The Pioneer VSX-534 is particularly notable for featuring a sleek, low-profile design. With an overall height of just 148mm, the slender unit makes installation into a stand/rack/cabinet even easier. Those good looks are matched by high performance, courtesy of Pioneer's Direct Energy Amplification. Equipped with a wide selection of inputs for various digital and analogue sources, the VSX-534 offers excellent audio playback quality for music, movies, TV programs, and games.

Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are both object-based surround systems, designed to create a more immersive feeling and sense of presence than traditional surround sound systems. Pioneer's ingenious microphone-based sound calibration system - “MCACC” - adjusts output to take into account variables such as speaker size and distance. This calibration system applies to speakers on the wall and mounted in the ceiling as well as those on the floor. The result is seamless, lifelike 3.2.2 Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound quality in any room.

The VSX-534 also supports two new surround technologies; namely Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer (coming soon via a firmware update) and DTS Virtual:X. These breakthrough technologies simulate the output from 'virtual' height and surround speakers if they are not physically present in a room. This feature allows for much greater flexibility when it comes to installing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X speaker set-ups.

Naturally, the VSX-534 AV receiver can partner state-of-the-art 4K/60p-ready media players, Ultra HD Blu-ray players, TV displays, and projectors. Additionally, there is pass-through support for HDR10, HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), Dolby Vision, and BT.2020 colour space via HDCP 2.2-compliant HDMI terminals.

The VSX-534 offers 135 Watts per channel (6 ohms, 1 kHz, THD 1.0%, 1-ch driven) for convincing and responsive surround sound. Pioneer's tried and tested 'Direct Energy' circuit design ensures wide-band frequency reproduction for an expansive soundstage with excellent spatial quality when reproducing multichannel and stereo sources.

All HDMI connections on the AV receivers support 4K/60p, 4:4:4, 24-bit video pass-through, and the HDCP 2.2 digital copy-protection standard for playback of premium content. Video with HDR (High Dynamic Range) in HDR10, HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), or Dolby Vision formats is passed through to a compatible display. Furthermore, there is support for video with BT.2020 colour space for spectacular colour performance. Super Resolution, which is a 4K upscaling technology particularly suited to HD sources, is also included.

In addition to conventional tone control, the VSX-534 also features a unique mid-range sound adjustment feature called “Dialogue Enhancement”. You can adjust the volume of predominantly mid-range sounds, such as the dialogue in films, independently with the up/down key on remote control.

Connect a Wireless Headphone dock to the Zone B output (which extends the sound from the primary zone), and you can listen via wireless headphones, ideal for late-night listening sessions. You can access all sound sources AVR received via the Zone B output.

The Pioneer VSX-534 is available in black or silver finishes from the end of February priced at €379/£tbc.