Home > Consumer Reviews > Pioneer Elite SC-05 - AV network receiver - 7.1 channel

I recently purchased this SC-05 by Pioneer Elite. This new AVR replaced a Sony unit that was 10-12 years old. My reasoning for upgrading was to have an up to date unit capable of video switching today's HD video sources, converting playing the most current HD audio codecs such as DTS-MA and True HD. In the past year I had bought an HDTV (Sammy 1080p) and a PS3, so my existing AVR w/ only Dolby Digital and no HD video capabilities became quickly outdated.

I had looked at many different models, and was critically considering the Onkyo 806, Denon 3808, Sony ES and Pioneer. I had heard the Onkyo's run very hot and that the current 806 was not living up to the expectations set by the prior 805. The Denon 3808 is receiving many solid reviews but some criticisms were in regards to sound quality and ease of use. The Sony's were still not yet readily available nor reviewed and the previous Sony ES models had not gotten very positive feedback.

Then I listened to both the 3808 and SC-05 at my local BB-Magnolia store. The SC-05 really blew me away, both in SQ and asthetics.

I began researching the SC-05 extensively and found the following thread at AVS Forums maintained by CHP_VR, exceptionally useful.

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After careful consideration I purchased the SC-05 and with its MCACC capabilities my home theater has been revitalized. It has made my B&W 602 S2 speakers come alive. It works very well with my TV and PS3 as well as my D* STB, legacy SD-DVD player and Wii. The SC-05 does all my switching and upconverts my non-HD sources to 1080p. While my TV was doing this previously, the SC-05 is more convenient for switching inputs and sources. The SQ is phenominal.

Other cool features are Home Media integration, internet radio and Neural THX radio.

I definitely recommend this AVR...the price is hefty, but worth it.

I upgraded about a month ago to the Pioneer SC-05 from a very respectable Onkyo 605 and have had a very good experience thus far with the receiver. Here are some things that I like and dislike:

LIKE
1) Looks. Some people may deem this silly but what initially attracted me to the Pioneer Elite line was their aesthetics. These things, simply put, are gorgeous (at least as far as AVRs go). Beautiful piano black casing, crisp front screen, LEDs, etc.
2) Power. Read up on the ICEPower Class D amps that these units use because they are really what differentiate the SC-05 from its competition at this price point (I got mine for $999). Crisp, bright and powerful.
3) Sound. At one point I was considering a Denon 3808 until I heard them side by side. The Pioneer sounded a whole lot cleaner, brighter and punchier. The Denon, a very well received receiver, sounded muddled in comparison
4) MCACC. This autocalibration tool really impressed me. Much more so than the Audessey2 that my old Onkyo had; much more thorough and customizable.

DISLIKE
1) Bulk. The Pioneer Elite SC-05 is large...very large. At almost 8" high and 19" deep it's hard to fit into some, ok...most, conventional AV furniture. When purchasing please keep this in mind because you don't want to end up with a useless TV stand once it arrives.

2) Video processing. I'm not sure how much of a difference upconverting makes these days and everything seems to be going hi-def but the SC-05 doesn't upconvert any HD signals (i.e. it won't take 720p and upconvert it to 1080p). It's a small annoyance and, in actuality, probably doesn't matter.

I am very satisfied with my purchase and believe that at this price point, its the best out there.

"I was waiting for this receiver for a long time. Amazon has the best price on this receiver that I have seen. As far as performance goes, it is simply terrific. It has the ability to connect to a home network which is really easy and the feature really works and is just great. I listen to Internet Radio all the time on the weekends. It has plenty of power to handle anything you throw at it. It also makes anything you throw at it sound just wonderful. It's MCACC auto setup works so much easier than Audessey. This receiver replaces a Denon AVR2309ci which is no slump receiver, however the Pioneer Elite just simply outclassed the Denon. Again sound quality is where it is at with this beast. 130 watts of pure joy power per channel. My speakers, B&W M1's never sounded better. This receiver is a really simple to set up vs. Denon's. The OSD and GUI are far easier to use and look so much better than the Denon. Not to mention, the SC-05 looks just fantastic. It is in a class all its own. I have my receiver on every time I watch TV which was not the case with the Denon. It sounds too good not to have on. Just as simple as that. I have the SC-05 hooked up to a Kuro TV (PDP-5020FD). BD movies are a SIGHT and SOUND to behold. I replaced my Sub just recently and purchased a Polk PSW505. This receiver allows my Sub to literally shake my floor and walls. We recently watched Hulk BD version, and I really thought my neighbors would knock on my door. I did not have the pioneer anywhere near reference level, -15db, and it was awesome. The SC-05 never broke a sweat. It has so much more in her. It was the first time in my life I was nervous about turning it up any louder.

All in all, I could not be more pleased with the SC-05. It is easy to set up. The sound it produces is crisp, clear, warm and totally engrossing. Many different options to play with to get the most out of what you are trying to accomplish. And you will no doubt be able to accomplish anything you want with this receiver. I have had many receivers over the years, and this by far, without a doubt, is the best I have ever owned. What a joy it is to have such a fine product."

I can't say enough good things about this receiver. I hooked up my cable/dvr box, DVD player, VHS player, XBox 360, Nintendo WII, and sometimes have my ipod 5th gen plugged in. All inputs can be named so instead of seeing "HDMI 1", you see "Xbox 360" or whatever. The IPod interface is excellent and fully supports all categorized music in genres and playlists. The sound quality is fantastic. Love this receiver !

Good: fabulous sound, cool-running amps, surround-sound internet radio, easy speaker set-up, home-computer media access, loads of power, phono input, multiple HDMI in/outs, classy front panel.

Bad: horrible remote, no monaural mode, can't optimize simultaneously across multiple listening positions, and did I mention about the terrible remote?

I've had the sc05 for 10 months now, and while I think it's a fantastic receiver, I'm going to focus here on the remote. If you're planning to have a third-party multicomponent remote, then you can skip all this and just run out and get the sc05. If you're thinking about trying to live with the remote, read on.

The remote is infrared line-of-sight and overly sensitive to off-frontal aspect angles, compared to the other components I'm using. Only some of the buttons light up. The remote's display conveys no information at all about the sc05 - rather it only gives the status of the remote, which makes it difficult to tell whether the button press was successful when you can't read the sc05 display from where you are. Almost all buttons are programmable, but there is no way to cue you to how they've been programmed, and their functions change with the mode selector anyway. You can only do certain controls in each mode, and if you forget to switch back and forth to the correct modes, you wind up commanding functions you didn't mean to. The remote is also a power hog, and it has no recharger cradle, so you'll be changing batteries frequently with regular use. Lastly, it's almost twice as thick as every other remote I have - very clunky.

Seems like pioneer assigned all their geniuses to the sc05, but left the remote to a bickering gaggle of mentally disadvantaged preschoolers.