The 608 is a real bargain for dd/dts. i have installed many systems, funny thing, i love this little Pioneer. onkyo just doesn't have the ooomph.......now this is not just me but most installers i work withs oppinion. i have an onkyo for my whole house audio and like it, so, i went out and picked up the 747. when i hooked it up i was shattered !!!! the onkyo had no push at all !!!! i took it back and bought the 608. hooked it up to my paradigm's, set all the levels correctly and wow, this little gem from pioneer blew me away !!!!
many people have heard this system and could not believe it was a pioneer, after all, why would i have pioneer in my house??? but after watching a movie they are sold on the 608.

just set it up right, use small for your speakers and you should be amazed !!!

Cheap price with a lot of feature

Sound quality is very-very dissapointed

I just dumped my pioneer and replaced it with Nakamichi AV 10.I only have it in my home for a week. Pioneer sound quality is very-very dissapointed me.
It has cheap quality cable connection, and the power is overated. I must turn the volume button -50 so the sound can be hear. It has a lot of noises and the poping sound if you turn the sound volume above -20.
If you don't want to waste your money, select another receiver, Nakamichi for example. Yes, it cost more, but the sound from nakamichi is very-very good, you will love it.Very detail. No fatique at all if you listen from nakamichi.

Lots of features, low price

Almost everything. Low on power, high on noise, poor frequency responce.

I bought this amp because of features and price -- period. When something seems too good to be true, it probably is. The amp is WAY underpowered. 100Wx5 is an absolute joke. My old Pioneer SX-750 (circa '75) is rated at 60Wx2, and produces much more power. I was very dissapointed in the soothness in sound when listening to any pure musical source. Bass is fluffy, and unclear, and the high end is muddy. I ran a split output from my CD player into both the D-608 and the old sx-750, and used an A/B switch to swtich speakers from one to the other. In blind A/B testing, no one chose the D-608 as having better sound. Amazing.
Also, the volume makes annoying crackling noises as you run up the volume -- sounds like the static from a worn potentiometer like on my sx-750( at least it took years for IT to develop a crackle). This amp tries to do too much, and does nothing well.
However, if you're not an audiophile, and want a cheap amp that will provide S-video switching and Dolby and DTS. This amp may not be a bad choice. You can't beat the price, you can however, beat the sound.

none

Everything, tries too much and does nothing well

The Pioneer is sheer crap. Bid on the Denon on UBID.com its worth it.

100 watts per channel is a joke, damn thing had no power.

Similar Products Used:

Denon avr3600dts but it has nothing in common

Has enough Inputs/Outputs
DTS and Dolby 5.1 decoding

Poor remote design

The Pioneer VSX-D608 has a nice list of features for the price. This unit can be picked up for around $375 street price. I purchased mine as an open item, full warranty, for $299.

I needed a unit that could do decoding as well has handle multiple video and audio sources. This unit has mulitple S-Video and optical audio inputs for every source. This was key for me and I couldn't find another unit for $299 that could do the same. Also, front A/V inputs are great for hooking up my console games/computer TV outs for playing games on the big screen.

The unit works flawlessly and has adequete power. The only thing that could be betters is the remote. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide a button for each source, instead you must press a single button to cycle through them. As you advance through the sources, the unit makes some clicking noises.

I needed a unit that could handle all my components and for the price/features, the Pioneer was a good choice.

Connections on the back of the unit are thoughtfully laid out with S-Video inputs and outputs for each option.

Remote

I purchased this at Best Buy for $349.99, which was the best price at the time. You can now find this exact same model at Costco for $299.99. As I stated above I was very impressed with the connections on the back of the unit. I was originally going to purchase the comparable Sony model, (more expensive) but the Sony model had just few S-Video connections and not all of them were input and output, whereas the Pioneer had S-VHS inputs and outputs for all of the video options.
I cannot tell much difference in the sound effects fields that Pioneer claims to have. But I have a powered subwoofer and it sounds great to me. I am very happy with the sound and I am glad that the unit does not power off when I turn the sound up too high.
For $299.99 you can't go wrong with this model. It does not run too warm in my opinion.

Similar Products Used:

Sony Dolby Pro Logic Receiver

Price, features, connections

Sound quality, especially for music

I've always been very brand loyal to Pioneer, so when I decided to get a DD/DTS receiver and retire my 902, I chose the 608. Based on previous experience, I expected it to be comparable, especially since the specs were so similar to the 902 (which I do realize is a high-end unit, just under Elite).

I found the surround sound good, setup was easy, etc. What made me get rid of the 608 was the music reproduction. Even with my EQ connected, the receiver simply was not "loud" enough--very little bass, and some loss of low midrange compared to my previous unit.

The Sony blows it away. I'd recommend the Sony STR-DB830 or 930 to anyone considering the Pioneer 608. They aren't really any more expensive and they're definitely better units.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX-5000, Pioneer VSX-D902S, Sony STR-DB930

Excellent performance for Price

none

Have used the 608 for over 6 months now. I have been very happy and would recommend to anyone looking to get into DVD with a limited budget.

Versatility, features, number of inputs and outputs

none that I can see

This is an all around great receiver. You can play surround in Dolby Pro Logic, Digital 5.1 or DTS. Has tons of inputs and out puts as well as s-video inputs for each component allowing only one output to be needed for the TV. Sound is great at 100watts per channel and you can input the decibals for each speaker and distance from each speaker. this is a great piece of equipment.

none

all

Straight up crap, the worst amp money can buy. Tries to do everything but can't do any of it well

Similar Products Used:

Denon's