The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Pioneer Elite SC-LX704 vs Pioneer VSX-LX102 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Pioneer Elite SC-LX704 has 9.2 versus 7.2 for Pioneer VSX-LX102. Regarding power, then Elite SC-LX704 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 135/8 when VSX-LX102 has a power of 80/8, 170/6. The THD is the same and is 0.08%.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, ES9026PRO 384 KHz/32-bit for Elite SC-LX704 and AK4438 384 KHz/32-bit for the VSX-LX102. Both the Elite SC-LX704 and the VSX-LX102 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 Pioneer Elite SC-LX704 has support for AirPlay, AirPlay 2, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The Elite SC-LX704 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, and the VSX-LX102 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, TuneIn Radio.
Both AV receivers support HDR10 technology (High dynamic range). 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. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.
The Pioneer Elite SC-LX704 has 7/3 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Pioneer VSX-LX102. 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. The Elite SC-LX704 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.3, versus HDCP 2.2 in the VSX-LX102. These compared receivers have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. An ECO mode is only available for the VSX-LX102. Both Elite SC-LX704 and VSX-LX102 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.