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Pioneer SC-LX81 is a powerful feature packed A/V amp

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5 Mar 18th, 2009  (May 29th, 2009)

8 Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful

Advantages:
Power, media streaming, iPod connection, auto - calibration

Disadvantages:
Slow using remote to navigate GUI, VERY basic GUI

Recommendable Yes:

Detailed rating:

Sound Quality

Ease of Use

Look & Design

Range of Features

Value for Money

banker1

banker1

About me:

Following the review guide I do not repeat specifications. I like to fully research my purchases and...

Member since:28.05.2008

Reviews:17

I was deciding between this and the sister LX71, after spending £1800 on speakers I didn't want to let the system down. The list of credits on this A/V amp was amazing; THX Ultra 2 Plus certification, auto-calibration, dlna audio/video streaming playback and 190W/channel from B&O ICEpower amps to mention but a few. After completing the connections the basic setup was 2 button clicks, with so much packed in harnessing full control of the features seems an ongoing process. The calibration seems accurate and produces a balanced and effective sound stage considering the awkward position of my equipment. The power is staggering and could inconvenience the neighbours in other flats easily. I have large speakers on the front to replicate the bass in music and the amp drives these well. There are many sound formats for personal preference but Dolby Digital does well for me. Using a partition on my network hard drive and 1 folder deep organisation I managed to stream music. Navigation of the media streaming interface is a little slow and it is a little basic like a CD player, organise your playlists on the hard-drive before the party! An alternative would be the built-in iPod connection but I needed to take it to a service centre to get the patch for the iTouch/iPhone. The GUI for the iPod is very basic aswell and for example pale in comparison to the Samsung TVs' GUI of similar age. The picture is clear and there is an improvement in the movement delay on the up scaling by my TV. 

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Comments about this review »

hughesmonger 04.06.2009 14:45

Nicely reviewed. ^_^

CPTDANIELS 19.03.2009 12:12

Useful review.





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