Connections, High end pioneer elite sc-09tx a/v receiver – Pioneer Elite SC-09TX User Manual
Page 4
HD, where the results were mixed.
The receiver passed above-
white and below-black informa-
tion on an HDMI passthrough. It
passed above white but not below
black with a component
passthrough. And it passed
neither when it cross-converted a
component input to an HDMI
output.
Conclusions
An electronics budget of $7,000
opens your options to a wide
selection of separate processors
and amplifiers. So which way
should you go? Not so long ago,
the choice was an easy one, as
audiophile dogma held that
separates offered better sound.
Today that line is hopelessly
blurred; the best receivers can
compete head to head with
similarly priced separates.
Separates provide more
flexibility. You can replace the
processor to accommodate new
formats or the amp to add more
power. But receivers offer space
savings, possibly greater
convenience, and fewer system
connections. (You don’t need to
link the processor to the amp.)
Also, separates aren’t an option in
some price ranges. However, once
you get to this level, the choice
becomes a very personal one.
Either route can provide superb
performance.
Whether you’re listening to
two-channel stereo or full
multichannel sound, the Pioneer’s
ability to present a natural
soundstage with depth and
breadth, tangible and relievable
instrumental timbre, full-bodied
bass, and convincing all-around
musicality, is first class.
This is a complex product, with
more features than most users will
ever need or use. Once you get
past its relatively steep learning
curve, you’ll have no trouble
sitting back and enjoying its
outstanding performance.
Pioneer Electronics •
(800) 421-1404
•
www.pioneerelectronics.com
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hIgh end Pioneer elite sc-09tx A/V receiVer
Or you can turn it off completely
and set up the system manually.
All of the automated equalization
for the main speakers (which you
can tweak manually later if
desired) is basic nine-band
graphic. There’s additional
automated three-band paramet-
ric equalization that helps dial in
the bass to minimize standing
waves.
If you want to read all the most
intimate MCACC details,
download Pioneer’s manual to
view a simple graphical depiction
of MCACC at www.pioneer.no/
files/eur/MCACC/index.html.
Although its explanations look
intimidating, when you use the
menus, the actual procedure is a
bit easier to do.
How effective was the
MCACC? For me, it noticeably
tightened the bottom end but
leaned out the midbass and left
the treble sounding brightened.
The bass improvement was
obvious and very welcome. The
other changes, though more
controversial, were also subtler.
How much improvement you can
expect depends on your system,
setup, and personal reaction to
the changes.
Adventures in Video
Processing
In a simple video passthrough
test, using a signal generator and
1080i resolution patterns
(multibursts), the receiver was
essentially transparent in HDMI.
However, in component, it
showed a small loss in resolution
on the highest-level HD burst
pattern (37.1 megahertz) in the
Pure (processor bypass) setting. It
also showed a significant loss in
the 1080i setting. The same was
true for any resolution. I got a
good result in the Pure processing
setting and clearly compromised
resolution in all other processing
settings, even with the same input
and output resolutions. For the
best results with HD material, I
recommend
that you use this receiver with
HDMI whenever possible and do
any required upconversion
elsewhere (such as in the display).
I also noticed significant
resolution loss when the Pioneer
cross-converted a component
source to HDMI. (The Pure
setting is inoperative in a
cross-conversion. You can select
it, but you get no picture.)
Nevertheless, I had to use
cross-conversion to run my usual
video-processing tests. This was
the only way the receiver would
upconvert a 480i or 1080i input
all the way to 1080p.
Despite the resolution
limitations, the receiver’s Marvell
video processing passed most of
my deinterlacing and scaling tests
(480i-to-1080p and 1080i-to-
1080p) with scores of good to
(mostly) excellent. The only
exception was 3:2 pulldown in
connections
elite sc-09tx a/v receiver
inputs:
video:
HDMI 1.3a (6), component video (5), S-video (4), composite video (8)
audio:
iLink (2), coaxial digital (4), optical digital (4), 7.1-channel analog (1), stereo analog (12), RF (1, for
laserdisc), MM phono (1), iPod
additional:
iPod (1), SIRIUS (1, tuner optional), XM Radio (1, tuner optional),
Ethernet (1), USB (1)
outputs:
video:
HDMI (2), component video (2), S-video (2), composite video (2)
audio:
Coaxial digital (1), optical digital (2), stereo analog (3), preamp (12), speaker terminals (10), headphones
additional:
RS-232 (1), 12-volt trigger (4), MCACC setup mic, multizone audio out (2, L/R analog; 2, optical
digital; 1, coaxial digital), multizone composite video out (2), multizone component video out (1), control (1 in, 1
out), external remote control multizone sensors (4 in, 4 out)
Posted with permission from the November 2008 issue of Home Theater ®
www.hometheatermag.com
. Copyright 2008, Source Interlink Media. All rights reserved.
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