Pioneer VSX-517-K/S 5.1 Channels Receiver
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- Surround Sound: DTS ES® Dolby Pro Logic II DTS 96/24 Dolby Digital® EX
- Number of Channels: 5.1 Channels
- Type: Receiver
- Surround Mode Power: 550 Watt @ 8 ohm, 1 kHz, THD: 0.9%
- Stereo Mode Power: 220 Watt @ 8 ohm, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, THD: 0.7%
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Reasonable sound at budget price, but..
Pros
Fairly good value for money.
Cons
Difficult to follow instructions, and not too logical interface.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
It's better off if you match the receiver with whatever TV brand you get.
I consider myself a veteran when it comes to home theatre system as I’ve had one from the beginning of the home theatre era. Since the audio visual system drastically improved while prices became very reasonable over the past few years, I decided to buy a new A/V receiver along with my new TV.
I decided on a Pioneer strictly based on its power output and low distortion ratings. I now regret greatly. After having owned several amps and receivers, I was misled to believe the higher the power ratings the better it sounded. I now learned that there are multiple factors involved in the sound output. Well, I don’t listen to my music or movies loud. Thus, what I get from the Pioneer sounds good enough although I am disappointed it did not have the powerful bass punch I was expecting from its 130 watts per channel advertised rating. My regret comes more from the interface between the receiver and TV however.
Pioneer had very poorly written manual, and it conflicts with the TV manual when it comes to connection. Pioneer relies on the instruction flashed on the TV to make the number of settings, but this becomes impossible task without correctly connecting it to begin with. It’s like using a PC with no monitor. Emailing its customer service back and forth did provide the answers I was looking for, and Pioneer does have very knowledgeable tech support.
The unit does not let HDMI cable carry audio, so separate Optical cable is required to get digital 5.1 sound. Even then, it only has one optical input, so having more than one unit connected (say one DVD and one PlayStation) will require manual transfer of cables back and forth if to have digital sound for both.
Not sure if it has to do my old age, but I could barely read the manual with extra small fonts written on poor quality paper in faded ink. What’s more aggravating is that many functions on receiver or remote control are in acronyms and I keep referring back to the manual with my magnifying glass. Also, the messages on the receiver are difficult to read from the TV viewing distance and it forces me to get up and walk toward the unit every time I hit a remote..annoying. The bottom line is the unit is not user friendly. I am hoping to eventually learn all the functions, but I’d be cursing everyday until then.
The unit does not come with HDMI nor optical cables, and three cables cost $130 or more not to mention the special trip to the store. I am mentioning this because I believe some of the more expensive models included HDMI cables in their prices.
I decided on a Pioneer strictly based on its power output and low distortion ratings. I now regret greatly. After having owned several amps and receivers, I was misled to believe the higher the power ratings the better it sounded. I now learned that there are multiple factors involved in the sound output. Well, I don’t listen to my music or movies loud. Thus, what I get from the Pioneer sounds good enough although I am disappointed it did not have the powerful bass punch I was expecting from its 130 watts per channel advertised rating. My regret comes more from the interface between the receiver and TV however.
Pioneer had very poorly written manual, and it conflicts with the TV manual when it comes to connection. Pioneer relies on the instruction flashed on the TV to make the number of settings, but this becomes impossible task without correctly connecting it to begin with. It’s like using a PC with no monitor. Emailing its customer service back and forth did provide the answers I was looking for, and Pioneer does have very knowledgeable tech support.
The unit does not let HDMI cable carry audio, so separate Optical cable is required to get digital 5.1 sound. Even then, it only has one optical input, so having more than one unit connected (say one DVD and one PlayStation) will require manual transfer of cables back and forth if to have digital sound for both.
Not sure if it has to do my old age, but I could barely read the manual with extra small fonts written on poor quality paper in faded ink. What’s more aggravating is that many functions on receiver or remote control are in acronyms and I keep referring back to the manual with my magnifying glass. Also, the messages on the receiver are difficult to read from the TV viewing distance and it forces me to get up and walk toward the unit every time I hit a remote..annoying. The bottom line is the unit is not user friendly. I am hoping to eventually learn all the functions, but I’d be cursing everyday until then.
The unit does not come with HDMI nor optical cables, and three cables cost $130 or more not to mention the special trip to the store. I am mentioning this because I believe some of the more expensive models included HDMI cables in their prices.
