I purchased the Pioneer 626 a few months ago and I have been very pleased. Before purchasing I read some reviews on other sites and compared it between other models of similar price and the Pioneer seemed to come out tops.

First of all the picture quality of the Pioneer is superb. Clean, crisp and colourful, it's very impressive.

Now the 626 comes with a variety of sound settings for users with standard TV speakers ranging up to pro-Logic and full 5.1 set-ups. The sound is excellent and the inbuilt decoders are comparable in quality to many medium range Dolby Digital decoders, with good levels of bass and treble. The only negative thing I would say about the built in decoders is the lack of an option to alter individual speaker settings, other than that the sound quality is once again superb.

The Pioneer machine is laden with features and is basic enough for beginners but complex enough to keep more advanced users happy.

I have had no problems with any disks I have thrown at it, it has played everything first time. The only negative point I would make is the layer change can be quite noticeable on some occasions, perhaps taking in excess of 1 second. However this is a small price to pay and quick in comparison to some other machines I have seen in action.

I would have no hesitation in recommending this machine t anyone who wants a quality player without spending a fortune. Buy with confidence!