Pioneer HTP-3800 review: Pioneer HTP-3800

Intro
Pioneer's HTP-3800 home theater in a box (HTIB) lists for just $299, but its beautifully finished tower speakers were designed to visually complement Pioneer's gorgeous PureVision plasma TVs. The system includes an A/V receiver, small center and surround speakers, and a nonpowered subwoofer, but no DVD player; the system is ideal for buyers who already own a decent player. The Pioneer's sound quality is a mixed bag: it plays loud enough to fill moderately large rooms, but the subwoofer's volume level needs constant adjustment. Given that the HTP-3800's sound never rises above merely acceptable, you'd be better off with one of the better high-style or full-size alternatives available--even if it costs a bit more. The Pioneer HTP-3800's A/V receiver looks and feels very similar to the company's entry-level receiver, the VSX-516. That might be a mixed blessing for some buyers since it's bigger (it measures 6.25 inches high by 16.5 wide by 13.75 deep) and bulkier (a healthy 19 pounds) than the low-profile receiver/DVD players that come with many lifestyle home-theater systems, such as Pioneer's own HTZ-360DV. The receiver's size advantages provide for a superior layout of knobs and buttons compared to many more stylish competitors.

The HTP-3800 receiver's "user's manual" is a single sheet of paper, and its overly condensed user and setup information may make for a slightly more difficult setup for home-theater newbies. Lacking onscreen menus means you'll have to use the receiver's front-panel display for system setup. Thankfully, we found the menus' navigation mostly intuitive. But the overly small remote control was another story: it crams in far too many poorly labeled buttons, and the awkward layout didn't help things.

If you've spent big bucks on a flat-screen TV, such as one of Pioneer's sleek high-gloss black sets, the complementary styling of the HTP-3800's jet-black tower speakers will be especially welcome. The two 43.25-inch-tall wood cabinet speakers put to shame the ubiquitous sliver plastic--or, in some cases, metal--towers from Sony and Panasonic. The only catch here is that the Pioneer speakers must be mounted on the supplied circular wooden bases with the supplied wood screws; it would have been nice if Pioneer included provisions for wall-mounting the towers on either side of the TV. Since that's not an option, please be aware that the speakers' rear panels are unfinished, so you'll probably want to place them close to a wall.

Curiously, the HTP-3800's center-channel and surround speakers' silver-plastic construction doesn't visually match the high-gloss black towers. The center speaker is 10.5 inches wide and 3.75 high; the surround speakers are a mere 5.5 inches tall and come with matching L wall brackets. The silver subwoofer is constructed from medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and measures a compact 7.5 by 14.75 by 12.5 inches. The Pioneer HTP-3800 package includes the A/V receiver and a six-piece speaker set, along with the necessary cabling to connect it all together. Pioneer doesn't include a DVD player, but since you likely already have one anyway, you're not paying extra for something you don't need. For the receiver's power ratings, Pioneer used Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ratings, which are far more stringent than the overly hyped megawattage that many manufacturers advertise. The resulting numbers--100 watts for each of the five speaker channels and the subwoofer--would be exceptionally powerful for a $300 HTIB, but then we noted that the 100-watt rating for the speakers are quoted from 200Hz to 20KHz, which eliminates all the power-hungry bass frequencies (20Hz to 200Hz). The bottom line: the HTP-3800's power is no better or worse than average. All of the standard Dolby and DTS surround modes are included, along with the ability to decode WMA 9 audio streams--which is, admittedly, of little use.

From the front, the HTP-3800's A/V receiver looks very similar to Pioneer's stand-alone receivers, but its sparsely populated rear panel doesn't measure up to that of the company's entry-level VSX-516 model. There are only two stereo analog inputs and one output, and three digital inputs (two coaxials and one optical). On the face of the receiver, you'll find a front panel minijack input for connecting portable audio players. (Pioneer claims the Sound Retriever circuit can restore "CD quality" to compressed MP3 encoded music, but we didn't hear that level of improvement.) Since the receiver lacks any video switching, you'll have to connect all of your sources' video outputs directly to your TV, and switch inputs accordingly. That's par for the course for HTIBs in this price bracket.

The tower speakers each feature a pair of 3-inch woofers and a 1-inch dome tweeter, the center and surround speakers each use a single 3-inch woofer. The subwoofer has a 6.3-inch woofer mounted on its rear panel. All use the less-than-secure spring-type connectors--they work fine, but an inadvertent tug might dislodge the wire from the speaker or sub. The receiver's speaker connectors are also spring clips, but they do seem a little more heavy-duty and therefore more secure than usual.

Pioneer 2006 HTIBs compared:

After setting up the Pioneer HTP-3800 and adding a DVD player to the mix, we began the audition focusing on music. The sonic blend of the system's satellite speakers and subwoofer wasn't particularly smooth, so the big towers sounded like small, bass-shy speakers, accompanied by a sub. We found Steve Earle's Live At Montreux 2005 CD to pack a punch on some other systems (especially impressive for an all-acoustic show), but it sounded rather hollow and lightweight on the Pioneer system. Switching from stereo to the synthesized surround of Dolby Pro Logic II added some warmth and naturalness to Earle's vocals and guitar. When we next played Sonic Youth's brilliant new CD, Rather Ripped, the HTP-3800's subwoofer was much too loud, so the bass was very boomy until we turned it down. Once we did, the band's trademark jangly guitar distortion sounded great, and we were impressed by the Pioneer's ability to rock out. But the system's sound is far from refined, nor is it particularly consistent. As we played through a stack of CDs, we had to adjust the sub's volume with the remote for almost every one; there wasn't one sub volume level that worked with most CDs and DVDs. That sort of bass level irregularity is symptomatic of less than ideally matched satellites and subwoofer systems.

The very first thing we noticed about the HTP-3800's sound when watching movies was the dialog: it was very upfront and bright. Every word was clear and present, but the system's five speakers failed to produce a seamless, wraparound soundstage. In fact, even after we confirmed the volume levels of all the speakers, the surround speakers' contributions were rarely audible--most of the sound came from the front three speakers. The jungle scenes on the King Kong DVD didn't feel as spacious as we've heard them sound over other theater systems. On the upside, the subwoofer's bass was fairly powerful, which helps put across home-theater special effects, but it exhibited a tendency to turn muddy when we turned the volume up loud.

Measured against other $300 HTIBs, the HTP-3800's performance is about average, but better deals are certainly available. For instance, the JVC TH-C30 sounds richer and cleaner overall--on movies, at least, and it even includes a built-in five-disc DVD changer.