The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Marantz SR6015 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, Marantz SR6015 has 9.2 versus 7.2 for Pioneer VSX-LX102. Regarding power, then SR6015 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 110/8, 150/6 when VSX-LX102 has a power of 80/8, 170/6. The THD is the same and is 0.08%. Both the SR6015 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 Marantz SR6015 has support for AirPlay, AirPlay 2, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The SR6015 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud, and the VSX-LX102 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, TuneIn Radio.
Both AV receivers support HDR10 technology (High dynamic range). 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 Marantz SR6015 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 SR6015. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The SR6015 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. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both SR6015 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.