I bought a Supper Arrays system in August, it's still boxed but the room reno is completed as of today Nov 26 and its Black Friday . I've been a Yamaha client, owning an RX-V493 and RX-V2500 but I am updating re connectivity and the need for 2 additional zones but 2 ch is probably more important than the HT. Yamaha I will vouch for is about absolute reliability, 20 years + without issues for me. That is my concern with Pioneer, there seems to be quality issues but its sound is probably smoother then the Yamaha.

What do you have your system hooked up to and I would appreciate your comments re the above. If Goldenear participates in the forum, your recommendation would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Andre

Hi cdnwine,
I know this is not exactly what you asked. I do not have direct experience with either the Yamaha or Pioneer.
But can I just throw in one more idea?
Marantz.
I believe Marantz has that same reliability factor like the Yamaha brand has. But IMHO it has a bit warmer, larger/rounder sound.
I love that kind of sound with our GoldenEar HVFR tweeters.
Just a thought.
But, whatever you get, enjoy the music and please report back and tell us your experiences.
Enjoy, and God Bless,
Wayne

I made the decision to buy/order the Yamaha RX-A2040 and expect to receive it this week. As much as my local audio shop vouch for the sound and quality of the Pioneer brand, I could not get pass the reliability issues that are so commonly found online about them. In the end the Yamaha was the choice + factored by very attractive pricing versus Pioneer.

Although an HTR forum may not be the most appropriate place to comment on the sound of 2 ch music listening I will make the following comment regarding sound. A lot of people describe the sound produced by an amp as either smooth or bright with a prevalence of people opting for the smooth sounding amps, "it sounds tube like" soft & mellow and nothing harsh. The reality of live music is that it never really sounds smooth. I attend on average about 25 live music shows a year mostly in smaller venues, some of them very good acoustically and a live show is never smooth sounding, there is a lot of brightness and harshness in the sound of instruments. The buttery smooth sound that people say they enjoy comes from recording studios that filter out the reality of live sounding music.

This is why I chose the Yamaha, as I believe it will best reproduce the sound of live music and the GoldenEar 3D Array for its supposedly 2 ch music quality. I say supposedly because I bought the 3D Array on the basis of all the very positive reviews out there. Once the system is up and running I will give it a few months break in period and comment further then. To all the forum supporters, thanks for taking the time to read my remarks and feel free to add your comments as this is why forums exist.

Happy holidays to everyone, enjoy your families & friends, be safe and good health.

Andre

I was a t a recent event where Sandy was speaking and someone in the crowd asked him what his reference was for designing speakers. Without even a breath of hesitation, he said "live music". If its in the recording, you should hear it - couldn't agree with you more (not specifically to the electronics, just to the sound of music in general).

Enjoy your new system.

Good Cdnwine,
please let us know how the new system sounds when it is up and running and broken in?
Enjoy,
God Bless,
Wayne