Dolby Digital and DTS modes sound nice. Switches component video signals.

Amp is weak point of receiver. No on-screen display.

The receivers music and theater modes work well. Prologic II mode is a good impovement for old tapes and music. For only 200-300 dollars it's a bargin. External amps can be used to increase power output.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood 1090VR and KRX1000, Denon 1035R, Yamaha DSPE1000 and M80 amp.

DTS-ES, Dolby Digital EX, Prologic II, 6 Channel Stereo Sound

None so far. I don't really need a phono input jack.

I went to Bestbuy with the intention of purchasing the Kenwood VR-6070 then I saw an open box Pioneer Vsx-D811s for $249. The price is just too good to pass up so I went ahead and bought the Pioneer instead of Kenwood. Let me tell you that I have no regrets whatsoever..the DTS-ES sounds amazing in this receiver. It's also great that you can connect a pair of surround back speakers..not like Kenwood which only have one output for surround back. My old receiver was also a Pioneer so setup was a breeze. I highly recommend this receiver..especially if you're on a budget.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Vsx-D509s

DTS-ES Matrix and Discrete, DD-EX, DPL2, and DTS-Neo Sound Processing HD-Bandwidth Component Video Inputs Huge number of S-Video, analog inputs DVD-Audio/SACD ready 6 Speaker Stereo DSP sounds awesome with football telecast...

Manual can be a bit misleading at times. LCD remote would have been nice. 6.1 default setting can make you think you've ended up with an extremely inferior product if it happens to be on when playing non-6.1 encoded material. No phono jack. No dedicated laser disc input (C'mon Pioneer! You guys still make the combo DVD/LD player...).

The 811 is replacing a JVC 6008 bought 2 1/2 years ago. I picked up this receiver on New Year's Eve. Out of pocket was actually $265.00 including the 4 year warranty due to gift cards. All I can say is WOW. If you are a home theater enthusiast with a limited budget, this is the gear for you. DTS-ES Matrix and Discrete, DD-EX, DPL2, DTS-Neo, etc... the sound formats are a dream. Great amount of inputs including DVD-Audio/SACD analogs and front S-Video and optical inputs are a great convenience. Two HD-ready component video inputs gives you a little bit of future-proofing as well. A great unit for the price I paid for it. Initially, I was debating between the Kenwood 6070 and this unit. The extra surround back speaker output, HD component jacks, and cheaper than expected price steered to the 811 despite the 6070 being THX Select certified. Be aware that most DVD's do not utilize the extra channel. Some, in fact, sound really bad if you try to use 6.1 processing when the disc hasn't been formatted for it. Be aware that the unit has 6.1 processing set up as the default. The unit can be a little quirky due the manual (not the most user friendly thing in the world) and a couple of the default settings that you will probably need to adjust. All in all, I think this is a great receiver that I won't be replacing until the next big thing happens with home surround sound processing (although I think that anymore speakers being utilized will take the "home" out of home theater...).

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JVC 6008 came with HTIB. Great budget receiver in my opinion on both movies and music...

cool features for its price

it can be a frying pan. u have to put this inside a ref so you can use this for a long time in high volume.

i bought this receiver last december as an upgrade to my HT setup. i had then the pioneer 5.1 vsx409-g which i voluntarily put on an early retirement, after having been influenced by the cool features of the vsxd811s-s. After hooking all my speakers and adding two more for the back surrounds, i immediately played one of my favorites, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and oh boy! with its 120 w over all the 6 channels, i really didnt move so as not to miss the next boom and bang. i played with all the sound options available with the vsxd811 and the SPR is even better when played in 6.1. the SPR is recorded in 5.1 but this can get sound from the SL and SR and put it on the SB giving you more enveloping feeling. i spent most of my time during the xmas season watching all my collections again. however, for a couple of gripes, it seems that this stuff easily heats up. just recently i pushed its sound level very high but not yet on its max level..suddenly it went off..oh boy! i checked it out and it seems that you can fried an egg on it. with my vsxd 409g, i usually placed it on its peak volume but i never experience this. Maybe this VSXD 811 doesnt appreciate my voice when i sing Barry Manilow.No problem if its one of its features,hehehe! but since i think its not, so m a lil bit disappointed, though i can live with this. I can always turn the volume down...

Price, sound quality, clarity, appearance.

Lack of on-screen setup. Slight fragile feel.

Having been historically slow in upgrading, not to mention a frugal shopper, I did a little research and took my time picking out my A/V receiver. The Pioneer 811 here happened to have all the features I wanted with a price I could smile at. The sound quality is superb, the power is good and the features are excellent.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Pioneer, Sony.

GOOD POWER DECENT INPUTS NICE LOOK

ALL SOUND MODES SHOULD BE GOOD BUT THEY ARE NOT.NO BASS OR TREBLE CONTROL.

I GOTTA TELL YA IM IMPRESSED WITH THIS RECIEVER I BOUGHT IT FOR MY DAD FOR XMAS HE DOESNT HAVE A HUGE SETUP BUT HE WAS STILL USING A PRO LOGIC RECIEVER THAT HE THOUGHT WAS SO WONDERFUL.ALOT OF POWER BUT USE MIDNIGHT MODE IF YOU WANT GOOD SOUND TRUST ME ALL OTHER SOUND FIELDS ARE MEDIOCRE.BUT FOR THE MONEY THIS RECEIVER PACKS A PUNCH.

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IM A YAMAHA MAN MYSELF.STICK WITH YAMAHA IF YA GOT THE DOUGH TRUST ME.KABOOM!!!!!!!!!

Value very good price for performance & functionality

Need midnight or loudness on at lower db levels to get adequate bass

For the money this can put out some awesome sound. Using Klipsch RF3II towers, Klipsch KV4 center, Klipsch RS3II surrounds, Klipsch KV4's as thr rears & a Klipsch KSW 200 sub it will knock the glass out of your windows. Took some figuring out to get the correct distances programmed in for each set of speakers & a little adjusting to the +/- db settings for each speaker, once done though you can fine tune the sound for each piece whether CD DVD TV with the push of a few buttons.

Strengths: DTS ES, 6 channel stereo, inputs, reliability, ease of use

Weaknesses: Limited DSP options 1% THD only +- 6db for trble and base

Reviewed by: Patrick Beesley, Audio Enthusiast Price Paid: $265 at EBAY Summary: Picked this up off ebay for 265.00 to replace the pioneer vsx-d608s and for the price it's a great reciever. The DTS, DTS ES, and 6 channel stereo is nicely sperated between the channels. Being used approximately 13 hours a day (I have children who love veggie tales,elmo, ect. as background noise)it's been very reliable. Like I said it's a good all around reciever for the price.

DTS ES, 6 channel stereo, inputs, reliability, ease of use

Limited DSP options 1% THD only +- 6db for trble and base

Picked this up off ebay for 265.00 to replace the pioneer vsx-d608s and for the price it's a great reciever. The DTS, DTS ES, and 6 channel stereo is nicely sperated between the channels. Being used approximately 13 hours a day (I have children who love veggie tales,elmo, ect. as background noise)it's been very reliable. Like I said it's a good all around reciever for the price.

Ease of use (read the manual), sound, durability.

1%THD

Purchased this off crutchfield, I know there were better prices out there but even then it was worth it. I'm just an enthusiest who knows what sounds good. all aspects of this item are great with the exception of the 1% THD. If you're thinking about spending under 300 for a reciever, you can't go wrong with this.