore apart from the Sony, what would be your suggestions for an alternative ?

Current set up is Pioneer KRP-500a, BDP-LX71 and B&W XT series speakers.

 

[Big Aura]

to be honest, I'd cancel the order and try and source the SC-LX81 elsewhere. My first A/V amp was a Pioneer, and I really, really loved the sound (moreso than my current Denon). Is your dealer one of the Pioneer "A+" dealers?

EDIT: According to Kelkoo, HIFIX have it in stock... http://shopping.kelkoo.co.uk/ssc-121601-pioneer-sc-lx81.html

 

[v1c]

Is the Pioneer SC-LX71 now a 3 star product ? or is it still 4 stars in which case that makes it a better buy than the LX81 now doesn't it ?.ÿ

Replaced my AX5i with the LX71 i think it is very good for an "unfinished" symphony product.

On a moot point what hifi team were you not recently implying that the gadget show were getting back handers from Apple ? when the ipod beat CD play back. But you don't like the suggestion that you are getting the same from Sony !!!

Pot Kettle Black.ÿ

 

[TKratz]

Exactly my point. Product comparison is rather tricky and not easy when only some of the products change their ratings.
I am not complaining about the changing in ratings, I am just unhappy about the products not changing their ratings. When you have once determined product A is better than product B it should be fairly easy to downgrade product B as a consequence of changed rating for product A. There should be no need for re-testing.

 

[Andrew Everard]

v1c:On a moot point what hifi team were you not recently implying that the gadget show were getting back handers from Apple ? when the ipod beat CD play back. But you don't like the suggestion that you are getting the same from Sony !!!
Pot Kettle Black.

Thank you for your informed response. No, we didn't imply anything of the sort; if you chose to infer that from whatever you read, then that's down to you.

However, if you are again starting up this ridiculous suggestion of corruption on the part of the magazine, we're still waiting for anyone to come up with some evidence.

 

[Anonymous]

this is great so my lx71 is now as good as the lx 81 a point i made months ago but in fairnes a star rating shoud read like this and im using + for stars so it goes like this.

pioneer lx81 ++++ (5 star up till 10 01 09)

 

[Boca]

nokz:this is great so my lx71 is now as good as the lx 81 a point i made months ago but in fairnes a star rating shoud read like this and im using + for stars so it goes like this. pioneer lx81 ++++ (5 star up till 10 01 09)

I like that Idea...

But can I add one note : Pioneer Lx81 ++++ (5 Star up until10 05 09 See Sony 5400ES )

This way you can look at the 5400, and if the 5400 gets beaten later and they do the same thing, you could do it with the 5400 to what ever beat it. This way WhatHifi doesn't have to work too hard changing the ratings because of the time cunsumption.

What do you think?

 

[Anonymous]

I'm just glad I got mine at the right price before the price hike, or maybe now it's a 4 star product it will be cheaper as not so many people will want one.

Out of interest, will the sc-lx71 lose a star - as that will make it an absolute bargain !

I might be tempted to replace an Onkyo (in another room) with one.

 

[Anonymous]

ukgthor:
So after fours months of waiting, I still do not have my SC-LX81 and it's moved from a 5 star rating to a 4 star rating.

I chased my dealer this morning, and they still have no idea on when it will be available, however he did inform me that an updated version (SC-LX82 ?) will be released by Pioneer in September.... it just gets better and better...

I wouldn't worry about the star rating drop at all. It's exellent, at that price I would say there all pretty damn good. The fact that the Sony has become the new top dog just shows that the technology is there and like computers these are given to us bit by bit.
But with waiting for a product for 4 months after paying has to stop, that is so wrong..
A retailer should not sell a product they do not have.
That's like buying your shopping from tesco on line and getting it 4 months later if possible. Not good.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:margetti:Boca:professorhat:

I'm also of the opinion that star ratings must change if newer items come out which mean they are no longer as good value as they were. After all, look at it from the view of the person who wants to buy now (which is really who these reviews are designed for don't forget). If I'm buying a new amp in that price range now, I want to know which amps WHF consider the best available at this moment of time, not what was great a few months back.

As people have said, WHF marking your amp down a star doesn't activate something in the amp which suddenly makes it sound worse! Presumably you listened to the amp before you bought and were happy with the sound, so why would this change now?

+1 on this.

+ another!

A good example is the Onkyo 875 (5 stars) vs the 876 (4 stars). The 876 is (arguably) a better amp than the 875 (as it's an 875 with a few tweaks - I believe). But at the time the 875 was reviewed, it was the class leader - in fact it raised the bar for AV amps at it's price point. The 876 received 4 stars, not because it is not as good as the 875, but because other manufacturer's 2008 releases had leap-frogged the 876 in terms of performance-per-pound.

This whole subject would, of course, be moot if we had issue dates on the reviews - another one of those things that looks so simple to do but feels like repeatedly smacking one's head against the nearest vertical surface in an effort to get it made so.

Not to beat a dead horse, but why is it more difficult to put an issue date on a review then on a news story? Just curious ;-).

http://www.whathifi.com/News/Panasonic-to-launch-Freesat-HDD-Blu-ray-recorder-in-May/

Right under "Panasonic to launch Freesat HDD Blu-ray recorder in May", is the date "24 Feb 2009" (a little off topic but I'm looking forward to hearing more about the Panasonic...just wish that Pioneer and Sony would also release their HDD/BD recorders in EU...soon).