A techno geek and discerning gadget fan. I love all things new and gadgety, especially if they have ...
A techno geek and discerning gadget fan. I love all things new and gadgety, especially if they have a useful purpose too! Life is all about new experiences and trying to get all your electronics to talk to each other like the manufacturers claim they can!
Member since:14.10.2003
Reviews:13
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With over 10 years of faithful service, it was with great reluctance that I decided to replace my JVC all in one stereo system. There were several reasons for this, firstly it did not have all of the required inputs for the additional pieces of audio visual hi-fi kit that I now have (Freeview receiver, DVD player, Media Player, CD changer, etc). Secondly the speakers were getting on a bit and were not surround sound and with movies now coming with at least 5.1 surround sound, I felt it was necessary to be able to listen to them like this!
To replace my JVC system
I would need two components; an AV amplifier (the Pioneer VSX-AX3) and a set of speakers (see my review of the Mordaunt-Short Genie). Before I settled on these components I did a lot of research on the web to find out what the current trends are and what the reviewers thought of various pieces of kit. One of the best resources on the web for reviews are www.homecinemachoice.com and www.avforums.com. Once I settled on what I wanted, I found a local store (Richer Sounds: www.richersounds.com) which did both pieces of kit and offered plenty of useful advice as well.
So now I have it, what does it do? ---------------------------------------------- The Pioneer VSX-AX3 is what is called a home cinema amplifier (Amp). Ok, no wiser? Well, the idea is that the amp plugs into all of your audio-visual equipment such as TV, DVD player, CD changer (known as sources) and then plays the sound out through a set of (usually high quality) speakers. Also, the amp can apply some clever technology to make them sound better, usually by turning even stereo sources into a full surround sound experience (almost makes Richard and Judy sound good!). As all of the sources are connected through the amp, it means that switching between them is simply a matter of pressing a button on the remote control and it's done for you (no messing with wires or multiple remotes).
Installation --------------- Installing the kit was a relatively straight forward operation. If you can wire a plug you can certainly wire up speakers and attach the cables to the back of the AV amplifier. Once you have placed the speakers all around the room in the positions that suit you and your furniture, setting up the surround sound is simplicity itself. The amp comes supplied with a small microphone that you plug into the front panel and place where you would normally sit. Then using the on screen (TV) display you start the surround sound configuration process. This is all automatic and takes about 10 minutes, during which time the each of the speakers makes various noises so the amp can figure out where they are and adjust itself accordingly.
Attaching all of your sources to the amp can be a little tedious, but you only need to do it once (assuming that you have the correct cables). Once all of that's done, sit back and enjoy the great sound the amp produces!
Summary -------------- In day to day use, the amp is brilliant. The clarity of sound is awesome. Sitting down watching TV and DVD's is more enjoyable now because it sounds like you are right there in the action. Listening to music is great as you can hear every note with clarity (The Live 8 concert was brilliant).
Overall I would give the amp a 9/10 just because I refuse to believe that anything is perfect and this amp is perhaps 5cm too big to fit on my TV stand, but hey, I'll live with that niggle!
The technical bit: ------------------------ Features: THX Select approved 7.1 channel AV receiver; 100W per channel; FM/MW RDS 30-preset tuner; Dolby Digital & DD EX, THX Surround EX, DTS & DTS EX (Discrete and Matrix), Dolby Pro-Logic II (Movies, Music), DTS Neo:6 (Cinema, Music), DTS 96/24, THX Cinema, Virtual surround back mode, Advanced Cinema modes, Advanced Concert modes; Midnight Listening Mode.
Sockets: AV ins - 3 line (one on front), 2 tape, all with composite/S-video; audio only - 2 line, 2 tape, 7.1 channel in; digital audio - 2 electrical ins, 3 optical ins (one on front), 2 optical outs; AM/FM tuner ins; remote in/out mini jack sockets; mic jack socket (on front); analogue out from all channels; 6-speaker outs; headphone socket
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