Pioneer as a brand are perhaps best known for their prowess in making among the best Plasma screen TV's that money can buy... but they also do high quality receivers and Blu-Ray players.
AV ReceiversThe first thing that strikes you as you lay eyes on one of their new boxes, be it a Blu-Ray or a receiver, is that they actually look nice - this is something that is pretty much taken for granted among the TV's, but is not something that has really been noted for an AV receiver, in particular.
Although the look of a product is one of the most important things in today's market, once the initial look of the product has faded from memory and you peer beneath the gloss fascia, be it a
VSX-819H or a
SC-LX52, you'll find plenty of technology and a healthy feature set lurking within.
It's this feature set that most people seem intent on clutching to when considering what to purchase, so all the new models come complete with the new Dolby Digital and DTS HD sound processing as well as a healthy brace of HDMI sockets and capable amplification. More suprisingly, certain models also come equipped with direct iPod connectivity; meaning you can simply connect your iPod to the receiver with your existing iPod lead and get a great sound from it (as well as being able to control it from the receivers' remote).
Features are very important in a product of this nature, but aren't the be all and end all. A product should perform the task in hand well at the same time as providing bells and whistles; as luck would have it, the Pioneer receivers do a pretty competent job of it!
Blu-Ray PlayersPioneer were pretty much one of the first firms with a quality dedicated Blu-Ray deck available and were considered the first 'premium' DVD player manufacturer. This pedigree is evident in their current Blu-Ray players. Although they have become cheaper and more capable than ever, the £400 mark seems to still be the most hotly contested for the Blu-Ray mass-market and it's this point that Pioneers' new mass-market star is priced.
The
BDP-320 is the first player of the new range that we have had in store and is just as good as the previous model, only now slimmer and more feature packed (including the oft requested BD-Live functionality).
But it isn't just the Blu-Ray middle-ground that Pioneer patrol, they still very much have a toe planted in the premium market, with the
BDP-LX91.
Built like a brick outhouse and featuring every connection option most people are likely to require, the
BDP-LX91 is by far and away the best all-round Blu-Ray player we have tested here in Nottingham; not only will it play Blu-Ray discs to a higher standard than any player before, it will also play DVD and (shock horror!) even CD to a very high standard. We have tried countless combinations of receiver and display with this player and have yet to find something that doesn't benefit from the awesome picture and sound that it can provide.
So to conclude this post.... Come and see these stunning new products in store today, let us know what you think about them in our comments section or please contact us for more information!
Mark.
