Pioneer SC-75 vs Yamaha RX-A2040

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      Overview

      Here we are comparing Pioneer SC-75 to Yamaha RX-A2040 to reveal their common strengths and weaknesses as well as the differences between them which will help you in making a correct decision before the purchase. Both receivers have 9 channel amplifiers with Pioneer SC-75's being less powerful.


      Pioneer SC-75 Yamaha RX-A2040

      Pioneer SC-75 was introduced in 2013. It is equipped with 9 channel amplifier with 135 W (8 Ω, 1 kHz and 2 channel driven) power per channel and is capable of 9.1 maximum channel processing. It , passes 4K/30Hz and upscales up to 4K/30p video signal.

      Yamaha RX-A2040 was introduced in 2014. It is equipped with 9 channel amplifier with 140 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz and 2 channel driven) power per channel and is capable of 9.1 maximum channel processing. It supports Dolby Atmos, passes 4K/60Hz and upscales up to 4K/60p (YCbCr 4:4:4) video signal.

      Highlights

      • 9.2 Channels
      • 9.1 Channel Processing
      • 135 W (8 Ω, 1 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      • THX™Select™2 Plus Certified
      • 4K/30Hz Passthrough, 4K/30Hz Upscaling
      • Bluetooth, Ethernet

      Highlights

      • 9.2 Channels
      • 9.1 Channel Processing
      • 140 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      • Dolby Atmos
      • 4K/60Hz Passthrough, 4K/60Hz Upscaling
      • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet
      • Phono Input

      Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these receivers, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

      Pros and Cons

      In this section we present pros and cons of Pioneer SC-75 and Yamaha RX-A2040.

      PROS

      Pioneer SC-75

      Yamaha RX-A2040

      •   High Power Output - 135 W
      •   Front Wide Channel Support
      •   THX™ Certification
      •   9.1 Channel Processing
      •   DSD via HDMI
      •   Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
      •   New HDCP Version
      •   Analog To HDMI Upconversion
      •   Bluetooth
      •   9 HDMI Inputs
      •   4 HDMI Outputs
      •   USB Input
      •   RCA Pre-Outs
      •   Composite Video Inputs
      •   Component Video Inputs
      •   Ethernet
      •   4 Zones
      •   Analog Tuner
      •   Pandora
      •   Spotify
      •   High Power Output - 140 W
      •   9.1 Channel Processing
      •   Dolby Atmos
      •   DSD via HDMI
      •   Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
      •   New HDCP Version
      •   Analog To HDMI Upconversion
      •   Wi-Fi
      •   Bluetooth
      •   8 HDMI Inputs
      •   USB Input
      •   Many RCA Line Inputs
      •   Phono Input
      •   Multi-Channel Input
      •   RCA Pre-Outs
      •   Composite Video Inputs
      •   Component Video Inputs
      •   Ethernet
      •   4 Zones
      •   Analog Tuner
      •   Digital Radio
      •   Pandora
      •   Spotify

      CONS

      Pioneer SC-75

      Yamaha RX-A2040

      •   No Dolby Atmos
      •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
      •   No DTS:X
      •   No IMAX Enhanced
      •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
      •   No HDR10
      •   No HDR10+
      •   No Dolby Vision
      •   No eARC
      •   No 8K Passthrough
      •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
      •   0 8K Input
      •   No Phono Input
      •   No Digital Radio
      •   No Tidal
      •   No Front Wide Channel Support
      •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
      •   No DTS:X
      •   No IMAX Enhanced
      •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
      •   No HDR10
      •   No HDR10+
      •   No Dolby Vision
      •   No eARC
      •   No 8K Passthrough
      •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
      •   0 8K Input
      •   No Tidal


      And here are some specifications which fall into average criteria and are neither in PROs nor in CONs category:

      AVERAGE

      Pioneer SC-75

      Yamaha RX-A2040

      •   9.2 Channels
      •   Wi-Fi
      •   RCA Line Inputs
      •   9.2 Channels
      •   3 HDMI Outputs

      Advantage of Pioneer SC-75

      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pioneer SC-75 over Yamaha RX-A2040.

