Pioneer VSX-LX301 vs Pioneer VSX-90

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      Overview

      Here we are comparing Pioneer VSX-LX301 to Pioneer VSX-90 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 7 channel and equally powerful amplifiers.


      Pioneer VSX-LX301 Pioneer VSX-90

      Pioneer VSX-LX301 was introduced in 2017. It is equipped with 7 channel amplifier with 100 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven) power per channel and is capable of 7.1 maximum channel processing. It supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, passes 4K/60Hz and upscales up to 4K/60p (YCbCr 4:4:4) video signal.

      Pioneer VSX-90 was introduced in 2015. It is equipped with 7 channel amplifier with 100 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz and 2 channel driven) power per channel and is capable of 7.1 maximum channel processing. It supports Dolby Atmos, passes 4K/60Hz and upscales up to 4K/60p (Marvell Qdeo) video signal.

      Highlights

      • 7.2 Channels
      • 7.1 Channel Processing
      • 100 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      • Dolby Atmos, DTS:X
      • HDR10, Dolby Vision
      • 4K/60Hz Passthrough, 4K/60Hz Upscaling
      • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet
      • Phono Input

      Highlights

      • 7.2 Channels
      • 7.1 Channel Processing
      • 100 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      • Dolby Atmos
      • 4K/60Hz Passthrough, 4K/60Hz Upscaling
      • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet

      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 VSX-LX301 and Pioneer VSX-90.

      PROS

      Pioneer VSX-LX301

      Pioneer VSX-90

      •   Dolby Atmos
      •   DTS:X
      •   DSD via HDMI
      •   Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
      •   HDR10
      •   Dolby Vision
      •   New HDCP Version
      •   Wi-Fi
      •   Bluetooth
      •   Chromecast Built-In
      •   7 HDMI Inputs
      •   USB Input
      •   Many RCA Line Inputs
      •   Phono Input
      •   Composite Video Inputs
      •   Component Video Inputs
      •   Ethernet
      •   Analog Tuner
      •   Pandora
      •   Spotify
      •   Tidal
      •   Front Wide Channel Support
      •   Dolby Atmos
      •   DSD via HDMI
      •   Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
      •   New HDCP Version
      •   Analog To HDMI Upconversion
      •   Wi-Fi
      •   Bluetooth
      •   7 HDMI Inputs
      •   USB Input
      •   Composite Video Inputs
      •   Component Video Inputs
      •   Ethernet
      •   3 Zones
      •   Analog Tuner
      •   Pandora
      •   Spotify

      CONS

      Pioneer VSX-LX301

      Pioneer VSX-90

      •   No Front Wide Channel Support
      •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
      •   No IMAX Enhanced
      •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
      •   No HDR10+
      •   No eARC
      •   No 8K Passthrough
      •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
      •   0 8K Input
      •   No RCA Pre-Outs
      •   No Digital Radio
      •   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
      •   Few RCA Line Inputs
      •   No Phono Input
      •   No RCA Pre-Outs
      •   No Digital Radio
      •   No Tidal
      •   Bluetooth 2․1 + EDR


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

      AVERAGE

      Pioneer VSX-LX301

      Pioneer VSX-90

      •   7.2 Channels
      •   Power Output - 100 W
      •   7.1 Channel Processing
      •   2 HDMI Outputs
      •   2 Zones
      •   Bluetooth 4․1 + LE
      •   7.2 Channels
      •   Power Output - 100 W
      •   7.1 Channel Processing
      •   3 HDMI Outputs

      Advantage of Pioneer VSX-LX301

      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pioneer VSX-LX301 over Pioneer VSX-90.

