Pioneer has just released a high-end audio product that can perhaps go with their latest ultra-expensive plasma TV offerings. The Pioneer VSA-LX70 is a 380-Watt amplifier that is designed to match the latest Pioneer high-end video product range. It is the perfect companion to their new ultra-expensive plasma TVs or their new Blu-ray disk player.

There is no mistaking the VSA-LX70 for a low-end product. It has an attractive piano-black finish, impressive lines and a bright screen that is not overstated or gaudy. It is large and heavy without seeming unwieldy. It looks classy and it more than equals its looks with performance. Pioneer do not bother plastering it with different logos, but it has numerous certifications. It is, of course THX Select 2 and DTS-HD certified. Looking at the back, you quickly become aware of the amount of ports. There are a lot of them. The price is high, yet within the budget of many serious, if not excessively wealthy, home theater buffs.The image quality of the shot of the back is fairly clear, and if you have a good image editor then you should be able to enlarge it enough to notice the mass of video and audio options in the back (the numbers quoted on the site do not quite match the numbers on the back, so we can assume that there are a few ports in the front as well).

You can plug eleven different audio systems into it (DVD/LD, BD, TV, DVR/VCR1, DVR/VCR2, VIDEO/GAME1, VIDEO/GAME2, CD, CD-R/TAPE/MD, TUNER and PHONO). There are two audio coaxial systems and five optical input systems, plus one Multichannel in. For your image inputs, there are the same seven composite systems, five S-Video systems (DVR/VCR1, DVR/VCR2 and VIDEO/GAME2, with two additional user assignable systems). Three component inputs and two D4 terminals, each of which the user can assign round off the image inputs. Additional inputs include four HDMI 1.3.a ports, one USB port, one iPod exclusive use port and a single LAN port.
There is also an impressive array of output ports. The pre-outs include front left and right, center, left and right, and a sub woofer. There are two optical outs and four audio outs (DVR/VCR1, DVR/VCR2, CD-R/TAPE/MD and ZONE2). The image outputs include four composite systems, three S-Video systems, one component system and one D4. Additional outputs include one HDMI 1.3a, two 12V triggers and one RS232C.

It measures 420mm x 459mm x 187mm and weighs in at a back straining 17.0 kg. It is big, heavy and should last a person for a long time. One would hope it lasts when they consider the price, a wallet straining $1,900 before tax. No word on a North American or European model yet, but something similar is sure to come.

Source: Pioneer

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