Pioneer Elite Receiver SC-57

A new flagship. A new class of receiver...

Introducing the new flagship receiver of the Elite line: the SC-57. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to call the new Elite SC-57 one of the most revolutionary receivers ever produced. Or that the industry has ever seen.

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Until now digital amplification – categorized as Class-D devices – have received little or no respect from a cautious and hesitant industry. Unable to conquer the challenges of “digital”, A/V receiver manufacturers have sought refuge in the comfort zone of analog Class-A/B amplifiers. One problem with that is analog amplifiers have had essentially the same design for the last fifty years, leaving little room for further performance enhancements. Another is the multi-channel soundtracks now available on Blu-ray Disc simply cannot be maximized or enjoyed to their full potential through conventional analog A/B amplification.

Pioneer understood early the massive power output potential of Class-D amplification, and made the bold decision to produce multi-channel amplifiers that more than rise to the occasion of bringing the new audio dimension that Blu-ray Disc provides to the home theater enthusiast.
The Elite SC-57 is the third generation of Class-D amplifiers for Pioneer, and as such we’ve designated it in a class all its own: Class D.

Pioneer Elite Receiver SC-57 Key Features

An amplifier for the power hungry

The SC-57’s Class D 9-channel amplifier is the most powerful amplifier of any multi-channel A/V receiver Pioneer has ever produced. Keeping the new audio formats of the Blu-ray Disc format in mind, Class D takes high-resolution multi-channel audio to a whole new level of immersive performance.

Rated at 140 watts x 9 channels is a lot of power but is not the whole story. Where the SC-57 really shows its unprecedented power output capability is when driving multi-channels.

simultaneously without losing significant per-channel output. Class A/B amplifiers simply cannot match the efficiency of Class D as their power output per channel diminishes rapidly when more channels are added to the work-load. This kind of unprecedented power capability allows you to appreciate the full dynamics from any media source in a way never before possible. The ability to drive more channels, simultaneously, means you can fully reproduce all of the dynamics and impact of high definition multi-channel Dolby and DTS soundtracks with up to 9 channels of the highest quality power output available today.

True-to-Life, High-Definition Audio with THX Ultra 2 Plus

Pioneer adds an extra dimension to the SC-57 by being the only multi-channel Class-D amplifier manufacturer to be awarded the coveted THX Ultra 2 Plus certification for the ultimate immersive surround sound experience for rooms up to 3000 square feet.

This is particularly meaningful to home theater enthusiasts. Filmmakers mix their audio tracks at a “Reference Level” of 85dB. This level is the basis for THX certification engineering and performance. The SC-57 can produce this level with all channels driven, meeting and exceeding THX performance requirements while maintaining our signature sound.

Of course, the SC-57 also supports high-definition audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as new DTS NEO:X surround, providing a 3-D surround experience for up to 11.1 channels.

Mastered by the masters at AIR Studios

The SC-57 has been sound “mastered” at legendary AIR Studios in London. While known for exceptional acoustics, leading-edge equipment, full orchestra motion picture soundtracks (like “Inception”), and creating recording history with Dire Straits “Brothers In Arms” -the first completely digital recording for CD and first million seller – our engineers know them from many years of professional collaboration.

The SC-57 was evaluated and modified at a prototype level to meet the very strict standards set forth by studio engineers, and in doing so was awarded AIR Studios Monitor Certification. The trained ears at AIR Studios know first-hand what goes into an artist’s craft and their objective is perfectly in-line with that of Pioneer: to accurately reproduce in the home theater what the artist originally created in the studio.

Sound Quality

Previous Class-D amplifiers suffered from electrical leakage between components that would cause “ringing” and other distortions requiring sophisticated noise filtering. Class D has improved on earlier designs by utilizing fewer parts, a more direct signal path, and the most advanced 3600 thermal dissipation circuit board, all together improving distortion specifications as well as more precise amplification switching characteristics.

Comprehensive and versatile installation options

The SC-57 with 9-channel Class D amplification gives custom installers an entirely new level of set-up options with the most useful and flexible speaker system configurations available in an A/V receiver. With 7 different speaker configurations ranging from 9.2 in the main room only, to 5.2 in the main room with powered Zones 2 and Zone 3, there is simply no reason you can’t customize your system to your exact specification.

