The "Official" Pioneer VSX-1019AH Owner's Thread - Page 11

i don't know what's going on, but i only see the 800 series for about $299 or so. can you send me a direct link to the 1019? i've looked three times and still can't find it on their site

if i'm spending as much as i am on my setup now, i'd rather go ahead and get the up-convert and extra hdmi for another $70 or so. just personal preference. thanks for the heads up on that, tho!

I have the VSX-919, and the picture quality on my 50" KURO is fantastic. It looks identical with or without the receiver.

You are not the only one with issues with the 819 image quality. I would recommend upgrading to the 919. Someone listed a very good price from J&R above this post, and they are an authorized dealer...

At Wally World

thanks. i guess it wasn't showing up since it's out of stock

I got that all figured out last night. I can't beleive that I didn't even notice that there was an optical plug in the Xbox HD Cables. Go figure.

I wouldn't buy any AVR that weighs less than twenty pounds if it cost about $400. Thats twenty bucks a pound , not a good deal in my book..

Originally Posted by jayinla

One quick question, when receiving PCM from the PS3, the 1019 does and should say "PCM". Is there anyway to change the display to at least maybe showing the input rather then the code?


I have seen this a few times and my receiver was always showing PCM....until last night!

I have had a 5.1 system for many years, after getting on this forum I decided to go 7.1. Last night I hooked up the extra two speakers and reran MCACC. Now all of my blu ray movies display ---
{Dolby Digital symbol}+ Pro Logic IIx Movie

I rechecked that the audio was on AUTO Surround. What gives? I didnt change my PS3 settings at all. Is this good or not? Should it say PCM like it did before?

It just means that it is using PLIIx to convert your PCM signals to 7.1 sound. If you selected 'direct' you would still show PCM.

Wow, thanks for the fast response.....again

Which one do I choose? Which sounds better?

It was Online, I went to get the link today and I could not find it, I look in the browser history and when I found the page it is "Out of Stock".
"/catalog/product.do?product_id=11064253"

Tampa, Florida.

That is for you to decide. Personally, I prefer Neo:6 for music oriented programs (including movies with a lot of soundtrack) and PLII for more dialogue based programs. For me, PLII just seems to do a better job with the center channel and Neo:6 does a better job with L/R and surrounds. It's all personal taste though so I'd just play around to find what makes you happy.

Thanks for your responses, great help guys. Looks like I may be upgrading to the 919h.

Ok, I will try that but do I choose direct? Auto Surround? or manually choose the PLII or NEO6?

Whichever sounds best to you. Here's what happens under each scenario:

Direct: takes whatever you feed it (PCM, TrueHD, 2 CH Stereo, etc.) and spits out that exact feed with any adjustments you have in the AVR (i.e., bass management, EQ, etc.).

Pure Direct: essentially the same as above but this turns off all of the AVR adjustments. This is the purest representation of source material but it may or may not sound good (which is why we have all of those 'tweaking' options and MCACC and other features).

Auto/Standard Surround: this can apply a surround mode for your set up. If you have a 7.1 setup and feed a 5.1 PCM source it can apply an algorithm to take those 5.1 channels and create 2 new surround back channels. Different algorithms (PLIIx, Neo:6, Neural THX) will produce different sound quality but all do essentially the same thing. None is inherently 'better' it totally depends upon your personal taste.

I have been looking at the 1019 on several online retailers and have noticed that several of them have added $50.00 to the list price on Pioneer's web site and then marked it down to slightly below Pioneer's list. They are then advertising that you are saving over $50.00. One site shows the correct list price then tells you to add it to your cart for the sale price which is $.06 less. Isn't it illegal or at least unethical to lie about the list price? Why doesn't Pioneer do something these dealers are misrepresenting their products? These are dealers from Pioneer's list of legit dealers. This pricing is on all of the new AVRs.

Thanks,
Tom

I just setup my 1019 and Pioneer Plasma (111-FD) thru HDMI. Also connected my DVR, Dish VIP-622 thru HDMI. I notice though that when I turn ON my system and tuning to an HD chanell, everything is fine. But when I change channel to a non-HD channel, no sound is coming out of the receiver. Either I have to turn off the receiver or the TV.

I turned off the Kuro link but it didn't help. Anyone had this issue? Thanks.

When you turn off the receiver or TV and turn them back on, does the audio for the SD channel come back? If so, that sounds like an HDMI handshake issue.

Does your DVR support an optical output? You might try that, and use signal select on the receiver to select the optical input (DIGITAL?). That might work.

Hi all, new here...great forum!!

I just found this unit online for $386.45 with free shipping at Ibuydigital.com. Here's the URL, http ://www.ibuydigital.com/product/?55543&camp_id=209 (being new, I can't post URLs until after my 3rd post so please remove the space after http).

I don't know anything about this retailer, so buyer beware.


I have a question regarding the HDMI handshake issue. Could the problem also be a HDMI revision issue. I'm assuming the 1019 is equipped with HDMI rev 1.3, correct? Is it possible that the component you are trying to connect to the receiver is of an older HDMI rev? According to wikipedia (I know, not the greatest source), "Consumer Electronic Control (CEC) has been in the HDMI specification since version 1.0 but only began to be used in CE products with HDMI version 1.3a." So, is it possible some "older" components may not be compatible to CEC?

