[BINAP]

Hello,

I was hoping I might get some impressions on the 507 and the 49TXi. I am trying to decide between the two for a Rocket 5.1 set up. I have read a fair amount on the 49TXi, but I have yet to read any reviews on the 507. I know a few people on these boards have received them and I was hoping that one of you guys might chime in with your opinion. So far, the 49TXi seems to be ahead with their auto calibration feature and operational fire wire port. I could buy the 49TXi and the 47Ai for about the same price as the 507 (couple hundred more). My only concern about the 49TXi is the amplifier section. Do you think it will be up to powering the Rockets? Does the 507 sound any better then the 49TXi?



Thanks,

Rob

I have to hunt down a store in the Boston area that carries both lines. Any HIFI store advice would be appreciated.

 

[abuethan]

IMHO the 49TXi has a lot more features, and I was told that the auot setup tool is priceless. as far as sound the 507 sounds a little deeper but that is all I was able to discern from my audition.

 

[williak]

Rob,


Have you called B&K and asked them about their plans to support iLink (firewire) on the Ref 50/507? I suggest you do. The more interest expressed, the quicker they'll get going on implementing the 1394 port they wisely supply with their products. Please post back with your findings. Good luck.


Austin

 

[tceverha]

Not trying to step on anyone's toes with my answer, but here goes. I auditioned the 49txi and the B&K 307 (507 replaced it) for several hours on several different occasions. I was really planning (or maybe wanting) to purchase the Pioneer. I have always enjoyed their equipment and I own the 45A Elite DVD player. IMHO I was quite disappointed with the way the Pioneer sounded with my B&W's (805N's). The B&K was just more open, had better bass extension, really controlled the mid-range much better, and settled down the "brightness" that B&W's can tend to have at times. Sure the Pioneer has some neat "extras" (auto calibration, DSP modes, etc) but these items really did not come into play with needs. The sound quality and flexibility of upgrades on the B&K won me over.

The Pioneer could work great for you and your brand of speaker, but in my setup, I went with the B&K and have been extremely happy!

 

[Kipp Jones]

The remote for the 49TXi is another very good reason to consider it.

 

[abuethan]

Quote:

Originally posted by kippjones The remote for the 49TXi is another very good reason to consider it.

I totally agree the remote on the pioneer is killer. I read a review on stereophile saying it is one of the best and simplest remotes. As a matter of fact that is one of the main reasons I am personally leaning towards the Elite instead of the Integra 9.1U2. but we will see.

 

[Ron Hanson]

The B&K now uses the Home theater master MX-700 remote which is no slouch either.


The B&K does provide room compensation with the notch filter and the variable bass and treble setups. Basically a 3band eq with variable frequencies. Not as extensive as the 5 band Pioneer but I do not know if the pioneers frequencies are variable for all 5 bands. The manual setup of the B&K takes longer in comparison but after its done, its done. The B&K also has a computer software interface for control/setup which helps the intial setup.


The preset feature on the B&K is priceless. I could never give it up after using it.

 

[Auditor55]

Quote:

Originally posted by BINAP Hello, I was hoping I might get some impressions on the 507 and the 49TXi. I am trying to decide between the two for a Rocket 5.1 set up. I have read a fair amount on the 49TXi, but I have yet to read any reviews on the 507. I know a few people on these boards have received them and I was hoping that one of you guys might chime in with your opinion. So far, the 49TXi seems to be ahead with their auto calibration feature and operational fire wire port. I could buy the 49TXi and the 47Ai for about the same price as the 507 (couple hundred more). My only concern about the 49TXi is the amplifier section. Do you think it will be up to powering the Rockets? Does the 507 sound any better then the 49TXi? Thanks, Rob I have to hunt down a store in the Boston area that carries both lines. Any HIFI store advice would be appreciated.

Both are nice units, flip a coin and purchase one of them and you will be happy.

 

[Auditor55]

Quote:

Originally posted by tceverha Not trying to step on anyone's toes with my answer, but here goes. I auditioned the 49txi and the B&K 307 (507 replaced it) for several hours on several different occasions. I was really planning (or maybe wanting) to purchase the Pioneer. I have always enjoyed their equipment and I own the 45A Elite DVD player. IMHO I was quite disappointed with the way the Pioneer sounded with my B&W's (805N's). The B&K was just more open, had better bass extension, really controlled the mid-range much better, and settled down the "brightness" that B&W's can tend to have at times. Sure the Pioneer has some neat "extras" (auto calibration, DSP modes, etc) but these items really did not come into play with needs. The sound quality and flexibility of upgrades on the B&K won me over. The Pioneer could work great for you and your brand of speaker, but in my setup, I went with the B&K and have been extremely happy!

