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Pioneer BDP-320
TechRadar Review
www.techradar.com
October 2009
Purists' Blu-ray player that puts video quality before gimmicks
Pioneer's new Blu-ray player, the BDP-320, shuns the bells and whistles that the budget players are currently competing on to concentrate entirely on picture and sound quality.
It's a refreshing change and a welcome move for videophiles. What this performance-driven deck has in spades is video and audio processing to wring every last drop of quality from your Blu-ray, DVD and even CD collections.
It's the only BD player to include audio-only circuitry for stereo music playback, for instance. The so-called PQLS feature is designed to work with a compatible Pioneer amp, and enables you to enjoy clear, jitter-free sounds from the analogue audio outputs.
And instead of multichannel outputs, the Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio Essential tracks are pushed through the HDMI cable. That last term, by the way, is what DTS calls the bundle of audio codecs that includes the new formats such as HD Master Audio.
It's also the first player to introduce 48-bit Deep Color to better maintain the hues in HD material when played on a compatible TV. In fact, current screen technology can only handle up to 36-bit processing, but it's always satisfying to be ahead of the curve, and the x.v.Color system already includes 1.8 times as many colours as a regular RGB signal.
Ease of use
Unlike Pioneer's entry-level machine, which was a joint effort with Sharp and had a generic, but clunky interface, this is all Pioneer's own work, and the onscreen display is far more polished, with crisp text on backgrounds that imitate the maker's signature brushed black metal components.
It's also well thought out, with a quick setup guide that asks you what type of display you're connecting to and optimises the output accordingly. All BD players should offer this obvious feature, in our view, and if you're lucky enough to own a Pioneer plasma, you can also use Kuro Link to sync your devices and use just one remote control.
Picture
Image quality is where this deck scores most of its points, showing off impressive black levels and using the x.v.Color system to full effect by painting bold and rich colours onscreen. There's no visible video noise or banding, either, so large white areas, instead of highlighting any pixel blocking artefacts, simply look clean and bright.
There aren't too many dazzling scenes in the moody Watchmen adaptation, but the Blu-ray offers up the movie's smooth editing and its slick production really shines through on this Pioneer player.
The slo-mo credits at the start of the film look perfect, with the high contrast of the Pioneer helping to pick out detail in the darker shots and the natural colours giving skin and backgrounds a realistic tone.
Partnered with a 1080p/24fpscompatible screen, the Pioneer not only delivers near-perfect, full HD pictures, but also does an excellent job of upscaling DVD movies from standard definition. You can choose the resolution you prefer, but the 1080p output looks remarkably smooth and accurate.
Sound
The audio is often an afterthought for Blu-ray players, but Pioneer anticipates that not everyone will simply connect an HDMI lead and leave it at that.
Accordingly, the PQLS system has been developed to optimise the analogue stereo output and there's a tangible improvement in the openness and musicality when you're listening to stereo CDs, which means you can finally consign your old CD player to the attic alongside the VCR.
Value
Anyone expecting whizzy new features to go with the high price will be disappointed. Home cinema purists and Pioneer fans, on the other hand, can consider this a perfectly executed all-rounder that delivers top quality audio and video without the multimedia juggling or web surfing, which aren't strictly necessary on a Blu-ray player.
Pioneer BDP-LX52
What Hi Fi Review
www.whathifi.com
The BDP-LX52 manages a cleaner, sharper rendition of the Watchmen Blu-ray compared with the BDP-320. There are also improvements to sound, too, with effects sounding crisper, fuller and more detailed.
We were massively impressed with the Pioneer BDP-320, but the BDP-LX52 is well worth the extra cash should your budget stretch.
TechRadar.com
October 2009
The BDP-LX52 uses Pioneer's patented blend of gloss black, ice-blue illumination and silver buttons to devastating effect.
And this isn't a deck you can slip discreetly into your AV stand, either, as its unapologetically chunky frame demands attention.
Looking at the rear panel, the biggest surprise is the lack of multichannel analogue outputs, usually a staple of Pioneer's Blu-ray decks. But that's no problem if you've got an HDMI-equipped amp.
BD Live should be easy to access, and, sadly, the wired Ethernet connection found here doesn't fulfil that brief. Wi-fi is the way forward, and we're hoping Pioneer will add it to its next generation of players.
Owners of compatible Pioneer receivers can also take advantage of Precision Quartz Lock System (PQLS), which reduces jitter when playing back music over the HDMI connection by synchronising the digital clocks of both components. The LX52 enables you to use this function with multichannel LPCM as well as stereo, which is a first.
This is definitely an enthusiast's deck and that's reflected in the moody blacks and stylish onscreen graphics. The setup menu is packed with options that experienced users will love, including detailed user-defined tweaks that can be saved in three memory positions.
Despite this attention to detail, the LX52 remains generally easy to use, thanks to the excellent menu structure and immaculately arranged remote.
Performance
Picture quality is nothing short of sensational. The LX52 conjures up some of the sharpest and most substantial hi-def images we've seen from a player at this price point. Blacks are profound, while colours dazzle with a combination of strength and accuracy.
