An excellent unit as long as it doesn't need service.
Written: Nov 24 '02 (Updated Dec 09 '02)
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Pros: Good looks and able to accept almost any input device.
Cons: Pioneer service is terrible. Took over 4 months to have unit repaired.
The Bottom Line: If my experience is representative of Pioneer Service, avoid their products.
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| ronnie44's Full Review: Pioneer VSX-D810S 6.1 Channels Receiver |
This is going to be a biased review, but after over four months of waiting to get my unit repaired, I figure the least I could do is warn others. After spending almost $300 for a unit that I have yet to be able to enjoy, I feel that I have paid for the right to complain.
After much research, I determined that the Pioneer Receiver was best suited for my needs. It had provisions for almost any input device that you can imagine. I liked the looks and I felt the price was fair.
We were in the process of moving into a new custom built home when I first connected my new Pioneer receiver. The speaker wires had been run, the big screen TV, VCR, DVD, and CD player were all in place. We turned the receiver on, there was some crackling noise, and that was it. Naturally, since this was a new unit, I checked the wiring. Everything was fine, and all of the other devices were working properly. I still had my old amplifier so I hooked it up, and, of course, everything worked. I contacted the place where I purchased the Pioneer receiver and they recommended that I take it to a Pioneer authorized service center. One happened to be a mile or so away, so I took it there on July 16, 2002. Proof of purchase was provided and I was assured everything would be taken care of under warranty.
After about one month, I made my first call to inquire about the status of my unit. I was told that parts were on order and as soon as they arrived my unit would be repaired. Two weeks later, after another phone call by me, I was told that those parts did not repair the unit and additional parts would have to be ordered. The service center said that they were in contact with the Pioneer technical support group.
When almost three months had passed, I again made the dreaded phone call to find out something, anything. Additional parts were on order and it would be repaired when they arrived.
In mid October, I sent my first email to Pioneer customer support to inquire about the status of my warranty. They were very prompt in responding with the assurance that my warranty would be extended for the time my unit was at their authorized repair facility.
On November 7, 2002, I sent a detailed email explaining my displeasure and problems with getting my unit repaired. I again received a prompt response asking for complete information about the service center, etc. After hearing nothing further, I sent another email to Pioneer on November 14, 2002. No reply! My next email was on November 18, 2002 to Pioneer where I mentioned that it might be a good idea on my part to report the receiver as being "stolen" as it didn't appear that I was ever going to see it again. Again, no reply from Pioneer!
On November 21, 2002, I telephoned Pioneer direct. I finally got to a customer service representative named Darrell, who informed me that the representative that handled my claim would contact me that afternoon. The rest of the day passed with no phone call from Pioneer.
On November 22, 2002, I again called Pioneer. This time I was told that my unit had experienced a "power surge", and even though the Pioneer warranty does not cover power surges, they were going to "graciously" replace my receiver with a new unit. I questioned why the power surge did not affect any of my other equipment and he could not offer any explanation. I asked why it took four months to determine the problem and he could not explain that either. I asked why I was told several times that parts were ordered, and in fact had been installed, and that the unit still was not repaired. He could not offer any explanation for that either. According to the National Electrical Code, all new homes MUST contain a surge protector directly wired to the main circuit panel. As I mentioned earlier, this is a new house, the surge protector was in place, and none of my other electronic equipment was affected. Based on these facts, and since it took over four months to determine a cause, I feel that their claim of electrical surge damage is BS.
In any case, I asked when I could expect the new unit. I was told that it would be sent to the service center and they would contact me when it arrived. When/if it does get here, and if it works, I will be writing a "follow-up" to this review. In the meantime I am very disappointed with my Pioneer experience. Having purchased several of their products in the past, I will think long and hard before I consider their products again. To me it is like going to a restaurant. Even if the food is fantastic, if the service is poor, I probably will not go back.
Dec, 6, 2002 update:
The replacement unit arrived today. After almost five months, Pioneer decided that the best thing for them to do was to keep my NEW unit that I purchased, with a one year warranty, and replace it with a "reconditioned" used unit with a 90 day warranty. I have contacted Pioneer and have not received any response yet. I haven't even connected this unit up so I still don't know what this system will sound like. I thought for a short time that Pioneer had decided to do the "right thing", but I was wrong. I will update this review again when and if Pioneer ever decides to honor their warranty.
