@trisk I am self respecting and the proud first owner of several hundred vinyl with a 1973 pioneer receiver with radio and phono in. And I never heard of that thing above - not to mention your link goes to a general storefront... But that is worth knowing about as some day my receiver might go out. My tone arm on my record player has an issue (unscrewed the counter balance too far and something went thunk - can't figure out what but now it doesn't act rigth) so that likely will need replaced first since I haven't found a place to fix it around here anyway.
@Kidsandliz Whoops, here's the proper link. Yeah, it was a bit tongue-in-cheek, since every time a receiver goes up on Meh, the turntables seem to be a sticking point.
(I will note that this is not exactly a new problem, as standalone phono preamps existed long before I was born).
@Kidsandliz huh. Radio Shack carried those things in stock until the mid 90's, and moved them to special order as turntable usage flopped to all time lows among the general population. Lots and lots and lots of equipment made after the CD became popular didn't have phono level inputs.
@trisk Interestingly, the product description only mentions amplifying the signal levels - it fails to make any mention of RIAA equalization which would be required for a true phono input.
@boygenius1991 you can, but there is no dock (horror)... you have to use your supplied phone usb cable... and it has to be an iphone... or a usb drive.
@boygenius1991 If, by some strange chance, you aren't drowning in speaker docks (why are you here?), a $1 cable will take care of it. Get fancy with a $3 Bluetooth thingy.
Strongly tempted. I was finally going to buy the Oinko receiver when it came around. Now I have to figure out this one in under 24 hours... Not quite cheap enough for an impulse buy.
Does can it accept analog turntable input? Is it good for just audio or is this a waste without a huge home theater?
You will need a preamp for phono output from a real turntable.
It's perfectly good without a screen, thanks to the built-in display (though for that use case, your local pawn shop may have some dusty analog receivers on its shelves that sound just as good).
@trisk do they even still sell "real" (aka a turntable without a standard analog line out) turntables, and if so do they cost more than this receiver? :)
@thismyusername People who collect LPs seem to also collect vintage electronics, based on the number of phono related questions posted on the Onkyo receiver...
@trisk yea I didn't even think of vintage turntables, I bet most of them are still kicking, as they were made back before "planned obsolescence" was the norm. :)
@thismyusername knowing I had a large collection of LPs as CD sales were taking off, I intentionally bought a Technics SL-QX200(Panasonic "hifi" brand) direct drive turntable. To replace my nice belt-drive turntable, believing it to be more durable (no belt to dry out or stretch). Has been so far!
@RedOak@thismyusername@trisk Thanks for the comments. I already have a good-enough analog receiver, but we're at an intra-household stalemate because so many of our AV wingdings are HDMI now. Getting a component that can take digital and analog inputs while providing a satisfactory experience would be ideal, but I don't want to find out the turntable doesn't sound right either...
@njd I know the feeling - 'been nursing an old $800 SONY ES receiver with zero HDMI. Ironically we stretched to get into that model because it was both S-Video and Composite friendly. Now all our other "wingdings", as you say, are also HDMI. We route all the video via our HDMI friendly and wonderful Panasonic plasma TV and the audio, via the receiver. Luckily we have not had issues with audio syncing.
I have the even lower end version of this amp that i bought from wallyworld and its really decent. Doesnt have alot of punch but loud enogh and has nice feature-set. I paid 150 1.5yrs ago for it and it still works ... Every day. Unlike a Sorny i owned that had its own ideas about when i should or should not watch tv r listen to musak
I was just at the local thrift store checking out some receivers. They had a rather nice looking 5.1ch (probably an earlier model of this) with speakers and all... but.. they had the speakers separated from the main unit, and were trying to sell them all individually.. and had apparently succeeded because 2 of the 5 were missing. so.. didn't get it.
so, meh wins because my local thrift store people are stupid.
@eblade I got the 1021K, for about twice this from the old woot. One feature I do use is the internet radio, but not Pandora or SiriusXM or AirPlay. It has 2 zones and is 7.1, so that's the difference between the 500-series and the 1000-series. They used to be using components from their Elite line, but that stopped after my 1021-K.
@mike808 well, I'll certainly be giving it a shot. I'm moving in a few weeks, and would like to set up a reasonable home theater. I haven't had a good sound system for a long time. I just wish I could get some of the old lines of RadioShack speakers from when they were amazeballs.
