It makes sense comparing Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 vs Yamaha RX-V485 because they both are able to give some premium features.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 has 9.2 versus 5.1 for Yamaha RX-V485. Regarding power, then Elite VSX-LX505 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 120/8, 230/6 when RX-V485 has a power of 80/8, 145/6. The THD is 0.08% for the Elite VSX-LX505 but 0.09% for the RX-V485.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/24-bit for Elite VSX-LX505 and Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for the RX-V485. Both the Elite VSX-LX505 and the RX-V485 support Bi-amping. The Yamaha RX-V485 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Apple Music service is implemented on considered devices: AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The Elite VSX-LX505 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud, and the RX-V485 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM.
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 Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 has 7/2 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Yamaha RX-V485. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. HDMI eARC is available in each model. Of the two receivers in our comparison, HDMI CEC is present only in the RX-V485. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.3. The Elite VSX-LX505 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
Each of the AV receivers from our review supports 2 Multi-room zones. The Elite VSX-LX505 supports voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI, and the RX-V485 - Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri. An ECO mode is only available for the RX-V485. Both Elite VSX-LX505 and RX-V485 can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Only the Elite VSX-LX505 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the Elite VSX-LX505.