Dec. 9, 2002 update:
I was finally able to make contact with Pioneer. I sent an email and their response was to call them to discuss the situation. The "reconditioned" unit is the one that I will have to live with as the replacement. They will not replace my new unit with another new unit. They have agreed to honor the original one year warranty, PLUS an additional five months for the time it spent in their service center. They mentioned that the 90 day warranty label is standard for all of their econditioned products, but that since this was replacing my new unit they would give me a new warranty. This reconditioned unit was manufactured many months prior to the unit I purchased. I have no idea how much time the unit was in service before being reconditioned. At this point in time, and after so much hassle, I feel that this is probably the most that I will get from Pioneer.
In any case, the unit is now hooked up and working. The operating manual is complete and details most any configuration that you could possibly desire. As mentioned before, my main reason for chosing this unit was because of the vast amount of input devices that it would accept. The actual connection and setup for this unit could be a little confusing for a novice, and the manual seems to assume that you have a working knowledge of audio/video components. My receiver is attached to Pioneer speakers with a powered woofer and six satellite speakers. It is located in a room that is approximately 30' x 30'. There are many speaker adjustments and sound modes. Modes include Hall 1, Hall2, Jazz, Dance, Theater 1, Theater 2, and 5/6 channel stereo. In addition there are "advance" theater modes that include Musical, drama, action, expanded, and 5/6-D Theater. There are also settings to specify the A and B speaker distances along with the specific crossover frequencies that you need for your speakers. In short, you should be able to adjust this receiver to any particular enviornment and personal listening preferences. It does take time to try all of the different speaker combinations, but the end results are worth the effort.
The input devices that I currently have connected are: Sony KP-61XBR300 TV, a Pioneer DV-434 DVD player, A Sony CDP-CX55 CD player, and a JVC L-E6 turntable.
I found the remote control to be somewhat confusing, however, most buttons are not used once the unit is set up for your listening preference. It can switch between input devices and control the volume, which is pretty much all you need. You can use the remote to change tuner channels, but I usually don't surf the radio dial too much. Because of the size of the visible display, you have to be fairly close to the unit when making adjustments. Sometimes it is easier to make the adjustments on the unit itself rather than to use the remote control.
There are output connections to allow this receiver to be connected to an additional amplifier. After listening to this setup, I don't see any need to add an additional amplifier.
I like the looks of the unit and it goes well with my other black components. Unless the room is exceptionally well lit, however, you will need a flashlight to read the gold on black markings for the controls that are under the front cover. This is a minor problem since, once they are set, you don't need to adjust them very often.
Giving a summary on this Pioneer product is tough. I am very pleased with the unit now that I have a working system. The sound is everything that I had hoped for. The amount and type of input connections will enable me to add or upgrade components in the future. My only complaint is the service that I got from Pioneer. If it were just their authorized service center that caused the delays, I could be somewhat understanding. Unfortunately once I got in contact with the main Pioneer Customer Service Center, things didn't improve much. I have had many Sony products and the one Tivo unit I had developed a problem. Sony handled the entire situation quickly and efficiently. Sony seemed more interested in making sure the customer was taken care of first and foremost. With Pioneer, they seemed to give me the feeling that whatever problems developed were my doing and that Pioneer would reluctantly do what they could, when they got around to it.
Am I happy with the unit now? Yes
Would I recommend this unit to anyone else? Yes, but only IF you could be assured that it was working before you paid for it.
I can't answer how long this unit will continue to operate. I have only been using it for two days now.
Will I buy another Pioneer product? Probably not.
As far as I'm concerned, there is no excuse for it taking almost five months to repair/replace a brand new unit that was broken when I took it out of the box. When I purchase a product, I expect it to work. I hope that I never have to talk to anyone's customer service representatives. When/if a problem does develop I expect it to be taken care of promptly and with a minimum of input from me. This is what I experienced with Sony, and what I did not get with Pioneer. If I was not as tenacious, I have no idea how long it would have taken for Pioneer to eventually get around to taking care of my problem. For me to buy another Pioneer product it will really have to be something special, that is not made by another manufacturer.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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Epinions.com ID:
ronnie44
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Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 1 member
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