Customer Reviews

Pioneer VSX-518K 5.1-Channel AV Receiver

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am an audio person, I build speakers as a hobby for at least 5years. I thought the best sound is from the 2 channel stereo receiver amp, but after listening to an older Pioneer Elite hooked up to my reference speaker I was sold on the Elite hometheater receiver.

This is the least expensive new receiver (could not afford Elite series but Pioneer nonthless). I use it mainly hooked up to my Oppo 980H DVD player and use it mainly as a CD player. The sound is surprising clean and bass and trouble are just terrific.

I am shocked at the price point of excellent sound, highly recommended.

gychang

I recently purchased this product to add to my bedroom home theater setup. The setup was great- it asks you for info and you respond. Done! I noticed a cooling fan in the vents and was concerned with the noise. I ran it hard and even with the volume off, no noise- no problem. The "compressed audio enhancer" worked great. My mp3 player definitely sounded better.
I use pro studio monitors and they can be a strange load to the amp. This amp has a way to adjust the output impedance to suit the speakers. After making that adjustment (to better match with the speakers) and adjusting the sub x-over it was awesome sounding! I also noticed it was way better sounding than the older Pioneer in the living room so I switched it to the living room and was amazed how clear the dialog and music was. Great product for the price- I'll definitely buy another one.

As a long time audiophile (since the 60's), I've gotten rather set in my ways. On the other hand, I've usually been an early adopter of new technology. This receiver was a logical step in updating my now all-digital system (LCD TV, multimedia hard drive, DVD/CD player, DVR, etc.). The VSX-518 has many new, flexible options compared to my older Sony A/V receiver. The assignable digital audio and component video inputs are very nice. The unit is controllable with my Logitech programmable universal remote, too. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that audio parameters have to be controlled with the remote - no front panel controls. Sound quality is excellent - very quiet with good signal-to-noise ratio and very low distortion. It fills my medium size room very well and is an enjoyable addition to my system.

Updated: The tone controls (only treble and bass are available) behave rather oddly. The effect of each is "peaky" and do not appear to be of the shelving design concept. Fortunately, I have some excellent speakers and find it best to leave the tone controls flat. Due to this, I have dropped my rating to three stars.

This receiver was comparatively very cheap. It has plenty of power and it sounds clean and undistorted even at high volume. It has all the needed setup options. It also has the capability of sending a full bass signal to my powered sub without stinting on the bass output to my 4 (over the top) full range speakers. You might think every receiver would do that properly. You would be wrong.

I guess it's a pretty nice tuner/amp for the money, but it is not very intuitive to use. Drilling down through several layers of menus just to do simple functions is a bore and requires me to keep the owners manual at my fingertips at all times. How long will it be before one of the grandkids misplaces it or tears it up? Guess I'd better make a copy. Also, it lacks the bass punch of the old, old Sony system it is replacing. That's somewhat disappointing. I was expecting better performance from a system 20 years newer. If there is a way to adjust the bass/treble, I haven't found it yet (did I mention it isn't very user friendly?).

I love music, but I have never been the type to need the ultimate sound. This unit replaced a Kenwood that I had for about 20 years and is a great improvement. I don't have the ability to have surround sound, but I did have an extra speaker, a KLM that I wired up in the center. The radio receiver is better than I had before and there is a lott more wattage in this set. Sounds great and has coverage of sound from the bass to the treble. Very nice for the average person. The only gripe I have is the receiver somehow decided it would work off the TV remote, although I never programmed it, and it turns on and off each time I turn on the TV.
Ok if I'm wanting more speakers going with the TV, but most of the time I don't. Oh, well, I just turn it off if I don't want it.

We bought this receiver because we wanted a way for my husband (who has severe hearing loss)to listen to the stereo output from our tv through headphones, while I listened to it from speakers on the wall. The headphones jack receptical is wired to cut out speaker output when headphones are plugged in, thus totally nullifying the reason for our buying the receiver.

Other than that, the receiver has good, quality sound, both from AM/FM Stereo and from TV stereo amplification, and can be regulated by remote control.

I wanted to update my 14yr old 200 Watt Pioneer receiver with another Pioneer. I saw this one on sale and like the demo at Circuit City. I am very pleased with the sound, but I guess it has to do with the speakers as well. Still it sounds great and especially for the price I paid for it. I am using it with Sony SS-B3000 Bookshelf Speakers with 8" Woofer and a Sony SA-W3000 Performance Line 12" 180-Watt Subwoofer.

The Pioneer VSX-518 A/v Receiver is a great purchase for your basic all round home entertainment center. I am satisfied with this product and was pleased with the delivery's prompt arrival.

For the price I think I made out on this one. I had just spent most of my budget on the 61" TV I had been drooling over for months but instead of taking a breath after I found the cheapest price for the TV I wanted. I just ordered it. I gave no thought to sound or the fact that at the time I didn't even own a receiver powerful enough to push the speakers I had at the time. My mistake,and not to mention my very low budget. But I found this beautiful peace of equipment. I was a little disappointed I had to settle for 5.1 instead 7.1, but after I bought a couple speaker upgrades, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for a week. Even had the local police called on me for a noise complaint. LOL but if your ok with 5.1 and have a limited budget stop thinking and buy it!