Entered CNET Catalog: 04/20/2002
SKU: HTP-220S
Manufacturer: Pioneer North America
Manufacturer description
Great audio is what really makes home theater rock, and the HTP-220S 5.1 Dolby Digital & DTS Home Entertainment audio system brings it on. The digital A/V receiver features crystal digital signal processing and delivers 100 Watts to each of five channels. Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 surround sound processing provide spectacular decoding of movie soundtracks, and for "Party Mode", 5-Channel Stereo routes the full-frequency stereo signal to five speakers at full 100-watt-per-channel power. The five speakers (each with a tweeter and midrange woofer and a high-frequency wave guide) and the self-powered 100-Watt subwoofer are all acoustically matched for optimal sound. A front-panel quick-setup function and remote control are provided.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 11/03/2002
The basics and more
At this end of the price spectrum, we were surprised to see that the 220-S features one of Pioneer's better entry-level receivers, the VSX-D411, which sends 100 watts to each of the five channels. You also get a subwoofer preout that delivers bass signals to the 220-S's powered sub. Dolby Digital, Pro Logic II, and DTS surround processing are handled by the sort of sophisticated chipset that we usually see in upmarket receivers.
The receiver's generous connectivity options will accommodate even fairly complex systems. Audio inputs include DVD-Audio/Super Audio CD 5.1 connections and two digital-audio jacks, as well as S-Video and composite-video switching. Component-video switching is all that this kit is missing. While we prefer binding-post speaker connectors, we were satisfied with this receiver's sturdy, locking clamps; they securely grasp bare-wire or pin-type connectors.
The speaker package includes five 6.5-inch-tall sats with 0.75-inch tweeters and 3-inch woofers. The little speakers share their silver-toned look with a 100-watt powered sub, which is fairly compact considering that it houses an 8-inch woofer. If you don't like silver, this system also comes in black.
Pioneer's Quick Set-Up procedure is intuitive, and the remote is fairly easy to use. We felt that the receiver's finish--Pioneer calls it Silver Cosmetic--looked low-rent, but at least it's an alternative to the ubiquitous black styling of other receivers.
Room-filling sound
The 220-S strutted its stuff on the Moulin Rouge DVD. On chapter 23, the kit belted out a supercharged tango version of that great, old Police song, "Roxanne." This DVD has humbled many a system, but the 220-S didn't run out of gas. And the Changing Lanes DVD tested the kit's visceral mettle with a couple of screeching car crashes; loudness capability was more than adequate to annoy our neighbors. This movie is also chock-full of realistically ambient office scenes, and the 220-S's surround-staging abilities were above par.
The sub's low-frequency definition was nice and tight, and it really poured on the charm when we settled down to listen to some of our favorite jazz CDs that feature the upright bass. We heard every juicy pluck and strum; even expensive kits with nonpowered subs nearly always bungle that.
Ah, but the 220-S's sats weren't as refined as the sub, and they sometimes sounded a little harsh--nowhere near as clean and pure as certain Onkyo sats that we've heard lately. Midrange magic was lacking on The Blind Boys of Alabama's gospel-infused CD, Higher Ground; the band's rich voices sounded hollow and lightweight. Yet the sats' affinity for higher-energy music could not be denied, as the little guys cranked out Springsteen's "Further On" from his new CD like a set of much larger speakers.
Don't let those persnickety remarks throw you off the track. With a street price of around $300, the HTP-220-S's powerful sound and abundant feature set add up to an attractive offering for those who already own a DVD player.
User opinions
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User Rating: 
8/10
Great, inexpensive system
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I bought the Pioneer after trying one of RCA's and Sonys all in one packages(what a joke) and they dont come nowhere to comparing. The pioneer completly blows them out of the water in every way. The powered Sub is great and pounds out plenty of bass...the satalites are also excellent and they even have nice little brackets on the back so you can mount them to a wall. Nice feature seeing how some speaker stands are 50 bucks and up. The receiver is great and have a plethora or features to tweak your sound in just about every way. Its plenty loud too...enough to make my neighbors complain =)
User Rating: 
7/10
Great product for under $400
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Great system for under $400 and you can find it online for $330 included shipping. The silver finish matches any new silver TV sets plus the small satellite speakers are easy to mount anywhere in the room and won't take up too much space.
User Rating: 8/10
Great value and great sound...
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Excellent equipment for those who own a good DVD player already. Positives are that for about $300 US, you get a really good sounding system with decent build quality. Nice sounding speakers with stable bass and OK highs. Negatives are the lack of S-video inputs and monitor outputs. That's most disspointing. Also, the remote is lack-luster. Overall, it blows away the Sony and Kenwood comparible models without DVD players. Best bang for the buck.
User Rating: 8/10
very satisfied
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I compared this to the sony model that was equally priced. both were good, but the pioneer had better sounding satellite speakers. I build pro-audio systems for a living, so my ears are fairly sensitive. Now a month later I'm very happy with the system, and have doubled my DVD rentals.
User Rating: 7/10
Perfect value minded system that sacrifices nothing...
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If you're reading this, you've taken the time to do some researching into home theater systems--like me. I spent weeks and weeks scouring reviews to make sure my dollar was well spent. That said, I just purchased this Pioneer system and am extremely pleased. For under $400, this package has a little bit of every feature you could want. Dolby Digital, DTS, ProLogic II, digital optical and coaxial inputs, two-way sats, a powered sub, and plenty of power. I popped in Star Wars Episode II to test it out, and ships and lasers were flying all over the room. 5.1 surround is impressive at home. Set-up is well documented (and the instructions are not the typical translated mish-mash of words), everything is color coded, and I was up and running in an hour. There is a quick set-up for non-technical people and a detailed 10 function speaker setup for those who want to tweak the sound for maximum effect. One MAJOR selling point for this system... "Party" Mode. "Party" mode sends your audio signal (radio, CD, TV, etc.) equally to all 5 speakers at 100 watts each. Normally home theater systems just put music out the front two channels, so this creates room FILLING sound. It's great when you aren't looking for stereo or surround effects. Another major selling point is that the sat. speakers have mounting brackets included, which can be angled up to 35 degrees off center in all four directions. This is great since most mounting brackets go for $50 a pair these days. All things considered, for the price, this system has everything someone new to home theater desires. Great sound; quick, deep base; plenty of hookup options; attractive styling; speaker mounts; and room filling non-surround audio. Highly recommended!
User Rating: 8/10
Exceptional for the price
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I just bought this system and i priced many others in the category of cheap home theatre systems. No other system had the sound quality or the powered subwoofer for the price. The sound is great and with the 5 minute setup i was able to configure the system in about 5 seconds, if you want a thorough setup that is also available. Overall i have no complaints and i highly recommend the system.
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