AV Receiver Reviews

Another feature shared by the 49 and 59 is video upconversion. Video signals coming into the composite and S-video inputs are upconverted and sent from the component monitor output. This is great for simplifying the connection between the receiver and display, especially since the menu system is visible from the component output. The signal is not deinterlaced to 480p, as it is in a few other recent receivers, but I don't count this as a negative; there are plenty of other opportunities to deinterlace and scale the signal along the signal chain, so I don't think there's any real need to put that function in the receiver. Interestingly, the 59's video conversion goes both ways: it converts upward and downward. By contrast, the 49 converted upward only. (Why anyone would need a $4500 receiver to downconvert the video is beyond me.)

The VSX-49TX featured Pioneer's MCACC (Multi-Channel ACoustic Calibration) function, which automatically configured the receiver to the acoustics of the room using an included microphone. The 59TXi improves on that function with Advanced MCACC, which provides more processing power to perform, among many other things, automatic surround setup and equalization for each channel independently. The 59's RS-232 serial port lets an installer connect a PC laptop running Pioneer's software and graph the reverb characteristics of the room for each channel. (This can also be done on the video display, though in a more rudimentary fashion.) Advanced MCACC's calibration target is the control room at Air Studios in England, which was analyzed for its superior acoustics.

The Acoustic Calibration EQ is a graphic type with nine fixed, 1-octave bands from 63Hz to 16kHz. During the Auto Setup routine, it can be applied to all channels ("All Ch. Adj.") or just the center and surrounds in relation to the front right and left ("Front Align"). There are four EQ memories: one for All Ch. Adj. and one for Front Align (both of which are used by the Auto Setup routine), and two custom memories in which users can store their own settings. As with all Advanced MCACC parameters, the Acoustic Calibration EQ can be set automatically or manually. In addition, there are two levels of operation: Standard and Professional. The Standard version accounts for reverberation in the 80-160ms time window, while the Pro version lets you select various time windows, from 0-20ms to 60-80ms.

One new parameter in Advanced MCACC is called X-Curve, which is designed to compensate for the excessive brightness found in most soundtracks, rolling off above 2kHz. This is in addition to—and more flexible than—THX re-equalization. As with other MCACC settings, X-Curve can be set automatically, manually, or defeated if you prefer.

Setup
Thanks to Advanced MCACC, setting up the VSX-59TXi was a relative breeze. I connected the included calibration microphone to the front-panel input and positioned it at ear height between the two chairs. (Mine is a small theater.) I used my normal 5.1 configuration of speakers. (By the way, with a 5.1 speaker system, the 59TXi lets you biamp the front left and right speakers with the extra amplifier channels.)

After selecting the Auto Surround Setup menu item and specifying my preferences (normal surround speaker system, speaker B off, X-Curve on), I let the receiver do its thing while I left the room. (Those test tones are pretty loud, and fair warning is given on the screen.) First, it detects which speakers are present and whether each one is "large" or "small" (that is, whether or not the low frequencies in those channels should be routed to the subwoofer). Then, it calculates the distance from each speaker to the mic and sets the channel level. Finally, it determines the EQ settings for each speaker and sets the X-Curve.

The 59TXi consistently configured my front speakers as "large," but I prefer to set a receiver or processor to treat all the main speakers as "small," so I reset them manually. (Alternatively, I could have specified the speaker system as "THX [all small]" in the preferences screen.) The distance measurements were accurate, except for the subwoofer, which was about one foot closer to the mic than indicated. Speaking of the sub, the onscreen instruction regarding it is very unclear: "If you have a subwoofer, turn power on and turn volume up." Turn volume up? To what level? Maximum? I decided to set the sub's volume control at its midpoint, which seemed to work fine, but a bit more specificity would be great.

The 59TXi offers a selection of five crossover points: 50, 80, 100, 150, and 200Hz. I generally prefer the THX standard of 80Hz, so I set the crossover to that value. (If you specify a THX speaker system, the crossover is fixed at 80Hz.) And with 192kHz/24-bit A/D conversion, the 59TXi can apply bass management to the multichannel analog input as well as all digital inputs (including i.Link), allowing low frequencies from DVD-Audio and SACD to be routed to the sub as needed no matter which connection you use. Very nice!

The first time I ran the Auto Setup routine, the channel levels were a bit strange: left front was –0.5dB, center was +0.5dB, and right front was 0.0dB. Also, right surround was –1.0dB and left surround was –2.5dB. I ran the routine again after the receiver was measured on our test bench (see "Measurements"), and the channel levels were much more reasonable: left and right front were both 0.0dB, while the right surround was –1.0dB and left surround was –2.0dB, with the left-surround speaker slightly closer to the mic than the right-surround.

According to the manual, the subwoofer tones are output at a relatively low volume, and you may want to increase the level after the setup routine is finished. During my setup process, the sub level was set to –10.0dB, which was indeed a bit wimpy. Mind you, I don't like as much bass as some, but I did end up increasing the level to –7.0dB, which fattened up the low end nicely without becoming overbearing.

When I looked at the results of the automatic EQ, the biggest adjustments were mostly cuts in the low bands (125 and 250Hz; the receiver did not deal with 63Hz in the main channels, since my speakers were all designated as "small"). This was to be expected, since these are the most problematic bands in terms of standing waves. Overall, I liked the result, clearly preferring it over the unequalized signal, which was somewhat muddy by comparison. (It was easy to compare the two by pressing the Acoustic EQ button on the remote to toggle through the EQ memories.) However, I lessened a few of the more severe cuts by a dB or two to give the sound a bit more body.

