Podcast #628: New Pioneer Receivers

New Pioneer Receivers If you are tired of the long cold Winter then these product announcements from Pioneer should warm your soul. What better way to welcome Spring than with new receivers? Pioneer introduced 5 new models.   Pioneer introduced three receivers in their VSX line. At the lower end is the 5.2 channel VSX-824 followed by the VSX-1024 and 1124 both of which are 7.2. These are the first receivers that support HDMI 2.0 which allows for higher data rates and better color that 4K TVs benefit from.  The receivers have a built-in MHL port and are Roku Ready. Plug in a Roku Stick and use the Pioneer iControl AV5 app to access your favorite Roku channels.   The VSX-1124 incorporates the ES9006S DAC (192kHz/24-bit) for high quality audio performance. They also added playback support for 96kHz 24-Bit 5.0- and 5.1-channel FLAC and WAV files on the VSX-1124. The receiver also supports other high-resolution music files including AIFF, WAV, FLAC, DSD (2.8 MHz), Apple Lossless, MP3, WMA and AAC   The VSX-1124 supports the next generation 4K2K Ultra HD resolution standard to help provide the highest quality video image available, with the ability to pass through 4K video signals of up to 60 frames per second to any HDMI 2.0-equipped 4K display. It can also upscale lower resolution signals for viewing on 4K Ultra HD TVs.   The new Pioneer receivers will be available at the end of March with suggested prices of $399 (VSX-824), $499 (VSX-1024) and $599 (VSX-1124).   Pioneer also debuted two new entry-levelElite branded receivers, the VSX-44 and VSX-80 7.2-channel receivers.  Both models include HDMI 2.0 support and are Roku Ready.   Like the 1124 the VSX-80 also supports high quality audio and video. What you get for the additional $100 is advanced home theater control. The VSX-80 is compatible with the most popular custom control companies, Crestron® and Control4®, and offers custom installation features including full two-way RS-232C-over-IP control, with the ability to receive metadata from network and iOS connected devices.      The new Pioneer Elite receivers will be available at the end of March with suggested retail prices of $500 (VSX-44) and $700 (VSX-80).