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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Pioneer VSX-1120-K 7.1 Home Theater Receiver

Key Features are I20 Watts x 7 – (20Hz – 20kHz @ 8 ohm w/ .08%THD) It has a 7 Channel Direct Energy Configurable Amplifier with Surround Back. Dolby Pro-logic IIz or B Speaker, THX Select 2 Plus Certified, Dolby True-HD / DTS-HD Master Audio, Advanced MCACC with 9 Band EQ , PQLS – Multi-Channel, Auto Level Control – Multi-Channel, Sound Retriever AIR – Multi- channel . It has a Internet Radio. It supports iPod Digital USB / USB Memory Audio, HDMI 1.4 (6 In / 2 out), 3-D and Audio return Channel, Dual HDMI Output, front HDMi In Marvell I080p Video Scaler. Analog to HDMi Video Conversion. It has HDMI to HDMI 1080p Scaling. Component Video (2 in / 1 out). Full Color GUI. It has PC Control with Multi-Zone A/V Pre-out. 9.1 Channel Pre-outs, RS-232 & Detacheable Power and Learning Remote Control

Amazon Sales Rank: #465 in Receiver or Amplifier Brand: Pioneer Model: VSX-1120-K Dimensions: 6.82" h x 16.55" w x 17.06" l, 28.82 pounds "Works with iPhone" certification and front USB connectivity provide iPod, touch Simple connectivity of high-performance HD video, HD audio, portable, internet, wireless The latest version of HDMI inputs and outputs provide more HD connectivity options with "future-proof" 3-D capability 1080p video conversion and upscaling ensures the highest quality video from any source--even "legacy" analog High-Power Discrete Transistor multi-hannel amplifiers. Channels 7.1 Power Output Per Channel(20Hz-20kHz,.08%THD@8ohm) 110 Power Output Per Channel (1kHz@8ohm) 120 Power Output Per Channel (1kHz@6ohm) 125

Pioneer VSX-1120-K Receiver: The Ultimate Home Theater Control Center

Most helpful customer reviews 122 of 129 people found the following review helpful. Pioneer takes the Yellow Jersey in Mid-Range Receivers By WDH Despite the rather disappointing announcement of their departure from the Plasma arena and the de facto departure from in-house blu ray players, Pioneer appears to have made a bold move into the highly competitive mid-range receiver market. Denon and Onkyo have released fiercely competitive models in the $700 price-range that couple either excellent video processing, streamed media, and ample connectivity. My recent review of the Denon AVR891 confirmed their continued competitive product line, but I did lament it lacked some of the swiss army knife approach sometimes imperfectly utilized by Onkyo (the 891 lacks internet-streaming, surround wide processing, and basic rear-panel connectivity). That said, Denon's use of the ABT chipset (begun last year with the ABT-2010 and continued this year with the ABT-2015) was my preferred AVR video processing (I performed it over Reon XV, Farjouda chips, and lower spec'd ABT chips). Having owned the 1120's successor both in elite (21) and no-elite (9040) form, I was always impressed by their power, sonic quality, and design. That said, they lacked what had rapidly become basic featureset in 2009 (wide or height presence configuration, only four hdmi inputs, and only analogue video processing). The 1120's little brother the VSX-1020 established a reasonably high bar for the 1120 to hurdle in bringing internet radio, iphone control, six hdmi, and wide/height processing in a tidy package widely available under $500. That said, the 1020 was a very compotent and efficient entry-level receiver, but lacked some of the longer legs for bigger rooms or thirsty speakers. Enter the 1120. The 1120 shares the same deep chassis of the 9140 and Elite 21. At over 17" deep, it is almost four inches deeper and four pounds heavier than the 1020. It's also over two inches deeper and four and a half pounds heavier than the Denon 891. The design is conservative and almost identical to last year's 9040 with a front fascia that is masculine and angular. Beneath the pop-out front input cover are a USB port for Iphone and Ipod playback, an HDMI port and the setup microphone input. The HDMI input is a nice touch for camcorders and other temporary connected inputs (Onkyo offers similar with 708 while Denon has six rear-mounted HDMI inputs). The rear panel is also similar to last year's 9040, but four more speaker binding posts have been added for height and wide processing (Pioneer uses MCACC wide since the auto-callibration software is not done via Audyssey DSX). Importantly, the Pioneer has 9.1 pre-outs for those looking to use an external amplifier. Unfortunately, this connectivity has been removed from the Denon AVR2311 and 891 that are natural competitors of the 1120 by price alone. The remote is very similar to the 1020 in layout, but it is backlit and contains XM and Zone 3. While Pioneer's remote is not as easily identified with small, similar buttons compared to the Denon, it is learning and back-lit, which is a step ahead of the 891/2311/991/3311. Onyko offers a learning remote in the TX NR708, but is not fully backlit. Setting up the receiver with MCACC is quick and easy, but each MCACC setting measures the white noise and reverb from speakers from only a single memory point whereas Audyssey MultiEQ in the Denon incorporates multiple locations' measurements. This might have an impact on callibration depending on the layout of one's room. That said, I find both tend have a significant impact on accuracy and each have their tweaking benefits. Once I had setup my 5.1 plus heights layout, I was very impressed with the 1120. While it appears to share a lot of the same audio section with the 9040, it seems to have a wider soundstage, which might have something to do with the presence speakers (I was previously passively bi-amping the height speakers with the 9040).

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