Pioneer VSX-916 AV-receiver

The front panel of Pioneer VSX-916 has quite large display and successful layout. The purpose of all controls on the receiver as well as on the remote control (by the way, it also has a display) are easily recognized, that's why the device is comfortable and easy to be adjusted and used. The receiver has the selector of speaker systems; the unused amplifiers in seven-channel output section can be switched to bi-amping for frontal pair. In addition to standard audio and video inputs (VSX-916 switch serves more than six sources) the receiver has USB, to which you can connect an MP3 player. In this case the decoding of mp3/WMA sound can be implemented by hardware, i.e. by its own multi-channel processor.

As usual, we started to estimate the sound quality from tuner. It has developed RDS functions, but only 30 cells for saving stations and performs auto setting slowly. FM broadcasts sound a bit compressed in high frequencies that does not add naturalness. Even weak stations were picked up consistently - and this is in the conditions of broadcast, polluted by industrial radio interference.

The main advantage of Pioneer receiver is clear, dynamic sound. Even at the connection of "heavy" low-frequency floor speaker system it could give energetic sound without signs of clipping at high volume. For its price Pioneer VSX-916 has even also good micro-dynamics in the middle band. The sources in sound stage have clear shape and location; articulation of performers is well expressed. Only at the edges of musical range the playback falls short of ideal: basses are slightly simplified and tops are little bit colored. As it turned out, digital path makes these artifacts - when you connect high-class amplifier bypassing processor by multi-channel input, top is cleaned; relief is expressed better in bass band.