Pioneer SC-1222-K Anyone? - Page 2

This is kinda what i am trying to get to the bottom of. I will just have to play with it and see what I think.

I ordered the SC-1222 on Monday from newegg with a $50 promo...so $549.

Also have a TXNR818 on the way from B&H Photovideo. Backordered at present ($699 Cyber Monday deal). I plan to audition them both and then pay the restocking fee on one. Or sell it.

Upgrading from an RX-V2095. That's right. I'm moving into the hi-tech world of, among other things, component video inputs!

Just picked one up at the deal Newegg had going a few days back. Really like the sound. Much better than the Yamaha it replaced. Much better with movies and music and much more profound from the center channel.
If i upgrade the firmware will it erase all my setttings and what will the upgrade give that i dont have now? Thanks.

here's the changelog. probably nothing 'monumental', but you never know what's contained in "other improvement." mine will be here from Newegg today. Might have to go home early!!!

CHANGE HISTORY:

Ver 1-189-084-018-152
- Firmware Update for Pandora Subscribers
- iPod nano connectivity improvement.
- Other improvement.

Note:
- The setting for Favorite, Account information(SiriusXM/Pandora), BT pairing and Airjam reset to the factory
default after the update.Write down these settings before the update as they may need to be set up again.
- This version is not available via the Internet.
Please use an update file which is downloaded from PIONEER website. And please download via USB memory to
update your receiver to the latest version.

Ver 1-189-084-018-122
- Support HTC Connect
- Other improvement.

Tried this update twice but get "update error 6". Re-downloaded files, unzipped, put only these files on memory stick, still same error. Previous internet update was fine.

^^did u format stick?

Yes, the files were copied to the USB stick. Is there a specific formatting that is required (NTFS, FAT32,)? Has the USB update worked for anyone?

^^
FAT32 or FAT16. The directions are specific about it has to be FAT.

and yes, quite a few have successfully updated, including me, I used the file the morning after they were available on the website. Mine was a PNY 8 GB drive, other posters have said they used 512 MB, 4 GB, 8 and 16 GB.

make sure you delete ALL files and folders from the drive, format it as FAT32 and copy the extracted bin files onto the drive without the folder or zip file, just the 7 files. see if that works for you. if not, try a smaller drive or different mfg.
Edited by ss9001 - 12/16/12 at 6:17pm

Well, success. It was the memory stick. I had bought a 8GB Sandisk at Staples that didn't work, even after reformatting FAT32.( It works as a disk on my PC just fine.) But, my daughter's Hello Kitty one worked first time.

I am glad it will not reset my MCACC settings! I have had the receiver since October and love it.

OMG same here... I spent 2 hours with various "quality" usb drives and always got the "error 6" message... However when i took my sons skateboard usb drive ($5 drive) it worked on the first try... I guess we are all getting too smart for ourselves. I am posting this so you may save some frustration. Pioneer SC-61 and love it!!!

I've been looking at this AVR for a while now. I can't make up my mind yet. I'm in between this and Denon 2113 / 2313. Does Pandora work? Does it let you use the sub while using Pandora? And how's the iPhone app.

Pandora should work as Pioneer posted a recent firmware update:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Pandora

Someone also posted here about the power cord not sitting firmly into the back socket. i am getting that same issue but does not seem to interfere with the operation.

MY PRELIMINARY RATING: 3.75 out of 5

i've got mine hooked up. i like it. not completely overwhelmed, but i do like it. by the end of the weekend i will decide whether to keep or not.

mcacc pretty much measured my speakers accurately to the inch which was impressive. seemed to do a nice job of setting up the room as well.
i don't like the 'volume up' action with the remote. it's slow....too gradual in my opinion. surprisingly, i actually like the remote, with a few exceptions. sometimes i have found myself hitting a button only to find i haven't hit RECEIVER first. next thing you know the source has changed and i am scrambling to re-config everything. this is especially annoying if you are listening via DLNA and you have to reconnect to the media server and browse back to the song you were playing.

the DLNA implementation is actually better than my Panasonic bluray player (DMP-BDT110) similar, but slightly better. Also, Flac files stream nicely and sound really good.

the volume control with airplay is a bit dodgy. if you aren't careful, you will end up with melted voice coils and screaming babies. audio resolution is pretty good though.

