Pioneer VSX-516 6.1ch receiver with USB, MP3, AAC and WMA playback

Pioneer continues to pump out surround-sound receivers with the ability to play digital audio files via a USB port, and the latest in the line, the VSX-516, adds a few new tricks, including support for the latest Dolby standards. The VSX-516 also continues Pioneer's support for WMA9 Pro, for lossless playback. And the VSX-516 also represents a decent price drop: Pioneer's first amp with similar features, 2003's VSA-AX10Ai-N, went for a whopping ¥500,000 (about $4,400), while the new model is just ¥49,500 ($440), or about a tenth of the price of the older model. What a difference three years makes.

[tek @ May 26th 2006 12:33PM]

Nice piece of equipment. When will it be avail. in north america?

[Tim @ May 26th 2006 12:45PM]

A quick google search for Pioneer VSX-516 turns up prices under $200, not $440. Seems like a decent piece of equiptment.

[Confusious @ May 26th 2006 12:52PM]

I'm confused.
http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?sHist=12-125%2c6-32&menu=true&id=30944

[Frank Brock @ May 26th 2006 1:01PM]

Confusious - that OneCall link is for the "VSX-516s" model - doesn't have the USB port on the front.

So... can you just "plug & play" using a cheap external USB hard drive loaded with WMA9 lossless files? What kind of interface does the receiver provide for selecting song/albums, setting up play lists, etc?

[Confusious @ May 26th 2006 1:22PM]

The 'S' stands for silver.
There's also a 'B' for black model.

I did notice there's no USB on the front, but otherwise it's pretty much the same, 'cept less than half the price.

Maybe this is a Japanese-only model?

[Peter @ May 26th 2006 1:26PM]

It's too bad this unit doesn't have HDMI. I don't think I'd invest in a new receiver these days without HDMI.

[ChillyWilly @ May 26th 2006 1:44PM]

I'm with Tek.... when does this come to North America?

Having been a long time user and fan of Pioneer amps and receivers, this one looks like a winner. And pretty reasonable at under $500 for all it has.

[dan @ May 26th 2006 2:29PM]

Nice but why does it have to be so bloody big? What do they use in japan for home theater where space can be a concern?

[Brian @ May 26th 2006 6:22PM]

Does it do FLAC / ape / other lossless formats is what I want to know.

[lotech @ May 26th 2006 6:49PM]

Good point about the interface - I imagine an on screen
display would be the way. But something I think will become standard on Amps is OLED displays or something with a gui. I'm yet to see even a high end amp with some sort of nice GUI on it - if I can get it on $50 cell phone it should start turning up on highend amps and eventually on us normal persons amps.

[Asiaphile @ May 26th 2006 6:59PM]

USB playback eh? I didn't realise USB was a codec /sarcasm

[Tomahawk @ May 26th 2006 7:10PM]

Here is a link on Pioneer's website for the same model that One Call is selling.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4153_299867014,00.html

Makes me wonder if it is one and the same as the one on the Japan site, since it doesn't show the usb port on the American webpage:

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060526/pioneer.htm

[Weiran Zhang @ May 26th 2006 7:41PM]

This is nowhere near as good as the VSA-AX10Ai-N, which is about as high end as it gets.

This only means Pioneer is putting USB support into its lower end amps, which is good, but I'd prefer the playback of DivX videos from USB rather than just audio files.

[Ian @ May 26th 2006 8:29PM]

WMA pro is not lossless. It is the multichannel (5.1) flavor of WMA. WMA Lossless is a different codec and these devices don;t support it, AFAIK.

[George @ May 26th 2006 9:05PM]

No HDMI/DVI inputs or outputs, so not enough to be really cool.

[dean @ May 27th 2006 8:14AM]

@2 - first truth.
@1 - first dork.

[Scott @ May 28th 2006 1:48AM]

I love this. I want this.

But why the heck would they put the USB port in front (unless they also have one in back)?! Who wants wires sticking out of the front of a nice looking piece of audio equipment?

[hasim.narcis @ Nov 5th 2009 3:33AM]

HI i have a nice vsx 516 with usb in front but doesint play anything when i plug usb unit in ,i apreciate if somebody can help me! NARCIS from CONSTANTA ROMANIA,thanks!

[amihanudasco @ Oct 8th 2006 7:53PM]

How come the store rep. told me that Onkyo is better than Pioneer. I have Bose speakers and I need a good receiver..I wanted Pioneer to begin with but Is Onkyo a better choice?

[Ashok Jain @ Jan 5th 2008 9:44AM]

I bought one in Kuala Lumpur. Now I find it has 3 output IC's (STK 412-230C)which do not work. Can anybody suggest where to look for them??