Pioneer VSX-834 7.2-Channel AV Receiver

Nothing makes ordinary TV sound like I am in an expensive theater than this AV receiver. It is easy to setup, comes with a ton of features to make my viewing and listening experience unique. It has high quality sound when paired with the right speakers. I use Bose theater surround speakers for my system, but there are plenty of great speaker systems available to choose for your home theater needs. The accompanying microphone refines the sound quality so that I get the best possible experience from my home theater system. This AV receiver allows me to connect up to 6 speakers plus a subwoofer and offers several sound selections to fit the movie, sporting event or whatever I am watching to a realistic event that makes me feel like I am actually there. If you are looking for a new, or replacement AV receiver like I was, this one will definitely satisfy.

I bought this receiver to replace a VSX-532 that got hit by lightning. I added a pair of Atmos speakers to complete the new system. Pros: Sounds great after adjusting settings after initial set-up. The initial set-up with the provided microphone makes a great starting point, but I found tweaking the levels on the speakers afterwards fine tuned the system to my liking. You can change the name displayed on the receiver for each device. Example: I changed GAME to XBOX. Price is great for what you get. Cons: Not really a con, but there are a LOT of settings you can change, and there is a learning curve, especially if you're getting a Pioneer system for the first time. Note: The first thing the instructions say to do is update the firmware. This is not needed on the newer production model. If the serial number on the back has B next to the barcode, you have the latest version.(From the Pioneer USA website)

I've set up enough receivers, I figured I don't need no stinkin' instructions. Went through the settings several times last night, and could not get the rear surround speakers to fire, nothing. I was getting a test tone to all the speakers through the setup mode so I knew I was ok there. I read through the manual on the Panasonic site this morning (manual not included with the receiver - what the?), and had a few more clues to go on. I think it was the "Surr" (Surround) button on the bottom of the remote that you are able to toggle through the different Stereo and Surround modes that got me there. Sounds amazing, and there is all the versatility that you could ever need between the different modes, cranking up the decibels on the sides & rears, and turning the sub up or down, it's just a little learning curve. For the money, it's a hard act to beat compared to some of my more expensive systems. I'm not sure that other brands, Onkyo, Denon, etc, are not all using the same components, you start looking at the back of some these systems and they all look the same, maybe just different operating systems. My one complaint: Who the heck designed the speaker clips? If you are running 16 gauge speaker wire you are fine, anything larger than that, have fun. The terminals for the front speakers are screw cap, so no worries there.

This unit requires a TV hookup to setup the unit. I don't have a TV in my barn, so setup was cumbersome. A couple of features did work now they won't, will have to call the Pioneer help line to correct it. The sound is excellent and easy to use.

This receiver is advertised as a 7.2 receiver which means it powers 6 speakers. Went through considerable expense to buy one more pair of speakers ( to make 6 speakers for surround sound ) bought speaker brackets to mount one set of speakers up high and after assembling was mystified to find out two of my 6 speakers were not playing , they were inoperable. I wondered if I had to turn on a switch internally to turn on that port , yet when I got in the manual , it said only four speakers can be powered by this receiver. So the manual says this receiver only powers 4 speakers. So that is false advertising and now I am out extra money I bought to make a surround system.

We've owned a Pioneer receiver since the 1990's and due to newer technology, we needed to upgrade to a better receiver. After some research which included several brand names including Denon we decided to go with the Pioneer brand. The sound system experts recommended either brand would work but with our needs that Pioneer would be sufficient for our needs. We had HDMI cable, 4 inside wall and ceiling speakers, a bar-type speaker for surround sound, exterior speakers and a CD player (I know what you're thinking but, hey, we needed somewhere to play, 'The Best of Bread') We're super happy with this receiver, versatility and the quality. Great purchase! patc

I had never heard of arc TV so I had a hard time setting up the receiver because I had 2 digital audio connections and only 1 connection on this receiver. I scratched my head then finally did some research on arc TV. I connected the hdmi cable to the arc input on the TV and receiver. Bam. I disconnected the hdmi cords from the the TV and connected them to the receiver and disconnected all the audio wires and everything worked great. The sound is fantastic. It's weird that the volume starts from a negative number for no sound to positive for max volume. Either way who cares. Once everything was connected it was easy to set up the speakers in the room for maximum surround sound. I tested it with the modern day Midway movie and the planes were flying all around my room. My old onkyo stereo never sounded this good but it was top notch when I bought it 10 years ago. I would recommend this stereo to all.

Very clear and loud for the price. Very easy to set up, and works really smooth, however if you were watching 4k blu- rays or 4k gaming I would run the Blu-ray player/game console directly to the tv and use arc for audio instead of running through the receiver. The 4k picture can get choppy otherwise.