Pioneer HTS-260 Compact 5.1 Channel Home Theater System - Review and Rating

I get asked by readers often how they can get started in home theater without spending a fortune and having to buy lots of components. One popular solution for a minimum of hassle and cost is with a home theater-in-a-box system. Such systems provide the consumer with everything they need to setup a basic home theater audio/video system, except for the television or video monitor. One of the latest entries in this exciting product category is the Pioneer HTS-260.

The features of the Pioneer HTS-260 Home Theater System include:

1. A fully functional 5.1 Channel AV Receiver with Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro LogicII decoding.

2. The AV receiver features 25 watts-per-channel RMS output (4 ohm speaker load) x 5 with 1% THD (Total Harmonic Distortion).

3. Amplifier System and input connections on Subwoofer enclosure; separate LED display and control unit.

4. All speakers are supplied: L/R Mains, Center, L/R surrounds, and a 30 watt RMS Powered Subwoofer. The impedance for the satellite speakers is 4 ohms, rather than the customary 8 ohms.

5. Room Audio Calibration via Auto MCACC (Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration System) with Microphone

6. 2 Sets of Analog audio inputs for connection of VCR, DVD player, DVD recorder, and CD player.

7. Digital audio inputs (1 coaxial, two optical) for DVD player or other components with digital audio outputs.

8. AM/FM stereo tuner with a total of 30 presets

9. Cables and speaker wire provided - all wires are color coded for easy connection.

10. Wireless remote control

11. Illustrated User Manual

Additional components used in the review and comparison of the Pioneer HTS-260 included a Yamaha HTR-5490 6.1 Channel AV receiver, and KISS Technology DP-470 DVD/AV Receiver Combo.

A variety of loudspeakers, including Klipsch B-3s, Klipsch C-3, Optimus LX-5IIs, a Yamaha YST-SW205 Powered Subwoofer, and additional speakers, in both matched and mismatched setups were used.

Video displays used: A Westinghouse Digital LVM-37w3 37-inch 1080p LCD Monitor, Syntax LT-32HV 32-inch 720p LCD TV, Samsung LN-R238W 23-inch 720p LCD TV .

DVD players used (with 720p/1080i upscaling) included, Samsung DVD-HD931 and NeuNeo HVD-2085, as well as a Toshiba HD-XA1 HD-DVD player and a Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray Disc Player.

DVD-Rs/DVD+RWs used were made using: Sony RDR-HX900, Philips DVDR985, and a Presidian PDR-3222.

Connections between components (except where connection cables were provided with the HTS-260) were made with Accell, Cobalt, and AR Interconnect cables.

Setup - Blu-ray Disc, HD-DVD, DVD, and CD Software

Blu-ray Discs used included: The Fifth Element, Ultraviolet, XXX, Underworld Evolution, and House of the Flying Daggers

HD-DVDs used included: Serenity, Phantom of the Opera, The Last Samurai, Million Dollar Baby, and Blazing Saddles.

Pre-recorded standard DVDs used included scenes from the following: Serenity, Aeon Flux, House of the Flying Daggers, Hero, The Cave, Kill Bill - Vol1/2, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Valley Of Gwangi, Underworld, Moulin Rouge, Zathura, The Corpse Bride, and The Mummy, as well as content on DVD-R and DVD+RW discs recorded on DVD recorders.

Standard CDs included: HEART - Dreamboat Annie, Nora Jones: Come Away With Me, Blue Man Group: The Complex and Audio, Lisa Loeb: Firecracker, Blondie: Live, Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon, Telarc: 1812 Overture.

DVD-Audio/DTS music discs used included: Queen: Night At The Opera/The Game, Eagles: Hotel California, Sheila Nicholls: Wake, Alan Parsons: On Air. Also included: The Corrs: In Blue (Dolby Digital). Portions of other software titles in the above categories were used as well.

HTS-260 Setup

For the set up of the HTS-260 itself, all the connections and cables are provided in the box, and are color coded, making setup easy. Without cracking open the owner's manual, I was watching a DVD in surround sound in about 20 minutes from the time I opened the box.

However, if you need to use the owner's manual, it is easy to understand, with good illustrations. Also, a test tone function is provided to calibrate speaker levels. Lastly, the provided remote control, front panel display, and onscreen menus made navigating through the various setup functions very easy.

The Pioneer HTS-260 Home Theater System comes with an AV receiver, all needed speakers, and connection cables to get this system running. The provided cables and onboard connectors are color coded making setup easy. Without cracking open the owner's manual, I was watching a DVD in surround sound in about 20 minutes from the time I opened the box.

Unlike many home theater-in-a-box systems, the Pioneer HTS-260 does not come with a DVD player, nor has any type of video inputs or outputs. As a trade off, Pioneer HTS-260 is more compact than most systems in this price range. The lack of an internal DVD player allows the consumer to use a DVD player they may already own, or purchase one that they like best.

Proceed to Page 2 - Evaluation and Final Take