Rating: 
Summary: Loved it until it busted
Review: I would have to agree with all of the other reviews listed here... Fantastic sound, lots of features, incredible picture, crystal clear decoding. This system is a steal for the price. However, I got a lemon. Less than a year after the purchase the dvd/cd mechanism (brains) failed. The repair technician said it happens sometimes and nothing you can do about it. But no worries, it was still under warranty and Pioneer is stepping up to the plate. They are replacing the system with the new HTD520DV system, and I couldn't be happier with the service. It has taken awhile, but should be worth it once I'm back on the couch watching my favorite flicks.
Rating: 
Summary: Pioneer, Best in Audio and now Video quality.
Review: We bought this system about 4 months ago when moving into a new place. When comparing it to higher priced Sony models and whatnot, we found this one to have the most and best features for the most reasonable price. Pioneer is well known for its high standards in audio quality and is probably one of the best in the industry. It has 5 speakers plus a subwoofer. The speakers are back right, back left, front right, front left, and one that goes on top of your television. The overall appearance is very impressive. The subwoofer can either stand up or lay on its side, which ever you prefer. We decided to put it under the couch to create a more realistic and captivating effect. The dolby digital encoding in this thing is superior. For example, in a movie a car could be driving from the left of the screen to to the right and the sound of the automobile will actually seem to move across your room because of the effects the speakers produce. It's as if you are actually in a theater. Very deep clear sounds. We previewed many different home theater systems from Best Buy and other electronics stores and this one was by far the best. It has a cleaner, crisper, deeper, more resonant sound than other models such as the more expensive Sonys. No hissing or clicking sounds like the others produce because they can not handle the amount of sound. Also, it has tons of different preset theater surround sounds you can pick from to give your dvd the best sound possible. Some of them that I can remember off hand are Action, Drama, Musical, Virtual Surround 1, Virtual Surround 2 (My Favorite), and there's many many more that I can not remember right now. Another feature that makes this model superior to its competitors is that it is all in one unit. The receiver and 5-DVD changer are all in one so you don't have to worry about the bulk that other systems cause. This is especially helpful if you live in a small place or an apartment...or if you just don't want alot of equipment taking up alot of space. We have ours in a small stand with a VCR and Playstation 2 and everything fits just fine. Also, if you are worried about the 5-DVD changer....I've had some in the past that have broken, but this one is incredibly smooth and doesn't glich at all. Superior workmanship. One of the best things about this system is that you can run anything through the surround sound system. We went to RadioShack and bought some extra cords and were able to connect our VCR and Playstation 2 through the surround sound system. You wouldn't believe the effects this thing produces. It's amazing. When you can't rent something on DVD, you can rent it on VHS and still get the same surround sound effects. There's probably even a way to hook the actual TV through the system, but we haven't figured it out yet, or we haven't bought the right cord. But it does have a TV option, so I'm sure that you could. Another thing that I must add in is the amazing quality of video. This DVD system produces crystal clear pictures. You can definitely tell the difference between a movie in my Sanyo VCR and a DVD in my Pioneer. Also, I used to have a Panasonic DVD player prior to this purchase, and the Pioneer looks 10 times better. Very clear. Great color balance and depth. Amazing. Pioneer definitely took a step up with this home theater system. The all around package is just incredible. The $... you are spending is definitely worth it. Especially since some of the higher priced models don't even have many of the features or sound capacities that this model packs. We already knew Pioneer was great with sound, and now the Video capability opens up a whole new world of Home Theater Entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: Pioneer, Best in Audio and now Video quality.
Review: We bought this system about 4 months ago when moving into a new place. When comparing it to higher priced Sony models and whatnot, we found this one to have the most and best features for the most reasonable price. Pioneer is well known for its high standards in audio quality and is probably one of the best in the industry. It has 5 speakers plus a subwoofer. The speakers are back right, back left, front right, front left, and one that goes on top of your television. The overall appearance is very impressive. The subwoofer can either stand up or lay on its side, which ever you prefer. We decided to put it under the couch to create a more realistic and captivating effect. The dolby digital encoding in this thing is superior. For example, in a movie a car could be driving from the left of the screen to to the right and the sound of the automobile will actually seem to move across your room because of the effects the speakers produce. It's as if you are actually in a theater. Very deep clear sounds. We previewed many different home theater systems from Best Buy and other electronics stores and this one was by far the best. It has a cleaner, crisper, deeper, more resonant sound than other models such as the more expensive Sonys. No hissing or clicking sounds like the others produce because they can not handle the amount of sound. Also, it has tons of different preset theater surround sounds you can pick from to give your dvd the best sound possible. Some of them that I can remember off hand are Action, Drama, Musical, Virtual Surround 1, Virtual Surround 2 (My Favorite), and there's many many more that I can not remember right now. Another feature that makes this model superior to its competitors is that it is all in one unit. The receiver and 5-DVD changer are all in one so you don't have to worry about the bulk that other systems cause. This is especially helpful if you live in a small place or an apartment...or if you just don't want alot of equipment taking up alot of space. We have ours in a small stand with a VCR and Playstation 2 and everything fits just fine. Also, if you are worried about the 5-DVD changer....I've had some in the past that have broken, but this one is incredibly smooth and doesn't glich at all. Superior workmanship. One of the best things about this system is that you can run anything through the surround sound system. We went to RadioShack and bought some extra cords and were able to connect our VCR and Playstation 2 through the surround sound system. You wouldn't believe the effects this thing produces. It's amazing. When you can't rent something on DVD, you can rent it on VHS and still get the same surround sound effects. There's probably even a way to hook the actual TV through the system, but we haven't figured it out yet, or we haven't bought the right cord. But it does have a TV option, so I'm sure that you could. Another thing that I must add in is the amazing quality of video. This DVD system produces crystal clear pictures. You can definitely tell the difference between a movie in my Sanyo VCR and a DVD in my Pioneer. Also, I used to have a Panasonic DVD player prior to this purchase, and the Pioneer looks 10 times better. Very clear. Great color balance and depth. Amazing. Pioneer definitely took a step up with this home theater system. The all around package is just incredible. The $... you are spending is definitely worth it. Especially since some of the higher priced models don't even have many of the features or sound capacities that this model packs. We already knew Pioneer was great with sound, and now the Video capability opens up a whole new world of Home Theater Entertainment.
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