Rating: 
Summary: I would rate it a negative five if I could
Review: Since I purchased this receiver it's been in the shop more than in my home. It worked fine for a few months than it started 'overloading' as soon as we turned it on. What exactly is 'overloading' no one can tell me - the instruction manual doesn't even use that term. It's been in service three times since September. I'm sending it back again this week. What part of 'it doesn't work, please fix it or replace it' doesn't Pioneer understand? The last excuse they gave me was I didn't connect the speakers correctly. Avoid this model like the plague.
Rating: 
Summary: Value + Performance = Great deal
Review: The 509S is nicely priced so that just about anyone can establish a home theater system without breaking the bank. I myself bought this to upgrade to DTS (my old Pioneer had only Dolby Digital), but I'll be using it as my primary receiver now that I've had a chance to use it. If you've owned previous Pioneer receivers which were themselves noisy, you won't have to worry about this model. While there are some noticeable aspects missing in this model from previous Pioneer receivers (most likely absent to cut down on costs), most of these were bells and whistles that don't affect performance. I do wish Pioneer had kept the visual display of multi-channel sound, however; I miss being able to immediately see if a DVD actually has all of the multi-channel sound it claims to have. The only real downside to this receiver is that it is only minimally intuitive. I had to spend a lot of time with the manual to figure out the proper outputs for connections. That wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that the manual isn't exactly intuitive either. One big hint: the outgoing connections are pre-set for certain items. I couldn't understand why I wasn't getting any audio from the optical digital connection to my DVD player until I found an oblique reference stating that the Digital 1 output was pre-set to "CD player"; changing the setting to "DVD" corrected the problem. There were other issues too (a skittish remote that required multiple attempts at programming), but now that the receiver is set, I'm extremely pleased. I even went out and got some DTS Compact Discs to enjoy (which, when done right, harken back to the best days of Quadraphonic sound). A nice receiver and a great value.
Rating: 
Summary: Pioneer's VSX-D509S A/V Reveiver...
Review: The Heart Of An Excellent Home Theater System Is An A/V Receiver...Whether It's Simply Great Music You Want, Or The Explosive Sound Track Of An Intense Flick, A/V Receivers Have The Power & Processing To Make Every Home Entertainment Experience Real... And Pioneer Has Been At The Forefront Of The Industry By Giving You The First Dolby Surround A/V Receiver, The First Dolby Pro Logic A/V Receiver, And The First Dolby Digital (AC-3) A/V Receiver... Their Current Lineup Offers High Performance, A Multitude Of Connections For Compatibility With Other Components, Selection And Value... Dolby Digital Advances State-Of-The-Art Home Audio To A Level Previously Experienced Only In Theaters By Providing "5.1" Discrete Audio Channels... Dialog And Sound Effects Are Very Clear And Distinctly Localized... (For More On Dolby Digital Visit the website)... •Dolby Digital / dts Decoder •100 Watts x 5 •51 Channel Inputs •6+4 DSP Modes •Pre-Out: Subwoofer + Center •Expanded Theater •Midnight Mode •A/V Inputs: 4A/4V •Digital Inputs: 3 (1C/2O) •S-Video Inputs: 4 In/2 Out •AV Preset/Learning Remote •Speaker A/B: Independent •AV Front Inputs ...
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: This is the second Pioneer receiver I have owned. The sound that comes out of them is great. I really enjoy watching movies and listening to music with this receiver. Now the problem that I have is "OVERLOADING" it just started to do this in the past month. No one knows why. It is not even in the troubleshooting guide of the manual. Now I would not think much of this except for the last receiver I had also had problems and would cost more to fix than buy a new one. So I have come up with a solution.....do not buy pioneer, I think that should solve all my problems.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: This is the second Pioneer receiver I have owned. The sound that comes out of them is great. I really enjoy watching movies and listening to music with this receiver. Now the problem that I have is "OVERLOADING" it just started to do this in the past month. No one knows why. It is not even in the troubleshooting guide of the manual. Now I would not think much of this except for the last receiver I had also had problems and would cost more to fix than buy a new one. So I have come up with a solution.....do not buy pioneer, I think that should solve all my problems.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: This is the second Pioneer receiver I have owned. The sound that comes out of them is great. I really enjoy watching movies and listening to music with this receiver. Now the problem that I have is "OVERLOADING" it just started to do this in the past month. No one knows why. It is not even in the troubleshooting guide of the manual. Now I would not think much of this except for the last receiver I had also had problems and would cost more to fix than buy a new one. So I have come up with a solution.....do not buy pioneer, I think that should solve all my problems.
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