Pioneer launches a pair of entry-level 7.2-channel Dolby Atmos-capable AVRs, the VSX-930 and VSX-1130-- the first from the company's home entertainment division following its becoming an Onkyo subsidiary.

The two models are more or less identical, with the only feature distinguishing the VSX-1130 being a brushed aluminium front panel (the VSX-930 sticks with plastic). Specifications-wise both AVRs carry HDMI 2.0 connectivity, HDCP 2.2 support, 4K @ 60p support and 24-bit 4:4:4 chroma subsampling.

A 192kHz/24bit SABRE ES9006 DAC handles audio together with MCACC PRO auto-calibration promising to compensate for differences in speaker size and distance according to room size and layout. It also includes dual-subwoofer output and 4-band subwoofer EQ for better performance in the low frequency range.

The AVRs support high-resolution audio in the shape of 192kHz/24bit 5.0- and 5.1-channel WAV files (via USB), 96kHz/24bit 5.0- and 5.1-channel FLAC files (up to 48kHz via wireless network) and DSD (2.8/5.6 MHz), as well as regular MP3, WMA and Apple Lossless files.

As well as HDMI, connectivity includes wifi and Bluetooth with AirPlay and DLNA compatibility and streaming audio services of the internet radio (vTuner) and Spotify Connect variety. Pioneer says setup should be easy enough using a web browser and the built-in AVNavigator client.

The VSX-930 and VSX-1130 should be available from May 2015 in either black or silver.

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