Pioneer VSX-821-K

Experts are more than pleased with the performance of the Pioneer VSX-821-K home theater receiver, especially considering its budget price. Critics say music, television, movie soundtracks and more all sound good on this receiver. Surround performance is convincing and enveloping.

At this price, some features found on higher-priced receivers are missing, but there's still plenty packed inside. For one thing, you'll only get five amplifier channels, but that's plenty to create a realistic surround-sound field. The receiver allows you to expand to 7 channel surround -- and even includes Dolby Pro Logic IIz support -- if you feel like adding a separate two-channel amp. The four HDMI inputs conform to the HDMI 1.4a standard, which means they can handle 3D content. They also support audio return channel (for getting audio back from your TV set without having to run a separate analog audio cable) and standby pass-through, which transfers signals even when the receiver is off. You won't find advanced networking features at this price, but you will find Pioneer's helpful Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration Control (MCACC) automatic speaker setup program as well as the ability to listen to music from your iPod or iPhone via an included cable. If you have a little more to spend, the Onkyo TX-NR509 also is well regarded and includes the ability to stream audio from the Internet or from a computer on your home network.

Few critics review budget receivers, but we found three that take a look at the Pioneer VSX-821-K; About.com's Robert Silva, BigPictureBigSound.com's Rachel Cericola and the anonymous editors at HomeTheaterGears.com. Cericola delivers the most in-depth review, covering all aspects of the receiver in detail. HomeTheaterGears.com covers the basic technical details before delving into usage impressions. Silva's write-up is brief -- only a paragraph -- and seemingly based only on specifications, but he uses his considerable experience to render an opinion. A small handful of user reviews can be found at Amazon.com.