Pioneer A-A6MK2 and PD-D6MK2, For open-minded listeners

Pioneer is a name that many people associate with home cinema through its good A/V amplifiers, its magnificent players and, of course, its plasma screens, which are the best we have seen to date. Many also know the brand for its car audio products. However, few -and rather seasoned- listeners will remember its magnificent achievements in the world of pure, hard-core stereo, from which quite a few units survive in perfect working order with 20 or 25 years of service behind them, thanks to a build quality of a kind rarely seen any more. After many years devoted to home cinema with no products for the stereo world, in 2007 Pioneer took its first steps toward returning to high fidelity, launching a series called G-Clef, the treble clef. It consisted of two amplifier models, two SA-CD players and a digital radio tuner. Now Pioneer has updated these components, presenting a second version of them, a mark two or MK2. The range comprises two amplifiers and two players designed to be combined into two systems, so that the A-A9MK2 amplifier and the PD-D9MK2 player would be the brand's "reference" models, and the A-6MK2 amplifier and the PD-D6MK2 player the simpler, more affordable versions. Finally, the digital tuner would complete the electronics of the stereo system. Since its initial launch, Pioneer's G-Clef series has carried the seal of quality that comes with the involvement of London's Air Studios in its design. In this case, our guests in this Lab review are the A-A6MK2 amplifier and its companion, the PD-D6MK2 player.

There are several differences between the new models and the previous ones. They begin with a general improvement in build quality, which was quite heavily criticized in the first version and which is visible in details such as higher-quality speaker terminals, now also gold-plated, and completely new remote controls. In the A-6MK2 amplifier we also see an increase in power, since the first version delivered 45W into 8 Ohm loads between 20Hz and 20kHz and 60W into 8 Ohm loads under the same conditions. The new one goes up to 60W between 20Hz and 20kHz into 8 Ohm loads and 70W under the same conditions into 4 Ohm loads. In the PD-D6MK2 player we find improvements to the power supply.

PD-D6MK2 PLAYER

The Pioneer PD-D6-J, our guest's predecessor, was named winner of the EISA 2007-2008 award in its category, so replacing it becomes a major challenge. For this reason, the manufacturer has not wanted to take big risks and presents a clearly evolutionary version, with a new and far more refined remote control. Inside, the careful construction has been retained, with an effort to minimize signal paths and with high-quality components that now improve the power supply, incorporating low series resistance capacitors and Schottky barrier diodes. Digital-to-analog conversion is entrusted to two twin 192 kHz/24-bit Burr-Brown converters, and Pioneer once again applies its Legato Link Conversion PRO, which quadruples the sampling frequency to minimize phase deviation, as well as extending the word length of the data from 16 to 24 bits using Hi-Bit technology.

The player supports the CD-Audio, SACD, MP3 and WMA formats and can read CD-R and CD-RW discs. Its rigid aluminum front panel has a clean, minimalist design with the bare minimum of controls and a small LED display showing information about the disc being played. The display brightness can be reduced, or the display can even be switched off, using the pure audio function, which also disables the player's digital outputs to eliminate any possible interference in the reproduction of the purest sound. The rear panel offers standard connectivity for this type of component, with a stereo RCA output and two digital outputs, one electrical S/PDIF and the other optical EIAJ-Toslink, as well as the classic control bus and the power inlet. All the terminals are gold-plated.

A-A6MK2 AMPLIFIER

With a fairly thick aluminum front panel and a relatively rigid chassis, its weight of about 10 kg tells us during installation that we are dealing with good build quality for an amplifier of this kind. Its totally minimalist look matches that of the player, and it has little more than a source selector, a volume control, Direct mode activation and a display showing volume and source. Activating Direct mode switches off the display and bypasses the bass, treble and balance controls for listening with no interference in the signal. Its rear panel offers the typical connectivity of an amplifier of this kind, with an input for a CD-DA/SACD player, one for the digital radio tuner, another auxiliary input and an input for turntables fitted with an MM cartridge. It also incorporates an analog tape loop, a feature I consider very impractical these days. Nor do we find a direct input to the amplification section that would allow it to be integrated into an A/V system, a feature I believe should be required of any stereo amplifier these days.

With an output of 60W into 8 Ohm loads between 20Hz and 20kHz, rising to 70W into 4 Ohm loads, it seems on paper suitable for connecting to relatively easy-to-drive loudspeakers and for small or medium-sized rooms. Inside, we see a classic dual-mono construction, with two large conventional transformers, two substantial heat sinks, and wiring and layout which, while correct, will not impress enthusiasts enough for them to delight in contemplating the inside of the components.