it is difficult to tell in some situations if you have unknowingly affected your MCACC settings. you can....say....jump to your MCACC 3 settings, then add an effect of front wide or something, and i am not sure exactly how adding these different effects or enhancements affects MCACC if at all. there also seem to be 2 or 3 places to change the MCACC setting, which can be confusing. not to mention the integration of MCACC with Direct, PureDirect etc. there are 15 footnotes in the manual for when each of these is set, and the myriad effects it has.

one of my biggest gripes is that the audio and video parameters and effects are not integrated with the on-screen menu, which i find absurd. there is a TON of fine tuning you can do with the surround sound, but i can't do it from my viewing spot, because i can't read the LCD!!

another big gripe? USB port in the front only. i would love to plug in a portable HD with a copy of my music BEHIND the receiver. the only one is behind the front door which means the door must be kept open.

one of the main reasons i got this model was the ability to remote control with an iphone. i have an old iphone 3 i rebuilt and wanted to use. as of yet, i am completely unable to connect to the receiver with the AV control software. i get various errors both on my Droid and the iphone. after an hour-plus of troubleshooting, and the 2 star google play/app store rating, I consider the function 'broken'. i am a network engineer. it is not a network issue. and i did enable the network standby mode. googled the errors. they are very common. not acceptable. ESPECIALLY for all the Apple sales propaganda (tech glitch? the HORROR!) in fairness, the same thing happens on my HTC. but droid is SUPPOSED to be glitchy, right ?

i printed and bound the manual as a flip book in landscape format, which i definitely recommend for quick reference. it's a TON of information.

i wish there was a toggle button to turn on HDMI sound passthrough. the system doesn't need to be on fully when my kid is watching iCarly. i wish for an easy way to have the system compensate for the particular viewer and their skills. perhaps i am asking too much but a 9 year old (who can work the hell out of VOD) can't be expected to get into a sub-menu and change the HDMI audio so that it passes through to the TV. looks like the only option is to use the Stereo full time for sound.

vs my 12 year old Yamaha receiver ($1600 MSRP at the time), the receiver has not done much for the 'quality' of the sound. the power and (obviously subjectively judged) "fullness" of the 110wpc yamaha was similar if not superior, especially for music. BUT, the Yammie was only sporting the S-video jacks!! Didn't even do component video, LOL!. BluRay and cinematic sound effects etc DO sound better on the pioneer, but only marginally. i would say when watching something like Homeland in 5.1, the differences are extremely minimal with a slight nod going to the Pioneer, which definitely has more of a finely tuned "cinematic" sound, which definitely sounds nice! I am decently impressed with the HT aspects of the unit. my main gripes are with the stuff that is HARD to do (see above).

Prior to ordering the SC-1222, i'd already ordered a TXNR818 from B&H for a great price when the deal with Newegg came out. it was backordered 3 weeks. i kept the order in place, and the Onkyo will be here tonight. i am going to audition them side by side and keep the one i like the best.

i think for the $549 this Pioneer cost me, it's a good value and a nice/functional receiver. again...not overwhelmed, but maybe i am expecting too much. if I spent any more money than i did on either of these, and still had the issues i am having, i would be really upset. However, i betcha i'd be having the EXACT same gripes with a $1500 Elite model.

if there is/are any specific points of comparison anyone would like assessed between the two units, please let me know. i will do the bulk of the 2nd audition this weekend and will make my decision then. with the advent of Onkyo's add-on airplay unit, i am thinking that this could come down to which has the better on-screen display and whose software/controlability works as advertised. My early money is still on the Pioneer, due mainly to the price diff of $150 (plus some if i add airplay to the Onkyo). the onkyo will really have to impress me to knock the pioneer out.
Edited by Russianblue - 12/18/12 at 8:36am

also, the primary "subwoofer problems" are not really PROBLEMS per se. the BIGGEST problem is the setup software that comes with the Pioneer and tells you how to hook up everything. it told me to plug the sub into the WRONG JACK!!!! there are 3 subwoofer jacks on the back. the hookup program told me to use the one under Zone 2 out, when i actually needed to use the one under Pre-Out. that only took me an hour or two to figure out, after messing with every known setting in speaker setup etc.



the other 'sub problem' is lack of understanding.

if you want your sub on no matter what, end of story, no matter how bad i makes the system sound, change the sub setting to PLUS. it'll make your MCACC settings moot. it'll likely make things sound muddy as hell without some additional tuning etc. but it'll go boom for sure.

