Pioneer VSX-9040TXH 7-Channel Direct Energy Amplification Home Theater Receiver (Black)

by Pioneer

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 17 x 16.6 x 6.8 inches ; 29.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 36 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B002USVKFY
• Item model number: VSX-9040TXH
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,163 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

110w x 7 Direct Energy Amplification, THX Select 2 Plus: for dedicated Home Theatre rooms, Dolby True-HD/DTS-HD Master Audio: HD audio for Blu-Ray, HDMI Repeaters: 4in/1out, Faroudja 1080p Video Scaler, Advanced MCACC with 9 Band Eq , Works with iPHone Certified with Digital USB input, PQLS for Jitterless transmission of 2 Channel Stereo Music, ALC Multi; superior sound quality in low volume , Advanced Sound Retriever, PureCinema I/P Video Processing, Analog to HDMI upconversion , Sirius/XM Satellite Radio Ready, GUI for easy setup and Navigation , Multi-Zone (2) with Composite out for Zone 2, Component Inputs 2in/1out , Digital Inputs 5in/1out, Composite Inputs 4in/1out , Audio Inputs 3in/1out , Phase Control , 12v Trigger & RS232 for Custom Integration

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The VSX-9040-THX ROCKS!, February 6, 2010

By 

Vito_jr (North Andover, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pioneer VSX-9040TXH 7-Channel Direct Energy Amplification Home Theater Receiver (Black) (Electronics)

Have used the 9040 for a month now and feel like I can post an objective review. It rocks! I do a lot of research before I buy and was looking at the Onkyo receivers (707) but came upon the 9040 in the Pioneer posts on avsforum.com where I learned the 9040 was a re-badged vsx-21thx Elite model. The 9040 does not have "Elite" on the faceplate, but if you look at the specs on both they are the same, as others have pointed out. That said, so what? How good is the 21thx? After reading all that I could find the 21thx is a great unit with many satisfied owners so the 9040 seemed like a great deal. It does not run hot and does not do that annoying click when changing input sources that the Onkyo's do.

The 9040 took @ 2 hours for me to set it up and I played with it for 2 weeks until I got the settings I wanted. Now I am a very happy camper. Take the time to go through the manual and try the different settings. The audio calibration system from Pioneer (MCACC) is very easy to use and does a good job at settings based on your room config (seating, acoustics, etc). The are 6 settings that you can save, each of which is manually cutomizable which is what I did after running the advanced auto mode. This thing is a beast weighing in the same as the 21-thx, about 17lbs more than the other non-Elite models. It has many more settings than I will ever use ( I don't have THX certified speakers and no need for a pre-amp, for example) but I wanted the power and the QUALITY of a model in this class. There is little info on the 9040 on Pio's website and I do have to say I have been surprised that Pio doesn't offer more detailed info. For example, The Anchor Bay video solution found on high-end equipment is rumored to be in this unit but I can't find that in print anywhere (also nothing to dispute it). Look at different vendors and you see different specs. However, specs are just specs, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I have been awestruck. When I connected this up to my speakers and ran the MCACC I was blown away. My wife and I watched MJ's "This Is It" and the room was rocking! Better than when we saw it in the cinema. The newer ipod models connect flawlessly to a connection on the front of the unit with an included cable. I even copied mp3s to a usb stick and it appeared on the menu and played beautifully. What a seamless interface. One of the "older" ipods didn't connect (sorry not sure of the generation but it is at least 4 years old). Don't like the remote, buttons are too small and lack a good design. Not a problem as I use a universal remote. Only other complaint is I would prefer to set a crossover point myself, MCACC offers it in increments (80, 100, 150).

Amazon is selling this right now at a great price. Read reviews and compare other models - spec for spec this unit has enormous value. Also, just my opimion, don't get hung up on the differences between Audyssey and MCAAC sound calibration. From what I read both have equal fans and critics. The important point to me is that the version of MCACC included with the 9040 is an advanced version and allows you to tweak the settings to your liking.

Up to this point I am loving the unit and am very satisfied with this purchase. Hope this helps.

