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What you guys think of Pioneer VSX-919AH-K

50K views 211 replies 78 participants last post by  wrinkles88 
#1 ·
#27 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by natesht /forum/post/16724962


Even like others i am really torn between Pioneer VSX-919AH-K and the Denon AVR 1910 model, i indeed do like the IPOD connectivity feature, GUI i really don't care as it is only used during setup and you don't look at it after that.

But how is the sound quality and video quality of both the receivers particularly lets says you up convert Wii via the HDMI. I had the Onkyo 605 model and heard good reviews on the Denon receivers in general

The VSX-919 will convert analog signals (like the Wii) to HDMI, but it will NOT upconvert them to a higher resolution.


What I mean is if you feed the receiver a 480i/480p signal, it will be passed to the HDMI output in the same 480i/480p resolution.


The benefit here is that you can use a single cable (HDMI) to your TV and use your receiver to switch between HDMI and non-HDMI sources easily.
 
#28 ·
Last weekend I exchanged my VSX-819 at BB for the VSX-919. My main reason was for the perceived issue with the loss in video quality using the HDMI in/out. I thought that I was seeing things until a read about it in the 819 thread; so I tested it myself.

It was true, I ran my Blue Ray and my HTPC direct to my projector with the same cables and the image was noticeably better and motion was smoother. When I got the 919 I re-ran my test and the images and motion looked identical to my eyes, the way that HD should look like.


On Pioneers website it shows that the 919 has PureCinema video processing (true 24fps) where the 819 does not. All I know is now is that both the BR and the HTPC images look superb running through the 919. The sound is pretty frickin' good too.



I like.
 
#29 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by natesht /forum/post/16724962


Even like others i am really torn between Pioneer VSX-919AH-K and the Denon AVR 1910 model

well, the Denon 1910/790 is really more in line with the Pioneer 1019 in terms of features / specs. e.g. both have 4 HDMI inputs, 1080p scaling, etc. and are going to cost $400+.


the people in this thread are discussing the more "entry level" options of Pio 919 vs Denon 1610/590 for the sub-$350 range. Both are excellent units that seem to be clearly at the head of the "entry level" class, and have more similar specs (3 HDMI inputs, full HD audio decoding, analog>digital video conversion but no scaling, just 480i/p deinterlace).


CruelIntentions' post above does a good job of laying out the differences, it's really a matter of which one has the features which appeal to you.


The Pio 919's big advantages are that it is a full 7.1 receiver with Zone 2 capabilities, color OSD, and the dedicated ipod USB port. Plus the MCACC system is built for "tweakers" since it is highly adjustible and can save 6 presets.


The Denon is only a 5.1 unit with no multizone, but it probably has a better amp section and it has a big advantage with the full Audyssey MultEQ suite (with Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume).


There is no real "better" or "worse", just which one has the right "fringe benefits" which appeal to you.
 
#30 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by aross99 /forum/post/16724048


First off - Welcome the AVS forums!


You need to press the Signal Select button on the remote (Signal Sel?) until the audio changes from HDMI to the analog inputs. The receiver has multiple analog inputs per source, and defaults to HDMI if present. Since there is no audio on your HDMI cable, you can't hear anything.


If I recall, the settings are AUTO, HDMI, Digital (Optical), and then Analog, which is what you want.


Once you make this change it should work for you...

So I tried using the Signal Select button and it isn't working. It isn't letting me choose anything other than HDMI. What jacks should I be plugging my RCA cables into?
 
#31 ·
Which input are you using?


Your options are:


TV/SAT

DVR

DVD


Plug the RCA cables into the jacks for the input you want to use.


Plug the HDMI cable into HDMI-1, or 2, and use the Input Setup menu (under the home Menu) to select the input you want to use and select the HDMI port you are using.


You will want to turn off KURO link before you can specify the HDMI inputs.


Another option is to connect your HDMI directly to the TV, and plug the audio into the AUX or similar audio only jack on the receiver. THen you have to switch both the input on the TV, and the Receiver, but it but be a workable solution if you don't use it very often, or don't want to sacrifice an HDMI input on the receiver.