You traded in the 307 for the 507, why didn't you want to wait for the upgrade? I was told by an authorized dealer that the 307 and 507 are essentially the same unit and that it would better to just have the 307 upgraded.

 

[CharlieW]

I have had a fair bit of personal experiance with both of these pieces and must say that I GREATLY prefer the B&K for the sound of the amps and non-current limiting design....I think that this may be the only rcvr that I work with (ES, ELITE, Denon, Yamaha, B&k, Integra, Soveriegn, Marantz) that I think is fully on par with some seperates combos.....the exact same pre-amp as the ref50 and a unchocked amp section to boot....The Elite does have a nice feature set though, It's just that I'd rather measure and adjust myself then leave it to the "McCrac" feature ....

 

[Kipp Jones]

Quote:

Originally posted by CharlieW The Elite does have a nice feature set though, It's just that I'd rather measure and adjust myself then leave it to the "McCrac" feature ....

I think that is good that you prefer to do that on your own, but for some of the less technical members here (I am not one of them) this feature can be priceless especially the individual channel equalizer.

 

[Kipp Jones]

Quote:

Originally posted by abuethan I totally agree the remote on the pioneer is killer. I read a review on stereophile saying it is one of the best and simplest remotes. As a matter of fact that is one of the main reasons I am personally leaning towards the Elite instead of the Integra 9.1U2. but we will see.

Before I purchased the TXi, I was going to get the top of the line Pronto. After I demoed the TXi remote, I looked at the purchase of the TXi at a $700.00 savings because the TXi's remote eliminated all of my other remotes and performed everything I wanted the Proto I was looking at to do.


I was also going to purchase a wideband component switcher. The TXi saved me another $300.00 there. So I looked at it as I was able to get the TXi for $2100.00 because I was going to spend $1k anyway.

 

[Tom_Bombadil]

A question: Is it confirmed that the 507 has the exact same preamp/processor section as the Reference 50?


Tom B.

 

[Ron Hanson]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tom_Bombadil A question: Is it confirmed that the 507 has the exact same preamp/processor section as the Reference 50? Tom B.

The 307 was exactly the same as the ref30 so im sure the same is true of the 507/ref50. Unless you count a preamp mounted on top of an amp in none seperate housings as 'not the same'.

 

[Auditor55]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tom_Bombadil A question: Is it confirmed that the 507 has the exact same preamp/processor section as the Reference 50? Tom B.

Yes, I believe that is true. I think its the same true with Sunfire's Ultimate receiver and its pre/pro.

 

[Jerry Pease]

Quote:

Originally posted by tceverha the way the Pioneer sounded with my B&W's (805N's). The B&K was just more open, had better bass extension, really controlled the mid-range much better, and settled down the "brightness" that B&W's can tend to have at times. Sure the Pioneer has some neat "extras" (auto calibration, DSP modes, etc) but these items really did not come into play with needs. The sound quality on the B&K won me over.

i would agree with tceverha assessment.


The autocal is a nice one time use feature, but once the receiver is setup it adds no value. Another concideration would be Pioneer amps power limited threshold is not exactly very robust if you get my drift.

 

[tceverha]

Auditor55- Actually I purchased the the 307 at great price and are currently waiting on the upgrade to come out.

 

[Kipp Jones]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Pease The autocal is a nice one time use feature, but once the receiver is setup it adds no value.

I disagree. Once you move anything around in the room such as furniture or decorations, your acoustics can change. At that point, a recalibration should be performed for optimal performance.


Also, what if you change your speakers? The MCCAC offers multiple settings for different types of media. This offers greater flexibility when listening to movies or music.

