Is the Pioneer VSX-2012K for real?

[NickSP]

I bought this receiver yesterday and this was my first experience with an Elite receiver and I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know if it is the re-badged 45TX or not but it is definitely some Elite receiver. The construction is awesome and the sound above everything else is stunning right out of the box. I haven't had time to do the auto MCACC or anything but simply with Tone Bypass the music sounded very smooth and movies were dynamic. The OSD made the basic setup very simple and the remote control is very usable unlike some that I have seen lately. I might add more later when I run it through the auto MCACC, etc. ;)

[Dave3G]

I'm with Nick -- just what the heck is the VSX-2012? It's not listed on the Pioneer website under either the current or old receivers and yet it is available from several online dealers in the U.S. Its specs make it seem as if it might be a rebadged 45tx, but who knows? Anyhow, thanks for the quick review, Nick. Let us know what you think once you've had a chance to implement the MCACC.

Dave

[Billped]

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/press/release/detail/0,,2076_4313_1996658,00.html

[Deja-vue]

I own this amp for a while now and i absolutely love it.
The MCACC makes setting up the Speakers a breeze ( even though you'll end up "tweaking it a bit in Expert mode"), it souds very clean and powerful in all ranges, and the price is certainly right.
( i paid $600.00 on E-bay)
:)

[2004ex]

I also picked one up from GG yesterday, paying their recent ad price plus sales tax (better than any internet deal+shipping I could find up-to-yesterday). After openning up, I think it differs from Elite TX-53 (~$120 more?) at least in the following aspects:
(1) worse - 912K fin-style instead of extruded aluminum heat sink.
(2) better - lcd remote (but the back-light color is redish), USB input, heavier power supply? (41 vs 38 lb)
(3) not sure - 96 or 192 kHz DAC? Same Mosfet devices used as in Elite?
I think it is safe to say that it is quite a bit below TX-55 (i-link/build etc.) but good value still. Hopefully the perfomance in sound is comparable. With the 2 large aluminum knobs in front, it does look respectable when placed inside a rack. I have not regretted about my trigger-pulling thus far.
(PS: All my info about TX-53/55 is just from the manuals at the Pioneer site.)

[Steve S]

I saw the VSX-2012K in Good Guys, looks identical to my VSX-45tx except it lacks the Elite logo on the front and adds an "Air Studios" logo below the left knob. The features match exactly as does the remote. The 45tx was the predecessor to the 53tx, and is now discontinued as an Elite model.

so the 2012 is not a clone of any current elite but I strongly suspect it's indeed a rebadged 45tx. I didn't spot whether the 2012 has PLIIx, the 45tx did not. My 45tx's onscreen display capability failed, possibly due to an unfortunate incident involving spilled coffee, and it was a matter of time before other stuff went bad, so I replaced it with a Yamaha RXV-1400 which in turn started to develope dropouts when playing particulary loud and complex dts tracks and was swapped out for a Denon RXV-2805.

[2004ex]

It appears that 2012K is same as 2011K (a discontinued European model, see manual from the Pioneer European site.) Downloaded the 45TX, 2011K manuals to compare with 2012K and they are almost identical. [So far I can find only one page (pg. 119) that is different between 45TX and 2012K]. So I tend to agree that besides some possible cost-cutting for the internal parts (e.g. heat sink) and construction, as well as front panel material/furnishing, all these three are basically the same. .

[Jesse S]

So no DPLIIx? That's a deal breaker for me.

[2004ex]

There may be another difference in 2012 vs 45TX, namely, the lack of a "THX Surround EX" label right under the "THX/Select" logo (on the right side of the front panel above the volume control knob). The card board box for 2012 does show the "THX Surround EX" sign though. Does this mean that 2012 can not do "THX Surround EX" (I understand that this will generate a matrixed 6th chnl feed to BOTH surround back L&R at the same time from 5.1 sources)?
Question for 45TX owners with 7.1 hookup: when in "THX CIMEMA" mode, do you have sound output from the surround back left/right channels from a 5.1 DVD? I tried "Spider Man (5.1 Dolby)" in my 2012 in the THX CINEMA listening mode and there was no SB ouput. I do have SB(L&R) output when the source is dts es 6.1 discrete (e.g. LOTR 1). I also got 7.1 output from Spider Man by switching to a Pioneer dsp mode such as "ACTION". (Anyone knows how the pioneer dsp modes differ from DPL/DPLII? The manual is just too brief on these things).
TIA.

[PS: From the THX site for Pioneer receivers, the following is listed:
vsx-55TXi : Select
vsx-53TX : Select
vsx-2012 : Select
vsx-1014 : select
but for
vsx-45TX : Select (Special Notes: THX Surround EX, Dolby Digital, DTS)
vsx-43TX : Select (Special Notes: THX Surround EX, Dolby Digital, DTS)
vsx-D2011 : Select (Special Notes: THX Surround EX, Dolby Digital, DTS)
So could it be Pioneer is dropping the THX Surround EX processing for the
newer units?]