The 919 has three HDMI inputs, but one is dedicated to Blue Ray. THe 1019 has a fourth HDMI input...
 
#34 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gate1975mlm /forum/post/16731373


If I plug in my Cable DVR box with HDMI, PS3 with HDMI and a VCR with the Red,White and Yellow cables into the Pioneer VSX-919AH-K will I be able too just run one HDMI into the TV and be able to get Sound aswell?

Do you mean will you get sound from the TV or receiver?


It will definitely work for through the Receiver. Video will be converted to HDMI...


As far as I can tell from scouring the manual, the only way to get audio out of the receiver and to a TV is through the HDMI connection, and only if the HDMI setting is changed from AMP to THROUGH.


I can't tell if this will convert the analog inputs from something like a VCR to digital for output through the HDMI cable...


Why not use the receiver all the time though?
 
#37 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by IgorJeri /forum/post/16735808


Hi


What is the benefit of the 1019 upscalling over the 919? Is it worth the extra ££ for this feature?


I am receiving a Kuro 500A and want to make the best of it, should I rather go for the 1019 for the upscalling of SD ?

The 1019 has an extra HDMI input , additional Coax Digital audio input, and the Video upscaling. The Video upscaling is only a benefit if you use 480i/480p sources, and if your TV doesn't do a good job of scaling.


WIth a KURO 500A, you would be fine with the 919.


I have a VSX-919 that I use with my KRP-500M, and it works great. I have a 480p DVD player, and the KURO scales that perfectly.


For me, it would come down to how much the extra cost was, and if I needed the extra input.


If I wanted to spend more money, I would look at the entry level Elite receiver (VSX-01TX?)...
 
#40 ·
Been a silent AVS member for awhile now. I purchased the VSX-919 a couple weeks ago after shopping the $400-$600 arena for about a year...Couldn't resist speaking out about its tremendous value.


I chose this receiver to complete my new home theatre installation (52" Aquos/Paradigm) and couldn't be happier. It has no problem driving my Paradigm Studio system with decent clarity at healthy volumes. Anyone would be hard pressed to match this receiver's features for anywhere close to its price.


Pros:

7.1 TrueHD/DTS-HD

3x HDMI Repeating

Composite/component analog to HDMI out

Zone 2 Audio

MCACC (works VERY well)

Digital IPod Interface with GUI control (yes, it bypasses the IPod's DAC)

USB drive interface (powers/plays my 320Gig HD of WAV/MP3)

6 Ohm load stable


Cons:

480i to 480p only (tho hardly needed anymore as 1080 becomes standard)

Runs warm (haven't heard the internal fan tho)

Remote operation is a tad cumbersome (Harmony fixed that)


I wouldn't be surprised if this receiver is crowned this years best buy...and quite possibly dethrones the Onkyo 606 and Yamaha 663/6160 (upscaling aside). I think Pioneer is breaking new ground...mid-level features for an entry-level price. I WOULD be surprised to hear of any disappointed owners.
 
#41 ·
How does the voice dialogue sound? is it good and clear in movies? do you often find yourself having to turn it up when ppl are speaking low?

Quote:
Originally Posted by (((Stereo))) /forum/post/16781610


Been a silent AVS member for awhile now. I purchased the VSX-919 a couple weeks ago after shopping the $400-$600 arena for about a year...Couldn't resist speaking out about its tremendous value.


I chose this receiver to complete my new home theatre installation (52" Aquos/Paradigm) and couldn't be happier. It has no problem driving my Paradigm Studio system with decent clarity at healthy volumes. Anyone would be hard pressed to match this receiver's features for anywhere close to its price.


Pros:

7.1 TrueHD/DTS-HD

3x HDMI Repeating

Composite/component analog to HDMI out

Zone 2 Audio

MCACC (works VERY well)

Digital IPod Interface with GUI control (yes, it bypasses the IPod's DAC)

USB drive interface (powers/plays my 320Gig HD of WAV/MP3)

6 Ohm load stable


Cons:

480i to 480p only (tho hardly needed anymore as 1080 becomes standard)

Runs warm (haven't heard the internal fan tho)

Remote operation is a tad cumbersome (Harmony fixed that)


I wouldn't be surprised if this receiver is crowned this years best buy...and quite possibly dethrones the Onkyo 606 and Yamaha 663/6160 (upscaling aside). I think Pioneer is breaking new ground...mid-level features for an entry-level price. I WOULD be surprised to hear of any disappointed owners.
 
