I was thinking of purchasing a Pioneer Elite PRO-111. How is the sound quality from its two speakers? I do not need a surround system in the room that it will be placed in. Thanks.

The sound quality of the 111 is fantastic. It is the fullest, most precise and clearest sound I have ever heard from a television set. The only way to describe the difference between its sound output and that of any of my previous televisions, including CRTs from Sony, RCA and Hitachi, a Samsung plasma and LCD sets by Samsung and Sony is "night and day". This is because the speakers in the 111 are separate, dedicated units. They are also placed on the sides of the television, which places them far enough apart to produce a distinguishable stereo soundstage. (The 5020 also has a dedicated speaker system, but places it underneath the TV so the soundstage isn't as full. It's also fantastic, though.) The 111 also gives you the ability to connect a subwoofer (not included) directly to the television, which allows you to fill in the low-end bass without having to purchase an audio receiver.

Despite the sound quality of the 111 relative to other televisions, however, the sound from a 111 is still the sound from a television. It's excellent, but it cannot compare to the sound you will get from a dedicated surround-sound system with properly placed speakers. The 111 does have simulated surround-sound (SRS), but as with all simulated surround sound, it is a pale comparison to the real thing. Furthermore, the 111 was designed primarily as a display device: while it has excellent sound circuitry, it has nowhere near the power or signal purity that dedicated sound processing units will give you.

If you are happy with 2 channel (or 2.1 channel using a subwoofer) sound from your television, the 111 will not disappoint. If you want surround sound, though, it won't be up to snuff.

As a note, I am currently using my 111 without a surround-sound system or subwoofer, and am very pleased with the sound. Before I bought this TV, getting a new receiver and new speakers was high on my priority list: now it is much lower. I want to upgrade to a dedicated sound system eventually, but blew my home theater budget buying this display... and am not at all disappointed in my decision :)

Thanks for the fast reply! My wife wants to clean up the clutter in our family room and the plan is to move my system to the basement tv area. I can probably due without the surround sound upstairs but I did not want to have a poor sounding tv.

As Mr. Abulia said Pioneer's Elite PRO-111FDs have excellent sound for a TV audio system. The stereo power amps deliver 18 W per channel, about double of most other TVS and the removable speakers house excellent 6 OHM drivers.

To get the best audio performance I would suggest adding a sub-woofer as this model has a RCA sub out.

Enyoy!

-Robert

Excellent. I have the 111 in the bedroom and use them for the time being along with an 8 inch mirage sub to give it even more oomph.

Robert, are there any subwoofers you know of that pair particularly well with the Pioneer TVs?

Mr. Abulia, My personal favorites are most 8" and 10" Velodyne models, Polk Audio's Micro 1000 and some HSU subs. You don't need thundering or booming low frequency sound, I like cleaner and clearer sounding subs.

-Robert

Thanks Robert. I'll try to audition a few of those. I also like cleaner sounding subs, so they may do the trick. I want to make sure that whatever sub I get doesn't overpower the TV speakers' high end with bass... I also want to make sure it can complement my polk rt-1000s when I'm ready to get a new receiver :)

I like the HSU subs; very good value for money.

Hi Rob or anyone else,

Does the KRP-500M have the same subwoofer out RCA? Thanks.

- Andrew

Andrew, ^^ sorry to say no sub out on the monitors.

-Robert

Mr. Abulia, My personal favorites are most 8" and 10" Velodyne models, Polk Audio's Micro 1000 and some HSU subs. You don't need thundering or booming low frequency sound, I like cleaner and clearer sounding subs.

-Robert


Robert which one do you have set up with your 111FD? Any idea if Polk Audio PSW10 10-Inch will work with the 111FD?

Adding a PSW improves the overall sound dramatically. That, and finding the right combination of the 111's pseudo-surround and other audio configurations will give you pretty decent sound.

The only inconvenience is the panel doesn't have a switched outlet, as AV receivers do. So, unless you want to leave it on all the time, you'll be fumbling around flipping the power switch on the subwoofer (likely because it can be put in an out-of-the-way location).

A solution would be hooking up a wireless remote control power switch. $20. Now, if the 111's remote could learn how to toggle the wireless power, you'd really be set.

...TV

Or you could get a sub with an auto-off feature that turns itself on when it detects an input signal.

Or you could get a sub with an auto-off feature that turns itself on when it detects an input signal.

Cool! I didn't know there were such PSWs. Any you'd recommend?

...TV

Edit: Pardon my being stupid. My JBL PB10, which I've had for years, DOES have auto-off !!! Apparently I assumed that because the red lights were still on, the amp was still at full power. Not sure why I would think that, since the 111's little red standby light stays on too. Something of a non-issue for me as I do run the PB10 from a switched outlet on a Pioneer AV receiver. However, since the SW has two LFE inputs, I'll see if I can connect it to both the 111 directly and receiver, so when not using the receiver (for most regular TV watching) will still get the extra punch from the sub. Should work. Just have to always mute the 111 sound (which I do anyway) when using the receiver to prevent possible overload.

I also have the 111 and no speakers or receiver is allowed on that set, so i went with the speakers that came on it and i was impressed. It does very well with what comes on it and you can go into the menu and adjust to your liking. I think you will like and now some has me thinking, could i sneak a smaller 8" subwoofer in here and her not notice to go with the 111.