The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Yamaha RX-V385BL vs Pioneer VSX-LX303 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Yamaha RX-V385BL has 5.1 versus 9.2 for Pioneer VSX-LX303. Regarding power, then RX-V385BL has such a W/Ohm ratio - 70/8, 145/6 when VSX-LX303 has a power of 100/8, 200/6. The THD is 0.09% for the RX-V385BL but 0.08% for the VSX-LX303.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for RX-V385BL and AK4458 384 KHz/32-bit for the VSX-LX303. Only the VSX-LX303 supports Bi-amping feature. The Pioneer VSX-LX303 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Only the VSX-LX303 supports Spotify.
Both AV receivers support HDR10 technology (High dynamic range). Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/60Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. Both rivals can scale the resolution of the incoming HDMI signal. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.
The Yamaha RX-V385BL has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 7/2 HDMI connectors of the Pioneer VSX-LX303. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the RX-V385BL. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The RX-V385BL supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.3, versus HDCP 2.2 in the VSX-LX303. The VSX-LX303 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. An ECO mode is only available for the RX-V385BL. The setup assistant will help you configure Pioneer VSX-LX303.
Only the VSX-LX303 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the VSX-LX303.