CNET takes a hands-on look at Pioneer's new VSX-1021-K AV receiver, with built-in AirPlay and several other Apple-friendly features.
Matthew Moskovciak
Covering home audio and video, Matthew Moskovciak helps CNET readers find the best sights and sounds for their home theaters. E-mail Matthew or follow him on Twitter @cnetmoskovciak.
Donald Bell has spent more than five years as a CNET senior editor, reviewing everything from MP3 players to the first three generations of the Apple iPad. He currently devotes his time to producing How To content for CNET, as well as weekly episodes of CNET's Top 5 video series.
The Pioneer VSX-1021-K is the first AV receiver we've seen with built-in AirPlay and it also features the redesigned front panel Pioneer is using this year on its AV receivers.
2 of 7 James Martin/CNET
AirJam
In addition to traditional AirPlay functionality, Pioneer is also offering its own app called AirJam. The idea is that up to three people with an iOS device can add songs to a communal playlist.
3 of 7 James Martin/CNET
AirJam interface
While AirJam worked in our demo and it's a nice bonus feature, we doubt many people will go through the trouble of downloading the app just to make song requests.
4 of 7 James Martin/CNET
iControlAV2: Change AV receiver settings with your iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch
Pioneer has also announced its latest AV receiver app, iControlAV2. The idea is that you can use your iOS device to control settings on your AV receiver, rather than navigating onscreen menus.
5 of 7 James Martin/CNET
iPad-optimized
While we had our criticisms of last year's iControlAV app, the iPad version of the app is optimized to use the extra screen space.
6 of 7 James Martin/CNET
Finger EQ
Finger EQ is a good example of what we didn't like from last year's iControlAV app. While it looks neat to draw your own EQ curve with your finger, we didn't feel that it offered more functionality than just being able to move faders up and down.
7 of 7 James Martin/CNET
MCACC visualization
That being said, there's definitely a lot of geek appeal to being able to visualize Pioneer's MCACC automatic speaker calibration results. We're looking forward to getting our hands on a review sample of the VSX-1021-K and giving iControlAV2 a full workout.
