The Sony STR DH550 vs Pioneer SC-LX801 comparison proves that these receivers have many common features.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Sony STR DH550 has 5.2 versus 9.2 for Pioneer SC-LX801. Regarding power, then STR DH550 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 90/6 when SC-LX801 has a power of 140/8, 200/6, 255/4. The THD is 0.09% for the STR DH550 but 0.08% for the SC-LX801.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/24-bit for STR DH550 and ESS SABRE32 Ultra 192 KHz/32-bit for the SC-LX801. Only the SC-LX801 supports Bi-amping feature. The Pioneer SC-LX801 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Only the SC-LX801 has Bluetooth support. Only the SC-LX801 supports Spotify. Only the SC-LX801 provides HDMI signal transmission in standby mode. The SC-LX801 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the STR DH550. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the SC-LX801.
The Sony STR DH550 has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 8/2 HDMI connectors of the Pioneer SC-LX801. 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 SC-LX801 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. A voice control is not available. An ECO mode is not present in each of the AV receivers. The setup assistant will help you configure Pioneer SC-LX801.
Only the SC-LX801 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the SC-LX801.