      Pioneer SC-75 vs Yamaha RX-A2040
      Front Wide Channel Support vs
      THX™ Certification Select™2 Plus vs
      Higher DAC Specs 192 kHz/32 Bit vs 192 kHz/24 Bit
      Dolby Pro Logic PLIIz vs PLIIx
      DTS Neo Neo:X vs Neo:6
      Music Playback via USB AIFF/WAV/Apple Lossless/FLAC/MP3/WMA/AAC/DSD vs MP3, WMA, AAC, Apple Lossless, WAV, FLAC
      High Resolution Audio Formats via USB Apple Lossless, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, DSD vs Apple Lossless, WAV, FLAC
      DSD to PCM Converter vs
      DTS Dialog Control [] vs
      More HDMI Inputs 9 (1 front) vs 8 (1 front)
      More HDMI Outputs 3 (2 for MAIN, 1 for MAIN/HDZONE) vs 2 (1 for MAIN, 1 for Sub/Zone2/ZONE4)
      USB DC Out Port 1 Rear for AS-WL300 (5 V, 0.6 A) vs (USB DC output 5 V / 0.5 amp)
      More RCA Pre-Outs 11.2 vs 7.2
      Speaker A/B vs
      PreAmp Mode vs
      More Presets 63 vs 40
      Higher Rated Lineout Level 390 mV/2.2 kΩ (REC OUT) vs 200 mV/1.2 kΩ (AV OUT)

      Check out other receivers which are frequently compared to Pioneer SC-75.

      Advantage of Yamaha RX-A2040

      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Yamaha RX-A2040 over Pioneer SC-75.

      Pioneer SC-75 vs Yamaha RX-A2040
      Higher Power Output 135 W (8 Ω, 1 kHz, 2 channel driven) vs 140 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      Dolby Atmos vs up to 5.1.4
      Video Signal Passthrough up to 4K/30p vs up to 4K/60p (YCbCr 4:4:4)
      Video Signal Upscaling up to 4K/30p vs up to 4K/60p (YCbCr 4:4:4)
      Wi-Fi via optional AS-WL300 adapter (sold separately) vs with Wireless Direct
      More Optical Inputs 2 vs 3
      More Coaxial Inputs/Outputs 2 vs 3
      More RCA Line Inputs 5 vs 9 (1 front)
      Phono Input vs
      Multi-Channel Input vs 7.1
      More Component Video Inputs 2 vs 3
      Front A/V Inputs HDMI, USB, Composite Video vs HDMI (MHL support), USB, analog audio, composite
      Zone 2 Outs Composite Video, RCA Pre/Line Out + Subwoofer vs HDMI, Component, Composite, Line Out
      Zone 3 Outs RCA Pre/Line Out vs Component, Composite, Line out
      Remote (IR) Input/Output 2 / 1 vs 2 / 2
      Digital Radio vs HD Radio
      Napster vs
      SiriusXM vs
      Bigger Power Supply 330 W vs 490 W
      Higher Power Output (8 Ω, 1 kHz, 2 channel Driven, FTC) 135 W (0.08% THD) vs 155 W (0.9% THD)
      Higher S/N Ratio (Line, IHF-A) 101 dB vs 110 dB
      Wider AM Frequency Range 530 kHz - 1700 kHz vs 530 MHz - 1710 MHz
      Longer Warranty 2 Years Parts & Labor vs 3 Years

      Check out other receivers which are frequently compared to Yamaha RX-A2040.

      Common Strengths and Weaknesses

      We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

      STRENGTHS Pioneer SC-75 Yamaha RX-A2040
        High Power Output135 W (8 Ω, 1 kHz, 2 channel driven)140 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
        Channel Processing9.19.1
        DSD via HDMI 2-ch/Multi-ch Input 2-ch/Multi-ch Input
        Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic. Advanced MCACC YPAO sound optimization (R.S.C. with Multipoint measurement)
        New HDCP Version2.22.2
        Analog To HDMI Upconversion Component****, Composite Component****, Composite
        Bluetooth via optional AS-BT100 or AS-BT200 adapters (sold separately) via optional YBA-11 adapter (sold separately)
        Many HDMI Inputs9 (1 front)8 (1 front)
        USB Input1 FrontiPod® / iPhone® / iPad®, USB memory, portable audio player
        RCA Pre-Outs11.27.2
        Composite Video Inputs5 (1 front)5 (1 front)
        Component Video Inputs23
        Ethernet
        Zones44
        Analog Tuner FM/AM FM/AM
        Pandora
        Spotify
      WEAKNESSES Pioneer SC-75 Yamaha RX-A2040
        No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
        No DTS:X
        No IMAX Enhanced
        No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
        No HDR10
        No HDR10+
        No Dolby Vision
        No eARC
        No 8K Passthroughup to 4K/30pup to 4K/60p (YCbCr 4:4:4)
        Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
        Few 8K Inputs
        No Tidal

      Audio Section

      Amplifier

      Pioneer SC-75 Yamaha RX-A2040

      9 channel Class D3 Amplifier: Pioneer SC-75 features 9 channel power amplifier with Class D3 design. It is rated at 135 W (8 Ω, 1 kHz, 2 channel driven) and is able to drive 4 ohm speakers.

