Pioneer VSX-1120k vs Marantz or Denon

I want to upgrade my VSX-1120k to something with better quality, I'm not a brand loyalist so I want the best I could get for my current speaker system (nothing with obscene prices of $6000 or the like)

My equipment right now consists in:

Video:
Samsung UN46C8000

Audio:
DefTech STS Front Speakers
DefTech Ten Centre Speaker
DefTech Gem XL Surround Speakers
DefTech Supercube III LFE

Receiver:
Pioneer VSX 1120

Media:
Htpc ASROCK Vision 3D

Gaming:
Xbox 360 250gb with kinect
PS3 250gb
Wii

Set top box:
Cable Onda with HD Channels (Panamanian cable company)

Control:
Logitech Harmony 900

Right now I have everything lying in the floor while I find the perfect media centre for my stuff, the only thing that is done is the TV mounted on the wall.

I'm looking for modern minimalist furniture to conceal my hardware, but it's been really hard, as the stores here in Panama that sells that kind of stuff are really expensive, and the places I've found in the state with that kind of furniture are very limited with the choices.

I'm leaning towards a module from BO Concept or Hacking some furniture from Ikea, the price difference is huge, but I also guess it would be the quality.



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IMG_0966 por ykza.leviathan, en Flickr

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IMG_0971 por ykza.leviathan, en Flickr

Lots to choose from. Anthem MRX 700, Pioneer SC-57, Onkyo 5009, Integra DTR-70, DenonAVR-4311, Yamaha RX-A3010. All of which are Fantastic, very fantastic. They are plenty of others, but these are the First few that come to mind. Picking the best out of all of these would be a task, and more depending on your very specific wants and needs. Some have smart phone software and easy setup, some do not. Anthem has one of the best Audio calibration software in the world that is available to the public for sub $3K. I would recommend to come up with a functionality list of what you are looking for. Maybe read a reviews to get a better idea of how each brand has something a little different to offer. Every company has their strengths and their weakness while they all claim to be the best. Only you can be the judge since you will be the one to be using it.

There are always separates to choose from, but things get a little more complicated and should be saved for the eccentric audiophiles. However, if it interests you there's a lot more hardware to choose from. Checkout hometheater.com to see some of the available equipment. All of their reviews are pretty unbiased and straight to the point, which I like. You can see some reviews of the receivers mentioned above at that website.

Furniture is a personal thing, but I like to find stands that can either house the center nicely underneath and in display or on top, choice is yours!

Do you believe the changing the receiver will reveal the true potential of my setup? I know it can sound better.

I've read hometheater.com, I do like the short reviews, but to buy something I need more information. I've read people says anthem calibration system is the best, but they are overly complicated.

I will read more views from user about anthem, they seem like the one to get

Better is debatable and it depends what you are looking for. Ask my visiting mother and she will tell you that the speakers already in the TV are good enough. But when you ask the same question to an audiophile, he will tell you that the quest for better sound is never ending. The receiver you have now is already pretty good, I run a similar kind of receiver in my personal room. Every person has an idea of what makes a sound system sound good, it would be difficult for me to tell you what you like. But generally speaking, a flat response curve is the ideal sound. Why? Because you can most accurately reproduce what the original recording sounds like. And this goes for music, and movies.... for the most part.

I would suggest to read some more reviews, and definitely take another look at some of Anthem's products. Like I said, lots of great things out there. I would also spend some time how to properly setup and tune your speakers. You should be come very friendly with your receiver's interface. If you don't have the majority of all of the menus and their functionality memorized, you should take out the menu again and refresh. Speaker settings are among the most important for a properly setup home theater!

I recently purchased myself a Denon AVR2312. Gotta say its a fantastic receiver and the fact it has so many HDMI inputs just makes it great for hooking up all my devices. Well worth a look.

Scubar how is working the GUI it overlays over the signal to the tv?

One of the things I hate about the vsx 1120 is that I never know what volume I'm at....

Right now I'm almost set in the 3312ci from Denon. I found it for $700

The GUI overlay works very well so i can see the volume or the menus whilst watching a program if needed. I would certainly say the Denon would be my first choice. I know the pioneers get very hot. Cant comment on the Marantz

well as you can see right now I don't have any thermal issue. HAHAHAHAHA

Ordering a Denon very soon as well, HDMI audio/video, GUI (can't wait to see what it's like, my current AVR requires a composite connection to use the menu :p:) and most importantly Audyssey! This will be the first time using that software, anyone remember if it made a big difference in their systems? IIRC Denon also has longer warranties than other brands.

I used Audissey in automotive aplication and it was outstanding.

Car had Focal 165KXR2 in the front, JL audio ZR800 mid bass in the back, alpine class D amplifier, alpine sound processor with audissey.