Choose between Pioneer VSX-323 Yamaha YHT 196

[pskarthic]

Hi friends,
I looking for HT setup in budget(tried used AVR but dropped that idea).
Found these two ones
1. YHT-196,
2. Pioneer VSX-323K (have to add speakers).
This might not be good to compare AVR and HT, but comparison of both AVR seems good .
I auditioned YHT 196 two times. The bass is not that deep but the surround and clarity are good.
In case of Pioneer VSX-323K I don't have chance to audition it, so I need your inputs here.
The reason for choosing Pioneer VSX-323 is the price(15k), it supports HD and freedom to choose the speakers.
Will Pioneer VSX-323K be as good as YHT 196?
Is there any alternates in the 25k range?

 

[pskarthic]

31 views but there isn't single reply. :sad:
My questions are not clear or I am on a wrong way?
This is the place where I learned a lot as silent listener. I was planning to buy a HTIB but when I checked through several threads here I got the idea of Yamaha products. I got the confident here, now I am in confusion and need some help.
If someone can help me in this please share your ideas.

 

[Nero9]

Pioneer vsx 523k avr great price! - Coimbatore - TV - Video - Audio - Singanallur

PIONEER VSX 523K -GREAT DEAL in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai New Music Systems - Home Theatre on Chennai Quikr Classifieds

great bargain

 

[ch@ts]

I've got the Pioneer VSX 523, and I think I heard the Yamaha in demo at Reliance. AFAIK,the Pioneer has more features, and is more powerful than the receiver that comes with the Yamaha.

 

[Falcon21]

yth 196 is the entry level HTIB and don't have DTS HD MA etc other supported formats.

yht 299 is newer model with all supported formats & also including 4k pass through for future proofing. around 35k package and you're done!

Yamaha YHT 299 Home Theater System | eBay

vsx 323 5.1 entry level /523 7.1/ 823 7.1 stand alone receivers

then you're gonna need speakers meaning additional 25-40k price over receiver.

check out pioneer india website link
Home Theater Bundles |


and you can get 10% discount or more on mrsp listed on website through any local dealer if you check

 

[pskarthic]

yth 196 is the entry level HTIB and don't have DTS HD MA etc other supported formats.

yht 299 is newer model with all supported formats & also including 4k pass through for future proofing. around 35k package and you're done!

Yamaha YHT 299 Home Theater System | eBay

vsx 323 5.1 entry level /523 7.1/ 823 7.1 stand alone receivers

then you're gonna need speakers meaning additional 25-40k price over receiver.

check out pioneer india website link
Home Theater Bundles |


and you can get 10% discount or more on mrsp listed on website through any local dealer if you check

Thanks for your reply,
Will YHT 299 have better(tight) bass than 196, because the only missing point in 196 is the bass, I think the HD features can be ignored as I am not having proper source for it.
And will speakers cost 25-40K? Anyway I will check this.

Thanks,
Karthic

 

[pskarthic]

I've got the Pioneer VSX 523, and I think I heard the Yamaha in demo at Reliance. AFAIK,the Pioneer has more features, and is more powerful than the receiver that comes with the Yamaha.

Thanks for your reply,
My bad the deal(15k) is over, now it is priced 20k.:sad:

 

[pskarthic]

yth 196 is the entry level HTIB and don't have DTS HD MA etc other supported formats.

yht 299 is newer model with all supported formats & also including 4k pass through for future proofing. around 35k package and you're done!

Yamaha YHT 299 Home Theater System | eBay

vsx 323 5.1 entry level /523 7.1/ 823 7.1 stand alone receivers

then you're gonna need speakers meaning additional 25-40k price over receiver.

check out pioneer india website link
Home Theater Bundles |


and you can get 10% discount or more on mrsp listed on website through any local dealer if you check

Thanks for your reply,
Will 299 have better(tight) bass than 196, because that is the only thing not good in 196. The HD features can be ignored considering the price point.
Will speakers cost 25-40k? Anyway will check that...

