The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Pioneer VSX-LX303 vs Onkyo TX-SR353 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Pioneer VSX-LX303 has 9.2 versus 5.1 for Onkyo TX-SR353. Regarding power, then VSX-LX303 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 100/8, 200/6 when TX-SR353 has a power of 140/6. The THD is the same and is 0.08%.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, AK4458 384 KHz/32-bit for VSX-LX303 and 192 KHz/24-bit for the TX-SR353. Only the VSX-LX303 supports Bi-amping feature. The Pioneer VSX-LX303 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Only the VSX-LX303 supports Spotify. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. The VSX-LX303 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the TX-SR353. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the VSX-LX303.
The Pioneer VSX-LX303 has 7/2 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Onkyo TX-SR353. 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-LX303 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. An ECO mode is not present in each of the AV receivers. The setup assistant will help you configure Pioneer VSX-LX303.
Only the VSX-LX303 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the VSX-LX303.