It's not showing up anymore if you search for it.

rvfav

I've heard of this from someone on the Directv forum and they switched HDMI cables and the problem went away. I have the same problem but haven't switched HDMI cables yet, but if I switch to another input on the 1019 and then switch back the sound is there. If I'm tuned to a non-HD channel when I turn everything off the next time I turn everything on again and switch to an HD channel the sound won't be there. So I'm pretty sure it's an HDMI handshake that might be solved changing to a 1.3a HDMI cable.

that's correct. when i turn the TV or the receiver off/on, the sound from SD channels can be heard. is there a way to work around this without using the optical cable for sound, it just defeats the purpose of using hdmi for simplicity.


i thought there's a setting I can do on the receiver to make this work. i'm not sure if changing the hdmi cables will help but i only have those eforcity hdmi cables from amazon ($1+) but had no problems connecting the DVR direct to the TV before. how does one know if the cable is 1.3 or 1.3a compliant? Also the Echostar DVR (VIP-622) from Dish I believe is not 1.3a compliant (supporting HD audio or Deepcolor). I guess it's more of an incompatibility and perhaps the VIP-622 needs to be upgraded.

http://www.audioholics.com/education...g-hdmi-ver-1.3

Hey Everyone,

Long time reader here. I just picked up this receiver and only have 2 speakers. What's the best way to connect them? I ask because I have my Sony LCD plugged in via HDMI and it sounds like the volume fluctuates a little especially on commercials. Is there some setting I need to change to keep the volume constant?

Thanks!
Chris

Sorry, forgot to mention, my video source (also connected via HDMI) is a Comcast (Motorola) DCH 3416

Hi everyone, first off let me say i'm brand new to audio equiptment so bear with me.

My question is about a VSX-819h. Im not sure if the 1019 has this feature or not but i hope someone can help.

When i select the STANDARD button for the surround sound, everything seems to work fine, however when i select anyone of the ADV SURR button options (advanced surround effects, for action, drama, advanced game etc...) , all the speakers seem to work at the same time and the sound has an echo effect to it, similar to being in a barrel.

I've tried everthing i can think of and nothing has worked, not sure if im doing something wrong or maybe its defective, hopefully someone has an idea.

thanks for the help, M

That may sound like what a troll may say to a newbe. But some of the new crop of AVRs in the $400 range have losted a few pounds Pioneer 1018 to 1019 , and the yamaha 663 to 665 , just to name a few . Onkyo and denon are still in their same weigth class. What does that all mean, the amp section still has balls basicly and music will sound clear . The marketing people use high THD levels about ten times more THD to keep the wattage figures level with units in the price range , but this is an old trick from the 70's.. Please don't hate me cause I pointed this out !! Overall the pioneer may work for you, but for about the same money you could get better ..

In case you missed the link a few pages back, here's a review from CNET:

http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers...?tag=mncol;lst

Specifically note the first paragraph under Audio Performance, "The VSX-1019AH's sounds better than any $500 receiver we can think of. Looking over our notes for last year's Pioneer VSX-1018AH review, the two are similar, but the new receiver sounds like it has more guts and oomph, despite the fact that it weighs almost 10 pounds less."

Technology these days is amazing

Yes in deed, this did get very high marks from the reveiwer. For video they pick to compare to the onkyo 607 which only does 1080i and for audio they pick on the yamaha 665 (HA Ha ha ). To say they picked there battles wisely would be a understatement for sure . But overall at less than $400 with some really nice features , usb, gui . It looks like a winner, If only had pre-outs and ac outlets..
The world wide score card for AVRs in the low to mid price range clearly now puts yamaha on the bottom !!!!!

Got a question regarding the iPod cable that comes with the 1019.

I believe the 1/8" headphone jack on the iPod is amp'd, correct? Since the included iPod cable connects via the 30 pin connector on the bottom of the iPod would this be a pre-amp output?

Also, on a side note. I read some where that the 4th & 5th generation iPods utilizes a Wolfson DAC chip. Is this true?

EDIT: Never mind regarding the Wolfson DAC question. I just found some sources online that validates this claim. Thanks anyway.

toomuchtv,

The key question is how often will the extra amp oomph! matter for the majority of owners? I would contend that most of the time, it won't. It's a non-issue for most.

Now, if you've got difficult speakers to drive, play them very loud in a larger room, by all means, amp power w/lower distortion should be an elevated concern and a key purchasing consideration. But a blanket statement along the lines of "the amp section is gutted therefore you should avoid", is not very good advice either, especially if a potential user doesn't require a ton of amp power and there are new features that might have real usefulness to them in the so-called "gutted" lighter, new receiver.

In the case of the vsx-1019, better ipod/iphone versatility and user-friendliness, multi-channel ALC control, among a couple other new upgrades. Now, if none of those matter to a person AND they want to play it safe and have a more powerful amp 'just in case', by all means, a previous generation pioneer, yamaha, etc., might be warranted.

In other words, sweeping generalizations are not helpful. It could scare off someone for whom this receiver might be the best choice.