Pioneer's New AV Amps Pack the Next-gen Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Standards

After showcasing the new range of Elite receivers last month, Pioneer decided that this wasn't enough by far and now rolls out the new AV amplifier series. One could say that amps simply can't come with something cool...and be wrong. Pioneer may not be at their climax as they were some 15-20 years ago but hey, they're not dead! Aucontraire, it looks like during the last months Pioneer are once more starting to spearhead the technology development, much to old guys' (like me) delight.


Well, first of all, the new Pioneer AV amps we're talking are not the "can't afford them "-type but plain ol' middle range gear that could easily get in everybody's home. Now, these amps are not the iron bulks you might think of but nifty pieces of tech capable to deliver exquisite 7.1 channel sound in extreme fidelity and in full compatibility with the newest audio and video standards.

Both models (VSA-AX1AH and VSA-1017AV) sport extensive tech inside that will render them most fit for home theater use. This means perfect compliance with HD DVD and BluRay discs; even more, they'll offer you pristine quality digital output from pretty much any audio-video source you'd feed them.

No matter what, they'll deliver composite and component video, S-video, optical digital audio and obviously, HDMI 1.3a connectivity. If this is not enough for you, Pioneer added USB connectivity for your beloved iPod and other similar portable players.

The new Pioneer AV amplifiers are both THX certified and they will be compliant with the Dolby NR True HD, DTS HD Master Audio (excellent for HD-DVD/BluRay) and the Advanced MCACC for the digital audio player we've been talking about later.

The VSA-AX1AH pumps 180W per channel and will be available for $1,150 while the VSA-1017AV blasts 10W/chann less and sells for $774. Available at the end of June.

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