Plenty of inputs and outputs. Good power for the money. With the proper set-up of the front and rear stage, you can't go wrong.

Subwoofer cross-over: with this unit if you want a lower cross-over point (ie: 60-80hz.) you will need to put together your own or get a sub that you can adjust.

The remote is very easy to use and program. The 5.1 sound on the dvd's is outstanding. Had to experiment with the rear stage but other than that works great. Has more than enough power. (100x5) Their is nothing on the market in this price range that can touch it.

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Sony, and other Pioneer pieces.

Great (a.k.a. flat) response. Awesome power. Great remote. Good DSP. DTS and DD.

No on screen programing. Inability to use S-video and Composite jacks sent to the TV at the same time

I have been a die hard pioneer fan since I bought my first stereo receiver about 15 years ago. They always seem to be well built, powerful, and full of features for a reasonable price. I purchased this at BB and found it as their Demo model in thier speaker room. I also noticed that it is their demo receiver for their Home Theater system. After some hagleing, I walked for 209. A great deal. I hooked it up to my Panasonic 5 disc DVD player and poped in the DTS encoded Gladiator and Terminator 2 DVD and was completely blown away. For those people who have problems with low bass, try buying a sub. I have more bass than I know what to do with and that is with the flat 5.1 signal from the receiver. That and the sub volume is only at about 20%. The remote is awesome and it is learning and easy to program. It controls 5 seperate devices in my HT. The power is amazing, channel seperation is great and the overall sound is great, but it got even better when I used the THX optimode progams on Terminator 2 DVD. (If you don't have a DVD with THX optimode, it is worth it)

I have shopped many audio stores including some VERY high end stores. From all the places I went, there was no way to beat that package for the money. A truely great value! Way to go Pioneer, you just secured my business for another 15 years.

T

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX-454, SX-209,

Runs cool, 'nuff power, channel separation

No phono inputs, bass/treble not adjustable while DSP modes
are in use. The manual has no introduction.

I originally bought a JVC RX-6000 receiver to build our home
theater system around 'cause Fry's had it on sale from $250 down to $175. Proud of my score, I pulled it out of the box but before plugging it in came to this website and read the reviews for it. Ah-oh, back in the box it went, and the next week Fry's had the Pioneer VSX D509S on sale down from
$349 to $199! One unit remained and I snagged it.

Having read the reviews from this site, I knew it at least would achieve some performance and get some satisfaction.

I married it to 4 Infinity "US1" surround speakers, an Acoustic Research "C225" center chnl speaker and a Sony "SA-W305" subwoofer. Then added a Pioneer DVD "333" player to spin the discs. DVD player also decided on by reading here.

OK, the thing sounds great, even though we have a small living room. Cannot over-emphasize how much time you need to "dial in" the sound though (especially if unfamiliar with home theater systems). Just as others have stated here,
set the speaker size for all @ small, keep the "Loudness" switched on, and your subwoofer will respond.

I found the DSP modes to be at first enjoyable, but when I play certain audio CDs (soundtrack from Phantom of the Opera and Titanic), a vibrating sound was coming from the rear speakers. I was getting ready to return them as I thought the grilles (being metal) were loose and buzzing when further testing showed that it was the DSP chopping up
the music to simulate a delay @ the rear speakers. No tweaking I've found has removed it, but if I use the Dolby Pro Logic mode, the distortion is gone!

So, my choice is to use Dolby Pro Logic in the "Drama"
mode with "Effect" set @ 40 for playback of 2 channel stereo. Make sure the "DRC" setting is off too for music only. The first Dolby Pro Logic mode "Standard" is an unaltered amplification of the source signal. The "Musical" I found too echoey and the "Action" I haven't tried really.
The manual says the "Expanded" mode is designed to use with 2 chnl stereo for a 5.1 simulation, but I personally like the "Drama" mode better.

I went with the Toslink cable as the coax looks pretty thin (maybe it doesn't need to be heavy ga.) that was included. The surprise there was that the RCA branded optical cable I bought for $20 did NOT snap into the jack at the back of either the DVD plyr or the rcvr! It would fit in, but would just fall out. Returned for the Recoton brand $15 cable which snapped right in and works fine (go figure).

Yup, this unit is a digital deal all the way which is good and bad, but there are advantages. A real error was made in leaving out any kind of introduction to the unit and the definitions of words used in the manual. Tons of people will be setting these up and missing the best of it's abilities.

Two last words, like others have pointed out, I'd stay away from the low-end Technics receivers, you can fry an egg on the top grille of those monkeys! I was checking 'em twice a
week in Fry's where I knew they were left on for at least 8 hours a day, and baby those dudes are smokin'! Well, they WERE smokin', mysteriously in the last week or so, all the Technics amps are now off but the Pioneers, Sonys, etc. are still turned on!

