Pionreer SC=LX81 V Pionner SC-LX85 OR 86 or Arcam? Help guys

Which Arcam amp is he trying to sell you - AVR400?.

Arcam major on 2 channel sound, but mightn't have the very latest feature count.....so it depends what is more important to you.

The Pioneer has always been one of the main contenders at the £2k price point and 81/83/85 have all won awards and plenty of praise. The 85 is a step up from the 81 and I have no doubt with the new power modules that the 86 will be a step up when it arrives next week. Tech doesnt move on that much but this price point is fierce so you get more for your money with each generation ( a general rule ).

Onkyo have raised their game as well, a different sound but one that matches with the MA well - the latest 3010 is quite a beast. PQ is probably better from the Onkyo but that will be marginal. 

Thanks for the answer. I was wondering do you have any idea what I would be able to get for my Pioneer SC-LX81, Onkyo NR-TX708 and the B&W 685 speaker set if I was to sell them second hand. I really appreciate your help thanks.

Where is your shop in the UK? I live in Ireland but go over there a fair bit on business so I could see if I am close and pop in, Don't worry I won't hold you to a price. I just need to get some idea on the pricing and what I would be able to afford.

Tks 

Edinburgh

As above we are in Edinburgh - you will get us on Google.  There is value in the equipment you have currently and I imagine the gap to change wouldn't be that large.

Are you currently running the LX81 with the RX6s? Are you finding it lacking in some way?

To be honest yes I am. Strangely I found the Onkyo with the B&W 685's better. I keep thinking I am doing something wrong becuase of the reviews that I have read and what people say to me on here. 

Another guy mentioned another amp but I never heard of the brand before  (MRX range) and would be reluctant to choose it as when I come to sell it I would get nothing for it. I am thinking of getting the Pioneer 86 as it is easily integrated with my mac, apple tv etc. Also Pioneer after sales is very good. I have found the Onkyo to be quite poor in terms of after sales.

As I mentioned my main source of movies is downloading so I know the sound quality compared to BD would not be as good. Sky and bd rips is what I use. Thanks for your help guys. I also do not want a system that is too basy. So what do you recommend? Maybe the guy in my local shop is right, the Arcam.

It seems the MA's are good. I guess I am just not happy with the Pioneer amp. What do other people choose?

Anthem does the MRX range, they are very highly regarded and you would have no greater problem selling them second hand as either Pioneer or Onkyo. 

What is it you aren't liking with the current sound? There's a school of thought that says Pioneer + MA is rather bright. Whatever it is, IMO changing to a different Pioneer is unlikely to be the way forward.

Can you demo Anthem and Onkyo? Yamaha is the other obvious manufacturer that springs to mind, can you demo them?

Hi Ben I haVe sent out a few emails so going to find out tomorrow. Looking at the Onkyo cause of what u said. All I need is the amp to work in one room. Don't have a cinema room unfortunately. So do u think the Onkyo TX NR 1010 would sound pretty much the same as the TX NR 3010?

Hi breffni

With Yamaha's current Aventage Series on its way out i'll suggest that you also consider the RX-A3010 AV receiver. With the Aventage RX-A3010 you'll gain worthwhile improvements in areas such as audio/video processing, two channel/multi channel music, movies, etc. not to mention that there is great synergy between the Aventage RX-A3010 and Silver RX Series of speakers The Aventage RX-A3010 was already an excellent product at £2k but i would say that it is a bargain at its current general price

In my experience Monitor Audio speakers + Yamaha AV amplification form an excellent match (time after time)

http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/rx-a3010...

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

hi Breffni,

When the LX81 came out i ordered one for home trial over my old denon 4306, and tbh i wasnt happy with the sound from the pioneer/MA (rs6av) combo.  It did feel too bright and and seemed to not have enough 'guts', even after a long running in period and using different cables recommended by the retailer.  I tried an AVR600 and was blown away by the sound on my MA's exactly the sound i was missing from the pioneer.

But this great sound was at the expense of useability as the arcam has so many problems with lockups and popping and many other grips that annoy me every day.  but when it works boy does it work.

hope this helps

lex

Although the school of thought also says that MA RX6 is an exception & goes well with the Pioneer. All this is irrelevant if you're not happy with the sound. I agree with BenLaw regarding the need to demo & also the amps that should be on your shortlist.

With the risk of sounding like a broken record - make sure you have used mccac properly and set your amp up correctly.

I have posted a lot about this as Its so important - as a bare minimum mccac must be run twice - one full auto then, the one secondary auto run but with your speaker setting saved I.e small 80htz crossover.

If you buy the 86 you will still need to do this / learn to set mccac up properly but it's worth taking the time to do as the results are there waiting for you

If you need help let me know I can point you to instructions I have written before.

Hey all,

So for running a 5.1 system it is worth shelling out 2k on an amp? Thinking the Onkyo 1010? I have seen a post saying go fo the Onkyo 818 as it is just as good? I would gladly buy an ex demo. It seems like people have issues with thevArcam.

Where do I find the mcaac setup.

Today I got offered a grand in sterling for my Onkyo NR TX 708, Pioneer sc lx81 and the B&w 686/686 and the basic woofer and basic centre speaker. It's 10m old. What do you think? I thought it seemed low but not sure.

Tks 

 A grand is a bit low IMO the 81 is worth £600 at least - more so if you have the box etc and it is mint. I wouldnt get hung up on your re-sale values of the equipment you are about to buy - much better to have years of enjoyment rather than pick an amp you think will hold its value. On that note there is no telling what the market will do when you come to sell.

Your best bet is to find a dealer who you are happy to work with, that will help when you come to upgrade this time and the next.

As for the sound I would check your current system is set up properly and try variations on placement and settings until you get the best sound - upgrade from that point if you need to. The MCCAC is the name given to the calibration on the Pioneer. At the very basic level you should plug the mic in and let it run. From there the settings to tune the sound are vast.