One of the new features of both components is the arrival of new remote controls that are comparatively much better than those of the first generation of the G-Clef series. They are made entirely of aluminum and, by design, can control at least the basic functions of the other component, such as adjusting the amplifier's volume from the player's remote, or stopping playback from the amplifier's. Although the idea is good, it does not eliminate the need to have both remotes on the table, because in both cases specific functions of each component are missing that the other's remote cannot perform. That is where the problems begin, because both remotes have the same shape and size but a completely different button layout. So, depending on which one we have in our hand, the buttons for such basic functions as raising or lowering the volume, stopping or starting disc playback or changing tracks will be in different places. A single remote, or a more carefully thought-out design in which volume, play, pause, etc. are always in the same place, is sorely missed.

LISTENING TESTS

I connected our guests to my usual loudspeakers, a pair of B&W 804s, which have a sensitivity of 89dB (2.83V at 1m), a nominal impedance of 8 Ohm and a minimum of 3 Ohm, so they are relatively easy to drive and, although they do not take kindly to electronics with too much bite, they do not need an excessively generous rated power. On paper, the figures given by Pioneer for the A-A6MK2 are enough to drive them comfortably, and indeed the tests would confirm this suitability.

As usual, I started with various quiet, acoustic tracks with few instruments, gradually making things more complicated. Doug MacLeod's album Come to find was an interesting first encounter with the system. The first impression I had was of an excellent soundstage, very precise and well centered, in which it was very easy to place the four musicians playing. This characteristic, together with the natural timbre of the voices and instruments, leads us to immerse ourselves in the music to the point of feeling very close to the performers. I had the same impressions with the album Mi Buenos Aires querido, the tribute to tango that Daniel Barenboim recorded with Rodolfo Mederos and Héctor Console, which has become one of the most audiophile records around. The complex dynamics of the piano are reproduced with power and vividness, almost as if we had the instrument in front of us. Here some passages with complex rhythm and dynamics were already telling me that the electronics would have no problems with more ambitious undertakings such as Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto performed by Anne Sophie Mutter and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under André Previn (SACD DG 00289 474 8742). Both the transients of this very complex work and the orchestral tutti passages are reproduced honestly and without flagging, although perhaps the electronics do not quite exploit the full potential of the loudspeakers. Even so, a very high mark for a difficult test such as a full symphony orchestra. Finally, through the cheerful modern jazz of Club des Belugas (Zoo Zizaro) and Jamie Cullum's latest album (The pursuit), I was able to confirm that with livelier rhythms the Pioneer system is also completely in its element, guaranteeing its owner endless fun.

My conclusion is that the PD-D6MK2 and the A-A6MK2 make up a high-quality system for enjoying stereo audio. They are on a par with components from other brands with long-standing legends in high fidelity, and the Pioneer name may well be the only limitation this system faces when competing with those illustrious rivals. Without doubt, a system as audiophile as any, for open-minded listeners.

WE LIKE

- Perfect stereo image.

- Unbeatable musicality.

- Design and construction.

COULD BE IMPROVED

- Ergonomics of the remote controls.

- No input for integrating it into an A/V system.

- Inputs cannot be renamed by the user.

Specialists' rating: 5

Raül Centeno, Product Manager HBD

Marketing Department, Pioneer Electronics Iberica, S.A.



They have been created to reproduce music in the way closest to the original sound. The AIR Studios seal of quality is proof not only that engineering has become part of these audio units, but also of the exceptional, high quality of the craftsmanship applied and the careful selection of their electronic components.

Pioneer A-A6MK2 and PD-D6MK2, For open-minded listeners

Specifications

A-A6MK2 stereo integrated amplifier

POWER 60W into 8 Ohm, 70W into 4 Ohm. FREQUENCY RESPONSE 5Hz-100kHz (phono, 20Hz to 20 kHz). SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO 103 dB (Phono 80 dB). CONNECTIVITY 3 line inputs + Phono (MM) + 1 tape loop. Output for 1 pair of loudspeakers. DIMENSIONS 420 x 359 x 100 mm. WEIGHT 10 Kg.



PD-D6MK2 CD and SACD player

SUPPORTED FORMATS CD-DA, SACD, WMA, MP3. SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO 118 dB (CD) and 110 dB (SACD). CONNECTIVITY Outputs: 1 semi-balanced RCA, 1 electrical digital (S/PDIF), 1 optical digital (EIAJ-Toslink). DIMENSIONS 420 x 340 x 100 mm. WEIGHT 4.5 Kg.



DISTRIBUTOR Pioneer (937399900).