I'd love to get it... Can't afford... But... Anyway... There are no built in speakers... and no lightning port where I could place my phone on... for that alone MEH.
@sohmageek I just bought this one for a similar price from a different site. It's fantastic. Does have a USB port, so could use a lightning cable that way. But it's ugly looking when I do.
I recently overhauled my family room and removed my AVR from the mix in favor of a soundbar (with sub and rear surround speakers). It's more than adequate -- good even -- and reduced the complexity of my setup considerably.
All that's left of my entertainment center is my smart tv, Xfinity X1 box and a chromecast. The other day, my wife brought home a DVD to watch. First time in ages. I'm like, a DVD? Physical media is so last November.
Then she got that look... uh oh. I managed to rip the DVD in about 10 minutes and place the MPEG on my homeserver, which my TV immediately saw as a DLNA share. It was playing before the popcorn was ready. SAVED IT!
Can't decide if I want to buy this one. Our current Onkyo receiver has started stuttering video/audio in the last few months, so maybe its time to replace it?
@Kevin@rbuchanan Umm... that really all depends on how you plan to hook it up. It has 4 HDMI inputs, so you could hook all your stuff up to the receiver first and then have 1 HDMI from the receiver's output to the TV's INPUT (this is what I have done in the past to make sure all devices have surround sound and so I switch the source on the receiver and the TV stays on the same HDMI input source. OR You could hook everything up to the TV using whatever inputs it has and then use one of the digital audio inputs on the back of the receiver. (optical or coaxial) So, if your TV has a digital audio output, you can use that to feed any sound going through the TV to the receiver. (edit: this method allows you to save different video settings on your TV if you like your xbox to have different settings from blu-rays. Like game mode, for instance.)
Keep in mind the optical audio (S/PDIF) output from your TV has limitations compared to HDMI, so you if you plug your TV's optical output into the receiver you will will be stuck with stereo sound in some cases.
Newer TVs have an HDMI feature called ARC (Audio Return Channel) where the TV can send audio back to the receiver over the same HDMI cable between the receiver's output and one of the TV's inputs.
If that isn't available for you, plugging devices directly into the receiver's inputs is usually recommended.
Just got this same exact receiver a few weeks back from another site for like $170. Overall, it's fantastic and I'm super happy with it. Definitely no complaints at all. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a receive under the ~$400 range.
@ACraigL That is one way people us 'em. That is how I had mine set up before we moved. Pros and Cons both ways.
Everything through receiver first: Pros: fewer cables to TV (good if TV is limited on HDMI ports), No switching input source on TV, Make sure all sources have good sound Cons: Can't save different display settings for different sources, Video may not pass through correctly (depending on format 3D, UHD, etc), receiver HAS to be on to watch TV (in my case, anyway)
Everything through TV first: Pros: Save different video settings for different sources, anything on TV can have sound sent to receiver (OTA TV or TV apps, for example), don't have to have receiver on to watch TV, if TV allows it, split screen or PIP from different sources (mine does!) Cons: might need to change settings to prevent sound coming out of TV speakers AND receiver, lots of cables going to back of TV, surround sound might not be as good as HDMI direct to receiver
An example of why I may want to use my TV as the switch is I have a 4K TV with apps like YouTube that let me watch stuff in UHD. To send the sound to the receiver, I'd have to use the digital audio out anyway. Instead of changing source on TV and receiver, I just change it on TV.
@bigtobacco Odd, I've been playing my Apple TV through it for a few days now, including purchased content, and we even ran a BluRay over the weekend, just to try it out. No problems here . . .
@ytrozs Sure, but Apple TV and BluRay aren't outputting a UHD signal. Technically HDMI 1.4 supports UHD, and HDMI 2.0 supports UHD. But, all legal UHD content will be protected by HDCP 2.2, so when this content is available - on disc or streaming - it won't play back through a non-HDCP 2.2 connection.
Standard HD content is "protected" by HDCP 1.3, I believe.
