It makes sense comparing Yamaha RX-V581 vs Pioneer VSX-LX301 because they both are able to give some premium features.
Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 7.2. Regarding power, then RX-V581 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 115/6 when VSX-LX301 has a power of 100/8, 170/6. The THD is 0.09% for the RX-V581 but 0.08% for the VSX-LX301.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, Burr-Brown 192 KHz/24-bit for RX-V581 and AK4458 384 KHz/32-bit for the VSX-LX301. Both the RX-V581 and the VSX-LX301 support Bi-amping. Each of the AV receivers 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. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The RX-V581 can work with the audio stream from Pandora, JUKE, and the VSX-LX301 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, TuneIn Radio.
These units support HDR technology. 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. The VSX-LX301 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the RX-V581. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the VSX-LX301.
The Yamaha RX-V581 has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 7/2 HDMI connectors of the Pioneer VSX-LX301. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Unfortunately, HDMI eARC is not available on monitored devices. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.2. The VSX-LX301 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
Each of the AV receivers from our review supports 2 Multi-room zones. A voice control is not available. An ECO mode is only available for the RX-V581. Both RX-V581 and VSX-LX301 can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Both devices have support for Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format. The surround sound technology DTS:X is supported by devices under review.