Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

[UPDATE as of 2020] While I actively used for over 4 years (more than most people with popping noise and not working), mine finally started to have the popping sound when turning on at the beginning of 2020 and now it takes more than 5-10 cycles to get the sound to work. It looks like it will soon give up on me unless I can find some technician who can easily replace capacitor. Too bad Pioneer made such a low-quality product. No wonder they were sold to other companies and not around anymore. [Original Review as of 2014] At current price, this sound bar is one of the best sounding bar in the $250 - $400 range. The sound is full, rich, well balanced and a pleasure to listen to. I haven't A/B compared with brands like Klipsch, B&W, Yamaha or Onkyo sound bars but in comparison with other electronics manufacturers' brands such as Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic or Sharp's sound bars in similar price range, Pioneer trumps them all in sonic quality. It doesn't matter what feature the sound bar claims to have (like 3D sound processing, multi-channel virtual surround, sound enhancing processing gimmicks) unless the speaker actually has good drivers to begin with. Listening to music with this sound bar was the closest thing to listening to a regular pair of speaker - wide, balanced and full. The small subwoofer that comes with the sound bar delivers clean and powerful bass without distorting or muddying mid/high tones. If you are shopping to get the best sound as the top priority, this should do the job. If connectivity and DSP gimmicks are more important, you should look elsewhere. What I like: - Sound quality (5/5). It is closest thing to real speakers that is pleasing to listen for both music or watching movies and TV programs. Most sound bars that I tested amplified voice/mid frequency too much to a point that made it annoying when listening to music or sounded tinny/boxy. - Wireless compact subwoofer delivers clean and tight bass - Bluetooth is now fixed but the range is short and sensitive to blockage (iphone sync performed better than macbook pro -12+ft vs. 3-4ft.) - Remote learning capability - Enough power to fill an apartment living room or small to medium sized living room - The power adapter (the square plastic box on power cord found on most laptops/monitors/sound bars) is inside the sound bar so less clutter What I wish Pioneer had or what's missing: - LCD screen to show current volume, source, EQ setting - Auto Volume Leveler (Since current volume cannot be seen due to lack of a display, different sources with varying volume can either be too loud or too weak) - Dialogue mode turns off the subwoofer. Instead, it should change the EQ to increase mid frequency. - Manual subwoofer turn on/off option. The only way is to unplug it or use the dialogue mode which would also modify the sound EQ. - I wish they included a Night mode that lowers the subwoofer volume without turning it off. - Lower profile design dimensions. For current TVs using stands (not wall mounted), 4.1" height blocks the IR port or part of the screen. - HDMI with ARC capability - No wired connection option to the sub-woofer or no sub-out option in the back of the sound bar for those of us looking to upgrade the subwoofer. - Better quality remote control that doesn't use those annoying flat circular batteries. Standard AA or AAA would make life easier. I think most people would shop to add a sound bar to enhance the overall sound quality more than the looks or artificial sound processing. No sound bar in this price point is expected to deliver true surround experience. However, if you are looking to buy a sound bar that handles both music and movies with gusto, look no further.