2012 is still a great unit however even if some the THX features are trimmed.

[Deja-vue]

2004ex,
the lack of a "THX Surround EX

click on my sig and see that the Receiver has the label on it.
;)

[2004ex]

Hi Deja-vue,
Interesting.
My GG on-sale brand new unit (date manufactured: Sept. 2003, Indonesia) definitely does not have that label. Does your unit have extruded aluminum heat-sink or sheet metal fin-style only?
Anyway, have you been able to get SB sound from 5.1 source when in
THX CINEMA (activating THX Surround EX)?

[NickSP]

My Pioneer VSX-2012K definitely has the THX-EX label. To get the unit to do THX-EX on non EX movies is to "Force" the SB channel on and then selecting THX cinema and will show THX-EX. (THX-EX or DD-EX will not show in non EX encoded movies).

[Deja-vue]

Anyway, have you been able to get SB sound from 5.1 source when in

Yes, i have.
i don't know what you mean by exposed aluminum heatsink, it doesn't appear to have one.
:confused:

[2004ex]

Hi NickSP,
The front right side of my 2012 looks exactly like the 55TXi picture shown at the present US Pioneer site :
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4155_2046362,00.html
ie, missing the "THX Surround EX" label under the logo. So there may be differences even within the same model line (or the seller, you got yours from the GG sale also, right?).
Sorry I read the manual again and could not figure out how to "Force" the SB speakers on. Any hint how to do that? (TIA).


Hi Deja-vue,
Sorry I don't mean "exposed" aluminum heatsink, but "extruded" aluminum heatsink. One can look thru the slots from the top of the case and see that easily. I think similar receivers (yamaha 5760/5790/2400, hk avr525/630/7200, denon 3803/05 etc.) all feature the better looking (and possibly more effective) extruded alum heatsink. The vsx-d2011 (same as 2012?) spec does say that it has "large extrude alum heatsink and with 2x22,000uF power filtering capacitors". Unforunately I can not read the concealed capacitor values from my unit.
Well, thanks for all the information and responses.

[.jss designs]

Originally posted by 2004ex
Sorry I read the manual again and could not figure out how to "Force" the SB speakers on. Any hint how to do that? (TIA).


Dunno about your set, but my 53tx has a button on the remote labeled "SB Ch Mode"

Pressing that cycles through On, Off, Auto/Off. In On position, all DD sources get output 7.1

[Deja-vue]

Originally posted by .jss designs
Dunno about your set, but my 53tx has a button on the remote labeled "SB Ch Mode"

Pressing that cycles through On, Off, Auto/Off. In On position, all DD sources get output 7.1

So does my 2012K.
;)

[2004ex]

Oops, the "sb ch mode" setting fixed the problem. "THX Surround EX" shows up now for 5.1 sources. So the missing label does not imply any reduction in THX functionality. My apologies and thank you all.

[chas_w]

2012 owners....does this unit have the MCACC with auto room EQ (with front align or all channels adjust settings) ??

[Deja-vue]

Originally posted by chas_w
2012 owners....does this unit have the MCACC with auto room EQ (with front align or all channels adjust settings) ??

Yes.

[chas_w]

Thanks Deja-vue

[Deja-vue]

Are you planning on buying the 2012?
Look at the 1014-K, it seems to be the newer model.
And the price is excellent.
($499.00)
:)

[JETninja]

Anyone notice in the UK they carry not only the 1014, but also a 2014!

http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/product_detail.jsp?product_id=9148&taxonomy_id=62-98

And Silver of course...would match my stuff real nice. Oh well........

[chas_w]

Originally posted by Deja-vue
Are you planning on buying the 2012?
Look at the 1014-K, it seems to be the newer model.
And the price is excellent.
($499.00)
:)

Actually I have been following all the info on the 1014 and have been looking at it in Best Buy. I've also been looking into the 1012 at Costco....don't know if it is the same as the 2012 but the price sure seems right ($399). I know it lacks PLIIx, but it has dual processors and I'm wondering if it has the hi-bit sampling feature.

[hdshark]

Originally posted by JETninja
Anyone notice in the UK they carry not only the 1014, but also a 2014!

http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/product_detail.jsp?product_id=9148&taxonomy_id=62-98

And Silver of course...would match my stuff real nice. Oh well........

Thanks for the pointer. And the 2014i comes with iLink! I wonder if we get to see this model in the US before Xmas?

[KaiZas]

My 2014 arrived today! I'm a happy camper :)

[lawdawg]

Hey guys, the 2014 looks very interesting. Quick question, does it have a lip-sync/delay feature?

Thanks