      9 channel Amplifier: Yamaha RX-A2040 features 9 channel power amplifier. It is rated at 140 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven) and is able to drive 4 ohm speakers.

        THX™ Select™2 Plus certification

        Pioneer SC-75 is thxtradecertification Select™2 Plus certified. This means that it is ideally suited for a room where the screen-to-seat viewing distance is approximately 3 to 4 meters, and the room size is approximately 56 cubic meters.

        • THX™ Certification: THX™ Certification offers optimal performance, superior quality and seamless integration. THX works with partners from the ground up, so that certified products deliver professional quality audio-visual experiences right out of the box. They only certify the very best products with uncompromised quality, performance and consistency. They ensure that THX certified devices play well with lower performing devices and components. THX listening modes make the receiver to have one speaker set up for movies, music and games. They are tested for power output, bass management, signal-to-noise ratio and feature THX Loudness Plus, Boundary Gain Compensation, Timbre Matching and RE-EQ.
        • Power Output: Power output is tested to ensure the receiver accurately plays source material at THX Reference Level in every input and mode and at every sampling rate for all possible playback combinations selected by the listener.
        • Frequency Response: THX has strict requirements for frequency response to ensure that you hear all the details in high-resolution tracks, ensures dialog in movies, and vocals in music are clear while maintaining deep, impactful bass output that doesn’t overpower the listening experience.
        • Signal-to-Noise Ratio: THX tests the signal-to-noise ratio to ensure the unit is designed to have low noise performance with very little to no audible hiss from the speakers.
        • Bass Management: THX requires an 80Hz crossover point in the setup menu to ensure proper bass management in every THX Certified AVR. This setting confirms that the subwoofer handles low frequencies, freeing up the loudspeakers to handle mids and highs.
        • THX Loudness Plus™: THX Loudness Plus™ is a volume control technology featured in THX Certified Dominus, THX Certified Ultra and THX Certified Select AV Receivers, and preamplifiers that automatically adjusts the front-to-back speaker level relationship as you turn the volume down. With THX Loudness Plus, home theater audiences can now experience the rich details of surround sound at any volume level.
        • Boundary Gain Compensation: Sitting near a wall may result in increased acoustic levels at the lower frequencies. BGC corrects the way low frequency sound is perceived when seated near a wall. This results in a more accurate bass response.
        • Timbre Matching: Your ears hear different tonal qualities in sounds coming from different directions. Timbre Matching restores the frequency balance between your front and surround speakers ensuring seamless and smooth panning between the front to back of the room.
        • RE-EQ: Many movie soundtracks are mixed in studios for playback in large cinema auditoriums with an array of speakers. When played on home systems, they may appear abrasive and edgy. Re-EQ establishes a more accurate tonal balance when enjoying movies in your home.

        Speaker Configurations

        Pioneer SC-75's and Yamaha RX-A2040's amplifiers can be assigned for different speaker configurations.

        • Dolby Atmos Configurations: The following speaker configurations are supported for Dolby Atmos:
        • Pioneer SC-75: Not supported.
        • Yamaha RX-A2040: 5.2.2, 5.2.4, 7.2.2 with internal amplifier.
        • Configurations without height channels: There are also other speaker configurations available which do not include height channels:
        • Pioneer SC-75: 5.2, 7.2, 9.2 with internal amplifier.
        • Yamaha RX-A2040: 5.2, 7.2 with internal amplifier.
        • Front Wide Channel support: With the presence of two front wide speakers you can enhance the front surround stage. The following speaker configurations are available for front wide channels:
        • Pioneer SC-75: 9.2.
        • Yamaha RX-A2040: Does not support.
        • 2-ch Bi-Amp: Both models are able to bi-amp up to 2 main channels simultaneously. During bi-amplification two amplifiers are used for one speaker. One amplifier powers the midrange and tweeter section of the speaker and another amplifier powers the low frequency woofers. Each amplifier is less loaded and performs better. In order to use this feature speakers must have 2 pairs of connectors.

        • Dolby Atmos

          Yamaha RX-A2040 supports Dolby Atmos. It is a cinematic audio format in which sounds exist as individual entities, called audio objects. In Dolby Atmos, any sound can exist as an independent audio object, free of channel restrictions. They can be precisely placed and moved anywhere in your room, including overhead, to flow above and around you in three-dimensional space. Through the use of audio objects, overhead sound, and all the richness, clarity, and power of Dolby sound, Dolby Atmos turns your room into an amazing place for entertainment. The format supports up to 128 simultaneous independent audio objects in a mix for rich, realistic, and breathtaking sound. It recreates the director's original concept through descriptive metadata to provide customized playback for home theater and delivers sounds above you through overhead speakers, special upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar.