Listen first, then spend on the center channel speaker, it's true that it's the most important one I'm glad I spent a little extra on ours as it is GREAT.

Enjoy!

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Old 2 chnl amp, a wonderful 40 lb. Sherwood that dims the
lights in the room when you turn it on and has 3 phono inputs and no l.e.d. panel, just brushed aluminum and knobs.

Crisp flat sound. Vast array of input/output options. Easy to use. Great remote.

Less control over sound options as I would like.

When I started looking for a reciever, I wanted one with enough digital inputs and s-video inputs to handle all my other components. I narrowed it down between this one and a few others. They all had the features I wanted, but the Pioneer had it for almost $200 less. After reading the reviews on the other systems and listening to them first hand, I knew this was the one for me.

People have complained about having to turn up sound very high to make it loud enough. What most people don't realize is that DVD's are recorded at lower levels than other audio formats. TV, VHS and CD's are all broadcast at higher levels which explains your need to turn up DVDs higher than other formats. Once you have DVD selected, if you have quality speakers you shouldn't need to turn the levels up beyond -45 db even in a large room. I often keep mine below -55 db and I have a good size listening environment. I actually don't realize how loud it is until I try to go to bed at night and can't sleep due to someone in the other room.

The sound has been perfect without a trace of hiss. If you do have hiss from your speaker you should make sure you have the positve and negative wires setup properly. Also make sure your speakers are made to handle the power of your reciever.

Even with my speakers I am using now which are 4 years old (I am replacing them very soon), the sound is excellent. There has been enough bass and I have yet to use a powered subwoofer. Listening to music and watching television are totally different experiences while using the DSPs. Although I would like more control (the ability to create my own DSPs would be great) the few DSPs that are available seem to be enough for now, time will tell.

The connections on back of the system are a little on the cheap side, but as long as I set things up and don't disconnect and re-connect numerous times over the next few years it should hold up.

The remote is fantastic. I am controlling five components without a hitch. I had four remotes now I have one. It only took about 1/2 an hour to save on four sets of batteries and a lot of clutter.

I guess what it comes down to is if you spend the time to read the manual and properly hookup your system you should be pleased. If you speed through it you may have problems in the near future. Haste makes waste.

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Sony-545

DTS,More than enough digital inputs,price.

None

Great Reciever for the price.Less than $300 for a digital,DTS receiver with this many features is too good to pass up.The overload thing is addressed in the manual and only happens with anolog connections at very high volume settings. I only use the digital inputs so have not seen this problem.
Need to read the manual closely but once you get it all set up and the right distance and volume set for all speakers,this thing sounds great.

Reciever Pioneer VSX D509s
CD Player Pioneer PD-F1009
Center JBL N-Center
Fronts JBL ND310's
Rear JBL N26
SUB JBL PB12
DVD Toshiba SD-1200
TV Toshiba 36" CZ36V61

Gives you a lot more than price paid

Probably wouldn't drive B & W Matrix 800's, but who'd expect it? Has a really poor manual.

This amp gives back more than you'd expect for an inexpensive receiver. Programmable remote, 100w/ch, DD and DTS. I was looking for a unit that I could watch movies with only, as I have a seperate music system, and for the price I am really impressed. It does a great job of decoding, and even though it's cheap, it still has that great Pioneer sound. Not sure who said it doesn't have much bass, as I think it does a fine job on the low end. Ever tried a sub? I use Celestion Impact AV series main speakers, and it goes far louder than I'd ever care to use it at. I'm sure this one wouldn't do if you were planning on using it to support a lot of other high end equipment, but then you wouldn't even consider spending under 300 bucks anyway would you, let alnoe buying a receiver? Anyway, for the price it's unbeatable, great as a starter amp for HT, excellent for small to mid size rooms, and will drive most speakers to fairly loud levels. P.S. if you buy one, read the manual......really...... as it's very vague to say the least. On the plus side, this amp is quite easy to set up. Rather that milliseconds of delay, it asks for distance from you in feet for the speakers. Also, you can't set all speakers to large if you want to have frequency pass for the sub (sub output will still work though)Great unit for the quality but budget minded. Not all of us can afford the high end toys.

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Yamaha

Gives you a lot more than price paid

Probably wouldn't drive B & W Matrix 800's, but who'd expect it? Has a really poor manual.