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bang for the buck, this receiver can't be beat., January 5, 2010

By 

rmwpg - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pioneer VSX-9040TXH 7-Channel Direct Energy Amplification Home Theater Receiver (Black) (Electronics)

I was in the market for a new AV Receiver after buying a new LCD and Blu Ray player as my old Panasonic receiver had no HDMI inputs/outputs. I was comparing it to several other higher priced models from Onkyo, Yamaha and Denon. I decided to go with this one because of the inputs and higher power. I have several pieces of AV equipment that do not have HDMI and my TV only had one set of components. This receiver solved my problem with its 4 assignable HDMI, 2 assignable Component and several S Video inputs. Everything that goes it gets put out via the HDMI to the TV. It has a tone of other connections as well for everything from satellite radio to a tape deck to an iPod.

The first thing that blew me away was the sound quality. I ran the speaker setup (it informed me that a couple speakers were out of phase which I fixed) which only took about 5 minutes and threw a BD into my player. I never had sound like that from either of my previous receivers. I put a CD on and it was like listening to it for the first time. My favorite feature though is the iPod link. Pioneer throws in a connection cable for the iPod and it works with my Touch perfectly. The song info and album artwork are displayed on the TV screen and you can control the iPod with the Pioneer remote. You can scroll through the playlists, albums and artists (although if you have a ton of music it take a looong time to scroll through it all, they need to improve this...) My digital music never sounded better.

This is an excellent receiver that I cannot recommend highly enough.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Receiver at a Great Price, January 21, 2010

By 

bmwrider "bmwrider" (Wrentham, MA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pioneer VSX-9040TXH 7-Channel Direct Energy Amplification Home Theater Receiver (Black) (Electronics)

I fully agree with the last reviewer - the bang for the buck with this receiver is off the charts. I already owned a Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K and am very happy with it. But I was a little leary of the lightweight power supply and hybrid Direct Energy amplifier. The 1019 sounds great at low to mid volumes in a small to medium sized room with reasonably efficient speakers, but I did notice as I went up the volume scale some "glare" creeping in and other MINOR signs of being over-driven.
I started researching other Pioneer receivers with an eye towards the Elite line and the VSX 21TXH in particular. I wanted discrete amplification, pre-amp outs, and at least as good a feature set as the 1019. Sound quality is paramount to me, as I spend much more time listening to music than I do watching movies. I also have a very high dollar two channel audiophile rig in another room, so I tend to know the type of sound I am looking for. While researching the Elite VSX 21TXH I noticed a very curious fact - the VSX 9040 has EXACTLY the same specifications as the 21TXH Elite. This includes not only feature set, but amp specifications and even dimensions and weight!!! The only perceptible differences that I could find are purely cosmetic. You don't get the pretty "Elite" gold emblem on the front. You don't get the gloss black front panel(the 9040s front panel is black aluminum), you get blue rather than amber display and one year less warranty. You even get the same chip set and THX certification in the 9040. In essence, a VSX 21TXH Elite in sheeps clothing.
Now the important point - Acknowledging that sound quality is highly subjective in nature, I have to say that for the price, the 9040 sounds fantastic. No more glare at higher volumes. The sound has more "weight" than the 1019 does(more real power and discrete amps). Detail and midrange veracity are well above what I would expect in a mid-range AV receiver. Imaging is wonderful. The build quality is exemplary by todays standards. I also find it to be a very handsome piece of equipment. It has all of the features of the 1019 plus some. I am not knocking the 1019 by the way - I intend to keep mine and use it in a bedroom system. I still think that the 1019 is a great buy - it's just that the 9040 is an even better one. I highly recommend this product, and could not be more happy with my purchase!!!
One more addition - Amazons specs say that this receiver uses the Farjouda video scaler. Pioneers product sheet states that the highly regarded Anchor Bay VRS video scaler is used in this receiver. Doing some research on the net seems to confirm that the Anchor Bay chips are used in this receiver. Since the video quality I am getting through this receiver is excellent at 720p and 1080p in every regard, I am inclined to agree. I have not pulled the cover to confirm this, however.