Pioneer

What's New

The Connected Car: 2013 Edition

New in-dash receivers play nice with smartphones. Plus: Sync and MyLink app updates.
- By Doug Newcomb
- Posted April 11, 2013
At CES 2013, car audio companies and automakers showed that they’re ready to deliver data in almost any form to drivers — from on-demand news and restaurant reviews to location-sharing and even info to create the perfect date — by bringing connectivity and apps into the dashboard.

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Review: Pioneer A4 Wireless Speaker

Streaming audio... plus sound quality
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted April 1, 2013
- 2
I’ve reviewed a few of these types of speakers. Pioneer calls this one a “Wireless Speaker” but that’s not really adequate for the category. Music streaming speaker (MSS?) is probably more accurate, if less pithy.
Either way, my experience has been that for most, it’s function first, quality second. As in, you get sound, but it’s not very good. Unless the MSS has some sort of special attention paid to sound quality, I try to avoid them.
What got my attention with this one, then? Well, the A4 has been tuned by none other than Andrew Jones, and given how amazing his inexpensive Pioneer speakers are, I figured this doodad was worth a look.

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Pioneer's eco-nnected new receivers

Four new models packed with more connectivity options than ever—and 0.1-watt power draw at standby.
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted March 4, 2013
- 2
It's kind of amazing that a component that hasn't changed much outwardly for 20+ years can change so much internally in the course of just a couple of years. I'm talking about Pioneer's surround-sound receivers, which I first encountered in 1989 ... and which still looked almost exactly the same when I walked into the demo room at the company's Long Beach, Calif., headquarters last week to check out its four new affordable models.
But they don't work the same. The new receviers, priced from $249 to $599, are even more packed with technology than the generation they replace. Fortunately, though, Pioneer's taking some steps to help consumers deal with all that complexity.

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Test Report: Pioneer A-20 Integrated Amplifier

Sound made simple.
- By Daniel Kumin
- Posted February 13, 2013
- 3
Remember integrated amps? I do — my first two real audio systems were assembled around examples of the one-component, preamp/poweramp combination form.
So does Pioneer. The firm’s new Elite A-20 is an unabashed throwback: two channels, no radio, a few analog inputs (no digital), a few knobs.

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Test Report: Pioneer VSX-60 A/V Receiver

Wireless audio streaming via AirPlay/Bluetooth is just one option you’ll find on Pioneer’s new 7.2-channel receiver.
- By Daniel Kumin
- Posted August 23, 2012
For those who may harbor any doubt that Pioneer has thrown its lot wholly in with the Connected Generation, let me present Exhibit A: the VSX-60 A/V receiver. The new model’s design bears a close resemblance to those of its predecessors, and any updates in its functions and features are more incremental than otherwise. But when you add everything up, the verdict seems pretty clear.

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Review: Pioneer SE-MJ591 Headphone

A veteran brand battles back with a luxury on-ear model.
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted August 8, 2012
- 7
Pioneer’s gotta be a little PO’ed. The storied Japanese company has been making headphones for more than 50 years, yet it’s been overshadowed by upstart brands like Beats, HiFiMan, V-Moda, Phiaton, and others. But Pioneer’s fighting back with a freshly designed new line, in which the SE-MJ591 on-ear headphone is one of the top models.

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Review: Dusting Off Some Vintage Headphones

Revisiting the great, not-so-great, and just plain wacky headphones of the ’70s
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted July 11, 2012
Checking out the latest acquisitions during a recent visit to Vancouver, BC vintage audio dealer Innovative Audio, I noticed a lot of headphones that I hadn’t seen since the days when I wore Qiana shirts and had hair down past my shoulders.

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Test Report: Pioneer Elite N-50 Audiophile Network Audio Player

A high-rez audio streamer with AirPlay in the mix.
- By John Sciacca
- Posted June 5, 2012
Elite is Pioneer’s premier home audio line, much like Lexus is to Toyota. That means you can expect better build quality, a longer warranty, step-up features, and premium performance. New to Elite this year are two network audio players, the N-30 and N-50, that stream audio (including high-rez files up to 192-kHz/24-bit) from a computer, play Internet radio, and use Apple’s AirPlay for easy wireless networking with iOS devices. When it comes to basic features, the two are essentially the same. But there are several key performance differences between the players that make it easy to argue the case for the N-50’s $200 price premium.

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Tech Trends 2012: Why Can't We Do It In The Road?

The connected car is (finally) ready to roll.
- By Doug Newcomb
- Posted March 26, 2012
- 1
TIME BEHIND the wheel can be a therapeutic escape from modern life’s 24/7 connectivity, but that’s about to change. At the 2012 CES, automakers, car-electronics suppliers, and wireless carriers announced alliances and initiatives that will make the fully connected car a reality.

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Test Report: Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD 3D LCD HDTV

Sharp keeps the focus on video performance with its Elite LCD line.
- By Al Griffin
- Posted January 30, 2012
I won’t assume that everyone will know what I’m talking about when I drop the word “Kuro,” but longtime Sound+Vision readers may recall a line of high-end, and accordingly high-priced, Pioneer Elite plasma TVs that we heaped praise upon back in the day.

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CES Press Day: Pioneer AppRadio 2

Pioneer upgrades with Android and iPhone 4 and 4S compatibility
- By Leslie Shapiro
- Posted January 10, 2012
At their Monday press conference the day before the CES officially opens, Pioneer focused on their car electronics line.

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What's a Winner?

Does best have to be better?
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted December 2, 2011
- 1
I need your help. Maybe you can explain something to me.
Why do we need winners? I’m not talking about sports and such; I mean with A/V gear, movies, video games, etc. How many articles and forum posts have you seen that proclaim one object the winner over another?
What is behind this desire to declare a winner when there’s no competition being fought?

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