          Sound Processing

          • Compressed Music Enhancer: Pioneer SC-75 and Yamaha RX-A2040 feature Compressed Music Enhancer which enhances the quality of the music files with lossy compression.
          • Advanced Sound Retriever: Compressed music enhancement in Pioneer SC-75 is done by Pioneer’s Advanced Sound Retriever. Hear the detail, warmth and clarity, the way the artist intended it, from all of your highly compressed MP3 and WMA files stored on USB, Smartphone and portable media players. By restoring data that tend to get lost in the digital compression process, Pioneers Advanced Sound Retriever Technology enhances audio reproduction all the way upto 20 Khz frequencies.

          Room Calibration

          Pioneer SC-75 comes with Advanced MCACC and Yamaha RX-A2040 comes with YPAO (R.S.C. with Multipoint measurement) room correction system.

          • YPAO: The Yamaha Parametric room Acoustic Optimizer (YPAO) function detects speaker connections, measures the distances from them to your listening position(s), and then automatically optimizes the speaker settings, such as volume balance and acoustic parameters, to suit your room.
          • MCACC: Pioneer’s exclusive Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration System (MCACC) delivers an easy-to-use, automatic sound adjustment system to precision-tune your Pioneer and Pioneer Elite receivers with minimal effort. Every MCACC system comes with a microphone to measure and analyze reverb characteristics. The equalizer optimally adjusts sound parameters to fit the size and shape of your home environment while maintaining the integrity of high-resolution playback without any degradation to the quality of your music.

        Video Section

        HDMI

        Pioneer SC-75 comes with 9 HDMI inputs. It has 3 outputs - 2 for MAIN and 1 for MAIN/HDZONE.

        Yamaha RX-A2040 comes with 8 HDMI inputs. It has 2 outputs - 1 for MAIN and 1 for Sub/Zone2/ZONE4.

        • 4K/30Hz Passthrough on Pioneer SC-75: All inputs pass up to 4K/30p video signal.
          4K/60Hz Passthrough on Yamaha RX-A2040: All inputs pass up to 4K/60p (YCbCr 4:4:4) video signal.
        • 4K Upscaling on Pioneer SC-75: It can upscale up to 4K/30p from HDMI and analog sources.
          4K Upscaling on Yamaha RX-A2040: It can upscale up to 4K/60p (YCbCr 4:4:4) from HDMI and analog sources.
        • Analog To HDMI Upconversion: Both receivers support analog to HDMI Upconversion, so you can input your analog video sources and output them digitally via HDMI. This means that you will need only one HDMI cable to connect to your TV.
        • HDCP 2.2.0 Copy Protection: Both receivers are HDCP 2.2.0 compliant which is a requirement for 4K/HDR copy-protected content transmission.
        • 3D Ready: Both receivers are able to pass 3D video through HDMI.

        Inputs and Outputs

        Audio

        • Phono Input: There is an MM phono input on Yamaha RX-A2040 with built-in phono stage for connecting the moving magnet cartridge output of the turntable directly to the receiver.
        • 7.1 Multichannel Input: In case you have a high quality Blu-Ray or a DVD player with multichannel analog outputs you may connect it to a 7.1 multichannel analog inputs of Yamaha RX-A2040 and use high quality DACs of the player instead of the ones in the receiver.
        • Analog Pre-Outs: Pioneer SC-75 has 11.2 and Yamaha RX-A2040 has 7.2 preamplifier outputs which allow you to connect the receivers to the external power amplifiers. You may want to use a high quality external amplifier for certain channels, usually for front L/R and center, and use the receiver to power the rest. Also, both receivers have 9 channel processing but have only 9 channel amplifiers, so they need external amplifiers connected to the analog pre-outs in order to reach their maximum speaker configurations.
        • Analog Line Inputs and Outputs: There are 5 pair of line inputs on Pioneer SC-75 and 9 pair of line inputs on Yamaha RX-A2040 for connecting sources with analog outputs. There are also 1 pair of line outputs on the receivers.
        • Digital Inputs and Outputs: 2 optical inputs, 1 optical output and 2 coaxial inputs are available on Pioneer SC-75 and 3 optical inputs, 1 optical output and 3 coaxial inputs are available on Yamaha RX-A2040 for digital audio connections.
        • Headphone Output: There is a 6.3 mm (1/4") headphone output jack on the front panel of each receiver.

