Pioneer’s new midrange AV receiver, the VSX-933, replaces the VSX-932 and after Pioneer had merged with Onkyo, its products have set new benchmarks in the home theatre business.
The VSX-933’s attraction is that it will have no issue when connected to new players as it supports passthrough for HDR10 and Dolby Vision. On top of that, all its six HDMI terminals (four assignable) support Ultra HD Pass-through with HDCP 2.2 (4K/60p/4:4:4/24-bit, 4K/24p/4:4:4/36-bit, 4K/60p/4:2:0/36-bit), HDR10, HLG and BT.2020 Wide Colour Gamut Signal Passthrough.
It also offers Ultra HD Upscaling (1080p to 4K), it is 3D Ready (Blu-ray Disc, Broadcast and Games) and offers Deep Colour (36-bit), “x.v.Colour”.
On the audio side,it has HiRes/DSD-Support and Amazon Prime Music as additional integrated streaming service. Spotify, TIDAL and Deezer users can still enjoy their favourite streaming service while thanks to Chromecast built-in and DTS Play-Fi music from your mobile device, as well as internet radio, can be streamed by by the VSX-933, which can become the centre of your multiroom network at home, by using the integrated Pioneer FlareConnect Technology.
You can also play your SACD via HDMI (2.8 MHz/2ch, 5.1ch). Chips used are the digital Quad-Core 32-bit DSP (Cirrus Logic) and digital-to-analogue conversion at up to 384 kHz/32-bit with AKM AK4458 chips. For those spinning LPs, there is an MM phono input and for added flexibility there is a Zone 2 (pre/lineout). The VSX-933 can handle both Dolby Atmos or DTS:X immersive sound effects.
The VSX-933 is a 5.2.2 System equipped with seven powerful 135 watts output stages, which minimise electricity consumption and waste heat by using Pioneer’s exclusive “Direct Energy” technology.
Thanks to the “Reflex Optimizer”, it is able to produce a fascinating sound experience with a spacious, all-encompassing atmosphere and precisely placed three-dimensional effects, even with the use of indirectly projecting Atmos-enabled speakers.
Its wi-fi connection is dual band and the Bluetooh is version 4.1. To tune the listening room, the VSX-933 offers Pioneer’s MCACC (Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration System), an auto room tuning system developed with the expertise of professional recording studios. With the custom microphone, the system automatically compensates for differences in speaker size, level and distance, and equalises response. — By Lam Seng Fatt