 

[AEC]

I currently own the 507, but I did not demo the 49TXi because I already owned the 307 when the Pioneer came out. I demoed the 307 against the Denon AVR 5800, Marantz SR9200 and the Rotel 1066 and a Rotel 5 ch amp. That being said, I hope Rob finds this review helpful. I have had my 507 for about 3 weeks. I upgraded from the AVR307, which I owned for about 4 months. My impressions of the differences (from a sound/performance standpoint) are as follows:


I find that there is much more detail and depth both in music and movies. It is not that I am hearing things now that I did not hear w/the 307, it is that I can hear them considerably better. Movies in DTS-ES and DDEX sound fantastic (Gladiator, Lord of the Rings). I still prefer DTS over DD, in either the plain format or ES/EX. I watch/listen to TV through my satellite receiver in DPLII, which is an incredible improvement, especially on Football games or sci-fi shows. I have listened to a couple of CDs in DPLII. Queen's Greatest Hits sounded very cool in this format. Sarah McLachlan's Surfacing sounded awful. I switched to Direct 2 channel (w/my sub on) and that is my preferred format on music. I leave my sub on because I have B&W CDM7 for my fronts and they could be a little stronger on the low end. It is clean and sounds very natural. I also have a Velodyne HGS10 and I love the way it sounds on music, so I leave it on. I adjusted all of my channels and my sub w/my Radio Shack SPL sound meter but for some reason my sub seems to have more punch than it did w/my 307. Can't really explain that one, but it sounds better to me, so I do not really care. I have not done anything w/the notch filter and should probably play w/it. I have not used the MX700 remote yet. I have not had time to program it. I have read the manual and I have a Marantz MK 2000 which is a great remote. The MX700 is very similar but adds a lot of utility w/its' programming/learning ability through a pc as well as the ability to change the hard buttons and touchscreen. You can also program 190 macros which will come in handy. It is very ergonomic in its' feel and it can be used pretty much w/one hand. I cannot do this w/the Marantz, it is simply too big and clunky. I got the silver front and it is a very substantial and cool looking unit. I am very pleased with this upgrade (to date) and give this receiver high marks. As I mentioned above, I did not listen to the 49TXi (or any Pioneer products). IMO, most of the folks who have gravitated toward B&K have gone to this product because of its' musicality and warmth. HT is important to me, but the B&K never presented an issue w/sound quality for either medium (it sounds fantastic for both applications). Reproducing music naturally was my overriding issue in choosing B&K. I would match the 507 against any HT receiver out there for both music and HT. It always come down to what YOU think sounds best. Alan

 

[mmereos]

I would like to comment on the remote for both Pioneer and the 507. I went with the 507 first of all because I feel that it gives you more bang for the dollar in terms of quality and sound.

But back to the remote. I have been searching for a good universal remote for years. I've looked at the Pronto, and hated it because it was LCD, and you cannot feel the bottons, and the response time on LCD's are too slow. I've also owned many other LCD type Universal remotes, including my latest Sony AVR-AV2000. The reason I wanted to work with LCD is because you can light the remote when it is dark, however I think there is this WOW factor when we look at remotes before we actually use them that may cloud our (at least my) perception of how they are really going to work.

I also really like remotes that can be operated with one hand, and that I can hold while I am watching a show or channel/dvd surfing. The pronto can probably be ok for that, but it is very heavy and will fatigue your arm/wrist after a while, still you cannot feel the bottons on the LCD. The SONY I never used except for the macro function which allowed me to turn all my components on and off, but aside from that, it's tooo big for one-handed operation.

Now going to the Pioneer remote; YES it is a very coool looking remote control unit, but it looks like a table top model/beast to me. If that is ok for some people then that is great, but I really think that functionality, especially one-handed, is more important then how cool a remote looks.

The AVR 507's remote which is actually the Home Theater Master MX-700 is a fine balance of what a remote should be, it is very light-weight, fully functional in terms of what it can do, and it literally replaces every single remote I own, this is the first time I have ever experienced this. The bottons are situated so that you don't even have to look at them to push them (this is in my opinion the BIGGEST drawback to touchscreen remotes), and if you do want to light it up at night, it lights up all keys and LCD.

I love this forum because I can find out what is the best choice for me. I also like to visit http://www.remotecentral.com/ for information on Universal remotes, and the MX-700 seems to be the top pick for remotes on that board.

I would highly recomend you listen to the B&K AVR 507 yourself because like people are saying it has a richer sound then the Pioneer Elite (at least in my opinion and others in this thread.) I thought the remote for the B&K was ugly, and still do, but I think it's the best remote on the market.