This review is for the VSX 32 which is the little brother of the 33. I felt it was time to upgrade my system from the aging VSX 81TXi. The 81 was a great buy back in 2006, but since then new surround codecs and the need for more HDMI inputs were needed. I passed the 81 down to one of my sons and put the 32 in its place. I already had a 7.1 setup in place so there was nothing new in speaker setup. The only new features that caught me eye was the network link up, and that was for future firmware upgrades if available. The power was a straight swap from the 81 to the 32, but the 32 seems to be a bit more efficient. The 32 has the ability to go to a 9.1 setup if you use front height speakers. I was a bit disappointed in the remote, Pioneer seems to be going backwards in this area. I remember the remote with my old VSX 26 and then the 81 with its LCD screen then now with the 32 with no LCD screen. Pioneer has yet to produce a remote that is backlit for any of their HT products. The one advantage of this unit or line of these units is that the SC line has made the price drop rapidly on these Elite line AVR's. So if you are not looking to drop the extra cash on a SC the sister line up of Elite VSX will fit in nicely.

Pros: 5/1 HDMI, New Codecs, Banana Plugs, Internet Radio via Network, Bluetooth capatible 7.1 standard 9.1 with front Height, Zone 2 listening, Mavell chipset for up converting.

Cons: Remote