Technics SA-DX1050 Dolby Digital Receiver
Written: Oct 24 '01
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Pros: Tremendous clean power, excellent Dolby Digital decoding, very good FM reception
Cons: Additional audio inputs would have been a plus
The Bottom Line: For anyone looking to upgrade to a Dolby Digital receiver, this is a great unit at a very affordable price. It has lots of clean power and is user friendly.
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| sibarry's Full Review: Technics SA-DX1050 5.1 Channels Receiver |
I guess it was time to go Dolby Digital. I had purchased my Sony DVD player about two years ago and my Hitachi high definition, 53 inch projection television, about a year ago. My son, a senior in college, had been after me to purchase a new receiver to be able to decode my ever increasing collection of DVD's. I was using a 12 year old Pioneer receiver with Dolby pro logic, and rather happy with it. Well, I decided to take the plunge and started checking out the new receivers, and boy am I glad I did!
I was able to narrow my search to either a Sony or the Technics. I decided on the Technics SA-DX1050 based on its overall sound, features, and reasonable price.
This receiver has plenty of good, clean power, based not only on listening tests, but also utilizing a 10 year old Radio Shack LED power meter. I have pushed it to over a 100 watts/channel without blowing any speakers with very clean sound. The receiver has a cooling fan in the rear which turns on at high output levels. The receiver decodes DTS and Dolby pro logic used on older software. It also includes the following other sound fields: live, theater, hall, club, and simulated surround with results varying from pleasant to interesting.
The receiver really shines when decoding Dolby Digital DVD's with exceptional sound effects, such as "The Matrix", "Mission to Mars", "Lost in Space", and "Armageddon". I guess you can tell I am kind of a big science fiction fan. Since the rear surround speakers receive the full spectrum of sound with individual signals for left and right, the effect is truly awesome! My son was right, I really should have gone Dolby Digital sooner.
The remote control is small but has good ergonomics and is pretty clear. It will also run the basic operations for my mega CD changer, DVD player, television, and VCR. For more comprehensive control I still keep the regular remotes for my equipment handy. I do wish the remote lit-up or, at least, had buttons that glowed in the dark for easier access with low light television viewing.
All the controls on the unit all operate with a silky feel. The LED readout is blue, easy to read, and displays an adequate amount of information so you know what is happening and the current settings. It also has a help function to diagnose common problems, with information to correct the problem scrolled on the display. This came in handy when I accidentally turned off the "A" speakers on the control panel; the help function told me to press the speaker "A" or "B" speaker button. Pretty nifty!
The Technics receiver also has a magnetic phono input to allow me to connect my turntable to play records from my collection of over 300, which sound great through this receiver. The reception on FM is very good, as is the infrequently used AM, which sounds surprisingly good.
The receiver has two optical inputs (I am using one for my CD changer) and one coaxial input (being used for my DVD player). By the way, you can save money on components using coaxial input/output cables because any good single coaxial cable with an RCA jack at the end will suffice, and they cost much less than good optical (toslink) cables. The sound from my DVD player using the coaxial cable is truly sweet through the Technics receiver.
Since I also have a laser disc player and cassette deck I only have one optical input left after making all my connections. I also have a Technics carousel CD changer which has no optical output. I was saved by the front VCR inputs on the receiver.
This Technics receiver has to be one of the best bargains I have ever encountered. I paid $223 for the unit which also had a $50 rebate directly from the manufacturer. My final cost was only $173. What a steal for such an overall, excellent receiver.
I highly recommend this receiver for anyone looking for a high power, Dolby Digital, receiver that truly sounds awesome.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 223
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Epinions.com ID:
sibarry
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Location: Staten Island, New York
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 4 members
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