      Pioneer VSX-LX301 vs Pioneer VSX-90
      Higher DAC Specs 384 kHz/32 Bit vs 192 kHz/24 Bit
      Dolby Surround Upmixer vs
      DTS:X vs
      DTS Neural:X vs
      Music Playback via USB MP3, WMA, AAC, Apple Lossless, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, DSD, Dolby TrueHD vs MP3, WMA, AAC, Apple Lossless, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, DSD
      High Resolution Audio Formats via USB Apple Lossless, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, AAC, DSD, Dolby TrueHD vs Apple Lossless, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, DSD
      Reflex Optimizer vs
      HDR10 vs
      BT.2020 color space vs
      Dolby Vision vs
      Chromecast Built-In vs
      More Optical Inputs 2 vs 1
      More RCA Line Inputs 6 (1 front) vs 3
      Phono Input vs
      Front A/V Inputs HDMI, USB, Mini-Jack vs HDMI, USB
      +12V Trigger Output 2 (A: 100 mA, B: 25 mA) vs 1 (Main, Zone2, HDZone)
      Tidal vs
      Deezer vs
      Bigger Power Supply 580 W vs 550 W
      Higher S/N Ratio (Line, IHF-A) 106 dB vs 101 dB
      Higher DSD Sampling Rate via USB 5.6 MHz, 2.8 MHz vs 2.8 MHz
      Wi-Fi Standard IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n vs IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
      Newer Bluetooth Version 4․1 + LE vs 2․1 + EDR
      Wider AM Frequency Range 530 kHz - 1710 kHz vs 530 kHz - 1700 kHz
      Longer Warranty 3 Years Parts & Labor vs 2 Years Parts & Labor

      Check out other receivers which are frequently compared to Pioneer VSX-LX301.

      Advantage of Pioneer VSX-90

      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pioneer VSX-90 over Pioneer VSX-LX301.

      Pioneer VSX-LX301 vs Pioneer VSX-90
      Front Wide Channel Support vs
      Dolby Pro Logic vs PLIIz
      DSD to PCM Converter vs
      Jitter Reduction vs
      Dialog Enhancement vs
      Sound Retriever AIR vs
      Digital Noise Reduction vs
      High-resolution Music Enhancer vs Hi-bit24 Audio Processing
      Headphone Surround vs
      Virtual Speakers vs (Surround Back/Height/Wide)
      More Advanced Auto Speaker Calibration System MCACC vs MCACC Pro
      Higher MCACC Memory 1 vs 6
      Auto Phase Control Plus vs
      Full Band Phase Control vs
      Standing Wave Control vs
      X-Curve vs
      Distance Adjustment 0.1 feet vs 1/2 Inch
      Polarity Check vs
      Analog To HDMI Upconversion Component**, Composite vs Component, Composite
      Component Video Maximum Resolution 480i/576i vs 1080p (1125p)
      Video Parameter Adjustments vs
      MHL Input vs 1 Rear (Version 2.0)
      DLNA 1.5 vs (DMR)
      More HDMI Outputs 2 (simultaneous) vs 2 (1 for MAIN, 1 for MAIN/HDZONE)
      More Composite Video Outputs vs 1
      More Zones 2 vs 3
      More Powered Zones 2 vs 2 and HDZone
      AVNavigator vs Built-in
      More Presets 40 vs 63

      Check out other receivers which are frequently compared to Pioneer VSX-90.

      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 VSX-LX301 Pioneer VSX-90
        Dolby Atmos
        DSD via HDMI 2-ch/Multi-ch Input 2-ch/Multi-ch Input
        Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic. MCACC MCACC Pro
        New HDCP Version2.22.2
        Wi-Fi
        Bluetooth SBC, AAC
        Many HDMI Inputs7 (1 front)7 (1 front)
        USB Input1 Front1 Front
        Composite Video Inputs22
        Component Video Inputs11
        Ethernet
        Analog Tuner FM/AM FM/AM
        Pandora
        Spotify
      WEAKNESSES Pioneer VSX-LX301 Pioneer VSX-90
        No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
        No IMAX Enhanced
        No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
        No HDR10+
        No eARC
        No 8K Passthroughup to 4K/60p (YCbCr 4:4:4)up to 4K/60p (4:4:4 24-bit)
      4K/60p (4:2:2 36-bit)
      4K/24p (4:4:4 36-bit)
        Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
        Few 8K Inputs
        No RCA Pre-Outs0.20.2
        No Digital Radio

      Audio Section

      Amplifier

      Pioneer VSX-LX301 Pioneer VSX-90

      7 channel Discrete Direct Energy Amplifier: Pioneer VSX-LX301 features 7 channel power amplifier with Discrete Direct Energy design. It is rated at 100 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven).