@bigtobacco Ah, I see what you're getting at now. "Fortunately," I don't have a 4K TV and have no plans for one in the near future, so UHD is less of a concern.
hrrmph. I have a similar model (VSX-521-K) that I wooted. MCACC jack doubles as a stereo mini plug input, and no USB. Otherwise quite similar. Also cheaper. It may have been destroyed by lightning, however. I'm still in the process of ohming out my electronics. Second time that has happened. I think I'll wait to replace it though. :-|
@doubleabeepbeep Funny you should say that, I'm getting a hum out of all speakers. It was drastically reduced when I turned down the dimmer on the display on the unit. Sadly, though, I just got an overheat message on it today (I think the kids left it on last night), and now the buzzing is awful. Really no idea what the hell happened here.
@ytrozs I noticed the same thing with the dimmer. I really haven't used it. Going to call Pioneer support tomorrow and see if they can help. I'll post back with info if they are any help.
@doubleabeepbeep And now I just get the overheat message, and it shuts back down. It's not in direct sunlight, and all sides are free to airflow . . . I think I just got a dud. Reached out to meh, will see what they suggest as well.
@doubleabeepbeep So, just off the phone with Pioneer. We did a reset to tone down the buzz, but it's still buzzing somewhat. Dimmer still changes the level of buzz. Tried different speaker wires, no dice. Answer from Pioneer: it'll need to be repaired or replaced. Ugh.
@ytrozs Hey there. Did you have any luck with Pioneer. I am getting the run around. They keep telling me Meh or Mediocre are not authorized dealers so they won't honor the warranty. WTF?
@doubleabeepbeep That's really quite odd. So, I called, did the whole "check this check that" and it didn't help. Called the other Pioneer (Service and Support, not Operation and Hookup) number, they said, look up an authorized service center and take it in. So I did. All the center wanted was proof of purchase, so I forwarded on my e-mail receipt, and that satisfied the service center.
That said, the service center initially didn't believe my story, and almost gave me the system back. Take a speaker and wire and show the service center the issue. Once I did that, they figure there's some "leakage" between the display hardware and the amp hardware. The service techs were actually surprised at the situation, hadn't seen it before.
Less a reply, more a final follow up. So, finally, I have my receiver. Or at least one like it. Pioneer sent the service center a new main board, still buzzed (something in the display was the final verdict), so the service center asked for a replacement. Well, this past Monday (December 14 - AKA almost 3 months after I purchased the device), I finally got that replacement. To say Pioneer is slow with service requests is a massive understatement. The new one is at least functional, though, no buzzing, works with the other components I purchased, etc. etc. etc.
Not thrilled with Pioneer service. But the device is still good.
Received my ... uh ... receiver today, and opened the box to find a "baby gender reveal kit" with blue and pink balloons in the box (I don't really understand, is this a thing...?). As it so happens, my wife is 13 weeks pregnant and we'll be finding out the gender in a few more weeks. Dear Meh: (1) Thanks! (2) Psychic, or creepy?
Anyone else getting insanely low level output from the Pre-Out subwoofer channel? I used to be able to shake my apt with the pre-out on my VSX-818v but on this one I can't even feel rumbling, not to mention hear it. And yes, I am using an active subwoofer.
@ihcTactics I actually had the opposite situation: my active sub was adjusted a little high for my last receiver (which was some crappy no-name thing I can't even find online anymore), and the Pioneer was rumbling half my house. Had to turn the sub down, because it was drowning out everything else.
Does your sub have a lowpass filter? Maybe it's arguing with the receiver about what to play?
@ihcTactics Oh, and make sure your other speakers are set to SMALL, rather than LARGE. From the docs:
"Front – Select LARGE if your front speakers reproduce bass frequencies effectively, or if you didn’t connect a subwoofer. Select SMALL to send the bass frequencies to the subwoofer."
@ytrozs I had actually forgot I posted here. Turns out the problem was what you listed here: front speakers were set to LARGE. Switching them back to SMALL solved the issue.
Specs
Condition: New
Warranty: 1 Year Pioneer
Estimated Delivery: 9/24 - 9/26
Shipping: $5 or free with VMP
What’s in the Box?
1x AV Receiver
1x Remote control
2x AAA batteries
1x Setup mic
1x FM wire antenna
1x AM Loop antenna
Pictures
Front
Back
Remote
Meeeeh
Price Comparison
$280 List, $229.98 at Amazon
Find a relevant price comparison? Please share it in a comment in this thread
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Monday, February 11th - Friday, February 15th
@thismyusername I've noted this for the historical record. Congratulations to you on this stunning achievement.
