APPLE AIRPLAY 2 COMES TO PIONEER’S NEW ‘VSX-934 7.2-CHANNEL NETWORK AV RECEIVER

January 8, 2019

 Pioneer & Onkyo USA Corporation today announced that its first AVR to feature Apple’s AirPlay® 2*1, the VSX-934 7.2-Channel Network AV Receiver, will be on display during CES 2019 at the Venetian, Bassano Room #2602-2603.  The Apple AirPlay® 2 protocol greatly enhances the listening experience for Apple fans by adding multi-room playback; multi-device control as well as enhanced buffering for AirPlay 2 compatible speakers.  The receiver also supports a host of innovative Dolby Atmos® and DTS:X® technologies that produce captivating audio, even without dedicated speakers.  The VSX-934 will be available next month for $579.99 US / $799.99 CAD.

Apple AirPlay 2

Integration of Apple AirPlay 2 into Pioneer’s newest AVR allows Apple fans the ability to send and sync audio to different devices throughout the house. It also enables owners to control audio from multiple AirPlay 2 compatible devices and improves buffering for AirPlay 2 compatible speakers to eliminate drops.

Dolby Atmos and DTS:X Support

Dolby Atmos and DTS:X playback is supported, via a 5.2.2-channel speaker layout. With the addition of Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers, movie lovers can experience 3D sound without installing speakers in the ceiling.  Similarly, DTS:X allows for the flexible placement of speakers to enable optimized playback in a variety of layouts. Even without Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers, the VSX-934’s support for Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer*2 and DTS Virtual:X*2, means you can enjoy object-based audio despite the absence of dedicated additional speakers.

Dolby Surround and DTS Neural:X® Up-Mixing Solutions

By exploiting the 5.2.2-ch environment, DTS Neural:X and Dolby Surround technologies up-mix legacy “2D” soundtrack formats to reproduce surround-sound with a “wrap-around” feeling. Both solutions are designed to create immersive 3D sound for movie soundtracks encoded on DVD, Blu-ray Disc™, or selected video streaming services.

Premium High-Class Amplification Design

The VSX-934 delivers 165 W/Ch (6 ohms, 1 kHz, THD 10%, 1-ch driven) for convincing and responsive surround-sound, and can easily support 4 ohm speakers. The company’s Direct Energy Amplification delivers wide-band frequency reproduction with excellent spatial organization with multichannel and stereo sources. With a deep reservoir of power smoothly delivered through all channels and a selection of inputs for High-Res Audio and pure analog sources, the VSX-934 vastly improves the audio playback quality of music, movies, TV programs, and games.

HDMI Support for HDR, 4K/60p, and BT.2020 Video Formats

All HDMI terminals support 4K/60p, 4:4:4, 24-bit video pass-through, and the HDCP 2.2 digital copy-protection standard for playback of premium content. Video with HDR*3 (High Dynamic Range) in HDR10, HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), or Dolby Vision™ formats is passed through to a compatible display.  Further, video with BT.2020*4 color is supported, while Super Resolution, a 4K upscaling technology suited to HD sources, is also on board.

Dedicated ZONE 2 Speaker Outputs and Zone 2 Line Output/Zone B Pre-Output

Connect stereo speakers to dedicated ZONE 2 speaker outputs to distribute sources via analog inputs, network, USB, and Bluetooth® to another room. Play audio in Zone 1 (Main) or Zone 2 only; synchronized pre-out as Zone B which is good for connecting wireless headphones; or play a unique source in each zone simultaneously. Users can enjoy a 5.2-ch setup in Zone 1 with powered ZONE 2 distribution enabled, or retain a 5.2.2-ch layout and use Zone 2 line-output to share audio to an existing hi-fi system, powered speakers, or power amp and stereo speakers featuring a line input.

Advanced Streaming Options

The VSX-934 ships with easy-to-use. multi-room audio platforms that sync with supported audio systems and speakers of any brand over 5 GHz/2.4 GHz Wi-Fi®*5, creating a seamless house-wide entertainment environment managed from smartphone and tablet. These include Bluetooth, Chromecast built-in, DTS Play-Fi® technology, FlareConnect™ and Works with SONOS for wireless audio distribution.

MCACC with Phase Control Technology*6

The MCACC (Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration System) automatically compensates for differences in speaker size, level, and distance, and equalizes response. Simultaneously, Phase Control technology eliminates phase-lag caused by the low-pass filter between main channels and subwoofer to create clearer mid- and high-range sound while adding dynamic impact to LFEs.

Reflex Optimizer

When using Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers, high-directivity sound reflects off the ceiling, while low-directivity sound reaches the ears directly. This subtle difference causes a phase shift, making sound feel uncomfortable. Reflex Optimizer technology resolves this phase-lag and optimizes the performance of Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers for clear sound imaging at the viewing position.

Online Music and Internet Radio

Online music services including Amazon Music*7, Pandora®*7, Spotify*7, TIDAL*7, and Deezer*7 are all available to explore. Furthermore, users can enjoy a near limitless flow of music, sports, podcasts, and news entertainment courtesy of onboard TuneIn*7 internet radio.

Dual-band 5 GHz/2.4 GHz Wi-Fi

High-fidelity sound sources can be played wirelessly over a Wi-Fi connection offering 5 GHz (11a/n) and 2.4 GHz (11b/g/n) bands. In busy households with many devices contributing to congestion on the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz channel offers smoother transmission of audio files without radio-wave interference.

Intuitive Graphical User Interface with Easy Initial Setup

Pioneer’s intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) over HDMI makes for stress-free operation. The on-screen GUI displays System Setup, MCACC, and Network/Bluetooth, with quick access to each menu. A simple graphical display detailing receiver functions improves ease of use as do the Personal Presets, while Setup Guidance makes initial network setup a snap. Pioneer’s new On-Screen Display (OSD) shows detailed audio and video information during playback.

 

The VSX-934 will be available next month for $579.99 US / $799.99 CAD.

 

*1 AirPlay 2 will be available via firmware update in the spring of 2019.

*2 Function available with future firmware update.

*3 HDR is a technology that expands the maximum brightness of video. HDR technology is used with Ultra HD Blu-ray™ to expand the maximum brightness.

*4 BT.2020 is a video format standard that covers a wide color space more than twice that of the BT.709 standard currently used for Blu-ray Disc and other formats.

*5 Requires a wireless LAN network environment compatible with Wi-Fi standards and a Wi-Fi-based connection.

*6 MCACC: Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration System. MCACC is a proprietary acoustic compensation technology from Pioneer that can perform sound-field adjustment at the same level as monitoring techniques employed in sound studios.

*7 Please confirm availability of services before purchase. Some services may require a paid subscription.