Pioneer has announced a quad of new Apple-friendly home theater receivers. Each step up in price adds new features, with the top of the new line offering AirPlay and unique software to add to the Apple ownership experience. It's this model that tips the receiver category in a new direction: as Apple Accessory.
The new models are the VSX-521 ($249 MSRP), VSX-821 ($349), VSX-921 ($449), and the VSX-1021 ($549).
The VSX-521 is rated at 110 watts for each of its 5 channels. It has 4 HDMI inputs, and a front mini-jack for iPod connectivity. This is the least Applely of the bunch, but HDMI 1.4 switching for $249? Solid. Even better, it has HDMI Standby Pass-Through, meaning the receiver doesn't have to be on to send the AV to your TV - a nice touch if you occasionally want to watch TV using a cable box and the TV's built-in speakers. Like all of the new receivers, it also has Pioneer's MCACC room calibration software.
The VSX-821 adds in a front USB jack to the mix, and like the 921 and 1021, comes with an adapter to plug your iWhatever into the receiver, including a composite connection for video.
The VSX-921 adds Anchor Bay video processing to upconvert to 1080p, as well as transcoding analog signals to HDMI. It also adds in two additional 110-watt channels of amplification.
The VSX-1021 has all of the above, an extra 10 watts on each of its 7 channels, 192 kHz/24-bit audio playback (96 kHz for FLAC), plus even more Apple stuff (see below).
Apple Love
Many new receivers and Blu-ray players are coming out with Apple Apps that let you control the product with your iPhone/touch/iPad. The App for the VSX-1021 is quite extensive. Called iControlAV 2, the app lets you control and adjust all aspects of the receiver with an attractive user interface. Selecting inputs and adjusting volumes is to be expected, but a graphical representation of what your room is doing while running MCACC is exceptionally cool.
The Air Jam software for the iPad/iPhone/touch is a Pioneer-unique program that aids in party entertainment. Using Bluetooth (you'll need the optional Bluetooth adapter) four devices can be paired with the VSX-1021 receiver. Each user can select songs from their device to play on the receiver. One can add a song to a playlist, or be "that guy" and bump their song to play immediately. Adding to the trust level with your friends (inebriated or not) each user can also control the volume of the receiver. In practice at a recent demo, it's actually quite cool, giving a party a wider variety than what was possible from the owner's library alone.
Later, if someone played a song you really liked, it will remain in the playlist to give you direct access to the song on iTunes (to buy).
Lastly, the VSX-1021 also has built-in AirPlay, allowing any computer on your network running iTunes to treat it like an external pair of speakers (like how the Apple TV works). In this way your receiver has access to your entire music library without any external device.
Byte out of the old...
Though the lower models are certainly "Apple Friendly" it's only the VSX-1021 that really adds in compelling new features to the mix. At only $549, it's a fantastic price for the features, and is worth checking out for any iFan.
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