Pioneer SC-97 vs Pioneer SC-LX801

Here we are comparing Pioneer SC-97 to Pioneer SC-LX801 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 and equally powerful amplifiers.

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.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pioneer SC-97 over Pioneer SC-LX801.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pioneer SC-LX801 over Pioneer SC-97.

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.

Amplifier

Speaker Configurations

Pioneer SC-97's and Pioneer SC-LX801's amplifiers can be assigned for different speaker configurations.

• Dolby Atmos Configurations: The following speaker configurations are supported for Dolby Atmos:
Pioneer SC-97: 5.2.2, 5.2.4, 7.2.2 with internal amplifier and 7.2.4, 9.2.2 with addition of external 2 channel amplifier.
Pioneer SC-LX801: 5.2.2, 5.2.4, 7.2.2 with internal amplifier and 7.2.4 with addition of external 2 channel amplifier.
• DTS:X Configurations: The following speaker configurations are supported for DTS:X:
Pioneer SC-97: The speaker configurations for DTS:X are the same as for Dolby Atmos - 5.2.2, 5.2.4, 7.2.2 with internal amplifier and 7.2.4, 9.2.2 with addition of external 2 channel amplifier.
Pioneer SC-LX801: The speaker configurations for DTS:X are the same as for Dolby Atmos - 5.2.2, 5.2.4, 7.2.2 with internal amplifier and 7.2.4 with addition of external 2 channel amplifier.
• Configurations without height channels: There are also other speaker configurations available which do not include height channels:
Pioneer SC-97: 5.2, 7.2, 9.2 with internal amplifier.
Pioneer SC-LX801: 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-97: 9.2, 9.2.2.
Pioneer SC-LX801: Does not support.
• Bi-Amp: Pioneer SC-97 is able to bi-amp up to 4 and Pioneer SC-LX801 is 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

Pioneer SC-97 and Pioneer SC-LX801 support 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.

• Dolby Surround Upmixer: Both models support Dolby Surround Upmixer. If the content is not mixed in Dolby Atmos then the Dolby surround upmixer will expand the audio to all channels including ceiling speakers. The upmixer has replaced the Dolby Pro Logic II family with improved upmixing algorithms.

DTS:X

Pioneer SC-97 and Pioneer SC-LX801 support DTS:X. A technique used in DTS:X is similar to the one used in Dolby Atmos. Instead of a fixed number of channels, DTS:X defines object locations from the listener in polar coordinates. An a/v receiver then dynamically renders sound according to the current speaker configuration. The speaker layout employed by DTS:X is the sum of Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D. It has standard 7.1 channel base layer, a 5 channel height layer above the base layer on the front and side walls, and 3 rows of speakers on the ceiling.

• DTS Neural:X: Both models feature DTS Neural:X which is an advanced upmixer that can take non DTS:X content and upmix it to the DTS:X speaker layout. It has replaced the DTS Neo family with improved flexibility.

Sound Processing

• Compressed Music Enhancer: Pioneer SC-97 and Pioneer SC-LX801 feature Compressed Music Enhancer which enhances the quality of the music files with lossy compression.
Advanced Sound Retriever: Compressed music enhancement in Pioneer SC-97 and Pioneer SC-LX801 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-97 and Pioneer SC-LX801 come with MCACC Pro room correction system.

• 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.

HDMI

Pioneer SC-97 comes with 8 HDMI inputs. It has 3 outputs - 2 for MAIN and 1 for MAIN/HDZONE.

Pioneer SC-LX801 comes with 8 HDMI inputs. It has 2 outputs - 1 MAIN and 1 SUB/ZONE 2.

• 4K/60Hz Passthrough: On both receivers all inputs pass up to 4K/60p (4:4:4) video signal.
• 4K Upscaling: Both receivers can upscale up to 4K/60p (4:4:4) from HDMI sources. Pioneer SC-97 can also upscale from analog sources.
• Analog To HDMI Upconversion: Pioneer SC-97 supports 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.
• BT.2020 Color Space: BT.2020 or Rec. 2020 is a color standard which delivers a wider color gamut compared to Rec. 709. It covers approximately 75% of the total visual spectrum while the Rec. 709 covers only 35% (available on Pioneer SC-LX801 only).
• 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.

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

Pioneer SC-97 supports HDR10

Pioneer SC-LX801 supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

High dynamic range video has greater dynamic range than standard dynamic range (SDR) video with brighter whites and deeper blacks. The result is greater contrast and more details in dark and bright areas, better color and depth.

• HDR10: HDR10 uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 supports 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors. It is technically limited to a maximum of 10,000 nits peak brightness, however common HDR10 contents are mastered with peak brightness from 1,000 to 4,000 nits.
• Dolby Vision: Dolby Vision is a set of technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories for high dynamic range (HDR) video. It covers content creation, distribution, and playback. Like HDR10+, it includes dynamic metadata that are used to adjust and optimize each frame of the HDR video to the consumer display's capabilities in a way specified by the content creator. Dolby Vision allows for a maximum resolution of 8K up to 12-bit color depth, maximum peak brightness of 10,000 nits and a color gamut up to Rec. 2020. It uses Dolby's proprietary dynamic metadata defined in SMPTE ST 2094-10.

Audio

• Phono Input: There is an MM phono input on Pioneer SC-97 and Pioneer SC-LX801 with built-in phono stage for connecting the moving magnet cartridge output of the turntable directly to the receiver.
• Analog Pre-Outs: Pioneer SC-97 has 13.2 and Pioneer SC-LX801 has 11.2 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 11 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 3 pair of line inputs on Pioneer SC-97 and 6 pair of line inputs on Pioneer SC-LX801 for connecting sources with analog outputs. There is also 1 pair of line outputs on Pioneer SC-97.
• Digital Inputs and Outputs: 2 optical inputs, 1 optical output and 2 coaxial inputs are available on Pioneer SC-97 and 3 optical inputs and 2 coaxial inputs are available on Pioneer SC-LX801 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-97
Inputs: 8 (1 front)   Outputs: 3 (2 for MAIN, 1 for MAIN/HDZONE)
8K Inputs: 0.
Pioneer SC-LX801
Inputs: 8 (1 front)   Outputs: 2 (1 MAIN, 1 SUB/ZONE 2)
8K Inputs: 0.
• Composite Video: Connect you VCR, Laserdisc player and other old video equipment with composite video cables.
Pioneer SC-97
Inputs: 2   Outputs: 2.
Pioneer SC-LX801
Inputs: 2   Outputs: 0.
• 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 1080i (1125i) resolution on Component video connectors.
Pioneer SC-97
Inputs: 2   Outputs: 0.
Pioneer SC-LX801
Inputs: 2   Outputs: 1.

Front A/V Inputs

• Pioneer SC-97: HDMI, USB
• Pioneer SC-LX801: HDMI, USB

Pioneer SC-97

Pioneer SC-LX801