I've read mix reports about the phone app working. I bought the VSX-1022-k, and after 8 hours of testing, I ended up returning it. Pioneer came up with a new firmware that was supposed to fix this issue along with the Pandora issue. However, after reading more and more reviews such as your I am officially removing this AVR from my list.

So, I'm still looking at the Denon's and Yamaha's AVR's.

well, in a somewhat 'stunning' turn of events, i have decided to keep the Pioneer and return the Onkyo TXNR818. The Onkyo beat the pioneer in fit and finish, on-screen display, remote (by a long shot), overall flexibility and functionality....but fell WOEFULLY short in THE one primary area that counts.

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> POWER! <

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(and resulting sound quality). i don't get it frankly. the Pioneer is rated at 120wpc @ 8ohm compared to the Onkyo's 135wpc.

maybe it's the Class D amplification. i think the Pioneer can output 600w at a time, while the Onkyo can only output 300 or something. Hell i don't know. all i do know is that the two amps sounded entirely different. i re-ran the Audyessy setup and MCACC. i tweaked every setting back and forth. maybe it was MCACC outperforming Audyssey. maybe it is my particular room setup and speakers. maybe it is a lack of refinement in my listening tastes. all i know is that it wasn't even close.

for the price, i'm not gonna sweat it. i can't stand how you can't change most of the audio/video tuning on the Pioneer OSD. it's kinda maddening. but after printing the user manual, i have figured out how to do it from the LCD.

anyway, i watched the Dark Knight Rises with both. You know at the end, when Robin is in the bat cave and rises up on the platform and orchestra comes in with Buuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh, Baahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh famous Batman Music? THAT's where you hear the difference. Well, and the dialogue is more crisp and the surround details are better.

iPod app still broken, but oh well. whatever misgivings i might have, i will keep going back to the price, which makes the whole thing go down much more easily! Onkyo being returned to B&H later this week. if anyone is interested in it, let me know. i got it for a great price, and would discount it even more if the buyer is paying shipping.

Interesting..... I've been looking at the Pioneer SC-1222-K, Onkyo TX-NR818, Denon 2313/3313 CI and Yamaha RX-A820/1020 receivers.

For the money and feature set, the Onkyo 818 and Pioneer 1222-K are tough to beat. The issue with the Onkyo is their 24p (23.976) video conversion bug that looks like it will never be fixed and the Pioneer 1222-K's lack of a 12v trigger. Although I won't be setting up initially with an external amp, a 12v trigger for future expansion would be nice. Whats odd is the Pioneer SC-61 Elite which is basically the same receiver/same MSRP, includes the 12v trigger but, typically runs around $250 higher than the 1222.

I'd really like to get the Denon 3313CI but it's a little more than I want to go and Denon seems to be having quality control issues recently. It would run me about $350 - $400 more for the 3313Ci over the Pio 1222 so it may be back in the running after reading you review.

I haven't had a chance to see or play with the Yamaha's in person so.......

I do have a question since you were able to compare the Pioneer 1222 and Onkyo directly on your setup. Withstanding the available wattage issue, did you notice much difference between the two when it came to the Audyssey XT(32) being able to EQ your sub? I really seem to be fixated on wanting Audyssey with sub EQ but, is it really going to make that much of an improvement in sound? I've completely ruled out the Onkyo 818 which leaves me spending much more on Denon just to get Audyssey XT over Pioneers MCACC........ Thoughts??

habe

I'm looking at this receiver as several other people are. I just have a couple questions for those of you that own the receiver. I have been reading the manual and playing around with the Pioneer app. My question is, when watching a movie with a 5.1 set-up, what does the virtual height/width/depth do? Will the disc still play the lossless format and recreate sound? Or will the receiver say Virtual??? I know it may sound like an odd question. I'm trying to choose between this and the Marantz 5007. BTW, I'm coming from a HK 354.

