Pioneer SC-LX83 or SC-LX75???? KEF KHT 3005SE

[admin_exported]

Hi Guys i have 2 Questions what would you guys recommend the Pioneer SC-LX83 or SC-LX75 to pair with my kef kht 3005se and also i am looking to spend arround £1000-£1300 on a avr and i have a set of speakers that are arround the £1000 is it worth spending more money on a avr than speakers

 

[Anonymous]

Doesn't this depend on what your main use from the AVR will be?

The LX83 is a little overkill for them Kef speakers. Your never going to hear the amp at it's best.

When I heard the KEF's with the LX83, It sounded really harsh to me. Treble was way too high and movies sounded very "stereo like" not very natural. The amp is very dynamic no doubt about that, but for movies there isn't enough "warmth" for my liking.

You should really go have a listen yourself and see what you think of it.

Pair the Kef's with a Yamaha RX-V2067 and listen to the difference. The yamaha does a great job and really brings these speakers to life. It's a very warm and natural sounding amp and matches those speakers pefectly, well it sounded that way to me but what I like to hear may not be what you like to hear so you should really go and listen to both these amps if you can.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I've used the 3005 package with receivers from Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, Arcam, Pioneer, Marantz, and maybe one or two more. I've found that they continue to improve using receivers up to around the £1,500 mark. There will be some benefits to receivers above that price point, but they'll be minimal.

Between an LX83 and an LX75, it'll depend what features you need/want. The 75 will have AirPlay and a rather in depth and snazzy iPod/iPad control app. Another benefit is that the LX75 now uses a DirectFET digital amplifier, instead of the ICE digital amplifier used in the LX83. I've just changed from an 83 to an 85, so it'll be a few days before I can comment on the difference between the two, but Pioneer have missed out the 74 and 84 numbers because these new receivers are supposed to be so much better than the 73 and 83. Time will tell.

The 83's digital amplification really brings speaker's to life. The amplification is lively and very detailed, with a tight grip over the speakers, including those that are 4ohms. It's more efficient than other receivers that use normal Class A/B amplification, and runs a little cooler, and that seems to go for the 75 and 85 amplification too (mines been on for a few hours now). If you like neutrality and detail, the Pioneer, 75 or 83, could well be what you're after. At £2k, the 83 would be a little OTT for the 3005's, but at the reduced prices, that's not an issue.

The Yamaha 3067 can be had for a bit cheaper, and based on pairing them with 3005's, is every bit as good as the Pioneer 83. It's warmer and softer than the Pioneer, so doesn't have that neutral, biting edge to sound effects. The Yamaha's strong point is it's soundfield, which is one of the most cohesive available, and mixed with the UniQ drivers of the KEF's, with their strong point of imaging and excellent off axis response, combines to give one of the best sound fields around.

So it's your choice - the neutral drive and grip of the precision Pioneer, or the enveloping soundfield of the smoother, warmer Yamaha. But don't be fooled into thinking the Yamaha lacks drive, or the Pioneer has a substandard soundfield....

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi JasonKnight

I'll also recommend that you should also consider a Yamaha AV amplifier. Their new Aventage RX-A1010 or at a push the RX-A2010 with their (amongst other qualities) powerful, dynamic, potent and full bodied sound will help these amps offset the fairly lean balance of the speakers.

I made the following comment yesterday afternoon in the Hi-Fi section and i feel it also applies here. Anyway i've sold many combinations of Yamaha AV amplifiers and KEF speakers over the years. In my experience Yamaha's Cinema DSP technology used with KEF's UniQ drive unit technology and the overall tonal balance of this combination works just nicely

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[RickyDeg]

I had the KEF 3005's for a few years (prior to the Monitor Audio APEX) paired with two different Yamaha receivers and they were always a 'perfect' fit, so I would definitely agree with the other posts above that it could be ideal for you to try, naturally depending on your taste. I've never had any good experience with the Pioneer receivers, they never been to my liking, and to my ears they are not a good match with this KEF system.

 

[MMW]

Hi Rick@Musicraft,

Just two questions. In the context of a Monitor Apex 5.1 system what are the sonic diferences between a Yamaha RX-V2067 and a RX-A20101? Which do you like the most of both and why?

Thanks a lot!

Kind regards.

J.