The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Pioneer Elite SC-LX904 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-LX904 has 11.2 versus 7.2 for Pioneer VSX-LX102. Regarding power, then Elite SC-LX904 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 140/8 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-LX904 and AK4438 384 KHz/32-bit for the VSX-LX102. Both the Elite SC-LX904 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.
WI-FI modules have the same characteristics: 2.4/5GHz. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Pioneer Elite SC-LX904 has support for AirPlay, AirPlay 2, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The Elite SC-LX904 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-LX904 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. The HDMI eARC is available only on the Elite SC-LX904. 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-LX904 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-LX904 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.