The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Pioneer SC-LX801 vs Pioneer VSX-1130-K that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Pioneer SC-LX801 has 9.2 versus 7.2 for Pioneer VSX-1130-K. Regarding power, then SC-LX801 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 140/8, 200/6, 255/4 when VSX-1130-K has a power of 100/8, 165/6. The THD is 0.08% for the SC-LX801 but 0.09% for the VSX-1130-K.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, ESS SABRE32 Ultra 192 KHz/32-bit for SC-LX801 and ESS SABRE Premier 192 KHz/32-bit for the VSX-1130-K. Both the SC-LX801 and the VSX-1130-K 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. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The SC-LX801 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, and the VSX-1130-K can receive a content from Pandora. 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. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the SC-LX801.
The Pioneer SC-LX801 has 8/2 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 7/2 HDMI connectors of the Pioneer VSX-1130-K. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Unfortunately, HDMI eARC is not available on monitored devices. Of the two receivers in our comparison, HDMI CEC is present in only the SC-LX801. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.2. The SC-LX801 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
The SC-LX801 supports 3 Multi-room zones, versus 2 for the VSX-1130-K. A voice control is not available. An ECO mode is only available for the VSX-1130-K. Both SC-LX801 and VSX-1130-K can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Both devices have support for Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the SC-LX801.