The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Pioneer Elite SC-LX904 vs Yamaha RX-V485BL that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Pioneer Elite SC-LX904 has 11.2 versus 5.1 for Yamaha RX-V485BL. Regarding power, then Elite SC-LX904 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 140/8 when RX-V485BL has a power of 80/6. The THD is 0.08% for the Elite SC-LX904 but 0.09% for the RX-V485BL.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, ES9026PRO 384 KHz/32-bit for Elite SC-LX904 and Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for the RX-V485BL. Both the Elite SC-LX904 and the RX-V485BL support Bi-amping. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.
WI-FI modules have the same characteristics: 2.4/5GHz. 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.
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 Pioneer Elite SC-LX904 has 7/3 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Yamaha RX-V485BL. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. HDMI eARC is available in each model. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The Elite SC-LX904 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.3, versus HDCP 2.2 in the RX-V485BL. The Elite SC-LX904 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
The Elite SC-LX904 supports 3 Multi-room zones, versus 2 for the RX-V485BL. The Elite SC-LX904 supports voice control via Amazon Alexa, and the RX-V485BL - Google Assistant. An ECO mode is only available for the RX-V485BL. Both Elite SC-LX904 and RX-V485BL can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Only the Elite SC-LX904 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the Elite SC-LX904.