Pioneer VSX-823 5.1-Channel Network AV Receiver

Let me start by saying that this is my first receiver ever. I've been wanting one for years but it always went back and forth between a basic 5.1 system or a nice sound bar. Am I sure glad I didn't go with a sound bar. I am however an AV-Enthusiast and read a lot of threads at AVS to help with all of my AV decisions.I got this receiver through an Amazon Warehouse deal. It was marked as new, but it was missing the remote. That's not Pioneer's fault... needless to say after a bit of prying Amazon made up for it big time. Kudos to them.I paired this receiver with a used set of Polk Audio Rm6800 speakers. I thought I'd start small and take it from there. If I end up feeling like i'm missing something then I'll upgrade either to the Pioneer Andrew Jones line, or go big with HTD speakers.Back to the Pioneer. The sound is absolutely amazing and clear. I can't believe the sound that I've been missing out on. It should be mandatory to not let someone purchase a high quality Television without having the proper audio. My three year old Plasma feels new again. It's as though I've been missing out on half of the watching experience. I've been watching movies from my library on this over and over, and it's amazing how it's like watching these movies all for the first time. Master and Commander, Star Trek 1-2, Superman, Tron, LOTR, The Hobbit, and Disney's Atlantis all sound truly amazing. My setup makes me feel like I'm in the movie with powerful clear sounds coming at me from all different directions. It's truly insane, in a good way. Heck even commercials and over the air TV sounds amazing.The setup was pretty easy as long as you have an idea what you are doing. If you were the type of person who couldn't program a VCR clock then you may want to have someone with some know-how help you set everything up, or just go with a Sound bar. Odds are you'll mess up, then blame the poor audio quality on the Pioneer.The included mic, and calibration seemed to work pretty well, but I did tweak it a little bit. It's really not that hard to do, just be patient and your ears will thank you. I used a tape measure to re-adjust the distance, and changed the cross-over from the 80hz that it defaulted to.If you haven't updated your firmware, then you may want to look into that because this receiver gets SPOTIFY Connect with the update. Needless to say it works flawlessly and sounds wonderful! I haven't tried any of the other network features, but if they work as good as the Spotify app then there should be nothing to worry about.Overall I'm extremely happy with my purchase, especially for the price. Sure it doesn't have wifi, but in my opinion all of this equipment should be hard wired anyway especially if you're streaming HD movies. I have an 8 port switch setup in my entertainment center that my TV, Roku, Bluray player, Xbox, and my receiver all plug into. Every other "portable" device in my house is on wifi. If you're on the fence about this receiver, don't be. I was a little surprised at the CNET review as they were knocking it for not including WIFI. It's a receiver, not a tablet. They were impressed with the audio output, which IMO is most important.Sorry for rambling. In conclusion, I love this thing.*exits stage left*The End.

As others have mentioned, the remote for this unit leaves a lot to be desired. It's complicated and difficult to see in dim light. In all fairness to Pioneer, you can't have a receiver with this many features without having a complicated remote. Luckily, I had a Logitech Harmony One universal remote which completely solved the issues with the Pioneer remote. I realize the Harmony One is very pricey, but well worth the money and I highly recommend it if you buy this receiver.That said, I love the receiver, despite the remote, and give it 5 stars. I am hard wired into my network which is essential to capitalize on all the features. Pandora and Internet Radio are my favorite features. I also have my Roku connected as well as Satellite TV. Once set up, which wasn’t too bad, they all work well. If you plan on using internet radio, be sure to go online and register at radio-pioneer.com. You will first need to get an access code from the receiver’s Internet Radio Help screen. Once registered, select and configure your favorite stations. There are hundreds to choose from, and Pioneer lets you create subfolders. The Tuner section is OK, but I am in a fringe area, so I use the Internet Radio, even for my local stations.If you have an iPhone, the Airplay feature is awesome and negates the need to get the Bluetooth accessory. From anywhere in your house, you can use Airplay to turn on and steam your iPhone music to the receiver. You will need to configure the receiver to turn on when Airplay is detected.The sound is definitely better than the Sony STRD810 it replaced. There are a lot of sound formats that I don’t fully understand. All I know is the 5.1 sound works really well, especially after performing a very straightforward auto calibration procedure.Finally, I am happy that I do not need to use a cooling fan. My receiver is kept in a enclosed entertainment center (with glass window). My Sony would generate so much heat (120 F) that I needed to install a cooling fan. Without the fan, the Pioneer only gets it up to 87 F). I suspect that heat was one of the reasons my Sony pooped out after only 3 years.In summary, if you don’t mind shelling out some extra money for a good universal remote, this is a an excellent receiver at a reasonable price.

Great product.Delivered in time.

UPDATE - July 14/2015Last night this thing died again, a few days after the 1-year warranty expired. Exact same problem as before, it just cuts out suddenly and goes to a black screen with red light flashing. No smoke this time. It must be unplugged to shut it off. It's installed right in front of an A/C unit with a big fan blowing on the side of the receiver, so not overheating. Last time I took it to their shop the guy tried to blame me and my cats' hair for the problem and I had to talk him into fixing it under warranty. I have a big metal laptop stand on top of the receiver to prevent cats from sitting on it. I don't feel like schlepping from one side of Toronto to the other on transit (2 hours each way, two trips) and then having to pay for repairs. There's no way a 1 year old receiver should be crapping out twice like this. Do yourselves a favour and find a better brand.<original post>Unfortunately the receiver died after 2 months, after filling my living room with smoke. One minute I was watching TV with surround, next minute I couldn't see the TV for the smoke. It's in for repair right now. I had to travel 2 hours to get to Pioneer's closest repair depot and I'm in a major city. FYI for those considering buying this unit - Pioneer only honours their warranty if you purchase from an authorized dealer. Amazon is NOT one of their dealers. Before buying, make sure the seller is an authorized dealer. Then check that your receipt shows the name of the dealer if it's not Amazon - or you're out of luck if it dies like mine did.

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