      7 channel Discrete Direct Energy Amplifier: Pioneer VSX-90 features 7 channel power amplifier with Discrete Direct Energy design. It is rated at 100 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven).

        Speaker Configurations

        Pioneer VSX-LX301's and Pioneer VSX-90's amplifiers can be assigned for different speaker configurations.

        • Dolby Atmos Configurations: The following speaker configurations are supported for Dolby Atmos:
        • Pioneer VSX-LX301: 5.2.2 with internal amplifier.
        • Pioneer VSX-90: 5.2.2 with internal amplifier.
        • DTS:X Configurations: The following speaker configurations are supported for DTS:X:
        • Pioneer VSX-LX301: The speaker configurations for DTS:X are the same as for Dolby Atmos - 5.2.2 with internal amplifier.
        • Pioneer VSX-90: Not supported.
        • Configurations without height channels: There are also other speaker configurations available which do not include height channels:
        • Pioneer VSX-LX301: 5.2, 7.2 with internal amplifier.
        • Pioneer VSX-90: 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 VSX-LX301: Does not support.
        • Pioneer VSX-90: 7.2.
        • 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

          Pioneer VSX-LX301 and Pioneer VSX-90 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: Pioneer VSX-LX301 supports 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 VSX-LX301 supports 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: Pioneer VSX-LX301 supports 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.
          • DTS Dialog Control: Pioneer VSX-LX301 supports DTS Dialog Control. This function adjusts the dialog levels during playback of the DTS:X stream. It allows you to separately increase the dialog levels in contrast with the background sound and hear dialog easily even under noisy circumstances.

          Sound Processing

          • Compressed Music Enhancer: Pioneer VSX-LX301 and Pioneer VSX-90 feature Compressed Music Enhancer which enhances the quality of the music files with lossy compression.
          • Advanced Sound Retriever: Compressed music enhancement in Pioneer VSX-LX301 and Pioneer VSX-90 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 VSX-LX301 comes with MCACC and Pioneer VSX-90 comes 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.

        Video Section

        HDMI

        Pioneer VSX-LX301 comes with 7 HDMI inputs. It has 2 outputs which work parallelly and output the same signal.

        Pioneer VSX-90 comes with 7 HDMI inputs. It has 2 outputs - 1 for MAIN and 1 for MAIN/HDZONE.

        • 4K/60Hz Passthrough: On both receivers all inputs pass up to 4K/60p (YCbCr 4:4:4) video signal.
        • 4K Upscaling: Both receivers can upscale up to 4K/60p (YCbCr 4:4:4) from HDMI sources. Pioneer VSX-90 can also upscale from analog sources.
        • Analog To HDMI Upconversion: Pioneer VSX-90 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 VSX-LX301 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 VSX-LX301 supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

        Pioneer VSX-90 does not support HDR.

        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.

