whats the modern day equivalent to my HT reciever

[Regk]

I have a Pioneer Elite VSX 07TX that I got from my brother a few years ago and was wondering by today's standards just how good this receiver is? I know it only supports dolby digital and 5.1 surround. I am wondering what a modern replacement for this unit might be?

 

[slashbinslashbash]

The Pioneer Elite line is still around and they are still quite good. Really there is nothing wrong with your receiver and maybe you should keep using it. It's more of a convenience thing whether you should upgrade or not.

First off, do you have 7.1 speakers, or plan to add 2 extra speakers to your existing 5.1? If not, then that's one reason not to upgrade.

Now the biggest reason, as I said, is convenience. Most sources and displays nowadays have HDMI and that is definitely the way to get the best signal from your source to your display. Second to that is component video. Those are the only two cables which can carry HD signals, and that looks to be the weakest link of your VSX-07TX: it only has S-video, no component. So it depends on the number of HD sources that you have: if only a couple, probably you can plug them all in to your TV and switch sources on the TV, and have the audio run separately to the receiver. If you have a lot of HD sources, you could buy an external HDMI switcher or something along those lines. So you will have to switch sources in two places: switch the audio in the receiver, and the video in the TV or external switcher. So that is the loss in convenience in not having HDMI in your receiver.

Now, your receiver also lacks DTS processing. IMO this is not a big deal, but some people would disagree.

But really, that's it. Personally I upgraded to an HDMI-equipped receiver because I have several HDMI sources and did not want to mess with switching the TV. But if you only watch one source most of the time, then that would not be a big deal.

 

[Regk]

I would mostly be doing it to gain HDMI switching/upconversion for my older components. I am also wanting to try and do the HDMI to HTPC thing as well and i feel it would go a long way to reduce all the clutter. Adding extra speakers is something i might consider in the future.

 

[vshah]

the convenience of hdmi switching can't be overstated.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

I agree, if HDMI switching and upconversion is your goal, then it's worth it IMO. So you now need to pick a price point. If you want to stick with Pioneer Elite, then they start around $550 and go up to $3000 or more. The cheapest is the VSX-30, which does HDMI upconversion and is $550 at Best Buy. If you want more power and features, Pioneer will be happy to oblige you, for a price. If you want THX Select2 certification, the VSX-32 is $800. THX Ultra2, SC-37 at $2200. IMO the SC-37 or SC-35 ($1600) are probably the closest match for your VSX-07TX, in terms of price point.

 

[piasabird]

Might consider an ONKYO receiver. Some of them are a bit pricey.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-45TX I bought back in 2002/3 time frame, but recently replaced it with a Denon AVR-3311CI. Aside from the HDMI switch, upscaling of lower-resolution inputs, etc., the Audyssey calibration, HD radio, Internet streaming radio, USB input (and Apple docking), preouts, three zone availability all made for a nice $800 purchase last July.

 

[alcoholbob]

The other alternative is to keep the receiver as an amp and buy a stand-alone processor, something like the Emotiva UMC-1.

 

[s44]

The current SC-level Pio Elites are really nice. ICEpower amps, etc. The lower Elites aren't really "Elite" IMO, and you'd be better served with an equivalently priced Denon or Onkyo.

 

[alcoholbob]

They use the first generation ICE modules though, which have only 70% efficiency versus about 85% for the newer A/ASP generation, also there is the criticism of Pioneer for allocating only about 2,800uF of capacitance available per channel with the Elite x5/x7 series (the current generation of ICEPower has 15,000uF per module).

So I wouldn't get too excited with volume knob.