Pioneer HTS-570 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 is getting a home theater-in-a-box system. The Pioneer HTS-570 is an example of a compact 5.1 channel system that offers some interesting features. However, its small modular satellite speakers and low-powered amplifier don't always deliver the sustained power output or depth that is needed on some DVDs. On the other hand, for those that want a bigger sound than provided by TV speakers, or a surround system for the bedroom or office, the HTS-570 is acceptable.

The features of the Pioneer HTS-570 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. 1 Set 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.

The HTS-570 provides an excellent tool to aid in speaker setup. the MCACC (Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration System).

By way of a microphone supplied with the unit, and a built-in test tone generator that provides several types of test tones, the is able to automatically calculate the size of your loudspeakers, their distance from your listening position, and other parameters that will enable your system operate in your listening environment.

Although no automatic system can be perfect, or account for personal taste, the MCACC does a credible job of setting up speaker levels properly. The MCACC calculated the speaker distances accurately, and even adjusted the audio levels and equalization to compensate.

Additional components used in the review and comparison of the Pioneer HTS-570 included:

Reciever: Onkyo TX-SR304 5.1 Channel Entry-Level Receiver.

A variety of loudspeakers, including Klipsch Quintet III System and Optimus LX-5IIs, and Polk PSW10 and Sony SA-WM250 Powered Subwoofers.

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 included, Samsung DVD-HD931 and OPPO Digital DV-980HD.

Blu-ray and HD-DVD Player used: LG BH100 Blu-ray/HD-DVD Combo Player.

Connections between components (except where connection cables were provided with the HTS-570) were made with Accell, Cobalt, and AR Interconnect cables.

Pre-recorded standard DVDs used included scenes from the following: House of the Flying Daggers, Kill Bill - Vol1/2, Hero, Master and Commnader, Lord of the Rings Triolgy

Blu-ray Discs used included: Spiderman III, Flight Plan, Alien vs Predator

HD-DVDs used included: Transformers, 300, Batman Begins, Serenity.

Standard CDs included: HEART - Dreamboat Annie, Nora Jones: Come Away With Me, Blue Man Group: The Complex and Audio, Lisa Loeb: Firecracker (HDCD), Al Stewart: A Beach Full of Shells, Eric Kunzel: 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).

Proceed to Page 2 - Evaluation and Final Take