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We got a first look at Pioneer’s LCD TVs on Friday, but that wasn’t enough. While at the company’s head office, we had a poke around to see what other technological goodies the manufacturer was producing, from high-end AV receivers with ‘Air Studios’ certification to new Blu-ray players. We could hardly keep our camera steady.
Pioneer once had a significant investment in Air and the two companies have worked closely together to produce audio equipment ever since. Not only is Air Studios set up for music, but it’s also one of Europe’s foremost movie soundtrack mixing facilities. When testing a film on the Pioneer SC-LX90 surround receiver with a Blu-ray disc, they can get the original sound engineer to come and listen, which means you know it’ll do a good job at reproducing the original soundtrack.
Most people won’t buy these top-end products; quite simply, they’re too expensive for most home cinemas. The great news is that everything Pioneer creates is improved by its work with Air, so even if a product doesn’t carry that prestigious logo, it’s still benefited from the experience.
Click through to enjoy a rare, behind-the-scenes look at more products and delights from Pioneer HQ. -Ian Morris
Something Pioneer wants to emphasise is its consistent design standards. These remote controls, for instance, have a symmetry with major controls being in the same place. The same is true of the machines themselves. The Blu-ray player should match the DVD recorder and the AV amps. Whether side by side or stacked on top of each other, Pioneer machines should provide plenty of eye candy.
This is a Pioneer S-7EX. For just £2,000, it’s just one
of the many speakers you’ll need if you want a Pioneer reference-quality 5.1 or
7.1 surround-sound system. Other speakers include the S-1EX at £4,000 a
pair and the S-2EX. Save your pennies: it’s £4,000 a pair, too.
Let’s be honest: if you’re going to spend thousands on speakers, you’re going to need
some hefty speaker cable to get the best out of them. As you can see,
Pioneer hasn’t spared any expense here either.
Our drool-fest was enhanced by various nods to
the company’s success with Kuro dotted around the viewing and listening rooms at Pioneer HQ. Here is a Kuro rug. We really want one of these.
