The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Yamaha RX-V485BL 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-V485BL has 5.1 versus 7.2 for Pioneer VSX-LX102. Regarding power, then RX-V485BL has such a W/Ohm ratio - 80/6 when VSX-LX102 has a power of 80/8, 170/6. The THD is 0.09% for the RX-V485BL but 0.08% for the VSX-LX102.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for RX-V485BL and AK4438 384 KHz/32-bit for the VSX-LX102. Both the RX-V485BL 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 Yamaha RX-V485BL has support for AirPlay, AirPlay 2, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver.
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-V485BL. 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. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both RX-V485BL 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.