#42 ·
I have been looking at getting the 919. I am not an audiophile, but I do have:


42" HD TV

DVD player

IPOD

DirecTV (HD)

No game player (but might in future)

No BluRay (but might in future)


I have TWO Paradigm Mini Monitor V.3 speakers.


I am getting 2 additional speakers for the patio (for a 2nd zone)


My reasons for my interest in the 919 are:

-Easy video switching, and only one cable to the TV

-Multi-zone capability (ability to listen to different sources in main room vs patio)

-Good Price


My question is whether the 919 will work well with just 2 speakers in the main room. Is there is better option for me?
 
#43 ·
does the 819 upscale through hdmi? i'll be using my 360 for this mostly. i currently have more dvds than bds so...




nevermind, i just looked and it doesn't. i've already made the purchase though. i'm curious to know if the 360 upscales my dvds, will going through the receiver have an affect on that?
 
#44 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by (((Stereo))) /forum/post/16781610


Been a silent AVS member for awhile now. I purchased the VSX-919 a couple weeks ago after shopping the $400-$600 arena for about a year...Couldn't resist speaking out about its tremendous value....


Pros:
USB drive interface (powers/plays my 320Gig HD of WAV/MP3).....

Stereo, thanks for posting. Finally someone has hooked an HD to the USB port. I am very interested in your experience.


Drive brand and model? It's great that it will power a drive.


I wasn't aware it played WAV. Have you tried it with WMA files?


How does the on-screen display look/work? Can you set up a playlist? (mostly entire albums for me).


Can you switch from the on-screen display without messing up the music? I often have sports on without sound while listening to music, so could I do that or even turn the TV off once the music is playing?


Will it play lossless at all? I recall the manual states something like 192 WMA or 320 MP3 or less, but it doesn't hurt to try



Doug
 
#45 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Taperwood /forum/post/16787294


Stereo, thanks for posting. Finally someone has hooked an HD to the USB port. I am very interested in your experience.


Drive brand and model? It's great that it will power a drive.


I wasn't aware it played WAV. Have you tried it with WMA files?


How does the on-screen display look/work? Can you set up a playlist? (mostly entire albums for me).


Can you switch from the on-screen display without messing up the music? I often have sports on without sound while listening to music, so could I do that or even turn the TV off once the music is playing?


Will it play lossless at all? I recall the manual states something like 192 WMA or 320 MP3 or less, but it doesn't hurt to try



Doug


It powered my Western Digital 2.5" 320Gig Passport no problem. The on screen display is a folder/file view. Not all that different than MS File Explorer. Took a few minutes initially to scan the drive with my 30,000+ audio files.


Not sure if it plays playlists, although I don't recall noticing...doubt it. If your albums are sorted by folders (like mine), it plays through it.


Since its an input option (IPod/USB), you can't select/assign an alternate video source at the same time. You can definately turn off the TV to simply listen only...The LCD text matrix displays your artist/title playing.


No FLAC, but it plays WAV...I converted lossless FLAC files back to WAV and they sound great. You can't beat digital direct WAV playback for SQ. All MP3 bitrates work fine. Haven't tried WMA as I don't have any. Since it digitally interfaces with my 80Gig IPod, lossless ALAC files also sound very good.
 
#46 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalman42 /forum/post/16782709


How does the voice dialogue sound? is it good and clear in movies? do you often find yourself having to turn it up when ppl are speaking low?

That may depend on your center channel's sensitivity. However, after running the receiver's auto calibration, voice dialogue on my system sounds natural and well balanced amidst L/R channel effects. I do not have to turn up the volume for quiet dialogue. In fact, my wife commented last weekend about how "theatre like" it now sounded (and she RARELY says anything meaningful regarding technology).
 
