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5.1-channel A/V receiver

Get ready to see and hear images and sound like never before with Pioneer's VSK818VK 5.1-channel, 120-watt per channel, HDMI switching, XM and SIRIUS Satellite Radio ready A/V receiver. It's not just high definition audio that sounds amazing on this receiver. The Freescale 180MIPS digital signal processor, coupled with Pioneer's Sound Retriever, brings CD richness to compressed audio formats like MP3 and WMA. And Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration Circuitry (MCACC) assures a perfectly tuned listening environment is only the touch of a button away.

Good value, excellent options, no easy setup

Reviewed By: Eric Shock - Lexington, KY

The price and features cant be beat. This receiver has no problem pumping out the volume cleanly.

The setup is daunting. Ive spent multiple hours trying to tweak the sound, and I am convinced that it can still get much better. Im having trouble balancing too much bass vs. a hollow sound.

Controls on the front panel are great.

The design of the remote control leaves something to be desired. Having to switch the universal control from receiver to FM constantly is just odd--why doesnt it control the FM radio when set to receiver? The TV controls only control a Pioneer TV. I was able to get the remote to power my television onoff, but thats the only function. The remote only functions well with an almost perfect line-of-sight. The 818 doesnt have an output to control older Pioneer equipment aka SR but the 918 does. It didnt seem like it was worth an extra $100 for that feature. SR on this receiver only pertains to Pioneer TVs.

I havent used the iPodXMSirius options to-date. Im looking forward to using these options.

I have my Pioneer CD player circa 1995 attached using an optical cable TOSLINK. I dont hear any difference whatsoever--perhaps they have identical sound processing. I was expecting technological improvements in over a decades time to make something a little better.

The built-in equalizer settings are useless. You will depend on the custom settings to get the sound you want. Its a shame there are only two custom entries that you can save.

FM reception is no good--no surprise there. Poor FM reception seems to be a standard feature on receivers these days.

This box gets HOT at high volumes. I was warned that Onkyos in this price range get even hotter than Pioneers. I dont have any way to test against this hypothesis.

Overall good features, clean power, nice price, hard to configure. This is a great receiver for teenage Johnny, but not for Grandma.

My setup
LR - Infinity Beta 50s
C - Infinity Beta C360
LRRR - Infinity Beta 20s
Sub - Infinity SW-12

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