Performance
Once I was done with the setup, it was time to settle in for some serious listening. The sound was universally superb with DVD soundtracks. I started with several music-heavy films, such as Topsy-Turvy, a docudrama about Gilbert and Sullivan, and Moulin Rouge, with its delightfully anachronistic musical numbers. In both cases, the Pioneer rendered the music beautifully. I was especially impressed with vocals, which were clearly defined and free of chestiness. High strings and woodwinds were light and airy with no grain or harshness, while the bass instruments formed a solid foundation without overpowering everything else.

The same held true of more conventional movie fare. The Mask of Zorro, with Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins, has a wonderful musical score, which sounded great through the 59TXi, but it also has a few big explosions that came through loud and clear with no problems. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World has its share of explosions, but it also has a panoply of delicate shipboard sounds—creaking decks, flapping sails, splashing water—that were rendered faithfully by the Pioneer, with all the inner detail preserved intact.

I'm a big fan of multichannel music on DVD-Audio and SACD, but I hate having to make six analog connections between a player and receiver. That's why I particularly like the single-cable digital connection between the Pioneer DV-59Ai universal player and the VSX-59TXi. (The DV-59Ai sends DVD-Audio and SACD bitstreams to the receiver in their native form; the previous-generation DV-47Ai converted the DSD bitstream from SACDs to PCM before sending it to the i.Link output, because Pioneer had not yet secured permission to carry the DSD bitstream digitally.)

I listened to a variety of DVD-Audio and SACD discs on the DV-59Ai connected digitally to the 59TXi, and found nothing at all to complain about. Among my favorite DVD-Audio titles are those from AIX Records, a label with a reputation for impeccable audio quality from the initial recording through the mixing and mastering stages. I listened to several AIX titles, including Among Friends (AIX 80020) with singer Cheryl Bentyne from The Manhattan Transfer. Recorded at 96kHz with 24-bit resolution, the vocals were crisp with a touch of warmth, and each instrument in the band (guitar, piano, bass, drums) was well defined and clean, occupying its own space in the soundstage.

Another AIX favorite of mine is the disc with Stravinsky's Firebird Suite and Ravel's (1339AX), also recorded at 96/24. On the Stravinsky, everything just sounded "right"—well balanced with excellent dynamic range. Each orchestral section was well placed, and solo instruments rang out clear as a bell. The Ravel was magnificent; Bolero begins pianissimo and ends up fortissimo, and the entire sound was clean, clear, and effortless from start to finish.

On the SACD side of things, I listened to the Yellowjackets' new album, Altered State (Heads Up, HUSA 9097). This sophisticated fusion band sounds as good as ever on this disc, with Bob Mintzer's sax and Russell Ferrante's keyboards dovetailing perfectly with Jimmy Haslip's electric bass and Marcus Baylor's drums. The 59TXi reproduced all four instruments (as well as the guest vocals on "The Hope") with easy assurance.

Then there's the SACD of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (Capitol, CDP 7243 5 82136 2). The multichannel remix of this classic is spectacular, with plenty of sound in all channels. (Those ticking clocks in the opening nearly induced some serious flashbacks!) Once again, everything sounded fantastic, much better than you'd expect a 30-year-old recording to sound. The synth textures were right on the money, with all the quirks of those analog circuits faithfully reproduced.

I was curious about what, if any, difference there might be between the i.Link digital connection and a conventional 6-channel analog connection between the player and receiver, so I hooked up six analog leads from the DV-59Ai to the 59TXi's multichannel analog input. It was relatively easy to switch between the two inputs while a disc was playing, though the remote's slow response was a bit frustrating, and when I chose the multichannel analog input, the remote automatically flipped into DVD-control mode, which meant I had to back out of that mode and find the correct input page every time I wanted to switch back to the i.Link input.

Right away, I noticed that the overall level was somewhat higher when using the i.Link connection. Also, I found the sound of the digital link to be crisper than the analog signal, and each instrumental and vocal part had slightly more definition. The analog connection had more warmth, but it felt just a tad congested. I doubt this would bother anyone who didn't do a direct A/B comparison as I did, and the ultimate performance of the analog input will depend on the specific player that is used with it. But this experiment supports my preference for the digital link; if you enjoy high-resolution multichannel music, I definitely recommend pairing the 59TXi with the DV-59Ai and using the i.Link connection.

Conclusion
The Pioneer VSX-59TXi is just about everything a high-end A/V receiver should be. It has all the features most folks will ever need (except HDMI switching), and it offers equally excellent results for neophytes who want fully automated setup as well as inveterate tweakers who want to fiddle with every parameter. Other than the lack of HDMI, my only complaint is the remote, which is slow to respond and poorly organized. But the bottom line is the sound, and I have no doubt at all that anyone who hears the 59TXi will be exceedingly pleased.

Its list price of $4500 can be significantly reduced if you do some careful shopping—I've seen it for $2350 from several online retailers. Granted, it's not a product that has just been introduced; if it were, the available discounts would not be so generous. But as they say, good things come to those who wait, and for those who have waited to buy an upscale receiver, now might be a perfect time to take the plunge. In the end, I can only echo Michael Fremer's adulation of the previous generation: The Pioneer VSX-59TXi is one of the best A/V receivers on the market today.

Highs:
• Outstanding sound quality
• Advanced MCACC automated setup and EQ
• Video upconversion
• Bass management of multichannel analog input

Lows:
• Poor remote
• No HDMI or DVI switching