Anyone used a Pioneer LX505 receiver with the 1961 series?

[JR Williams]

I haven’t bought anything yet, I really want to go with 1961 bookshelves and the center. I have my eye on the Pioneer LX505  and I’m also looking at the Yamaha A4A, which I know would be a decent match here.  I know the Pioneer can power 4ohm speakers, but I don’t want to just assume it would work well with the 1961s, and Googling I can’t really find any information about how well it works with 4ohm speakers. I’m assuming (hoping) somebody here can give me some info. Even if the Pioneer is a decent fit here, I still might go with the A4A, but I would like to know either way.

 

Thanks.

[Lukas]

Hi JR,

Most of the speakers in the market are 4 Ohm nominal, even though some manufacturers have the wrong information in their tech specs.
Every midrange AVR will handle 4 Ohm loads (and even below) without any issues.

Power output on the other hand will depend on your use case. But since the 1961 Bookshelf is made for smaller rooms and shorter listening distances you will have no power issues.

I haven’t used a Pioneer in a while, so I do not know how capable and reliable they are. The Yamahas are always a recommendation from my side.

 

[Lukas]

Just found a good review:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/pioneer-vsx-lx505-avr-review.40731/

Maybe stay away from the Pioneer:)

[JR Williams]

It’s interesting to hear that speaker manufacturers don’t get the nominal specs right on their speakers I’ve never heard this. I would expect some but Monitor Audio and Polk I was looking at before I discovered Arendal both list 8ohm nominal for the speakers.

I’d always assumed 8ohm was the norm for anything that wasn’t on the higher end of things.  And I was already thinking Yamaha, so you’re recommendation just helped me decide.

 

I have 1 more question, I was watching Andrew Robinson’s 1961 review on YouTube, and he recommended using a bookshelf for the center channel. Is there any way to buy a single bookshelf from you guys?

[Lukas]

Most speakers go below 4 Ohm which basically makes them a 4 Ohm nominal.
Impedance measurements in reviews and magazines are much more reliable than the manufacturer’s specs.
Of course, there will always be exceptions.

The 1961 Bookshelf and Monitors are only sold in pairs, as they are packed in one carton box.

With the 1723 Series and Series S, you can get them individually.

If you have a very small room 1961 Bookshelfs work great, for bigger rooms and greater listening distances you should think about going with the Monitors.

 

[JR Williams]

I have a 10×13 room so the bookshelves and a center would be perfect.

 

thank you for the information

[Lukas]

Yeah, that is indeed small. The wider dispersion in the 1961 Bookshelf will work better.
You can also try it without a Center at the beginning, as the speakers will be closer together than usual.
It is more important to get the bass/subwoofer right, as this will have the greatest impact on sound in a small room.