Premium Audio Company, a division of VOXX International, this week announced two new Pioneer branded A/V receivers – the VSX-835 and the VSX-535 – that they say are feature-packed “Immersive Sound Audio Video Receivers.” Said to be targeted at home theater and gaming enthusiasts, these appear to be the first new Pioneer products for 2024.
Learn more about these new Pioneer A/V receivers
With mid-fi pricing and relatively loaded feature packs, these new Pioneer models may be aiming to be declared the value leader in each of their respective price ranges. Both models “now support both up to 8K Ultra HD and 8K resolution,” as well as a host of other select performance features popular today.
Many of the features promoted are shared by both of these models, with the key differentiators appearing to be a few upgraded features and the number of channels. In this release, the VSX-835 is the top dog.
Calling All Movie Buffs
The 835 is a 7.2-channel AVR that looks to attract movie buffs with the inclusion of IMAX Enhanced Certification, Dolby Atmos capabilities, Dolby Surround, DTS Virtual: X, HDMI 2.1, 8K/4K Ultra HD capabilities, and Bluetooth streaming. Also included in the 835 is the company’s proprietary MCACC Auto Room Tuning software.
However users choose to configure their 835-based system – either 7.2 or 5.2.2 configuration – they are going to like what they hear. Thanks to seven channels of 80 watts of Class AB power, room-filling theater sound is at your fingertips. (VSX-535 offers five channels of 80 watt power). With two subwoofer outputs, users have the option of adding a whole lot of rumble to their movie effects.
Latest HDMI Processing
Both the 835 and its little brother, the VSX-535, sport the latest HDMI processing, including 4K/120Hz pass through, that the company says provides “the ultimate gaming experience.” But the 835 leaves the 535 behind by adding two additional channels of power and HDR images and sound with IMAX digitally remastered content.
The 835 is also said to offer Pioneer’s IMAX Enhanced Mode, which is optimized to “adhere to strict performance standards around color, brightness, contrast and audio fidelity. The system includes support for HDR video including HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, and BT.2020 (both models). The 4:4:4 color space is additionally supported.
Even More Technology
Both models offer 4 In and 1 Out (eARC) HDMI I/O, ARC-ready Main Out, and Sub Out pass 4K/60p and HDR video from the player to a compatible TV or projector. The company also notes that all terminals are HDCP 2.2 compliant.
Thanks to the inclusion of DTS Virtual:X, users get a three-dimensional soundfield without needing to add height or rear channel speakers. Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer also provides for an immersive sound without requiring more speakers.
Both models also include Pioneer’s MCACC (Multi-Channel ACoustic Calibration) auto room tuning system to optimize the sound for any room scenario.
Other Included Features
Advanced Sound Retriever – Pioneer’s Advanced Sound Retriever is said to restore the original sound quality from compressed audio files (like SMA, AAC, and MP3).
Convenient Connectivity – Whatever content you have on your phone, tablet, or PC can be streamed through either of the 835 or 535 via the included Bluetooth connectivity. The company says once the AVR is paired with your device, it will automatically begin playback whenever it detects an incoming Bluetooth stream.
The Pioneer VSX-835 is priced at $499 MSRP and VSX-535 sells for $379 MSRP from Premium Audio Company. You can learn more or order them now at authorized retailers and at www.pioneerhomeusa.com.
All the HDMI processing is simply marketing, as the majority of people will just have the HDMI signal passed through untouched, which is always better for picture quality anyway. Also the IMAX features that make it “adhere to strict performance standards around color, brightness, contrast” is just absolute marketing nonsense, it can’t do any of that as how does it know what the TV is displaying to adjust any of those parameters? I think they just mean the audio part, but they’ve written out the entire statement from IMAX specs as it looks better.
We need to stop pretending these are anything like the Pioneer amps of old, they are just the same as all the rest from this group.