@thismyusername Edited for your pleasure.
@thismyusername I just realized that your user name doesn't have an extra "is" in it.
@jsh139 blame @shawn , username character limit.
@thismyusername haha. Damn you, @shawn!
Must have ran out of Onkyo receivers, gave them all away during the birthday fukus.
No Phono in?
@JazzyJosh C'mon, any self-respecting vinyl collector has one of these by now...
@trisk I am self respecting and the proud first owner of several hundred vinyl with a 1973 pioneer receiver with radio and phono in. And I never heard of that thing above - not to mention your link goes to a general storefront... But that is worth knowing about as some day my receiver might go out. My tone arm on my record player has an issue (unscrewed the counter balance too far and something went thunk - can't figure out what but now it doesn't act rigth) so that likely will need replaced first since I haven't found a place to fix it around here anyway.
@JazzyJosh it claims to have 3 analog in... you could use one for your vinyl pressed with three dimensional audio waves.
@Kidsandliz Whoops, here's the proper link. Yeah, it was a bit tongue-in-cheek, since every time a receiver goes up on Meh, the turntables seem to be a sticking point.
(I will note that this is not exactly a new problem, as standalone phono preamps existed long before I was born).
@Kidsandliz huh. Radio Shack carried those things in stock until the mid 90's, and moved them to special order as turntable usage flopped to all time lows among the general population. Lots and lots and lots of equipment made after the CD became popular didn't have phono level inputs.
@trisk Interestingly, the product description only mentions amplifying the signal levels - it fails to make any mention of RIAA equalization which would be required for a true phono input.
@jetkins What do you expect from a Pyle? It's one of the cheapest options.
http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/us/Products/pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=Preamplifiers&ProductId=C22
It's unlikely you'd pair a McIntosh with this amp though.
I could be watching the Emmys in digital 5.1 surround sound with this. Alas.
@jsh139 People still watch the Emmys?
@haydesigner I dunno, but I do :)
Man I really want this. Do you guys accept any forms of payment other than cold hard cash or credit cards?
@SteveOOO If you have 1000 units of something slightly useful I bet you could make a deal with them. ;)
Did you HEAR about this deal?.. It was well received
@AttyVette I LISTENED to you on the last deal, I'll stay away from this one.
@AttyVette I'm AMPED up about it.
@AttyVette actually, I was trying to tune it out.
@AttyVette You are a true pioneer!
@jsh139 that SOUNDs about right :)
@SteveOOO yes a pioneer without a wagon:)
@mfladd I AUDIO buy it but I'm not going Tune
@AttyVette You really autotune.
@AttyVette SPEAKER, WIRE you continuing with these puns?
@RedOak Way to TURN THE VOLUME way down on our pun party.
@AttyVette I'm surrounded by punsters.
@RedOak Why go through all of this treble?
@AttyVette Puns are such a BASS form of humor.
@AttyVette Too much resistance to these puns, ohm-boy.
@AttyVette Can we take these puns and SUB in some other form of humor?
Server problems again? Took a few minutes to load. Meh anyways.
so i buy this, then buy speakers and wires and then it'll play my music, or do I just plug my phone in or what?
@boygenius1991 you can, but there is no dock (horror)... you have to use your supplied phone usb cable... and it has to be an iphone... or a usb drive.
@boygenius1991 Just plug in all of the speaker docks that you've been stockpiling.
@boygenius1991 If, by some strange chance, you aren't drowning in speaker docks (why are you here?), a $1 cable will take care of it. Get fancy with a $3 Bluetooth thingy.
Strongly tempted. I was finally going to buy the Oinko receiver when it came around. Now I have to figure out this one in under 24 hours... Not quite cheap enough for an impulse buy.
Does can it accept analog turntable input? Is it good for just audio or is this a waste without a huge home theater?
@njd Analog Audio Inputs / Output: 3 in (1 Assignable)
You will need a preamp for phono output from a real turntable.
It's perfectly good without a screen, thanks to the built-in display (though for that use case, your local pawn shop may have some dusty analog receivers on its shelves that sound just as good).
@trisk do they even still sell "real" (aka a turntable without a standard analog line out) turntables, and if so do they cost more than this receiver? :)
@thismyusername People who collect LPs seem to also collect vintage electronics, based on the number of phono related questions posted on the Onkyo receiver...