#47 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan withaY /forum/post/16726598


Last weekend I exchanged my VSX-819 at BB for the VSX-919. My main reason was for the perceived issue with the loss in video quality using the HDMI in/out. I thought that I was seeing things until a read about it in the 819 thread; so I tested it myself.

It was true, I ran my Blue Ray and my HTPC direct to my projector with the same cables and the image was noticeably better and motion was smoother. When I got the 919 I re-ran my test and the images and motion looked identical to my eyes, the way that HD should look like.


On Pioneers website it shows that the 919 has PureCinema video processing (true 24fps) where the 819 does not. All I know is now is that both the BR and the HTPC images look superb running through the 919. The sound is pretty frickin' good too.



I like.

excellent point. your preceived issue was indeed an issue as far as pq goes. i bought the 519 as it served ALL my audio and connectivity needs but i couldnt help but to think i was getting less than stellar video performance. then i looked on the website and saw (like you did) that the 519 nor the 819 support 24fps, whereas the others do. i was kind of perplexed as to why they would have a reciever that would not pass a feature that is very important to blue ray viewing!!


i took mine back and got the denon 1910. denon's entire line support 24fps and they state it.. sometimes these avr options are like buying a new car, you have to get the sunroof with the nice alloy rims even though you dont really want/need the sunroof. i didnt really need all the bells and whistles of the denon but absolutely needed the blu ray support so i went for it...
 
#48 ·
pleasantonman -- Yes, it will work just fine with only 2 channels output (Front L/R). Any 5.1 channel or 7.1 chanel AVR will work just fine for stereo (2 channel) service. The unused channels can be just set to Off.
 
#49 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by (((Stereo))) /forum/post/16787868


It powered my Western Digital 2.5" 320Gig Passport no problem. The on screen display is a folder/file view. Not all that different than MS File Explorer. Took a few minutes initially to scan the drive with my 30,000+ audio files.


Not sure if it plays playlists, although I don't recall noticing...doubt it. If your albums are sorted by folders (like mine), it plays through it.


Since its an input option (IPod/USB), you can't select/assign an alternate video source at the same time. You can definately turn off the TV to simply listen only...The LCD text matrix displays your artist/title playing.


No FLAC, but it plays WAV...I converted lossless FLAC files back to WAV and they sound great. You can't beat digital direct WAV playback for SQ. All MP3 bitrates work fine. Haven't tried WMA as I don't have any. Since it digitally interfaces with my 80Gig IPod, lossless ALAC files also sound very good.


when you convert the flac files to wav are they still lossless? Can you hear much diff in sq between high bitrate mp3 and lossless?
 
#50 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalman42 /forum/post/16788895


when you convert the flac files to wav are they still lossless? Can you hear much diff in sq between high bitrate mp3 and lossless?

Converting FLAC to WAV will still result in a lossless file and no degradation of SQ. The only difference is the WAV will be much larger as it isn't compressed and decompressed on the fly like FLAC.


IMO, it isn't a night and day difference between a 320 MP3 and Lossless, but it's there.
 
#51 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by (((Stereo))) /forum/post/16787868


It powered my Western Digital 2.5" 320Gig Passport no problem. The on screen display is a folder/file view. Not all that different than MS File Explorer. Took a few minutes initially to scan the drive with my 30,000+ audio files.


Not sure if it plays playlists, although I don't recall noticing...doubt it. If your albums are sorted by folders (like mine), it plays through it.


Since its an input option (IPod/USB), you can't select/assign an alternate video source at the same time. You can definately turn off the TV to simply listen only...The LCD text matrix displays your artist/title playing.


No FLAC, but it plays WAV...I converted lossless FLAC files back to WAV and they sound great. You can't beat digital direct WAV playback for SQ. All MP3 bitrates work fine. Haven't tried WMA as I don't have any. Since it digitally interfaces with my 80Gig IPod, lossless ALAC files also sound very good.

Thanks. I appreciate it. Bummer that you can't switch the TV to "TV" and watch something while music is playing.


As playlists go, are you saying you can only select one album folder at a time to play, or can you select multiple folders and play them consecutively? Like you would at a party or something.
 
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