Sony STR DH550 vs Pioneer SC-LX801 review

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AV receivers comparison chart

Sony STR DH550 vs Pioneer SC-LX801 review

Sony STR DH550
vs
Pioneer SC-LX801

The Sony STR DH550 vs Pioneer SC-LX801 comparison proves that these receivers have many common features.

Amplifier

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.

Audio features

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.

Extensive connections

The Sony STR DH550 has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 8/2 HDMI connectors of the Pioneer SC-LX801.Sony STR DH550 connectionsPioneer SC-LX801 connections 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.

Multichannel surround

Only the SC-LX801 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the SC-LX801.

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General

Item

Sony STR DH550
Pioneer SC-LX801

Model

STR DH550
SC-LX801

Brand

Sony
Pioneer

Reviews

1143
104

Amplifier

Channels

5.2
9.2

Stereo power (RMS), W/Ohm

90/6
140/8, 200/6, 255/4

Output impedance, Ohm

6
8, 6, 4

Frequency response

10Hz-100KHz
20Hz-20KHz

THD in stereo, %

0.09
0.08

Audio features

Digital to analog converter (DAC)

192 KHz/24-bit
ESS SABRE32 Ultra 192 KHz/32-bit

Bi-amping

Pure direct (straight)

Auto speaker calibration

DCAC
MCACC Pro

Speaker A/B switching

Other audio features

has not
Reflex Optimizer, Advanced Sound Retriever, Hi-Res audio

Connectivity

Wi-Fi

2.4/5GHz

USB

1 (USB 2.0)
1 (USB 2.0)

Bluetooth

Ethernet (RJ45)

1

DLNA

MHL

Streaming services

Apple Music (AirPlay)

AirPlay

Amazon Music

Spotify

Other streaming services

has not
Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora

Extensive connection

HDMI input/output

4/1
8/2

HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel)

HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)

HDMI CEC

Digital content protection (HDCP)

HDCP 2.2
HDCP 2.2

Subwoofer output (LFE)

2
2

Headphone output

1 x 6.3
1 x 6.3

Optical digital input

2
3

Coaxial digital input

1
2

Composite input

2
2

Component input/output

0/0
2/1

Phono (MM) input

Front panel connectors

USB, phones, setup mic
USB, HDMI, phones, setup mic

Multi channel preamp output

Video features

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

HDR10

4K signal pass-through

4K/60Hz

8K signal pass-through

HDMI signal pass-through

3D signal pass-through

HDMI pass-through in standby mode

Video conversion

analog to HDMI
analog to HDMI

Analog to HDMI scaling

HDMI to HDMI scaling

Dolby Vision

Other video features

DeepColor, x.v.Color
DeepColor, x.v.Color

Additional features

Voice control

App control

iPhone, iPod, Android
iPhone, iPad, Android

Display

fluorescent
colour OSD

Tuner

AM, FM
AM, FM

Sleep timer

Auto power off

ECO mode

Graphical user interface (GUI)

Setup assistant

Firmware update

USB
network, USB

Other additional features

has not
IP Control

Multi-room

Multi-room zones

has not
3

Zone audio output

has not
speaker, preout

Zone HDMI output

has not

Multi-room control

has not
Pioneer Control App, iControlAV5, FlareConnect

RS-232

0
1

Remote control input/output (IR)

0/0
2/1

DC trigger output (12V)

0
2

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos

Dolby TrueHD

Dolby Surround

Dolby (other)

Dolby Digital Plus
Dolby Digital Plus

DTS:X

DTS HD Master

DTS Virtual:X

DTS Neural:X

DTS (other)

DTS-ES, DTS 96/24
DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS-HD, DTS-EXPRESS

Auro-3D

IMAX Enhanced

Multichannel stereo

Audio file formats

MP3

WMA

AAC

WAV

FLAC

ALAC

Other audio file formats

has not
AIFF

Power

Operational power consumption, W

200
320

Standby consumption, W

0.3
0.15

Removable power cord

User manual

Manual

Dimensions

Size W x H x D, cm/inches

43 x 15.6 x 33/17 x 6 x 13
43.5 x 18.5 x 44.1/17 x 7 x 17.3

Weight, kg/lbs

7.6/16.2
17.9/39.5

Other

Release year

2014
2016
Sony STR DH550
Pioneer SC-LX801
Sony STR DH550
Pioneer SC-LX801

AV receivers SoundInspiration comparison rating

  • better
  • worse
  • 3.7
  • 8.4
  • 3.7Sony STR DH550
  • 8.4Pioneer SC-LX801