Bought a Pioneer Elite VSX-74TXVi today

I just bought a Pioneer Elite VSX-74TXVi today at the Grand Opening of a new "Mini Magnolia" in the local Best Buy for 15% off! I'll be replacing the 56TXi I currently use as a pre/pro. I haven't started swapping them out yet but will tonight.

As a side note, I was impressed by the sales staff of the new Mini-Mag, they were very knowledgeable. I asked a couple of detailed questions such as what version of HDMI did it use and they immediately answered 1.1. They also told me the replacement for the 59AVi universal player is coming out in October.

Well the MCACC is downstairs doing it's thing so here's a couple of initial impressions of the 74TXVi.

The 74TXVi appears to only have a pair of 15000 uf capacitors. Which is surprising and disappointing if the 56TXi has a pair of 27000 uf capacitors. Also, on the back of the 74 is states 530w and 690VA, while the 56TXi says 600W and 780VA. The specs do say "Continuous average power output of 140 watts per channel, at 8 ohms, from 20hz to 20,000 hz with no more than 0.09% total harmonic distortion (front). But each channel is rated for 140 watts. I only use the AVR as a pre/pro with 3 Bryston amps so it's not a big deal to me anyway.

The 74 weighs 41.2 lbs as indicated on the box, and the 56 weighs 51.6 lbs as indicated on the box. The difference in weight is appearant.

Another disappointment is that the 74 has a standard lamp grade fixed power cord while the 56 had a beefy heavy duty removable power cord. I also noticed that the 74 uses alot of black screws except on the back panel it uses copper screws, while the 56 used copper screws all over.

Another issue for me is the 12v trigger is a little quirky. Several times after turning it on/off it flashes 12v Trigger Err and won't turn on my Bryston amps.

There are alot more processing modes than the 56 had, but that's expected since the 74 is THX Select 2. PLIIx Game, THX Music, SCi-FI, Musical, Drama, PhonesSurround, etc.

Overall the sound is clean but I did notice some hiss through the speakers that wasn't there before. It's hard to compare the SQ of the 74 to the 56 cause I only use them as pre/pro's and I'm used to hearing my M&K's driven by Bryston's. I used to use the 56 to drive the M&K's and they sounded good, but the Bryston made them sound better since they're relatively hard to drive and power hungry. I'm going to check all my connections and make sure nothings loose and no power cords are next to connectors. I haven't checked out the professional MCACC yet, but the standard MCACC seems to set the channel levels and speaker distance much faster than the 56 did. The 74 adds standing wave correction and it automatically checks/corrects for reverb and EQ Pro in the standard MCACC whereas the 56 seperated those into the Professional MCACC.

I still need to read the manual and tinker around with it but those were some of my first impressions. While they may negative, keep in mind that negatives are usually the first to stand out at you. The exterior is nice looking, typical Elite finish. The OSD is better looking, you can adjust it''s position on the screen and it's much more robust. It's similar to the 56 TXi but doesn't have the Commadore 64 computer look as bad. The remote is smaller and appears busier. I always liked the 56's remote and programmed it to control everything even my dimmer lights. I liked it better than some of the expensive aftermarket remotes. The MCACC microphone is nicer (LOL) and doesn't need that stupid piece of foam to sit straight.

By the way, the operating instructions are universal and they mention a VSX-74TXVi-S and VSX-72TXV-S as well as the VSX-74TXVi and VSX-72TXV. Anyone know what the "S" stands for or difference is? I couldn't find anything in the manual yet.

I finished setting it up and if you're familiar with current Pioneers/Elite's there won't be any surprises. The MCACC seems like it does it's thing faster. The 56 seemed to take forever to set the channel levels and speaker distances. The 74 does that plus phase correction, standing wave, reverb, and Auto EQ in the same time or less than it took the 56 to just do level/distance, plus it does those automatically without having to go through the Professional menu.

The addition of the standing wave control makes a huge difference and is immediately appearant. I played a techno CD that has alot of repetitive bass around 30-35 hz and the bass was noticeably faster, punchier, and less boomy and muddy compared to the 56. This improvement in itself is almost worth the cost of the upgrade it is that dramatic.

The OSD is better and is easier to use too. As with the previous MCACC version, it still insists on initially setting all the speakers to large, but navigating to manual speaker settings is alot easier and more straighforward.

Curiously, there are a couple of places in the manual where a strip of paper is glued over the page. This is found in the "furnished parts" and "what's in the box" sections. I tried peeling it off to see what was underneath it, but it pulls the paper off too so I can't tell. I wonder if it was the XM antenna? Obviously they decided to exclude something at the last minute after the manual was printed...

I got the 12v trigger thing figured out. After I set all the inputs, even the one's I don't use to turn on the 12v trigger, no more problems. Before if I switched to an input that didn't have the 12v turned on and then switched to a input with the 12v turned on, it would error...

It appears the corrections (stickers covering up certain sections) to the manual are related to iPod funtionality. No big deal to me. Why someone would use an inferior source such as an iPod/mp3 for a $1500 msrp receiver is another discussion...but then again SACD/DVD-A appears to be dead unfortunately.

Anyway a couple of clarifications. The manual states the 74 weighs in at 35.3 lbs versus the 56's 44.8 lbs according to it's manual. Even the 74's manual is lighter, at 86 pages versus the 54's 102 pages....

As for upsampling, yes it's the same as the 56 but without all the fine print about downsampling certain 96khz sources.

All references to headphones mention "PhonesSurround". No mention of Dolby.

My impression right now is that the sound processing is improved and cleaner, more funtionality/geegaws, XM Radio and iPod compatibilities, ALOT more indicators (i.e. the display shows when the subwoofer is actually receiving a signal in addition to it simply being illuminated for x.1 sources), improved MCACC (noticeably, and the 56 was pretty good too) with the phase control, standing wave, etc, 3 video component in, HDMI switching/conversion, 3 zones, etc at the expense of potentially compromised power (if my assessment of the caps are correct and according to what's printed on the back of the receiver, but it's still THX Select 2 certified and 6 ohm compatible) and maybe cheaper construction (fewer copper screws, a little more plastic. I didn't remove the cover I just looked through it along with a flashlight.

A cool feature I was unaware of is that besides having more MCACC memory settings (frequency adjustments for the same listening position), it also allows you to have settings for multiple seating positions, such as if you normally listen on the couch but play video games sitting on the floor closer to the monitor.

I'm excited about having XM, but the antenna is sold seperately. I have XM in my truck and I think a second receiver is only $6.95 more per month.

Answers to questions posted :

I straightened up the connector routing and the hiss went away, the 74 is as dead silent as the 56. I figured that was it as I was in a rush to get it hooked up... like a kid on Christmas morning...

The binding posts are the same as the 56. Good quality and capable of accepting at least 12 guage.

I looked at the capacitors through the case, didn't remove it, using a flashlight to illuminate. The 71v and 15000 was in plain site and compared side to side with the 56 they were physically smaller.

As for headphone it says you can enjoy the same "sound effects" as using the speakers.

I was told, and the way the manual appears to be universal for Elites, this 74 is the top new Elite and the 59TXi is not being replaced.

I thought about the concept of Pioneer designing the new Elites to be pre/pro's but I've got to think those of us who do are the minority.

With regards to the Sub indicator lighting up to indicate actual output, you're right the 56 did too now that I think about it, but it was just a little dot next to the SW whereas the 74 has a larger indicator that stand out more, it looks like (((SW))).

I'll have4 to check the manual for more standing wave control details...