Rating :
Price on May 24, 2010 13:05:59 : $549.00
Offer Price : Too low to display
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
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Pioneer VSX-1020-K Audio/Video Receiver Features
- Front USB connectivity provide iPod, touch, and iPhone users ultimate plug-and-play integration of their Apple products with their home theater
- Simple connectivity to high-performance HD video, HD audio, portable, internet, wireless, and analog components
- The latest version of HDMI inputs and outputs provide more HD connectivity options with "future-proof" 3-D capability
- 1080p video conversion and upscaling ensures the highest quality video from any source
Pioneer VSX-1020-K Audio/Video Receiver Overviews
Key Features are 110 Watts X 7, 7 Channel Configurable Amplifier, Surround Back. Dolby Pro-logic IIz or B Speaker, Dolby True-HD / DTS-HD Master Audio and Advanced MCACC. It has a 9 Band EQ. Auto Crossover Setting, USB to PC Graphs, PQLS – 2 Channel, Auto Level Control – Multi-Channel, Sound Retriever AIR – Multi- channel. It has a Internet radio. iPod Digital USB / USB Memory Audio. Its iPhone Certified, Sirius Satellite Radio, HDMI Repeater (6 In / 1 out), Analog to HDMI Video Conversion, HDMI to HDMI 1080p Scaler, Component Video (2 in / 1 out), Full Color GUI, iControl pioneer AVR iPhone / iTouch “APP” Multi-Zone A/V Pre-out, Preset Remote Control
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Customer Review
I tend to do a lot of research before making large purchasing decisions and so far this receiver is receiving a pretty rosy reception! Its successor, the 1019, was CNET's and Gizmodo's top mid-range receiver. Both reviewers had just as high hopes for the 1020, and Gizmodo already called it the best receiver 0 can buy, saying the 1020 "hit the sweet spot" that gave the most bang for buyer's buck.
The critics I read all raved about the excellent sound quality, but the 1020 brings some new offerings to the table for a mid-range receiver.
In short, the most valuable features you get with this model that you don't get with the next step down are:
1. A fifth HDMI port in back, an extra sixth in front (for digital cameras, computers, etc.).
2. Analog video upscaling (which I don't care too much about since most of my content is HD already or played through an upscaling player).
3. The iContolAV iPhone app. Very cool for controlling volume and switching inputs. Works simply by having your receiver connected to ethernet and your iPhone connected to the network via WiFi. A few times the app has had trouble properly connecting, but it usually works well.
4. Internet radio with programmable stations, which is cool, though you can't currently control the station selections from the iPhone App, unfortunately.
5. A color configuration interface output to your TV via the HDMI output. I can't imagine trying to configure all my speakers without seeing a graphical representation of their location on screen.
That last feature feature, the HDMI 1.4 ports that support 3D, the 7.1 surround capabilities, excellent sound quality and the iPhone App are what made the VSX-1020 the clear choice for me. I also appreciated the automatic calibration with the included microphone and the included iPod cable/compatibility, but those weren't as strong of selling points.
The only negatives of note for me is that the little front port cover is a little cheap. It's not even a door, simply a little plastic piece that pops out if you push one side. I, like others, have also experienced the issue where the receiver switches to TV/Sat when first turned on, but I've yet to determine whether that's a problem with the receiver itself or my Harmony universal remote (I'll update the review as I get more information).
One last tip to buyers, however. If you're considering listening to your phone's music over Bluetooth by buying the AS-BT100 adapter, I'd consider buying a Apple Airport Express instead (assuming your music is managed through iTunes). It lets you stream music from your computer to the receiver over WiFi and control what's playing via iTunes or Apple's robust "Remote" iPhone app, but more importantly the Airport Express acts as a USB print server and a one port wireless bridge (something that lets you connect wired devices to a wireless network).
That wireless bridge capability is especially valuable, since you'll need it or something similar for internet radio and iControlAV iPhone app support if your VSX-1020 receiver isn't close to your wireless router (mine isn't), so buying the Airport Express kills two birds with one stone.
UPDATE:
A few ideas have been thrown out by other Amazon posters to help alleviate the issue with the receiver switching to TV/Sat when it first turns on. The first idea is to change the receiver's settings thusly:
"1 Press Receiver , then press Home Menu.
2 Select `System Setup', then press ENTER.
3 Select `Other Setup', then press ENTER.
4 Select `HDMI Setup', then press ENTER.
5. Set Control to 'Off'."
The second idea is to adjust your TV settings like so.
"Go into Menu under HDMI-CEC and turn it Off. If the set is a Samsung look for AnyNet+ (default is normally On) and turn it Off."
I'm still having issues going directly to a given HDMI input when the unit first power on (going to "HDMI Input 1" simply toggles the current HDMI input instead of going directly to the one you want), but I've made the quirk tolerable by programming one of the buttons on my universal remote to toggle inputs, so it's easy to fix.
Great AV Receiver with a few quirks - M. Harms - San Jose, CA USA
I purchased this receiver about 1 week ago and love it. It has great sound, tons of features, and lots of connectivity for whatever device you may have. The only real issue I had was how the receiver would switch to TV/SAT every time I would turn on the system using my Harmony One remote. However, I discovered that this problem was caused by my TV and the fix is the following: Go into Menu under HDMI-CEC and turn it Off. If the set is a Samsung look for AnyNet+ (default is normally On) and turn it Off. Once I did that, the problem was gone. Once that problem was resolved I was really able to appreciate the features of this receiver. I used the automatic setup with the MCACC and it worked out very well. The only minor problem was that it listed my surround speakers as LARGE so I manually went into the setup and changed them to SMALL. Overall, I would say this receiver was pretty easy to set up, has great sound, and does not run hot like some of the other receivers out there so it can easily be placed in a closed cabinet without overheating. I was upgrading from a Sony STR-DE995 so this is a noticeable improvement now that I can listen to BD and HD DVD movies in TrueHD instead of standard Dolby Digital. I love it and can really hear the separation of the channels that was lacking with my Sony. I highly recommend this AV Receiver for the money.
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