But it's with detail that the deck really works its magic. Viewed side by side with most of its rivals (except perhaps the Oppo BDP-831), there seems to be an extra degree of crispness and punch to fine textures and patterns, and edges look just a touch more definitive.
Add fluid motion tracking and jaggie-free diagonal lines into the mix and you've got yourself one seriously good picture performer.
The LX52 tackles audio with equal relish. HD audio tracks piped to an amp as LPCM are virtually indistinguishable from the bitstream, boasting equal levels of dynamism and detail, while music on CD is smooth and natural sounding.
Gadget Guy Review
http://www.gadgetguy.com.au
With the BDP-LX52, Pioneer has moved to the correct side of the thousand dollar barrier for Blu-ray players, and at the same time produced a full featured unit, preserving the most important of Pioneer's previous innovations.
The player does all the things we expect of a modern Blu-ray player, such as delivering high definition digital audio as a bitstream to a suitable home theatre receiver. Or decoding all the new formats (plus the old ones) for slightly older home theatre receivers.
As far as performance went, there were no surprises with this player. I was expecting great picture and audio performance from a Pioneer player, and it delivered it. And I was expecting a moderate amount of clunkiness, and it delivered that as well.
But on the other side, you get enormous power and glorious performance.
The picture quality was as good as it gets. And if you're not quite happy, there are a bunch of picture tweaking options you can apply. I don't recommend using most of those: better to set your TV correctly. But one of those options is 'Pure Cinema', which controls deinterlacing of interlaced Blu-ray discs and DVDs. With most Australian DVDs, setting 'Pure Cinema' to 'On' instead of 'Auto' increased performance from very good to perfect, making the player deliver every bit of detail available from the disc.
The sound performance was entirely in the hands of the various home theatre receivers I used, since I delivered it digitally. But the decoding worked well, delivering all channels at the full resolution. Your receiver will be the performance bottleneck, not the BDP-LX52.
And there were nice little extras, like the single frame stepping both forwards and backwards on Blu-ray discs as well as DVDs (few players will do this for Blu-ray), and slow motion both ways.
Conclusion
The Pioneer BDP-LX52 is a fine Blu-ray player for those who aren't too impatient. You are unlikely to get better video or audio performance than this unit provides.
Pioneer Cinema 919: BDP-320 Blu-Ray Player & VSX-919AH-K AV Receiver
What Hi Fi?
Sound And Vision Group Test Winner
February 2010
For a home cinema system that demonstrates the meaning of the word 'synergy' look no further than this very special Pioneer pairing.
If you've decided to buy matching equipment, it's probably because its appearance is important to you. If that's the case, then we reckon this Pioneer pairing makes the strongest showroom case for itself. Your money can't buy a glossier look.
Pioneer's MCACC speaker set-up system is equally showy, firing out several minutes worth of frenzied squelching noises to its microphone while it (pretty accurately) trims the settings to best suit your room.
And there's no let-up in the attention-grabbing when sound is the issue, either. District 9's DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack inhabits a large, well-defined soundstage, and the VSX-919AH proves as supple and fast as a panicked gazelle when the going gets hectic.
For all its alacrity, the Pioneer manages to remain stable and focussed when moving effects around the stage, and it's particularly accomplished through the centre channel - dialogue is amply detailed and informative. It's substantial and attacking with the lowest frequencies (although the Denon AVR-1910 has even more body) while it has a crisp (though slightly gritty) top end. Integration throughout the frequencies is great, with seamless transitions between midrange and the extremes.
Images from the same film are delightfully detailed and confidently defined. We've long admired the BDP-320 and here it impresses all over again with its inky blacks, bright contrasts and lovely colour balance. Edges are sharp, textures are convincing and skin tones as natural as can be.
It's the strength of the Pioneer system working together that sees it make off with top honours. The BDP-320 isn't far behind Sony's BDP-S760, and there's not much distance between the VSX-919AH and Denon's AVR-1910. When they form a one-make system, they complement each other beautifully and are easily the least compromised couple here.
Pioneer VSX-LX52
Winner of the Smarthouse.com.au Best Receiver Over $1,000 Award
Smarthouse.com.au
December 2009
This receiver offers many features that rival devices twice its price. It has multi-zone audio, 1080p scaling and an iPod dock, and is THX certified. Not only that, it also looks sexy, with its polished black metal and large dimmable display.
PURE Sensia Digital Radio (DAB+)
Winner of the SmartHouse Best Digital Radio Award!
www.smarthouse.com.au
December 2009
Many digital radios do pretty much the same thing, but the Sensia is much more than just a radio. In addition to its touchscreen and impressive futuristic style, it is also a network music player. There is also an iPod dock accessory that essentially turns the unit into a speaker system as well.
Hi-Fi World - 5 Star Award
April 2010
"Superbly packaged DAB/internet radio with 'game changing' touchscreen user interface. An important product."
MacUser
January 2010
"It looks great and it sounds great too. The Sensia is to radio what the iPhone is to mobiles."
Stuff - 5 Star Award and Stuff Test Winner
www.stuff.tv
March 2010
"music sounds fast, crisp and balanced"
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