Pioneer System(Plasma/DVD/AV Receiver) + Mission Speakers - Opinions please!!

branners69

Hi,

I am in the market for a new all singing all dancing system. I am strongly considering the following:

Plasma - Pioneer PDP-436XDE
http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/product_detail.jsp?product_id=11144&taxonomy_id=62-63

DVD - Pioneer DV-868AVi-S
http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/product_detail.jsp?product_id=5848&taxonomy_id=42-84

AV Reveiver - Pioneer VSX-AX4AVi-S
http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/product_detail.jsp?product_id=11405&taxonomy_id=42-98

Speakers - Mission M-Cube
http://www.mission-cube.com/minisite/mcube_flash.htm

I am choosing Pioneer cos I have a number of Pioneer products over the years and they have never disappointed, most are still going some 15 years later. Its not a name everyone would have but yet most would recognise.

On the actual quality side all the products get very good ratings on avforums and in mags like What HIFI?

Would anyone know any where in Dublin tha I can view the products or even better see them in action??

Any advice would be really appreciated as this is going to set me back 10k!!

Cheers

Branners

pH

It's certainly top-end stuff!

The ilink on pioneers is a proprietry format and you're paying for it, and I'm not sure what you'll actually get out of it.

At the price of the 868 you could be looking at a HTPC which can play DVDs, but also handle every DivXs and allow you rip to HD for a video collection. It would also have a DVI out to the panel.

You could save a huge amount of money by dropping down to the 585 DVD player (basically losing HDMI out) and would still give you a great picture (, or as mentioned go for a HTPC instead.

You could then drop down to a non-ilink amp, and condsider dropping THX if you're not buying THX certified speakers. Again, otherwise you're paying a serious premium for features you're not using.

In general the pioneer range gets great reviews, I have an older 565 DVD/SACD player and it's great.

The only places you might get to see these in action in Ireland is Harvey Norman, or possibly Clooney Audio in Blackrock.

Idleater

branners69 wrote:

Hi,

I am in the market for a new all singing all dancing system. I am strongly considering the following:

:
:
:

Any advice would be really appreciated as this is going to set me back 10k!!

Cheers

Branners

Interesting components. I am looking at heading down a similar route to yourself. As a matter of interest what price have you seen for the amp? I am looking at the Yamaha RX-V2600 which is due to be released soon enough. Seems to be a similar price online anyway. The Denon AVR-3806 is also in that category.

The only difference that I can see is that the 2600 has video upscaling as well as upconversion. I don't know how good the scaler is on your screen though. I am thinking about the Samsung LE26 and have read on avforums that the scaler is "okay" but not great. It doesn't have the firewire port either but that doesn't concern me.

Speaker wise:
That amp pushes out 7x160w, do you not think that you would benifet from a larger set of speakers than the missions? Are those ones that link via the subwoofer? If that is the case you could almost have a look at a dedicated AV preamp rather than a full amp???

Are you concerned about the "look" of the system? As in are you going to show off the nice stack of components that all look alike? Or are you going to hide them all away in a cabinet? If you are hiding them away then you don't have to be concerned about matching products from the same manufacturer. There are some fantastic reports about Denon DVD players...

As regards testing, I loved richersounds when they were here for that. I was in Peats the other day and they had a yamaha 4600 which sounded great but I don't know if they had the Pioneer. I also think that I could buy online for half the price that they list. Cloney Audio in blackrock also have some high end stuff but don't know about what stock they carry on a day to day basis for testing.

Did you plan on buying online?

L.

Sparky

man theres some serious money going to be spent on all of that.
I hope you enjoy it, it looks top notch.

branners69

Thanx for the replies lads..

Sorry for the delay in replying was away from the pc..

@ pH I dont really want to go down the HTPC road at the minute, I want a sexy system in my main room but knowing me I'll get a HTPC down the road!!

In relation to the speakers I didnt actually realise you could get THX certified speakers?? I thought once the receiver had the capabilities then the speakers would be ok. I cant see if the Mission M-Cube are THX Certified or not but the get some great reviews.

I must call out to Cloney's in Blackrock to see what they have, cheers!!

