PIONEER HOME THEATER IN A BOX KIT.
If you get this system as a gift or at an 80% off sale then you will be getting a bargain; however, it is definitely not worth the manufacturers suggested retail price. Poor audio performance is inexcusable in a system that prices itself so high.
– Check the Amazon website here for more information on this product.
The Pioneer HTP-2800: Over Priced and Under Powered
Definitely not worth the MSRP, only a viable option when on sale.
Traditionally I do not use home theater kits, they often incorporate inexpensive cheaply made components that do not perform well. So I was moderately intrigued by the latest selection from Pioneer, the HTP-2800 kit. I figured that at this price it at least had to be better than the $50 one I can pick up from the local mega mart while keeping the convenient features associated with home theater kits.
Setup was easy enough, it took about an hour and was pretty much what you would expect when setting up a home theater package. Detailed instructions clearly laid out all the steps in plain language (a nice departure from the often cryptic instructions included in some kits), and the supplied cables are long enough to accommodate an average sized living room. So far, the Pioneer is only gaining my favor.
Sadly, the easy setup was not a harbinger of things to come. It’s not that the Pioneer’s audio was horrible, it just left me underwhelmed like so many other home theater kits. The speakers preformed only average, and the subwoofer had serious issues. Setting the subwoofer to anything but the lowest setting introduced distortion, and setting the other speakers to anything louder then about mid volume produced distortion as well, making this system completely inadequate for anything larger than a studio apartment or small bedroom. So sad, especially when you think about how this is coming from Pioneer.
A feature that originally attracted me to the Pioneer, its aux input for an mp3 player, also ended up disappointing me. Somehow, the audio produced from the aux input sounds different from audio produced from other inputs and sadly for the Pioneer, this is not an improvement because aux input audio sounded flat and hollow.
Unless you can find the Pioneer HTP-2800 Home Theater System at a deep discount this would be a definite pass. It is not much better than the $100 big box brand home theater kits out there, but it costs nearly triple the cash.
Technical Info:
Output Wattage: 860
Included Components: AV receiver, Speaker system
Dvd type: None
Audio output mode: Surround Sound
Audio output type: None
Dialog Enhancement: Yes
Component type: Home theater system
Built-in 6-Channel Amplifier: Yes
Built in decoders: Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital, DTS decoder
Remote control description:Universal remote control
Optical digital input: Yes
Coaxial digital input: Yes
Audio input: None
Headphones jack: Yes
Mini disc system: None
Tuner technology: Digital
Turntable type: None
Radio bands supported: AM/FM
Cd system type: None
Cassette system type: None
MSRP: $300
See the Amazon page for PIONEER HTP-2800 HOME THEATER SYSTEM Review here