        Inputs and Outputs

        Audio

        • Phono Input: There is an MM phono input on Pioneer VSX-LX301 with built-in phono stage for connecting the moving magnet cartridge output of the turntable directly to the receiver.
        • Analog Line Inputs: There are 6 pair of line inputs on Pioneer VSX-LX301 and 3 pair of line inputs on Pioneer VSX-90 for connecting sources with analog outputs.
        • Digital Inputs: 2 optical inputs and 1 coaxial input are available on Pioneer VSX-LX301 and 1 optical input and 1 coaxial input are available on Pioneer VSX-90 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 VSX-LX301
          Inputs:
          7 (1 front)   Outputs: 2 (simultaneous)
          8K Inputs: 0.
        • Pioneer VSX-90
          Inputs:
          7 (1 front)   Outputs: 2 (1 for MAIN, 1 for MAIN/HDZONE)
          8K Inputs: 0.
        • Composite Video: Connect you VCR, Laserdisc player and other old video equipment with composite video cables.
        • Pioneer VSX-LX301
          Inputs:
          2   Outputs: 0.
        • Pioneer VSX-90
          Inputs:
          2   Outputs: 1.
        • 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.
        • Pioneer VSX-LX301 supports up to 480i/576i resolution on Component video connectors.
        • Pioneer VSX-90 supports up to 1080p (1125p) resolution on Component video connectors.
        • Pioneer VSX-LX301
          Inputs:
          1   Outputs: 0.
        • Pioneer VSX-90
          Inputs:
          1   Outputs: 0.

        Front A/V Inputs

        • Pioneer VSX-LX301: HDMI, USB, Mini-Jack
        • Pioneer VSX-90: HDMI, USB

        Pioneer VSX-LX301

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        Pioneer VSX-90

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        Evaluations

        We evaluate Pioneer VSX-LX301 and Pioneer VSX-90 and give them scores of 86 and 78 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 VSX-LX301

        Pioneer VSX-90

        OVERALL
        86
        OVERALL
        78

        Amplifier

        Pioneer VSX-LX301

        Pioneer VSX-90

        GOOD
        82
        •   7.2 Channels
        •   Power Output - 100 W
        GOOD
        74
        •   7.2 Channels
        •   Power Output - 100 W

        Audio Features

        Pioneer VSX-LX301

        Pioneer VSX-90

        EXCELLENT
        86
        •   7.2 Channels
        •   No Front Wide Channel Support
        •   7.1 Channel Processing
        •   Dolby Atmos
        •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
        •   DTS:X
        •   No IMAX Enhanced
        •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
        •   DSD via HDMI
        GOOD
        81
        •   7.2 Channels
        •   Front Wide Channel Support
        •   7.1 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 VSX-LX301

        Pioneer VSX-90

        EXCELLENT
        92
        •   HDR10
        •   No HDR10+
        •   Dolby Vision
        •   No 8K Passthrough
        GOOD
        73
        •   No HDR10
        •   No HDR10+
        •   No Dolby Vision
        •   No 8K Passthrough
        •   Analog To HDMI Upconversion

        Connectivity

        Pioneer VSX-LX301

        Pioneer VSX-90

        GOOD
        83
        •   No eARC
        •   New HDCP Version
        •   Wi-Fi
        •   Bluetooth
        •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
        •   Chromecast Built-In
        •   7 HDMI Inputs
        •   2 HDMI Outputs
        •   0 8K Input
        •   USB Input
        •   Many RCA Line Inputs
        •   Phono Input
        •   No RCA Pre-Outs
        •   Composite Video Inputs
        •   Component Video Inputs
        •   Ethernet
        •   Bluetooth 4․1 + LE
        GOOD
        80
        •   No eARC
        •   New HDCP Version
        •   Wi-Fi
        •   Bluetooth
        •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
        •   7 HDMI Inputs
        •   3 HDMI Outputs
        •   0 8K Input
        •   USB Input
        •   Few RCA Line Inputs
        •   No Phono Input
        •   No RCA Pre-Outs
        •   Composite Video Inputs
        •   Component Video Inputs
        •   Ethernet
        •   Bluetooth 2․1 + EDR

        Zones

        Pioneer VSX-LX301

        Pioneer VSX-90

        GOOD
        82
        •   2 Zones
        EXCELLENT
        90
        •   3 Zones

        Radio

        Pioneer VSX-LX301

        Pioneer VSX-90

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


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

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