The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Yamaha RX-V485 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, Yamaha RX-V485 has 5.1 versus 7.2 for Pioneer VSX-LX102. Regarding power, then RX-V485 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 80/8, 145/6 when VSX-LX102 has a power of 80/8, 170/6. The THD is 0.09% for the RX-V485 but 0.08% for the VSX-LX102.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for RX-V485 and AK4438 384 KHz/32-bit for the VSX-LX102. Both the RX-V485 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 Yamaha RX-V485 has support for AirPlay, AirPlay 2, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The RX-V485 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, 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.
Each receiver has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the RX-V485. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The RX-V485 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.3, versus HDCP 2.2 in the VSX-LX102. The VSX-LX102 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both RX-V485 and VSX-LX102 can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Only the VSX-LX102 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the VSX-LX102.