The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Denon HEOS AVR 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, Denon HEOS AVR has 5.1 versus 7.2 for Pioneer VSX-LX102. Regarding power, then HEOS AVR has such a W/Ohm ratio - 50/8, 65/6 when VSX-LX102 has a power of 80/8, 170/6. The THD is 0.05% for the HEOS AVR but 0.08% for the VSX-LX102. Only the VSX-LX102 supports Bi-amping feature. 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. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The HEOS AVR can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio, iHeart Radio, Sound Cloud, and the VSX-LX102 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, TuneIn Radio. 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. The VSX-LX102 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the HEOS AVR. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the VSX-LX102.
Each receiver has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs. 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-LX102 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. An ECO mode is only available for the VSX-LX102. The setup assistant will help you configure Pioneer VSX-LX102.
Only the VSX-LX102 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the VSX-LX102.