@nereid
I want to keep the speakers small so as not to take up loads of room, and most small speakers only push out 120w or so.. I might have a look at the Kef Eggs or the MS Genie but I have always wanted to own a set of mission speakers so I reckon I'll stick to them. They can plug directly into the receiver or into the subwoofer, according to the website under FAQ:
http://www.mission-cube.com/minisite/mcube_flash.htm

I am concerned about the look of the system, I plan on having it all on display on the left of the plasma with my 500 dvds on the right of it!!
Having the Pioneer name on everything bought me brownie points with her indoors and its what I wanted too so I cant complain!!

I really must drop into Cloneys to see whats on offer to test, I am half thinging about heading over to England for a weekend to drop into some of their high end stores to do some testing!!

There is a site called katronics.de which others on boards have used so I reckon I'll drop them a line to see if they can order the lot for me. They have the plasma for €1000 cheaper then Harvey Normans and Harvey's is the mid range one not the XDE that Katronis have on offer!!

What system are you looking at yourself?

@ Sparky S Just hope it sounds as good as I hope it will.. cos if I'm gonna be stuck with it for a very very very long time!!

Maxwell

Some excellent choices there,

Just to back up Katronics service and price - I saved a fortune with them on my 42". If you want advice just let me know, as they were a pleasure to deal with for me.

Maxwell

Also, your mission speakers : I remember them given great reviews by what cinema or one of the other mags I have at home, so you can rest safe that there are one of the top performers!

If you are spending that sort of money, I would seriously recommend getting into the car and heading up the north to check the specialist shops(richer sounds are up there) and seeing your kit in action - then try the online sites and save yourself a fortune.

I know its not "morally" correct, buts it your (and your wifes!:)) hard earned money, so don't pay over the odds!

Wish you all the best with your purchase.

Idleater

branners69 wrote:

...I have always wanted to own a set of mission speakers...

I see the specs on the speakers now all right. I remember looking at these a while back when I was thinking of replacing my floorstanders with small speakers. In the end I stuck with my own ones.

What system are you looking at yourself?

As regards equipment I am thinking about the samsung 26" or 32" LCD. Due to space or lack there of, I am not going to be able to fit anything bigger than that in the room.
Changing the TV opened a whole can of worms due to the lipsync error that LCD's and Plasma's have which my current amp cannot compensate for. Hence the upgrade. I am in two minds whether to go for the Yamaha RX-V2600 or get a dedicated AV Preprocessor like the Rotel RSP-1068 or the NAD T163. The latter two do not have HDMI or upscaling but they do have upconversion and a higher end brand name attached.
The speakers that I already have are biwired and I have kind of gotten used to the extra power and clarity of splitting the channels like that so any amp that I get will have to do that.

I really must drop into Cloneys to see whats on offer to test, I am half thinging about heading over to England for a weekend to drop into some of their high end stores to do some testing!!

Richersounds might have something like the mcube in stock but I have not seen much if any seriously high end amps listed on their website. As for Harvey Norman, the samsungs that are everywhere else for 999.99 are in there for 1099.99 and the sales guy's knowledge about high end av receivers got as far as the Yamaha 767. Online is the way to buy but I agree, it would be great to be able to try out the system before you hand over the cash!

L.

branners69

@ Maxwell

Cheers for the reply, I find it mad since I started looking into a new system I have constantly changed my mind.. I bought a house for 40 times the same amount without batting an eye but this is nerve wracking!!

Hopefully it pans out alright..

Do u know if Katronics supply items not listed on the website? Is it worth dropping them an email to ask if they can supply other items??
I will deffo PM you when I am about to deal with them, thanx for the offer!!

And I might suggest a trip away to the missus, just wont tell her why we are going up north til we get there!!

Cheers again..

@nereid
The Samsung LCD's are nice I will probs get on of them for the bedroom down the road, or one of the new Philips ones but they cost around €2500 which is a bit pricey even by my standards for a bedroom tv!!

I had a look on ebay and there was a bloke selling the Pionneer 868 for £500 so I reckon including postage to here it wud've been around €750 which is much better then Richersounds €1200!! Dont know if I want to risk ebay though!!

Any best of luck with your purchases, I dont plan on ever goin through this again as its way too stressful, too many choices with not enough bricks and mortar shops!!

Cheers..

Maxwell

Sorry about delay in replying - currently travelling

I m not sure about Katronics supplying other equipment, but they are quite friendly - so maybe pick up the phone or email them to request what you want. Usually some retailers, if they have a definite customer for them, will order in specific products for you.

Sure PM me if you want a step by step guide to the process I went through in order to get my plasma from there to my front door.