Audio Reviews

As a Southern California real estate agent this NAV is priceless to me. Everything is programmable from the angle of the screen to the custom equalizer! When I turn off my car, the screen discretely tucks away and the slim detachable face fits right in my briefcase! The integrated memory is awesome because I can program my route, then pop a DVD in and away I go! Plus it has a split-screen feature, which allows you to watch your DVD and keep an eye on the route at the same time! It has a special light-sensor which will dim the display if you go through a tunnel or it senses that its no longer light outside. The MP3 player is very user-friendly because it shows the songs just as Windows Explorer would. All-in-all worth every penny!

This receiver has excellent sound quality and more than enough power to please the average listener. It has many features found on higher priced models. The controls on the front are easy to use, though the remote is kind of cluttered, and there are certain functions you can only use with the remote. The remote does control my TV, VCR and cassette deck, though. I highly recommend this it if you're looking for an excellent receiver in this price range.

this is a great reciever, sweet sound quality, and plenty of inputs/outputs to keep you happy! my only regret is i dont have better speakers to keep up with it!

I have owned this receiver for about 30 months now. I has given me nothing short of the best quality audio you could expect to receive from a Pioneer product.
I have it set up with the Cambridge SoundWorks MovieWorks II 5.1 speaker kit,
with an upgraded Cambridge SoundWorks Center Stage speaker for the front center speaker.
The installation instructions are simple to follow, and the remote control is simple to use for straight forward functions.
There is a little learning curve to discover and program its other features.
The VSX-D709S has so many features, it will never outgrow my needs.
I just purchased today a Toshiba SD-9200 DVD Video/Audio player and was pleased to find out that it works with my Pioneer VSX-D709S perfectly.
It saved me from, having to buy another receiver !

I would recommend the VSX-D709S to anyone looking to start a Home Theater Entertainment system.
You won't be disappointed with Pioneer's quality.

The VSX-D810S appears to be the best receiver at the moment to enter the DTS world on a budget. It supports DTS-ES and Dolby Digital with an additional rear center speaker for 6.1 sound (only supported by a handful of DVDs so far, e.g. Gladiator).

Its 6 channel speaker and pre-amp outputs make the system totally customizable. Each channels volume can be adjusted separately in order to accommodate the connected set of speakers as well as their placement. There is also a separate, variable pre-amp output for EVERY channel ! This usually can't be found on a system under 800 bucks.
So if you run out of speakers you can just hook up powered computer speakers or amplified studio monitors to the pre-amp outputs in order to get the sound for all channels.

It also allows for setting speaker size for your configuration (in order to send less bass to smaller speakers) as well as the distance to the speaker (for correct reverb effect simulations, etc.). It has many sound modes for stereo as well as digital sound sources and can enhance even DTS soundtracks with an extreme additional amount of spacial sound effects if so desired. It also has special settings for systems with or without attached subwoofer.

It sounds great in a normal sized living room. It might probably not satisfy the high-end sound freaks but if you're on a budget and just want to have DTS-ES sound at home, it's great. Considering the price, I personally kept my expectations low but I was blown away when I watched my first DTS movie with it.

these speakers deliver very good sound with very little distortion. they do not make the noises that are common in speakers of the same size. no blub sound when you pump bass into them like most other speakears this size.

As a newly wed and grad student, funds are limited. I wanted to get the best possible equipment for a home theater without going into debt. My wife and I set up a budget for how much we would spend and stuck to it. I knew Polk Audio had a good reputation, but was worried it would eat up my budget. We shopped and shopped, but always came back to Polk. When we purchased two Polk book shelf speakers and a sub woofer, we received the Polk CS175 for free! We were abel to get quality at a great price. Currently, my whole system is made up of Polks lower end speakers. For apartment dwellers we could not be happier. The sound is full, loud, and clear. Movies like the Matrix sound awesome, and James Taylors concert turns your living room into the Beacon Theater. If you are looking for quality speakers for a small to medium size room, look no further.

I had a cheap center speaker by another manufacturer. I replaced it with this Polk model and it made a significant difference. Voices are much more discernibly. We are no longer replaying scenes after asking: "What did they say??" In addition to the improvement in the dialogue quality, this speaker significantly increased the quality of the other sound and music. It really gave our home theater system a boost in quality. I've read that the center channel speaker may be the most important part of your home theater set-up and is actually where most of the sound comes from. After upgrading to the Polk, I have to agree. I wish that I hadn't skimped when I bought my first one.

If you looking for an excellent center speaker, that is moderatly priced, consider this Polk model.

First, the bottom line: It's well worth the money. The ratio of value to its price point is high. I'm more than happy with this sub.

This is my first sub and I've mated it to Klipsch Forte II's with the SC-1 center channel. I'm a "born-again" audiophile who ventured onto the stereo scene back in the mid-'60s when monoaural systems were the norm. After having "dropped out" of the audio world during the '90s, the recent purchase of a DVD player has renewed my audio interest.

I purchased this sub after reading numerous reviews and write-ups. Normally, I would personally audition any speaker purchase but having done that so many times in the past, I didn't relish the idea of going from store to store listening to various subs under various listening environments. Speaker auditioning is a task that's daunting, frustrating, and very time-consuming.

Before anyone starts on a subwoofer journey, however, you must ask yourself about your expectations. Do you want a sub that overpowers a movie scene (or piece of music) that in the end becomes its own entity? Or do you want something that "seamlessly" fits in the background? I was looking for a sub that would blend in and sound "natural" without becoming a distraction.

The Polk sub provides that missing link in my stereo/surround system. The bass is clean and well defined. I can definitely FEEL the bass but more importantly I can distinguish the individual bass notes and differentiate the bass from the drummer's kick drum. In HT scenarios, it's awesome and forceful without becoming an overpowering distraction. Its output is distinct without a lot of "boom." And the sub's volume setting is turned up only halfway. The sub handles itself well during the famous Star War's Pod Race as well as Jurassic Park's T-Rex intro scene. I experimented by turning up the sub volume to maximum and found it was too much (for my tastes) for my 20'x 30' living room (actually, a "great room").

Overall, I'm completely satisfied with its presence when listening to music or when watching movies. I'm not naive, though, and I'm sure if the sub were placed side-by-side to a more expensive sub, the differences would be noticeable. But for a delivered price of $ I've found a sub that fits my needs and my budget.

Strengths:
Price
Strong, floor shaking bass
Low "boom" factor
Well-built

Weaknesses:
Size (basically, its depth)

To begin, this speaker did not blow me away the second I hooked it up or anything. But it does put out nice warm sound you would expect from polk. It was definitely worth the money. Polks sound nice with Onkyo receivers (I dont know why, they just do). I highly recommend these to any non-audiophilic person out there who still enjoys good clean sound from a small cabinet that wont hinder your rooms aethetics.