Sorry for the multiple posts here... I am in the market for a new AVR and I have been researching the hell out of two models, the Pioneer 1021 and the Denon 1912, and I am going around in circles. I currently do not have a home theater. I just ordered a set of Pioneer SP-PK21BS speakers for $400. My TV is a 52in HD Samsung (about 2 years old and was $1500 new - has a really great picture). The AVR will mostly be used for tv/movie viewing, but it will also be used for music. At first I was very interested in having AirPlay, but it seems like AirPlay has been a little quirky and there are other ways to get the music through the amp, so I am less concerned with that. I also wanted Pandora on the AVR, but I just realized that I can get Pandora through my blue-ray player.
The room that will have the AVR is 12x23 with 7 ft ceilings. The devices that will be going through the AVR are a Motorola HD Cable box, a Sony Blue-Ray player, and a Wii. An X-box or PS3 may be added later in the year. Also, I may add a Roku or an Apple TV.
I have a max price point of $600. I have three main priorities in an AVR:
1. I want a good match for the speakers. The specs say they are 6ohms, so I want to make sure that the amp is appropriate for these speakers.
2. I don't want the AVR to lesson my picture quality. I have read some reviews that seem to indicate that the Denon made HD look worse than running the cable box directly to the TV, while the Pioneer made it look better. Not sure if either of these statements are true, but I don't want to have any degradation in picture quality.
3. I want good sound. I don't have real discerning ears, so I won't notice minor differences, but I want strong, accurate sound. For the most part, I will not be cranking up the volume, but if I do, I want the amp to be able to rise to the occasion.
Please let me know what AVR is should be considering. I have mentioned the Pio 1021 and the Denon 1912, but suggestions do not need to be limited to these two. I am leaning towards sticking with these two, but I would like to know if there are others that I need to bring into the mix.
To summarize, I am less concerned with the bells and whistles (i.e., Pandora/airplay), I just want a strong sounding AVR that won't hurt the picture quality.
The room that will have the AVR is 12x23 with 7 ft ceilings. The devices that will be going through the AVR are a Motorola HD Cable box, a Sony Blue-Ray player, and a Wii. An X-box or PS3 may be added later in the year. Also, I may add a Roku or an Apple TV.
I have a max price point of $600. I have three main priorities in an AVR:
1. I want a good match for the speakers. The specs say they are 6ohms, so I want to make sure that the amp is appropriate for these speakers.
2. I don't want the AVR to lesson my picture quality. I have read some reviews that seem to indicate that the Denon made HD look worse than running the cable box directly to the TV, while the Pioneer made it look better. Not sure if either of these statements are true, but I don't want to have any degradation in picture quality.
3. I want good sound. I don't have real discerning ears, so I won't notice minor differences, but I want strong, accurate sound. For the most part, I will not be cranking up the volume, but if I do, I want the amp to be able to rise to the occasion.
Please let me know what AVR is should be considering. I have mentioned the Pio 1021 and the Denon 1912, but suggestions do not need to be limited to these two. I am leaning towards sticking with these two, but I would like to know if there are others that I need to bring into the mix.
To summarize, I am less concerned with the bells and whistles (i.e., Pandora/airplay), I just want a strong sounding AVR that won't hurt the picture quality.