What ever DSP mode your in will be displayed on the app and front AVR display.

The front height, wide and SB virtual mode is just that. It expands the soundstage using your exsisting speakers to make it seem like you have the additional speakers. It actual works pretty good IMHO.

One word of caution with the Emphasis and Balance control funtion of the app. Messed with those out of curosity one day. Later was watching Terminator 2 and was strugling to hear vocals at times. But the surrounds were hot. Darn they sure were aggressive with the surronds on the mix. The next day i was listening to some music. It just didnt sound crisp and clear as previously. Then i found out that when you make changes in the Emphasis and Balance modes that when you exit it retains those settings. There is a reset that puts iit back to the original MCCAC calabrated settings. Did that and it sounds awesome again.

Bought from Newegg today, 549 is a steal!

Just ordered the Pioneer SC-1222K on Newegg for $550 as well and wanted to know if I could use WNCE2001 by NETGEAR vs Pioneer's wifi AS-BT200 adapter?

FWIW, I am using a Netgear wn2000rpt as a bridge to connect my 1222 to our network. It appears to be functioning properly. The network-related problems I'm seeing are likely not being caused by the bridge itself.

1) Pandora error--known issue. I have not yet updated the firmware on the 1222.
2) Airplay dropouts--again a known issue with airplay in general. I notice that when my ipad is close to the receiver playback is rock solid. Doesn't make much sense (my router is in a different room altogether and in the opposite direction).
3) DLNA playback doesn't work--but I see my DLNA devices and can browse my music files without a problem.
4) Internet radio stopped working after performing flawlessly. Now I just get a 'server error' message.

Interested to hear what others might be experiencing.

Wow, paid 550 2 days ago and it is now 1099 at Newegg ! I hope they deliver it.

The price on this AVR goes on sale every couple of weeks. The same goes for Onkyo 818.

Over the last couple of days I have experienced the HDMI handshake concern. Mine worked flawless for over three weeks. Then there must have been a terrible misunderstanding over the toy box dump truck. Cause from what I can figure out my Cisco Explorer 4642 HDC no dvr set top box. Literally gave the finger to my 1222. Sometimes sound no picture or picture and no sound. Then eventually no sound no picture and then the message no device found.

Switched the set top box to a different input hdmi 6. Nope same thing no device found. Tried my Blu ray player it worked flawless. Decided that maybe the set top box was bad. Exchanged it for a new one. They didn't have any hd boxes. So they gave me a Cisco Explorer 8642 HDC DVR. Hooked up new box and now 1222 and its new friend are playing together just fine. Sound and picture with the 1222 turned on thru all the speakers. Turn off the 1222 and the hdmi light goes off and then turns back on in stand by mode. Picture on the tv and sound from the tv speakers only. All connected via hdmi cables. No other cables.

Also attempted to download latest firmware via internet per 1222 on screen menu. Kept getting an update error 7. No idea what that is. No codes in manual. Then tried updating to the latest firmware via pioneers site. Bought a san disk 8 gb usb drive. Tried every way possible, formatting etc.. Would not play well with the 1222. Kept getting an update error 6. Returned the san disk and bought a PNY attache 8 gb usb. The first try, updated the 1222 no problem..

Hope this post helps someone. Its a very nice sounding AVR. Hope that pioneer fixed the hdmi concern with the latest firmware update. Maybe they put two dump trucks in the toy box. : )

Replying to Nuki...you can use the Netgear WNCE 2001. I tried it with our SC-1222, it worked, but it had a weak connection, lost contact with the router often. I replaced it with an Asus EA-66 which has been excellent, strong and steady connection.

Correction -- I use the EA-66 with our Yamaha receiver in the bedroom, works fine with it. I have our SC-1222 connected by Ethernet cable.

Update. So far everything seems to be working fine. No concerns with AVR HDMI connections. The app wouldn't connect this morning. Rebooted IPad and it connected the first time. I had to reboot modem, wireless router, AVR, etc in the past. Cant blame the app for that.

Keep an eye on it. Hopefully the firmware update via usb has corrected the HDMI concerns. My concerns may have been two problems intermittent set top box causing HDMI concerns and the AVR firmware needing to be updated.

Using one for over a month now...no hdmi or anyother issues whatsoever.