PIONEERVSX922Black AV Receiver

"Highly specified all-round performer that excels at its new price point." What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision magazine. Tested at £250.

Featuring improved connectivity, new Direct Energy amplification and class-leading networking, the Pioneer VSX922 is an impressive AV receiver.

PUTTING SOUND QUALITY FIRST

At the heart of the Pioneer VSX-922 is a Direct Energy amplifier. Direct Energy amps use short signal paths throughout for purer and more dynamic sound quality. When connecting a Blu-ray player via HDMI, proprietary PQLS technology ensures a jitterless transmission. Essentially, this means that the resulting sound quality is smooth and natural and exactly as the film studio originally intended.

FULLY COMPREHENSIVE NETWORKING

The VSX922 comes with a LAN connection for integration with your home network. There's also Apple AirPlay compatibility, DLNA streaming and an optional wi-fi dongle for wireless connectivity. Apple's AirPlay lets you wirelessly stream music from any compatible Apple device - without the need for a separate home hub. DLNA streaming gets you access to music stored on your PC, laptop or NAS and plays it through the receiver. There's also access to Internet radio and music services, making the VSX-922 a fully comprehensive streamer.

IMPROVED CONTROL

In addition to offering multiple networking possibilities, the VSX922 keeps control better than ever. The new iControlAV2012 app lets you control more functions than ever via your smartphone or tablet (Apple or Android). With this app, you also have access to the receiver's advanced sound features such as Sound Explorer, which displays more than 18 of Pioneer's unique sound adjustment functions on one screen, and Virtual Speakers, which lets you create your ideal sound field, even when real speakers are not set up. The Pioneer VSX922 is also compatible with Air Jam. Air Jam is a Bluetooth-based app that lets a group of people connect with their iPhones, iPod Touch or iPads and add their songs to the receiver playlist. In effect it's a local, social network for music and works well with the VSX-922 (optional AS-BT200 Bluetooth adaptor required).

ENHANCED CONNECTIVITY

When it comes to connecting more conventionally, the Pioneer VSX-922 has got more connections than ever before. There are no fewer than six HDMI inputs and they now feature HDMI Standby Through mode. This means that HDMI signals can pass through the receiver, even when it's in standby - handy when you just want to watch the news from Sky/Virgin, without having to turn on your AV system. As before, they're also compatible with 3D and ARC (Audio Return Channel) for a less cluttered cable connection. Also standard is an iPod Digital USB connection. This allows plug-and-play flexibility without the need for a further docking station. The sound quality will be better than many docks, too, as you're using the processing power of the Pioneer rather than the docks. It now also accepts high-resolution WAV and FLAC files up to 192kHz/24-bit. Better still, Pioneer's Advanced Sound Retriever system enhances the typically compressed music from MP3/AAC systems and returns the sound to CD quality.

EASY TO SET-UP

Although comprehensively equipped, the Pioneer VSX922 is by no means intimidating to use. Pioneer's unique Advanced 9-band MCACC (Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration) system will tune the amplifier to the size of listening room and speaker placement, at the touch of a button. Professional results no longer rely upon hours spent with a sound level meter and heavy study of the instruction manual! Finally, if you like the idea of high quality cinema sound, but simply don't have space for all the speakers around the room, then you'll be delighted to see Pioneer have fitted their Front Stage Surround Advance system. Simply place all the speakers by the TV, and let the Pioneer do the rest.

For an AV receiver that also makes the most of your iPod Touch/iPhone and iPad, plus much more besides, the Pioneer VSX-922 is a front runner.