IMO, Pioneer is not a match for either Yamaha or Onkyo.

Back in my poor student days I had Pioneer stuff. It was fine. Beat the heck out of what I had as a teen (some combined unit with a turntable and a pair of speakers). Yamaha is a whole 'nother world by comparison, though. Again, IMO.

I would say Pioneer is near the top of the low-end. Yamaha is the top of the mid-range, or perhaps the bottom of the high-end. Most "high-end" audiophile stuff is ungodly expensive, and probably brands you've never heard of (you won't find them at Best Buy or Costco). We're talking $5000 for a cassette player. I saw one at a local store over 20 years ago. Today it's probably more.

Pioneer will serve the purpose. But comparing it to Yamaha is like comparing a Geo Metro to an Audi A6. It's really no comparison. IMO.

1poorguy