@trisk yea I didn't even think of vintage turntables, I bet most of them are still kicking, as they were made back before "planned obsolescence" was the norm. :)
@thismyusername knowing I had a large collection of LPs as CD sales were taking off, I intentionally bought a Technics SL-QX200 (Panasonic "hifi" brand) direct drive turntable. To replace my nice belt-drive turntable, believing it to be more durable (no belt to dry out or stretch). Has been so far!
@RedOak @thismyusername @trisk Thanks for the comments. I already have a good-enough analog receiver, but we're at an intra-household stalemate because so many of our AV wingdings are HDMI now. Getting a component that can take digital and analog inputs while providing a satisfactory experience would be ideal, but I don't want to find out the turntable doesn't sound right either...
@njd I know the feeling - 'been nursing an old $800 SONY ES receiver with zero HDMI. Ironically we stretched to get into that model because it was both S-Video and Composite friendly. Now all our other "wingdings", as you say, are also HDMI. We route all the video via our HDMI friendly and wonderful Panasonic plasma TV and the audio, via the receiver. Luckily we have not had issues with audio syncing.
@RedOak well, I did it. Can't believe I bought something for more than $20 here. Hoo boy.
Music on this receiver that is MEH to my ears
The write up on amazon says "the new iphone 5" LOL Actually decent # of stars.
Camelcamelcamel tells me this is not a great deal...
Wow this thing is thick.
@SteveOOO That would be standard receiver sized.
@SteveOOO Trying to kill it prematurely by blocking the vents with your tow trucks?
@SteveOOO TWSS
I have the even lower end version of this amp that i bought from wallyworld and its really decent. Doesnt have alot of punch but loud enogh and has nice feature-set. I paid 150 1.5yrs ago for it and it still works ... Every day. Unlike a Sorny i owned that had its own ideas about when i should or should not watch tv r listen to musak
opposite-grody-jackrabbit
I was just at the local thrift store checking out some receivers. They had a rather nice looking 5.1ch (probably an earlier model of this) with speakers and all... but.. they had the speakers separated from the main unit, and were trying to sell them all individually.. and had apparently succeeded because 2 of the 5 were missing. so.. didn't get it.
so, meh wins because my local thrift store people are stupid.
@eblade I got the 1021K, for about twice this from the old woot. One feature I do use is the internet radio, but not Pandora or SiriusXM or AirPlay. It has 2 zones and is 7.1, so that's the difference between the 500-series and the 1000-series. They used to be using components from their Elite line, but that stopped after my 1021-K.
If you're looking for speakers, I liked the USA made Pinnacle Speakers 5.1 + sub set (*) I also picked up from the old woot.
* http://www.pinnaclespeakers.com/mb11500.html
The 1021-K is also tall and barely fits in my TV stand. Had to take it apart to fit, it won't slide in.
Overall, a decent deal at the $150-ish price point.
@mike808 well, I'll certainly be giving it a shot. I'm moving in a few weeks, and would like to set up a reasonable home theater. I haven't had a good sound system for a long time. I just wish I could get some of the old lines of RadioShack speakers from when they were amazeballs.
Damn, here I was hoping that I could afford something from meh on my birthday...
@septag0n this would be a lot for @JonT to give away.
@septag0n Happy Birthday!
I'd love to get it... Can't afford... But... Anyway... There are no built in speakers... and no lightning port where I could place my phone on... for that alone MEH.
@sohmageek I just bought this one for a similar price from a different site. It's fantastic. Does have a USB port, so could use a lightning cable that way. But it's ugly looking when I do.
@cbanga but it doesn't have built in speakers nor lightning. Therefore not a "speaker dock" RIP LITTLE BUDDY.
I recently overhauled my family room and removed my AVR from the mix in favor of a soundbar (with sub and rear surround speakers). It's more than adequate -- good even -- and reduced the complexity of my setup considerably.
All that's left of my entertainment center is my smart tv, Xfinity X1 box and a chromecast. The other day, my wife brought home a DVD to watch. First time in ages. I'm like, a DVD? Physical media is so last November.
Then she got that look... uh oh. I managed to rip the DVD in about 10 minutes and place the MPEG on my homeserver, which my TV immediately saw as a DLNA share. It was playing before the popcorn was ready. SAVED IT!
