Pioneer Elite
™
VSX-56TXi
Home Theatre Receiver
J o h n K o t c h e s
Mid-Priced Receiver With Punch
And Performance
Pioneer Electronics has been a staple of the audio industry for
many years and traces its ancestry back to the late 1930s as
Fukuin Shokai Denki Seisakusho. In this company’s long career in
the audio industry, the number of first products to the market is sub-
stantial. Pioneer was the flag bearer for the LaserDisc format, which
had a near 20-year reign as the format of choice for videophiles.
Even in the DVD era of consumer electronics, Pioneer lays claim to
the first Universal Disc player, in their DV-AX10. The DV-AX10 was
the first of many universal players, and several years later a large
number of the universal players on the market are based on
Pioneer’s OEM kits.
Pioneer’s Elite Line is their premium lineup of audio/video prod-
ucts. It is in the Elite line that Pioneer’s technological advancements
are first brought to the marketplace. Pioneer continues to be a
leader in delivering FireWire
®
/i.Link
®
(IEEE 1394) products to the
market, and the VSX-56TXi receiver is their fourth receiver equipped
with this interface for transferring digital audio. Another technologi-
cal advancement included in the VSX-56TXi is Pioneer’s Multi-
Channel Acoustic Correction Circuit, which is a DSP-based room
calibration and correction tool. Originally introduced in the VSX-
49TX, MCACC
™
has now trickled down in some form or another into
a large portion of Pioneer's product lineup.
Exterior Construction And
Connectivity
The Elite line carries Pioneer’s Urishi finish, which is an elegant
gloss black finish on a thick aluminum faceplate. I'm generally a fan
of silver over black on components, but the Urishi is one that could
convince me to change my cosmetic preferences. As our home theatre
products become more complex, the number of buttons on the
faceplates seems to be growing exponentially with each year. The
VSX-56TXi has a clean, symmetrical look, with identical-sized large
knobs on either side of the faceplate, along with three buttons
above each knob. The rest of the buttons and front panel inputs are
hidden below the drop-down front panel with the Elite logo on it.
This hides lesser-used controls and the microphone input for
Pioneer's MCACC technology. I will discuss MCACC later in this
review.
I was somewhat surprised by the heft of the VSX-56TXi, which
weighs in at 45 pounds. Unusual in the under $2,000 price point,
the VSX-56TXi has a dual-layer chassis, with an aluminum exterior,
and a copper interior to improve noise shielding and stray EMI from
entering and exiting the receiver. The chassis is deeper than it is
“This $1,700 product’s warm, rich
sonic character does an excellent job in
conveying the message.”
Equipment Review
Inputs: A/V (4 Composite/S-Video/Stereo Audio),
Audio (4 including MM Phono), Component Video
(2 assignable), Eight Channel Analog (1), Digital
Audio (2 Optical, 2 Coaxial all assignable)
Outputs: Speaker Level (Front, Center, Back
Surround/Zone 2, Surrounds), Line Level (Front,
Center, Surround, Back Surround, Multi-room/
Source), Component Video (1), Monitor (1
Composite/S-Video), Monitor 2 (Composite),
Digital Audio (2 Optical), Audio Tape Loops (2
Stereo), Video Tape Loops (2 Composite/
S-Video/Stereo Audio)
Listening Modes: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital
EX, Dolby Pro-Logic II, DTS, DTS-ES (Discrete
and Matrix), DTS: Neo6, DTS 24/96, PCM (to
24-bit/96 kHz), Numerous DSP Modes
Power Output (Rated): 110watts x7 (8 ohms,
20 Hz-20 kHz < 0.09% THD)
Video Stage (Component): 5-100 MHz (+0, -3 dB)
Dimensions (WHD In Inches): 16 9/16 x 7 7/16 x
18 5/16
Weight (In Pounds): 45
Price: $1,700
Manufactured In Japan For:
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
2265 East 220th Street
Long Beach, California 90810
Tel: 800 746-6337
www.pioneerelectronics.com
SPECIFICA
TIONS
Widescreen Review • Issue 97 • June 2005
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