Pioneer

Pioneer's new BDR-XD04J contains a mind-numbing array of disc burning and playback options that should cover you for the next several years.

Perhaps the biggest highlight is support for BDXL BD-R discs, which means you can burn those fancy triple-layer 100GB and quad-layer 128GB Blu-ray discs in a tiny package. This is supposed to be the world's smallest BDXL-compatible portable drive. … Read more

Here is an essential set of CNET videos to introduce you to what's happening in the connected car space. It's taking place on many fronts, so this is just a snapshot and can't possibly be complete so stay on top of all the latest in connected cars at Cars.CNET.com.

Toyota Entune shows a smart way of prepackaging a suite of apps so car owners don't have to manage them.

Cadillac CUE will debut in 2012 with a lot of cues from the smartphone home screen and computer desktop.

The GM OnStar Mobile App is … Read more

I admit it, most of my favorite amplifiers produce enough heat to warm up a room and consume a lot of AC power. "Green," they are not. Class D amplifier designs (the "D" does not stand for digital) are vastly more efficient, and run cool to the touch.

For example, my Bel Canto REF500S power amp ($2,495) puts out 250 watts per channel, and it's a bona fide audiophile quality design. Bel Canto doesn't specifically refer to the REF500S as a Class D amp, but its low-heat, ultraefficient, heavily regulated switch-mode power supply … Read more

Since it was announced mere months ago, Pioneer's AppRadio has been the subject of quite a bit of buzz in the car audio world. AppRadio is the first in-dash car stereo to be completely controlled by a connected iPhone. The result should be app integration like no other receiver that we've ever seen, making this the ultimate car stereo for iPhone fanatics. I finally got my hands on this first of its kind receiver to put it through its paces in the dashboard of our test car and at the end of testing, I'm left with two … Read more

For the past couple of months Pioneer DJ (a division of Pioneer Electronics) has been traveling the East and West coasts with the DJ Art Mix Tour, raising funds for VH1's Save the Music Foundation, to restore music education programs in public schools.

The event enlisted some of the top DJs, urban artists, and designers to create original works of art using a unique canvas: the Pioneer CDJ-2000 digital music player.

August 2 through August 23, everyone will have the opportunity to bid on one of the 12 original art pieces created by Steve Aoki, Tommy Lee and DJ Aero, BT, The Crystal Method, Jesse "Dean" Graves, Joe Hahn of Linkin Park, Bob Haro, Man One, Victor "Marka27" Quinonez, Ritzy Periwinkle, Rost Arr, and George Thompson.

Bidding will begin at $400, with final bids being accepted until noon ET, on August 23. All the information you'll need about each individual work of art and the artist(s) can be found on the Pioneer DJ Art Mix page on charitybuzz. To boot, 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

We had the opportunity to check out the Pioneer DJ Art Mix show held at Twelve21 in New York on June 23.… Read more

It's a strange turn of events, but mainstream manufacturers long ago gave up on the idea of selling receivers on the basis of superior sound quality. I'm not claiming today's receivers sound "bad," but since almost no one ever listens to a receiver before they buy one, selling sound quality is next to impossible.

Back in the days when brick-and-mortar stores ruled the retail market, audio companies took pride in their engineering skills and designed entire receivers in-house. Right up through the 1980s most of what was "under the hood" was designed and … Read more

CNET reviewed the SP-C21 center channel speaker as part of Pioneer's SP-PK21BS 5.1 speaker system. While we didn't directly compared the SP-C21 with other center channels sold individually, the full 5.1 system offers outstanding sound quality for the price.

For more information on the SP-C21, read CNET's full review of the Pioneer SP-PK21BS.

CNET reviewed the SW-8 subwoofer as part of Pioneer's SP-PK21BS 5.1 speaker system. While we didn't directly compared the SW-8 with other subwoofers sold individually, the full 5.1 system offers outstanding sound quality for the price.

For more information on the SW-8, read CNET's full review of the Pioneer SP-PK21BS.

CNET reviewed the SP-BS21-LR bookshelf speakers as part of Pioneer's SP-PK21BS 5.1 speaker system. While the SP-BS21-LR speakers weren't directly compared with other two-channel bookshelf speaker systems, the full 5.1 system offers outstanding sound quality for the price.

For more information on the SP-BS21-LR speakers, read CNET's full review of the Pioneer SP-PK21BS.