Pioneer VSX 919 & Jamo a102hcs

[admin_exported]

Well here goes, my first dip into the sea of forums.

I have recently purchased a G10 Panasonic TV and blu ray player.

I want to get an AV receiver and discreet set of speakers that will allow me to listen to music via an ipod or CD. I want to get rid of my old technics system and whilst I don't have a huge budget left [£600-ish] I want to get something that will deal with both the TV and music sides of things.

Having taken a trip into Comet the salesman suggested the Pioneer VSX 919. I am told it uses the digital info in the ipod rather than the analogue output from a headphone jack. I was very impressed especially when compared with the onkyo 607 [?] which sounded flat.

The speakers I heard it with was a set of jamo S606 but these were huge & over budget. I see the A102 are well reviewed but are they good enough to play my music?

I would appreciate any advice you can give please, but hurry - i need to buy and get the speaker cables installed before the carpet goes down next week!

 

[Anonymous]

For £650, i.e. a little above your budget, I'd look at the £300 Denon 1610 and the £350 Q Acoustics 1010i speaker package. It will give you better sound quality than with the Jamo 102 speakers --- the QAs were £500 speakers, on discount now because of the new 2000 range.

BTW if you read the What hifi review on this site of the Jamo 102s, it recomends aginst pairing them with bright sounding amps, and Pioneer would fall into that category; it recommends warm amps from Denon or yamaha as partners.

If 3 HDMI imputs are enough, the Denon 1610 is a good buy. It won't have the slick Ipod connection, but the sound quality with the QA speakers, would more than make up for that from my perspective.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice, I saw the reference to warm and bright amps but have no idea what that meant and how the pairing of different speakers would work - which is why I sought help from you guys.

My only real concern is the difference in quality I heard between to Onkyo and Pioneer. It was quite stark and I was surprised. I will have to find a local store and try out few more mixes including the denon and Q Acoustic speakers. In terms of the docking the ipod can I get a docking station for most units cant I?

Not sure about the number of HDMIs I will need. TV / bluray / virgin TV / hopefully Wii at Christmas / ipod / camcorder etc: do i need more than 3?

I have been looking on the web for speakers and denon. Are there any particularly good sites to recommend or stores around Birmingham?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

Penguin Leader:
Well here goes, my first dip into the sea of forums.

I have recently purchased a G10 Panasonic TV and blu ray player.

I want to get an AV receiver and discreet set of speakers that will allow me to listen to music via an ipod or CD. I want to get rid of my old technics system and whilst I don't have a huge budget left [£600-ish] I want to get something that will deal with both the TV and music sides of things.

Having taken a trip into Comet the salesman suggested the Pioneer VSX 919. I am told it uses the digital info in the ipod rather than the analogue output from a headphone jack. I was very impressed especially when compared with the onkyo 607 [?] which sounded flat.

The speakers I heard it with was a set of jamo S606 but these were huge & over budget. I see the A102 are well reviewed but are they good enough to play my music?

I would appreciate any advice you can give please, but hurry - i need to buy and get the speaker cables installed before the carpet goes down next week!

I used to have the Jamos and they are fantastic for the money and surround sound. Forget the bright amp partnership; if you play music with them, any amp will make them sound bright - they are tiny and cost circa £200 - you can't expect too much. They are fine at low volumes though, as long as you don't expect proper stereo sound.

 

[Anonymous]

Re the ipod, acording to the details on the denon website for the 1610:

"Audio/video playback and control for iPod with optional dock (ASD-11R)"

Another speaker set that would work with the Pioneer is the Tanaoy SFX5.1, similarly priced to the Jamaos. The Q Acoustics set would also work well with the Pioneer.

Demoing is the way to go. Richer Sounds have the Denon and all the speakers mentioned; I think they did have the pioneer 919 but aren't showing stock at the moment, though they have the model above it

You will need HDMI inputs for the virgin box (if it is the V+ HD) and blueray. The Wii will connect either by composite or component. Not sure about the camcorder, depends what output it has. The TV will connect from the HDMI out from the amp. So leaving the camcorder aside, you need 2 HDMI ins ATM

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for the advice both. I will have a trip to Richer Sounds and have a play.

 

[Anonymous]

So the pioneer amp is a bright amp?

 

[Anonymous]

I got the VSX 819 and went for diamond 9.1 for front and MS alumni for rear and they sound great

 

[Anonymous]

Still looking.

Went to Richer Sounds in Birmingham at a weekend - & got told they only demo in the week.

Went back mid week finishing work early & a 40 mile round trip & got told I had to book a demo.

When I tried to book a demo last Monday I got told they arent doing demos til February as they used the demo room for stock & were so busy.

Nice one Richer Sounds. No demo = no purchase.

The cynic in me would suggest this is a wheeze to get my money and then be tied in to whatever they have in their 14 days exchange policy.

 

[Richer Sounds]

Hi Penguin Leader,

I was sorry to read that you were unable to get a demonstration in our Birmingham store.

Our stores do tend to be very busy at this time of year and as a result it isn't always possible to arrange a demo without prior notice. However, the sales assistant you spoke with should have offered to book you in at a mutually convenient time and I offer my apologies that this was not the case.

Indeed we do offer a 14 day exchange policy where we are happy for you to return a unit for exchange if you're unhappy once you get your purchase home. It is worth noting that it is generally preferable to audition any new product with your existing equipment, in your own surroundings, rather than in a demo room.

Of course, if you would still like a demonstration then please do let me know and I will make the necessary arrangements with the store on your behalf.

Meanwhile, my sincere apologies once again for the inconvenience and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Many thanks,

John Clayton
Operations Director
Richer Sounds

 

[Anonymous]

John

Thanks for your response on this. I was disappointed & frustrated by the level of service offered. I hope you use this feedback effectively as I have not made a purchase as a result.

I will think about it again in the new year.