The SC-57′s advanced HDMI switching, network content and control capabilities, the latest A/V processors, and highly flexible custom installation features make it an excellent choice as a preamp processor with any amplifiers you desire. It even shuts down its internal amplifiers power supply and all related amplifier circuitry when the speakers are set to the off position making this choice even more practical.

AirPlay

AirPlay is a revolutionary way of enjoying your music anywhere in your home, and the SC-57 is AirPlay compatible right out of the box. Wirelessly push music from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or your iTunes-running Mac or PC directly to the receiver so you can enjoy all your favorite music in your living room through the big speakers. Use your iPhone or iPad device’s familiar controls to change the volume and switch songs, all while viewing iTunes album art on your TV. And with the SC-57’s multi-zone capability, you can even enjoy your iTunes music in a second and or third room while you’re watching the latest Blu-ray Disc title in another.

DLNA Certified 1.5

Since music is meant to be shared, not stored, the SC-57, is DLNA 1.5 Certified, which means you can pull your MP3, WMA, AAC, and even high-resolution FLAC and WAV files directly from your Windows-based PC to the receiver via your home network. Use the SC-57’s convenient on-screen display to browse through your music library, complete with album art, while your living room is filled with pure, high-resolution audio. Network connection can be made through the Ethernet port or with the AS-WL300 wireless LAN adapter (sold separately).

Online Music Services & More

You can also easily access popular internet-based music services Pandora, Rhapsody, and SiriusXM Radio, as well as the thousands of high quality internet radio stations available through vTuner.

Pioneer Air Jam App

It’s never been easier to create music playlists and share them with friends. Available as a free download for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, our exclusive Air Jam application is revolutionizing the way you share your music. Up to 4 Apple devices can be paired via Bluetooth to create a group playlist. Once connected wirelessly, you can choose songs from your device to add to the playlist to play back on the SC-57 You can view the growing playlist on each device. “Like” it and you have the option of purchasing it from iTunes or watching the music video on YouTube.

Made for iPod, iPhone and iPad – We believe entertainment should be first and foremost an emotional experience. The Elite SC-57 provides an unparalleled marriage of home theater and your Apple products, allowing you to enjoy both audio and video content with the included A/V cable, all while your device charges.

iControlAV2 App – Placing even more home entertainment control in the hands of enthusiasts, our iControlAV2 App, available free from the App store, lets you control volume, bass, balance and room settings. Formatted for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, it gives you complete control of your network connected receiver and compatible Pioneer Blu-ray Disc Disc players through an easy-to-use, powerful interface.

Total Control

Control is at the core of the home theater experience. And the Elite SC-57 makes sure you can customize and fine-tune your home theater experience to exactly the way you enjoy it most.
An industry-first, Pioneer’s AVNavigator truly is an interactive owner’s manual that takes all the guesswork out of setting up your receiver. AVNavigator uses your networked PC to communicate directly with the SC-57 walking you through the entire set-up of your home theater, step-by-step.
The SC-57 also offers Multi-Zone audio and video with a second zone on-screen display that gives you premium, customized audio entertainment throughout your home. Zone 2 has audio and video capability with on-screen customization, while zone 3 is audio only.

Additionally, the SC-57 has been independently tested and certified by custom partners Control 4, Crestron, AMX, RTI, Universal Remote and Savant ensuring seamless integration that gives you a wide choice of advanced control options for IP, Serial, and IR commands. The SC-57 is the perfect choice for a customized home installation.

Elite Video Processing

Drawing on Elite’s long history as an industry leader in high performance video and tuning techniques, we’ve designed image enhancement and fine-tuning for each video source into the SC-57 to maximize your TV’s performance.

The SC-57 converts analog video signals to HDMI and scales both analog and digital signals up to 1080p/24fps to best match your TV’s capabilities. Marvell video processing with award winning Qdeo technology provides a truly immersive viewing experience, creating natural and noise-free video for maximum performance and flexibility.

Thanks to Elite Advanced Video Adjust, any video signal that goes into the SC-57 simply comes out better. Video signals are optimized by the type of display you have connected, with video presets for Plasma, LCD and Front Projection TV’s to maximize their performance. And working in conjunction with Elite Advanced MCACC sound tuning, Advanced Video Adjust provides subtle noise reduction and detail enhancements based on the kind of display and your distance from it.
Stream Smoother technology is specifically designed to reduce picture distortion and enhance images while viewing low bit-rate streaming video content from sites that offer it such as YouTube.

