Pioneer Expands Elite Lineup

Pioneer has rolled out a quartet of new home theater receivers that make up part of its flagship Elite lineup. These include the high-end SC-27 and SC-25, alongside the slightly lower-tier VSX-21TXH and VSX-23TXH. All four will share a customized USB/composite cable that enables integration with iPhones and iPods into home theater audio systems. When hooked up, these iPods will be able to be controlled using the systems’ remote controls, where content can be sent to 2nd and 3rd zones that have been set up in the home. The SC-series units are powerful enough to reproduce uncompressed Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks which are found in movies recorded on Blu-ray discs. As for the Elite VSX-21TXH and VSX-23TXH models use Direct Energy Class A/B amps with hand-picked DSPs. The Pioneer Elite SC-25 and SC-27 will be out this August, retailing for $1,700 and $2,000, respectively, whereas the Pioneer Elite VSX-23TXH and VSX-21TXH will be out later this month for $900 and $700, respectively.