Pioneer VSX-815 Receiver Review

So, it was with a desire to investigate Pioneer's new entry-level line of receivers that we requested the VSX-815 and HTP-4600 , two products that give us a nice slice of Pioneer's lower-priced offerings. The VSX-815 is a 100 watt x 7 product with auto setup and room EQ. Main features for this receiver include:

• MCACC auto setup with calibration microphone
• 100 watts x 7 (1kHz; 1% THD @ 8-ohms)
• Integrated biamping mode for 5.1 systems (using Surround Back amplifiers)
• Powered Zone 2 (using Surround Back amplifiers) *not independent source
• Programmable remote control with 1-line 8 character LCD
• Speaker delay settings with 0.5ft increments
• Selectable crossover (50/80/100/150/200)

Build Quality

The VSX-815 is of average build quality for a receiver at this price point. While it states 7 x 100 watts output, that is obviously not an "all channels driven" rating (nor is it implied in the specs) and based on the power supply and information we could glean from the components, you can expect to have no trouble powering a set of 8-ohm moderately efficient speakers in an average sized living room with this receiver.

The setup on this receiver is accomplished through the System Setup activated by the remote control or front panel of the unit. In either case, the LCD panel will give you abbreviated guidance and indication of where you are in the process and what available options you will have access to. It may take a few times to get used to the menu system. Basically you use the up and down (tune) controls to get to new options, and the left and right controls to effect changes to the system. Backing out is accomplished by pressing the 'Return' button. As the options are brief, let's explore the main items in enough detail to help you through the process:

• Your main loudspeakers must have a set of "high" and "low" binding post terminals.
  

  Note: Check with the manufacturerdealer of your loudspeakers to make sure your speakers are in fact biampable and not just biwireable.

• You must remove the jumper which normally connects the "high" and "low" speaker terminals.
• You will need an extra pair of speaker cables (bi-wire cables will not work and will actually damage your receiver.)

To passively bi-amp your Pioneer VSX-815, simply follow these steps:

• Remove the jumpers that join the "hi" and "low" binding post inputs on your main speakers
• Connect the Front Left & Front Right outputs to the "high" binding post inputs of each of the respective loudspeakers
• Connect the Surround Back speaker outputs to the "low" binding post inputs of each of the respective loudspeakers
• Se the SB.SYSTEM setting to "BIAMP"

A. MCACC (Automatic MCACC Setup and Room Correction)
On the surface, Auto MCACC was impressive in that it spent significantly more time configuring the system with various bursts and snaps than either the Yamaha RX-V2500's YPAO or the Denon AV-3805's setup and room EQ systems. In the end, however, it set both my RBH Sound 1266-LSEs and 61-LSEs to Large (the latter are not full range speakers). This was likely due to the 61-LSEs being positioned against the back wall which must have produced enough boundary gain to trip up the system. It nailed the distances, including the subwoofer, which correctly showed as 10.5 feet. Levels varied quite a bit from my findings; however this may also have to do with the application of MCACC's 5-band EQ room correction feature.

In terms of Room EQ, here is what the system did using its 5-band equalizer:

As you can see, the Room EQ seems to be doing something; the question is whether or not it is helpful. That answer would need to be addressed in several ways. First of all, I began listening to Diana Krall's Love Scenes DVD.

Pros

• Lots of buttons for all necessary functions
• Super easy programmable remote with embedded preset codes
• Single line 8-character LCD for device identification
• Can control 7 additional devices

Cons

• No backlight
• No learning functions
• Does not have some of the latest TV manufacturers
• Quantity of buttons makes "touch" memorization of remote functions difficult

If I were to design a website for this remote I would name it "buttonaholics". There are more buttons on this remote than on the original set of Star Trek . Pioneer saw fit to add a 'shift' function to the remote so that even the buttons could have buttons. On a more serious note, the Pioneer XXD3086 remote was flexible and programmable. If you so desired, it could conceivably control your entire AV system. A total of 7 additional components can be programmed into this unit using manufacturers' preset codes (we did two devices and stopped there).

If you have an odd device or (like me) are using a new product from the latest Korean manufacturer to hit the US market, you may be out of luck. The manual doesn't list manufacturers' codes as they are all stored and selectable on the remote itself. The good news is that a lot of this hardware is shared throughout the industry, so another manufacturers' code might work with your set even if it's not the correct name. Nevertheless, if you think you need a learning remote you can take a look at the VSK-915K which adds this along with some other goodies like composite to s-video upconversion.

The one-line, 8-character LCD screen lets you know what device you are controlling and you can even skip through the inputs one at a time with the "Input Select" button - which I suppose is comparable to channel surfing on a TV.

There is no light on the remote, so using it in the dark will be tough. I'm a fan of fixed-button remote controls, but the sheer number on the XXD3086 will render it hard to memorize beyond the volume and directional buttons (though to their credit, Pioneer did attempt to vary button sizing to help.)

