Pioneer SC-1523-K AV-receiver

Sound companies stick to release cycles that are annual as it pertains to home theater receivers due to the fact that they wish to be sure that enthusiasts get equipped with all of the cutting edge technologies related to an AV receiver. Given the expensive nature of the receivers, enthusiasts don't actually have to buy a new AV receiver just to "keep up." However, the object of refined AV receivers like the Pioneer SC-1523-K is never to convince present SC-1522-K owners to purchase but to make high end Pioneer receivers more tempting to those that decided to not purchase the SC-1522-K last year. The SC-1523-K brings a nice set of developments that are not instantly evident.

Layout

The style of the Pioneer SC-1523-K is extremely similar to the older model. The entire AV receiver gets brushed aluminum treatment and like the typical high end AV receiver, the controls and connection ports are tucked away behind a door giving the receiver a minimal appearance that is nice. The controls beneath this door will not be many and handle the most frequent functions having a fantastic amount of these taking care of zone direction. On the connectivity side, composite inputs are lacking as it seems Pioneer desires to keep the front side packed with modern interfaces like HDMI and USB. The sole other accessible interfaces are the set up mic interface for speaker calibration and also the mobiles jack that is typical.

Moving on to the rear of the SC 1523 K, it appears as though the layout of the rest of the connection ports will also be the same as its predecessor. The other 2 HDMI inputs are still discovered on the opposite end.

Characteristics

The Pioneer SC-1523-K is another home theater receiver that's Class D3 amplification which continues to be Pioneer's proud standard in ensuring that all stations are powered without the drops to the power output per station.

The Pioneer SC-1523-K also goes beyond simply offering a Zone 2 AV and Zone 3 analog audio. Through the HDMI output, you could have the SC-1523-K deliver HD video material to Zone 4 unlike the SC-1522-K. This is often done while the main zone is playing back a completely different video source.

Talking of HDMI, the front HDMI interface gets an update in the form of MHL 2.0. Any supported smartphones or tablets should charge faster, also.

The Pioneer SC-1523-K still has the exceptionally remarkable Qdeo video processing technology for noise-free video upscaling but this time around, it has ambitions beyond 1080p. With more affordable 4K screens reaching the marketplace, it is good timing for the SC-1523-K to not only support 4K Ultra HD passthrough but also have a 4K Ultra HD video scaler so that you can upscale movies to 4K resolution even if the media player does not supported. Composite video scalers and the component can upscale to 4K also.

No improvements were made on the way the Pioneer SC-1523-K deals with loudspeaker calibration but Pioneer's MCACC (Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration) is still worth saying because it fast optimizes each speaker after you properly placed the set up mic. The user interface of the SC-1523-K stays very straightforward so that it will be easy for almost anyone to calibrate the loudspeakers. Everything is considered throughout the calibration process including sound pressure level, frequency response, speaker size and the distance. Complete group phase control also enables you to synchronize output signals between several speakers. By eliminating phase disruptions the surround sound experience improves.

Pioneer also went and improved the network connectivity options that come with the Pioneer SC-1523-K. Connecting to the router via Ethernet cable continues to be needed though unless you feel like buying the AS-WL300 network adapter individually. Once you made the link, you still possess the choice to enjoy the AirPlay support which can be a technology that only iPad iPhone and iPod Touch cellular devices can make the most of. This feature enables wireless streaming of music that is iTunes and the track info is sent by it at the same time. PC and Mac systems can make use of this attribute also so long as the media player was used as by iTunes. Should you are in possession of a fundamental Apple media player such as an iPad Nano, you can still make use of the USB port to play back music to the receiver and have it charged also. Modern HTC phones will also be capable of wireless streaming thanks to HTC Connect.

In case you will need a greater variety of streaming content, you can always resort to online services like SiriusXM, Pandora Internet Radio and vTuner. It is possible to stream from these services if your TV and Blu-ray player does not support these functions. You better upgrade the SC-1523-K to the latest firmware though because that firmware adds support Spotify Connect. Many AV receivers still lack Spotify support and Spotify occurs to be one of the most successful streaming services with loads of quality content accessible.

The Pioneer SC-1523-K works just fine with the upgraded iControlAV2013 mobile program. This program works on almost any mobile device running Android or iOS also it allows you to work with the supported device where you are able to adjust various settings including the EQ. The app comes with this new feature called "Press Player" which enables your mobile device to handily stream music to the receiver so your Android apparatus does not have to feel left out just because it doesn't support Apple's proprietary AirPlay technology.

Bottom Line

All the new developments featured on the SC-1523-K come having an extra $50 cost in addition to the original start price of its forerunner. And that means you are basically paying $1,599 for a THX Select2 Plus Certified receiver that now has upgraded worthy upgrades of DAC and tons.