 

[Falcon21]

yes building separates will be costly and don't make sense with entry level receivers much

yht 299 is much improved package overall try getting a demo if you can

what sounds good to you is always best thing to buy

 

[pskarthic]

yes building separates will be costly and don't make sense with entry level receivers much

yht 299 is much improved package overall try getting a demo if you can

what sounds good to you is always best thing to buy

Thanks, Will check YHT 299

 

[RajithKumar]

YHT 299 is a good system with clear & crisp sound..the price will be approx 33~35k..but i don't know whether u get the required bass or not (according to ur hearing taste)..but still it is an active sub woofer u can able adjust the bass(YHT 196 is passive sub woofer)..u will need to audition it before ur purchase..
if u r having the budget of 33~40k u can audition some more brands Onkyo ,Denon X500 etc so that it may suit ur Bass requirements..
Good luck on ur purchase...

 

[ch@ts]

Thanks for your reply,
My bad the deal(15k) is over, now it is priced 20k.:sad:

The deal keeps coming and going. I saw it @15k 6 months back, and was considering ordering it, but I got a similar deal on a VSX523 (import).

 

[PGY]

Hi pskarthic,

Did you had a chance to audition Yamaha YHT-299 ? . I have auditioned Yamaha -196, its really good, but i feel the same - The bass is kind of low when compared to Pioneer HTP-323. Let me know your inputs on Yamaha YHT-299 Bass performance.

 

[pskarthic]

Hi pskarthic,

Did you had a chance to audition Yamaha YHT-299 ? . I have auditioned Yamaha -196, its really good, but i feel the same - The bass is kind of low when compared to Pioneer HTP-323. Let me know your inputs on Yamaha YHT-299 Bass performance.

So far I don't have time to audition, I am planing for this weekend. Where did you audition YHT-196? And what price you were offered?

 

[PGY]

I auditioned in Reliance Digital Hyderabad. Its 27990 with a free Blu ray player.

 

[pskarthic]

I auditioned in Reliance Digital Hyderabad. Its 27990 with a free Blu ray player.

Exactly the same here in Chennai Reliance Digital too.

And today I had a chance to visit Reliance digital for auditioning YHT 299, my bad luck the demo AVR was not setup properly(wiring problem). Then they showed me a demo on Onkyo AVX-390. I felt the bass was good compared to YHT 196, but when played some music(MP3) the sharpness was not perfect.
They were in hurry due to some audit work, so I don't find enough time to judge anything on this model.

Compared to YHT 196 it has Dolby HD and DTS HD, also the wattage is higher 120W.

FMs please share your thoughts on this,
Is it better than YHT 196 in terms of sound quality?(By price it fits in between 196 and 299)
I read somewhere in this forum that onkyo has heating problem and after sometime it will be dead. Is it true?

Thanks,
Karthic

 

[Falcon21]

Compared to YHT 196 it has Dolby HD and DTS HD

yes 299 will be better

 

[darkavenger143]

Hi karthik

This is vijay from chennai.

I guess you are looking to buy a good home theatre package. I am also looking for the same. I have auditioned many places and found that either go for yamaha yht 299 or onkyo HTS s3500.

But unfortunately both are out of stock and dont know when they will be back in chennai. So we need to wait.

Pioneer is just waste of money.

Vijay

 

[debanjanhazra]

Bought Pioneer 323 in a tight budget @15k. But confused to buy speakers in my budget which is around 20k. Dont know what to do. Any solutions on entry level speakers?

 

[pskarthic]

Hi karthik

This is vijay from chennai.

I guess you are looking to buy a good home theatre package. I am also looking for the same. I have auditioned many places and found that either go for yamaha yht 299 or onkyo HTS s3500.

But unfortunately both are out of stock and dont know when they will be back in chennai. So we need to wait.

Pioneer is just waste of money.

Vijay

Thanks for the information. Have you tried AVX 390? it is as good as HTS 3500. But I am hearing some bad feedback for onkyo, so analyzing on that.
Have you reached out to Yamaha dealers?
If you get any information on availability of these model pls let me know.

FYI
Onkyo USA Support Forum • View topic - HT-R390 Unit powering off, static at low volume
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=o...te:www.avsforum.com&es_sm=93&biw=1366&bih=643