Overall this is an average remote that covers all the bases in terms of control. Considering the price of the receiver costs less than some universal remote controls I am familiar with, I think this is about all we could ask for.

DVD-Audio: The Crystal Method: Legion of Boom
This disc, being almost completely synthesized with the exception of instrument sweeteners and guest vocalists, puts forth a nice pinpoint mix or percussive surround information you don't typically hear unless you're a techno fan (the Crystal Method is so far off the beaten path it's hard to drop them into any category). Imaging was decent on the RBH Sound 1266-LSEs but I could tell that they would have benefited from more power and amplifier control There was no doubt, however, that the Pioneer could play loud , but it tended to start to lose detail once I extended it past 85dB at the seated position. Track 5, "I Know It's You", was a good overall mix that made great use of the surrounds as well as the full frequency spectrum and reminded me a lot of their older sounds (which I happen to like). I liked the subtle effects in the surrounds (and guest starring vocals by Milla Jovovich) and the room-filling reverb, which came across as smooth and airy. A pervasive low end driving growl appears near the end of the song and seemed to carry seamlessly from the lower subwoofer range through to the main speakers.

Track 6, "Realizer", gave me a bit more of high frequency to listen to and involved some smooth pans across the soundstage, which was narrow but pleasing. Overall, this album sounded wonderful (and loud) on the Pioneer. If you need the volume, it's there, though with some constraints due to the capabilities of the power supply when driving low impedance, moderately efficient speakers such as my reference setup.

CD: Casting Crowns: Casting Crowns
This is probably one of my favorite albums (my two-year-old can sing most of the choruses) and I wanted to evaluate it on the Pioneer VSX-815. "What If His People Prayed" starts off the CD and features a lot of compressed, processed electric guitars in the chorus which present themselves as a reinforcing wall to the lyrics. Combined with the vocals, it pushed a lot of material through the 1266-LSEs but didn't seem to run out of steam, even at higher volumes. Track 2, "If We Are the Body", delivered clean vocals that were well-imaged between the front speakers. I've heard more detail with more robust amplifiers, but I couldn't fault the VSX-815 considering its value and ability to push the SPLs I heard coming from my speakers.

Casting Crowns is a Christian rock band whose music finds its way into worship music across the country's many churches and radio stations - spanning multiple denominations and featuring both male and female lead vocalists. They combine solid rock rhythms with meaningful lyrics and diverse instrumentation, including violins, drums, bass, keys, accordion, and solid backing vocals. The music is recorded and mixed in Tennessee and I have found the mixes to be solid, though a bit compressed (unfortunately to fit in with today's "louder is better" radio mixes).

Some of their slower songs, like "Who Am I" and "Here I Go Again" gave me some examples of smooth vocal reverb and a simpler mix during verses, which proved to be well-balanced and finely detailed, with backing vocals coming across as well-articulated. On some more compressed tracks I felt that cranking up the Pioneer resulted in a more recessed sound with loss of some of the soundstage and detail.

An interesting item to note is that the VSX-815 has an audibly clean output gain stage until the volume hits -18. At that point, a noticeable hiss emerges from the speakers. This seemed to indicate that as the preamplification approached its maximum gain, it was introducing audible noise to the outputs. Turn the dial to -19 and the noise goes away. While this is certainly fascinating to note, the fact of the matter is, if you are playing the system at that level, noise is the least thing you will be concerning yourself with as it will be entirely masked by the output levels.

CD: Chick Corea Elektric Band: Inside Out
Wanting to listen to some music with a greater dynamic range, I popped in Chick Corea's Inside Out album. As expected, I was able to crank up the Pioneer louder and enjoy some real dynamics from an album that was mastered before the mastering engineering profession was told to cater to the whims of record label execs who think that the loudest songs sell the most albums.

Editor's Note on Compression and Digital Clipping in Recordings:

Please refer to the articles referenced below for information regarding these issues. We see much of this happening these days with RockPop music and would like to see more awareness in the recording studio to appease us audiophiles that demand higher quality recordings of the artists we admire.

DVD: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Two-channel sounded nice, but multi-channel was what this system was made for. I "needle-dropped" Star Wars into the Denon DVD-5900 and cranked up the volume. The opening battle sequence was phenomenal, with good imaging in the surrounds and ample amounts of laser blasts and LFE sweetening that exercised all of my loudspeakers. The light speed engines on the Millennium Falcon have undergone some exceptional enhancements in the new Star Wars DVDs. The final Death Star battle sequence has a good mix of music score and X-wing/Tie-fighter-bys that showed excellent front-to-back imaging in the system. Star Wars is a good example of how this receiver excels in home theater use. With a greater amount of low frequency information being routed to a dedicated subwoofer, the Pioneer can focus on driving the center channel and providing stereo and surround effects & music tracks. This is a great home theater receiver for the money.