Elite understands that extraordinary audio and video reproduction is merely the price of entry. With unprecedented levels of control and sophistication for the serious enthusiast, the SC-57 delivers all these technologies to create the quintessential home theater experience, both now and in the future.

Pioneer Elite Receiver SC-57 Technical Specifications

Amplifier Design Class D3

Channels 9.1

Power Output: Watts per Channel 140 x 9 (1kHz)

Estimated Power Consumption 370 Watts

AirPlay Yes

Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad Certified iPod/iPhone/iPad

Supported Apple Devices 2nd gen Nano and above / iPhone, 3G, 3GS, 4, iPad, iPad2 iControl

AV Application iControlAV2 (iPad, iPhone, Android)

Supplied iPad/iPhone/iPod A/V Cable Yes

iTunes Movie / TV / Video Playback via cable Yes

iTunes Album Art Yes

iTunes Cover Art Yes

YouTube Video Playback via Supplied A/V Cable Yes

Android Audio Playback via USB Yes

Internet Radio vtuner Pandora Radio Yes

Rhapsody Music Service w/Subscription

Sirius Radio via Internet w/Subscription

DLNA 1.5 Certified Yes

USB Formats WAV, MP3, WMA, iPod Digital, JPEG

Network Audio Formats LPCM, WAV, MP-3, AAC, WMA, FLAC

Digital Core DSP Engine TI Aureus x 2

Air Studios Certification Yes

THX Certification Ultra 2

Plus iPod Digital Audio Yes

192K/24-Bit DACs 192kHz / 32-Bit Dolby True HD Yes

Dolby Digital plus Yes

Dolby Pro-Logic IIz Yes

DTS-HD Master Audio Yes

DTS Neo:X Yes

Phase Control Full Band / Plus

Auto MCACC Advanced Manual MCACC Yes

Standing Wave Control Yes

EQ Bands 9 Symmetric EQ Yes

MCACC Memory 6 X-Curve Yes

Distance Adjustment 1/2 inch Precision Distance Yes

Polarity Check Yes

Auto Subwoofer Crossover Yes

Auto Surround Yes
Auto Level Control Multi-Channel

Optimum Surround Yes

Stream Direct Yes

Advanced Surround 15+1

Wide Surround Yes

Front Stage Surround Advance Y (Focus / Wide)

Headphone Surround Yes

Virtual Surround Back Yes

Virtual Height Yes

Virtual Depth Yes

High-bit. High sampling 32-Bit

DSD to PCM Converter Multi-Channel

PQLS Jitter Reduction HDMI Bitstream

Dialog Enhancement Yes

Advanced Sound Retriever Multi-Channel / Auto

Sound Retriever AIR Yes

Digital Noise Reduction Yes

Tone Control Multi-Channel

Sound Delay (Lip Sync) 10-Frame

Speaker A/B Yes

Bi-Amp Front /Center / Surround / B-Speaker

3-D Ready Yes

Audio Return Channel Yes

HDMI 36-bit Deep Color Yes

HDMI x.v. Color Yes

Video Converter to HDMI Yes

Video Scaler Marvell Qdeo up to 1080p / 24fps

Stream Smoother Yes

Pure Cinema Yes

Video Parameter Adjustments Advanced Video Adjust – HD Sources Progressive Motion – YNR, CNR, BNR, MNR, Detail, Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Chroma, Black level

HDMI Input / Output 7 In / 2 out

Bluetooth Adapter Port AS-BT100 or AS-BT200

Component Video Input / Output 3 In / 1 Out

iPhone / iPod Front USB / Composite Video

USB Memory Input Yes (MP3 / WMA / WAV)

Ethernet Input Yes

SIRIUS Satellite Ready Yes

Composite A/V Input / Output 4 In / 1 Out

Analog Audio Inputs / Output 2 In

Phono Input Yes

Digital Inputs / Output 5 In / 1 Out

Multi-Channel Inputs 7.1

Pre-Amp Outputs 9.1 Channel (11.2 Terminals)

Headphone Output Yes

Front A/V Inputs HDMI / USB / Composite

AM/FM Presets 63

Front Panel Aluminum Hairline

3-D Space Frame Design Yes

Transformer Stabilizer Yes

Advanced Direct Construction Yes

Large Speaker Terminals All

Warranty 2 Year

W x H x D (inches) 17.13 x 7.28 x 17.36 Weight 39.02 lbs

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Tags: 800HighTech, Amplifier, Home Theater, Stereo