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"Dolby Decoding Issues" on by ooshellshock
Pros: Tons of features for the price. Fairly straightforward setup. Decent sound after tweaking the settings.
Cons: Slow Dolby processing causes audio lag. "Tinny" sound compared to Yamaha & Onkyo receivers of comparable price range. Flimsy materials used for component jack casings.
Summary: I really wanted to love this receiver. It had everything I was looking for at a better price than the competition. I set everything up and used it for almost 2 weeks. I was a little disappointed in the sound quality at first. Having mainly used Yamaha & Onkyo equipment for years, I was surprised at how thin the sound field was. It sounded at first like a higher-end HTIB system, but after some tweaking of the settings I was able to get the sound to a place I thought I could live with. After all, I had made the choice to save money & NOT get another Yamaha or Onkyo, so I had only myself to blame for the somewhat diminished sound quality. I was prepared to move forward and enjoy the unit when a much bigger problem became apparent. I didn't notice it at first, because it was so slight, but after a few days I realized that the audio on Dolby Digital material was always slightly behind the video. While the unit has a delay feature that enables the user to set the audio back, there isn't any way to "speed it up" to match video. This resulted in the maddening frustration of lips not being in sync with the dialogue track. I tried everything to isolate the problem to a particular source or hookup, but every source I tried (DVD, XBOX, & Cable DVR) presented the same problem with Dolby Digital soundtracks. After trying dozens of different configurations, I came to the conclusion it must be a problem with the Dolby Processor, as DTS soundtracks were perfectly fine.
Some caveats: I was NOT using the HDMI hookups due to some non-HD components in my system. Everything was connected via optical cables & component video. Maybe if I had the ability to connect via HDMI the sync features of the 1.3 protocol would have fixed the problem. Regardless... buyer beware. -
"Awesome Receiver" on by chito75
Pros: Easy to install, the Automatic Speaker Calibration was outstanding and easy to do.
Cons: Having a bit of a problem programing the remote control to operate my Toshiba HD DVD , But that is an easy fix.
Summary: If you are looking for a esay and well price receiver to update your old set up this is the one you need to buy. I put Transformers and the sound was incredible, bullets,explosions and robots what more can you asked for. The video conversion is top notch, I'm using HDMI cables and the colors on my 40 inch Samsung look super sharp. I'm very happy with my choice.
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"Best receiver for the money!" on by Dean81299
Pros: Price, works flawlessly with the iPod and the provided remote controls all iPod functions, charges iPod while in use as well via the USB port. Has 4 HDMI ports.
Cons: Initial set-up is a bit difficult. Definatlry not a plug and play unit. You need to perform several steps before use of the unit. A little hard to do.
Summary: Worth every penny. It is a receiver ahead of it's time. Has so many "NOW" technological features. It's hard to set up I will warn you. It gos through an extensive set of tones that are received by a plug in sensor. It has the iPod cable it is provided. Which is rare. Most charge you up to $100 for a dock and those don't even let you use the receivers remote to completely control the iPod functions. All of them are able to be utilized with this unit. The iPod doesn't even need to be seen to be used.
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"Poor quality." on by dstanley54
Pros: Had all the features I was looking for.
Cons: Quit working after only 3 months. Fixed under warranty but quit again a year later. This time not under warranty.
Summary: I'll never buy another Pioneer product.
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"Poor quality parts. Poor customer service." on by mis_gk
Pros: When it worked, it was very good. A lot of nice features and easy to set up.
Cons: It only lasted 2 years.
Summary: I bought the receiver (VSX-819H) in 2009. It was used occasionally on weekends. It was hooked up to a surge protector. After a year (2010), it quit working, no power. Returned it to Pioneer while it was still under warranty. They fixed the problem. A year later, 2011, same problem occurred, no power. It's not under warranty anymore, so probably not worth trying to fix, if the same problem is going to occur annually. I called Pioneer about their shotty workmanship and poor quality, and received the explanation that, "We are not financially responsible anymore." I won't be buying anymore Pioneer products.
Pioneer VSX-819H-K user reviews
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