@ACraigL Please "PM" me the rippin' software you use. I haven't stayed current with that and have had little luck with my old tools.
@medz It was just DVDDecrypter, an old favorite. It wasn't a new DVD so maybe I got lucky.
Can't decide if I want to buy this one. Our current Onkyo receiver has started stuttering video/audio in the last few months, so maybe its time to replace it?
Can I plug a speaker dock into this?
What cable do I need to attach this to my TV?
@rbuchanan HDMI -- make sure your TV has an HDMI out plug
@Kevin @rbuchanan Umm... that really all depends on how you plan to hook it up.
It has 4 HDMI inputs, so you could hook all your stuff up to the receiver first and then have 1 HDMI from the receiver's output to the TV's INPUT (this is what I have done in the past to make sure all devices have surround sound and so I switch the source on the receiver and the TV stays on the same HDMI input source.
OR
You could hook everything up to the TV using whatever inputs it has and then use one of the digital audio inputs on the back of the receiver. (optical or coaxial) So, if your TV has a digital audio output, you can use that to feed any sound going through the TV to the receiver. (edit: this method allows you to save different video settings on your TV if you like your xbox to have different settings from blu-rays. Like game mode, for instance.)
Check out page 14 and 15 of the linked user manual.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/StaticFiles/Manuals/Home/VSX-524-K_OperatingInstructions041414.pdf
Keep in mind the optical audio (S/PDIF) output from your TV has limitations compared to HDMI, so you if you plug your TV's optical output into the receiver you will will be stuck with stereo sound in some cases.
Newer TVs have an HDMI feature called ARC (Audio Return Channel) where the TV can send audio back to the receiver over the same HDMI cable between the receiver's output and one of the TV's inputs.
If that isn't available for you, plugging devices directly into the receiver's inputs is usually recommended.
This just might be the birthday present that I get myself (and my garage)!
Never thought I would spend this much on one purchase at meh...
older-predictable-cabbage
Just got this same exact receiver a few weeks back from another site for like $170. Overall, it's fantastic and I'm super happy with it. Definitely no complaints at all. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a receive under the ~$400 range.
It looks like this has HDMI 2.0, but not HDCP 2.2:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Ik5m3EDZqQd/p_130VSX524/Pioneer-VSX-524.html
So, it won't be able to handle copy-protected UHD content (basically all legal content).
@bigtobacco Again, that's assuming you're feeding the video through this as opposed to just feeding audio out from your TV. Right?
@medz It's that the point? Funneling all video (and audio) content through it, acting as a switch and a single output back to the tv?
@ACraigL That is one way people us 'em. That is how I had mine set up before we moved. Pros and Cons both ways.
Everything through receiver first:
Pros: fewer cables to TV (good if TV is limited on HDMI ports), No switching input source on TV, Make sure all sources have good sound
Cons: Can't save different display settings for different sources, Video may not pass through correctly (depending on format 3D, UHD, etc), receiver HAS to be on to watch TV (in my case, anyway)
Everything through TV first:
Pros: Save different video settings for different sources, anything on TV can have sound sent to receiver (OTA TV or TV apps, for example), don't have to have receiver on to watch TV, if TV allows it, split screen or PIP from different sources (mine does!)
Cons: might need to change settings to prevent sound coming out of TV speakers AND receiver, lots of cables going to back of TV, surround sound might not be as good as HDMI direct to receiver
An example of why I may want to use my TV as the switch is I have a 4K TV with apps like YouTube that let me watch stuff in UHD. To send the sound to the receiver, I'd have to use the digital audio out anyway. Instead of changing source on TV and receiver, I just change it on TV.
@bigtobacco Odd, I've been playing my Apple TV through it for a few days now, including purchased content, and we even ran a BluRay over the weekend, just to try it out. No problems here . . .
@ytrozs Sure, but Apple TV and BluRay aren't outputting a UHD signal. Technically HDMI 1.4 supports UHD, and HDMI 2.0 supports UHD. But, all legal UHD content will be protected by HDCP 2.2, so when this content is available - on disc or streaming - it won't play back through a non-HDCP 2.2 connection.
Standard HD content is "protected" by HDCP 1.3, I believe.
