AV Receivers

Playing networked sources, including internet radio and DLNA devices, is easier 
too than when using the supplied remote. 
In fact, the remote is an absolute pig, with buttons and labels more crowded than Oxford Circus tube station on Boxing Day morning.

Pioneer redeems itself thanks to its methodical and very thorough MCACC calibration system. Running this takes 
a good ten minutes, during which each channel is tested and/or measured for polarity, EQ, Phase and Standing Wave Control. You can always tip-toe out of the room and quietly have a brew until the levels are set. Subsequently, if you’re feeling brave and adventurous you may be tempted to delve into the menus and play with adding virtual speakers to your configuration or messing around with the phase control. 

The receiver itself is a handsome beast with an elegant fascia, and there’s nothing about even the iControlAV2012 app that’s as satisfying as physically tweaking the two hefty knobs that control the volume and input selection. The amp’s flimsy grade of body metal and rubbery speaker terminals are, however, less assuring.

The SC-2022 has decent multimedia skills, including the ability to stream FLACs and WAVs stored on a home network. It’s also compatible with the audio on MP4 files and JPEGs in theory, but don’t count on it getting the aspect ratio correct. And while the superb clarity of the violins of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings Op. 48 (24bit/192kHz, downloaded from the excellent Nordic Sound, and played from a USB flash memory drive) proved the sensationally good credentials of the internal DAC, I was more than frustrated by the Pioneer's refusal to play any MP3s on a DLNA Windows netbook despite being able to select them. Thank God for AirPlay.

Pioneer allows you to attenuate the high frequency response (in 0.5dB steps) if the treble seems too loud, and it’s a tweak that paid dividends in my cinema room. This X-curve adjustment was needed to just rein in the brightness at the high-end during War of the Worlds on Super Audio CD. That sorted, the power and agility of the digital amps worked their magic – the unscrewing of the Martian cylinder and subsequent guitar thrashing being delivered with spine-chilling authority.

On to movie matters, and Band of Brothers' DTS-HD MA soundtrack on Blu-ray [that's not a movie – Ed]. As the US infantry come almost face-to-face with a holed-up German outfit, the amp almost blew my socks off as mortar shells exploded in front of me, bullets fizzed across the room and plaster remnants rained down and covered me in dust. Dialogue is tightly focused on the centre channel and the LFE rumble is perfectly integrated, proving the accuracy of Pioneer's Auto Phase Control Plus lag-compensation wizardry. 

Want to go loud? No problem, your neighbours will be calling the environmental health people long before distortion kicks in. Incidentally, my standard-issue Maplin power consumption gauge showed the SC-2022 effortlessly hovering around the 60W mark during this DTS-HD MA firestorm. Who said home cinema was bad for the polar bears?

The Dolby Digital track of The Wire (Season 5, DVD) is given real energy as subtle effects and background sounds – such as distant passing sirens and calls offering the latest drugs – are played out deftly from the rear speakers. Even Omar almost sounds lucid. 

The main caveat is that, X-curve adjustment or not, there’s an underlying tightness to the SC-2022 that might not suit those who prefer a warmer sound. The presence of a digital filter button on the remote control that should improve matters offers false hope, as to try it you need an 
LX model. Hmmm.

That said, the SC-2022 is a mightily impressive home cinema receiver. Sure, it 
can come across a little 'cold', skimps on 
a secondary HDMI out and requires the iControlAV2012 app (and therefore a smartphone/tablet) to get the best out of 
it, but Pioneer should be quietly pleased with itself for offering a slice of SC greatness at 
a bargain price.