This amp gives back more than you'd expect for an inexpensive receiver. Programmable remote, 100w/ch, DD and DTS. I was looking for a unit that I could watch movies with only, as I have a seperate music system, and for the price I am really impressed. It does a great job of decoding, and even though it's cheap, it still has that great Pioneer sound. Not sure who said it doesn't have much bass, as I think it does a fine job on the low end. Ever tried a sub? I use Celestion Impact AV series main speakers, and it goes far louder than I'd ever care to use it at. I'm sure this one wouldn't do if you were planning on using it to support a lot of other high end equipment, but then you wouldn't even consider spending under 300 bucks anyway would you, let alnoe buying a receiver? Anyway, for the price it's unbeatable, great as a starter amp for HT, excellent for small to mid size rooms, and will drive most speakers to fairly loud levels. P.S. if you buy one, read the manual......really...... as it's very vague to say the least. On the plus side, this amp is quite easy to set up. Rather that milliseconds of delay, it asks for distance from you in feet for the speakers. Also, you can't set all speakers to large if you want to have frequency pass for the sub (sub output will still work though)Great unit for the quality but budget minded. Not all of us can afford the high end toys.

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Yamaha

Best product features for the $. Very solid receiver.

Can be confusing to setup/use.

After searching high and low for a value based receiver that has key features (lots of inputs, DTS/DD decoder, Digital Inputs 2 optical/1 Coax) the Pioneer VSX-D509S was the clear choice.

I looked at Yamaha (that was what the Pioneer was replacing) and to get the same features the price was much higher. Great buy!

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Yamaha RX-V393

Hooked up easily, Lots of functions, 2 optical outs, and yes the remote is awesome!

Pretty Big, no equalizer

I am using my reciver with the bose acoustimass 6 series II speakers and they sound great. I am very satisfied with this product. It is the first reciever I have ever owned and I had no problem hooking it all up. The remote is also very easy use and can be programed to run just about any thing!

options, bad*ss remote

sound quality is not perfect, but for under 250, what the h*ll do you expect!!!

I am posting an update review, see my review below.

ok, i will start with the remote. this thing is incredible. you know those touchscreen $1000 remotes? this one is not far from those! for people who have any complaints about this remote, they are crazy. for you guys who have 3, 4, or 5 remotes...you will not need them for daily use. i use my old remotes about once a month! and most of the time I pick them up it is to program more functions to this one! regardless of what a button says, you can program anything to that button for any component. there is 2 buttons for TV power (tv power and current component power buttons) so i programmed one of them as a channel jump button. I also programmed the up/down/left/right pad on the remote to function as my jog, shuttle for my VCR. this thing will do anything you want!!! you got a remote for your lights??? program it into this one under an unused component!

ok, onto more serious issues....the receiver has all of the functions that you could possibly hope for for this price. only the latest and greatest things (DTS-ES, THX-EX...7.1 audio, component video switching, etc...) are left off for obvious reasons!

for anyone who has complained about the bass, don't listen. no matter how you set up your speakers, all of them large, it doesn't matter, you can set your sub to 'plus', and it will pump out all the bass you want! seriously guys, read the manual, it is all in there! also, unlike my old Teac, you can have subwoofer action in stereo mode.

now, unfortunately, i have extremely cheap main and rear speakers (KLH 80 bucks a pair, 5 years of abuse--but they still sound good for that price). my center is a little better (KLH also, but it has 4, 4" drivers and a tweeter), and my sub rocks [KLH also, (unfortunately i have a very small college students budget) 12 inch 120 watt front firing ported sub]. anyways, in surround, this receiver rocks them like any other (especially on DVD's). some ear fatigue occurs after a couple of hours, but this is not the receiver's fault. the sound is not perfect, but being very very very VERY VERY picky, i have had it for a while (and plan on keeping it until I can afford a couple thousand dollar receiver or some good separates) and that says a whole lot. My old Teac sounded better in stereo (with 120 or 140 watts, i don't remember), but I wouldn't trade it back if it came with a bigscreen TV and some bikini chicks.

Basically what I am trying to get at with this review is as follows.......

if you are even LOOKING in this price range, you NEED to buy this receiver. After a whole helluva lot of searching, i have found that this is one of the best (if not THE best) receiver for under $500 or $600. plus, i see that a couple of guys got it for about 200 bucks!!!

I normally would not recommend saving money in the area of amplification, but damn, how can you pass this deal up?! Since I bought this receiver and a Pioneer DVD changer, I have decided that my dream system (other than speakers and cables) will be composed of most, if not all, pioneer products, rather than stuff costing 5 times as much that deliver less performance than pioneer stuff. This is a huge change, since I have been looking at all of the highest end components from Marantz, Denon, and some other stuff that I can't remember the damn names of right now. (by the way, DON"T FOLLOW THE MASSES...DON'T BUY SONY!!--their electrical components actually aren't as good as their reputation would make you think. TV's are great, DVD Players are pretty good, and they have some very innovative products, but if you love your music and movies...don't ever buy a sony receiver!)

Hope this helps, i know that shopping for new equipment can be a b*tch

ps. I gave it only 4 stars because, like I said, i am VERY picky, and I plan on spending as much if not more on my home theater as on my ferarri.

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Teac