@bigtobacco Ah, I see what you're getting at now. "Fortunately," I don't have a 4K TV and have no plans for one in the near future, so UHD is less of a concern.
hrrmph. I have a similar model (VSX-521-K) that I wooted. MCACC jack doubles as a stereo mini plug input, and no USB. Otherwise quite similar. Also cheaper. It may have been destroyed by lightning, however. I'm still in the process of ohming out my electronics. Second time that has happened. I think I'll wait to replace it though. :-|
@PocketBrain Perhaps you should invest in a whole-home surge protector?
@Thumperchick I just might, if I owned the home.
Anyone else getting weird humming out of center channel or left channel on this thing?
@doubleabeepbeep Funny you should say that, I'm getting a hum out of all speakers. It was drastically reduced when I turned down the dimmer on the display on the unit. Sadly, though, I just got an overheat message on it today (I think the kids left it on last night), and now the buzzing is awful. Really no idea what the hell happened here.
@ytrozs I noticed the same thing with the dimmer. I really haven't used it. Going to call Pioneer support tomorrow and see if they can help. I'll post back with info if they are any help.
@doubleabeepbeep And now I just get the overheat message, and it shuts back down. It's not in direct sunlight, and all sides are free to airflow . . . I think I just got a dud. Reached out to meh, will see what they suggest as well.
@doubleabeepbeep So, just off the phone with Pioneer. We did a reset to tone down the buzz, but it's still buzzing somewhat. Dimmer still changes the level of buzz. Tried different speaker wires, no dice. Answer from Pioneer: it'll need to be repaired or replaced. Ugh.
@ytrozs Hey there. Did you have any luck with Pioneer. I am getting the run around. They keep telling me Meh or Mediocre are not authorized dealers so they won't honor the warranty. WTF?
@doubleabeepbeep In that case, you may need to contact meh.com/support for help.
@doubleabeepbeep That's really quite odd. So, I called, did the whole "check this check that" and it didn't help. Called the other Pioneer (Service and Support, not Operation and Hookup) number, they said, look up an authorized service center and take it in. So I did. All the center wanted was proof of purchase, so I forwarded on my e-mail receipt, and that satisfied the service center.
That said, the service center initially didn't believe my story, and almost gave me the system back. Take a speaker and wire and show the service center the issue. Once I did that, they figure there's some "leakage" between the display hardware and the amp hardware. The service techs were actually surprised at the situation, hadn't seen it before.
Less a reply, more a final follow up. So, finally, I have my receiver. Or at least one like it. Pioneer sent the service center a new main board, still buzzed (something in the display was the final verdict), so the service center asked for a replacement. Well, this past Monday (December 14 - AKA almost 3 months after I purchased the device), I finally got that replacement. To say Pioneer is slow with service requests is a massive understatement. The new one is at least functional, though, no buzzing, works with the other components I purchased, etc. etc. etc.
Not thrilled with Pioneer service. But the device is still good.
Received my ... uh ... receiver today, and opened the box to find a "baby gender reveal kit" with blue and pink balloons in the box (I don't really understand, is this a thing...?). As it so happens, my wife is 13 weeks pregnant and we'll be finding out the gender in a few more weeks. Dear Meh: (1) Thanks! (2) Psychic, or creepy?
@ptseng That does sound creepy...
@ptseng Picture or it didn't happen.
Anyone else getting insanely low level output from the Pre-Out subwoofer channel? I used to be able to shake my apt with the pre-out on my VSX-818v but on this one I can't even feel rumbling, not to mention hear it. And yes, I am using an active subwoofer.
@ihcTactics I actually had the opposite situation: my active sub was adjusted a little high for my last receiver (which was some crappy no-name thing I can't even find online anymore), and the Pioneer was rumbling half my house. Had to turn the sub down, because it was drowning out everything else.
Does your sub have a lowpass filter? Maybe it's arguing with the receiver about what to play?
@ihcTactics Oh, and make sure your other speakers are set to SMALL, rather than LARGE. From the docs:
"Front – Select LARGE if your front speakers reproduce bass frequencies effectively, or if you didn’t connect a subwoofer. Select SMALL to send the bass frequencies to the subwoofer."
@ytrozs I had actually forgot I posted here. Turns out the problem was what you listed here: front speakers were set to LARGE. Switching them back to SMALL solved the issue.
@ihcTactics Neat!
Hey, I can't get mine to output HDMI. Is there any way to test if it is broken?