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Pioneer VSX-D906S Home Theater Audio/Video Receiver

Pioneer VSX-D906S Home Theater Audio/Video Receiver

List Price: $1,210.00
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Product Info Reviews

Features:
  • Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic, and Dolby 3-channel
  • 100 watts for each of 5 channels
  • Digital signal processing with 4 acoustic environments
  • GUI (graphic user interface) onscreen setup
  • CD titling and play capability


Description:

The Pioneer VSX-D9065S contains Dolby Digital signal processing, five discrete 100-watt MOSFET power amplifiers, and enough inputs and outputs (including phono) to please even the most serious audio-video droid. And, with the help of the step-by-step owner's manual and GUI (graphic user interface), the VSX-D9065S is relatively easy to set up.

One of the VSX-D9065S's nifty features is its learning remote control (time consuming, but worth the effort). And--if you have a file-type CD changer--you can enter up to 100 CD titles in the VSX-D9065S's memory. We were also happy that Pioneer equipped the VSX-D9065S with a built-in phono stage, which is becoming more rare.

The VSX-D9065S won't let you down in the performance department either. Radio signals come in beautifully, and the unit's many features perform flawlessly. The VSX-D9065S's sound is full and robust. Bass performance packs real authority, even in the two-channel stereo mode. Dolby surround processing is excellent, and we even found the relatively subtle DSP (digital signal processing) modes (hall, jazz, dance, and theater) to be more useful than usual.

Be forewarned that the VSX-D9065S does have a built-in cooling fan (a necessity, with all that amplifier power), and at quiet listening levels you may hear it gently whirring away. And, clever as it is, the remote is a bit crowded to easily navigate all the commands it performs.

However, the VSX-D9065S is a seriously good AV receiver. Though a bit more costly than some of its competition, its combination of high performance and extensive AV switching features make it an impressive value.

Pros:

  • Big, powerful sound
  • Excellent build quality
  • Tons of features
  • Loads of inputs and outputs

Cons:

  • Crowded remote control
  • Built-in cooling fan may be audible
  • No DTS surround decoding
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