        Video

        • HDMI:
        • Pioneer SC-75
          Inputs:
          9 (1 front)   Outputs: 3 (2 for MAIN, 1 for MAIN/HDZONE)
          8K Inputs: 0.
        • Yamaha RX-A2040
          Inputs:
          8 (1 front)   Outputs: 2 (1 for MAIN, 1 for Sub/Zone2/ZONE4)
          8K Inputs: 0.
        • Composite Video: Connect you VCR, Laserdisc player and other old video equipment with composite video cables.
        • Pioneer SC-75
          Inputs:
          5   Outputs: 2.
        • Yamaha RX-A2040
          Inputs:
          5   Outputs: 2.
        • Component Video: Component video connection gives you the higher quality video compared to the composite video connection. So in case your old DVD player and other equipment do not have an HDMI output but have Component video output use this connection over the composite one. Both receivers support up to 1080p (1125p) resolution on Component video connectors.
        • Pioneer SC-75
          Inputs:
          2   Outputs: 1.
        • Yamaha RX-A2040
          Inputs:
          3   Outputs: 1.

        Front A/V Inputs

        • Pioneer SC-75: HDMI, USB, Composite Video
        • Yamaha RX-A2040: HDMI (MHL support), USB, analog audio, composite

        Pioneer SC-75

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        Yamaha RX-A2040

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        Evaluations

        We evaluate Pioneer SC-75 and Yamaha RX-A2040 and give them scores of 83 and 86 out of 100 recpectively. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new receiver is added to the database.


        Pioneer SC-75

        Yamaha RX-A2040

        OVERALL
        83
        OVERALL
        86

        Amplifier

        Pioneer SC-75

        Yamaha RX-A2040

        EXCELLENT
        95
        •   9.2 Channels
        •   High Power Output - 135 W
        •   THX™ Certification
        EXCELLENT
        95
        •   9.2 Channels
        •   High Power Output - 140 W

        Audio Features

        Pioneer SC-75

        Yamaha RX-A2040

        GOOD
        78
        •   9.2 Channels
        •   Front Wide Channel Support
        •   9.1 Channel Processing
        •   No Dolby Atmos
        •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
        •   No DTS:X
        •   No IMAX Enhanced
        •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
        •   DSD via HDMI
        GOOD
        79
        •   9.2 Channels
        •   No Front Wide Channel Support
        •   9.1 Channel Processing
        •   Dolby Atmos
        •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
        •   No DTS:X
        •   No IMAX Enhanced
        •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
        •   DSD via HDMI

        Video Features

        Pioneer SC-75

        Yamaha RX-A2040

        AVERAGE
        66
        •   No HDR10
        •   No HDR10+
        •   No Dolby Vision
        •   No 8K Passthrough
        •   Analog To HDMI Upconversion
        GOOD
        73
        •   No HDR10
        •   No HDR10+
        •   No Dolby Vision
        •   No 8K Passthrough
        •   Analog To HDMI Upconversion

        Connectivity

        Pioneer SC-75

        Yamaha RX-A2040

        EXCELLENT
        85
        •   No eARC
        •   New HDCP Version
        •   Wi-Fi
        •   Bluetooth
        •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
        •   9 HDMI Inputs
        •   4 HDMI Outputs
        •   0 8K Input
        •   USB Input
        •   RCA Line Inputs
        •   No Phono Input
        •   RCA Pre-Outs
        •   Composite Video Inputs
        •   Component Video Inputs
        •   Ethernet
        EXCELLENT
        90
        •   No eARC
        •   New HDCP Version
        •   Wi-Fi
        •   Bluetooth
        •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
        •   8 HDMI Inputs
        •   3 HDMI Outputs
        •   0 8K Input
        •   USB Input
        •   Many RCA Line Inputs
        •   Phono Input
        •   Multi-Channel Input
        •   RCA Pre-Outs
        •   Composite Video Inputs
        •   Component Video Inputs
        •   Ethernet

        Zones

        Pioneer SC-75

        Yamaha RX-A2040

        EXCELLENT
        94
        •   4 Zones
        EXCELLENT
        97
        •   4 Zones

        Radio

        Pioneer SC-75

        Yamaha RX-A2040

        EXCELLENT
        85
        •   Analog Tuner
        •   Pandora
        •   Spotify
        •   No Tidal
        EXCELLENT
        92
        •   Analog Tuner
        •   Pandora
        •   Spotify
        •   No Tidal


        For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:

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