Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 9.2 channel 8K A/V Receiver Review

Design 

The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 is a fantastic receiver with a sleek design. It's got a simple front panel with a big volume knob, a small display screen, and just a few buttons. The receiver looks quite sleek with its black finish and strong metal body. It's got that fancy, high-quality vibe. The back panel is extremely organized and labeled, with tons of inputs and outputs for all kinds of devices and speakers.

The design has a couple of downsides. First, the remote control that comes with the receiver is small and doesn't have any lights, so it's a bit tricky to use in the dark. Second, the speaker-out terminals are somewhat cheap and not very secure or long-lasting. Actually, some users have been saying that the terminals broke or got all loose after using them a bunch of times.

Connectivity 

The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 is a super cool receiver that can connect to pretty much any device you've got, whether it's wired or wireless. It's got six HDMI inputs that can handle 8K video and HDR formats, so you can enjoy the best picture quality from your TV, gaming console, PC monitor, Blu-ray player, and other devices. In addition, it's got two HDMI outputs, one of which supports eARC, so you can get the sickest sound quality from your TV to the receiver. It also has analog and digital audio inputs so you can connect CD players, turntables, media players, and other stuff. Moreover, it's got two subwoofer outputs so you can crank up that bass in your system. Plus, it's got 11.1 channel preamp outputs in case you want to hook up some extra amps for more oomph or more channels.

The receiver has a bunch of wireless features that let you jam out to music from your phone, tablet, or computer. You can totally use Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, DTS Play-Fi, Sonos, or Roon to stream all your favorite jams from Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music, or any other cool services. You can also use voice commands from Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Siri to control the receiver with your voice,

Performance 

The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 is a sick receiver that can make your speakers sound hella amazing. This thing has like nine channels of power that can totally fill your room with awesome, clear sound. It can play Dolby Atmos or DTS:X soundtracks that make you feel like you're right in the middle of the action. Plus, if you've got an extra amplifier, it can handle up to 11.2 channels of sound too.

The receiver also has two systems that can make your speakers sound better depending on how your room is set up. So there's this amazing system called Dirac Live that can measure your room and tweak the sound of each speaker to make it sound way better. You can use an app on your phone or tablet for this, and you can even customize the sound to your liking. The other one is called MCACC, which is a simpler system that just does some basic adjustments to the sound using a microphone.

The receiver's sound quality is way better when you use Dirac Live. It makes the sound more balanced, detailed, and immersive. You can totally hear every little detail and vibe of the music and movies you play, and you can also feel the full-on depth and height of the sound. MCACC is actually easier to use than Dirac Live, but it doesn't do as good a job. So, a few customers have been saying that MCACC made their speakers sound all bright or boomy, or that it messed with the timing or phase of the sound. MCACC doesn't really tweak the sound for each speaker separately, but it does it for all of them at once.

Where and when to use

The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 is a super versatile receiver that you can use in all sorts of situations and places. It's perfect for home theater fans who want to enjoy wonderful audio like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X with four-height speakers without spending too much or adding extra stuff. It's also great for gamers who want to make the most of the HDMI 2.1 features, like 4K/120Hz passthrough and variable refresh rates for smooth and responsive gameplay.

The receiver is great for medium to large rooms because it's got enough power and channels to fill the space with awesome sound. But, it might not be great for really tiny or tricky rooms as it could be too loud or harsh-sounding. Don't forget, the receiver needs to have good ventilation and cooling because it can get pretty hot when it's running.

Compatible Devices

The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 is super chill and can connect to all kinds of devices, whether they're wired or wireless. It can totally work with lots of different devices you might have at home. You can hook it up to your TV, gaming console, PC monitor, Blu-ray player, and other devices that have HDMI ports. You can also hook it up to your CD player, turntable, media player, or any other devices that have analog or digital audio ports. You can also hook it up to your headphones or speakers that have Bluetooth or aptX HD support.

The receiver can also hook up with your smart devices that have wireless stuff. You can totally use your phone, tablet, or computer to stream music to the receiver using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, DTS Play-Fi, Sonos, or Roon. You can also use your voice to control the receiver with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Siri. All you must do is make sure you have a smart speaker or device that works with it and is connected to the same network.

Ease of Use 

The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 is super easy to use and control, all thanks to its modern and user-friendly interface. The receiver's got a clear and informative display screen that shows you what input source you're using, how loud it is, what sound mode you're in, and all those other settings. The receiver also has an easy and user-friendly menu system that you can access with the remote control or the buttons on the front panel.

You can also control the receiver with an app on your phone or tablet. It lets you change the volume, input source, sound mode, and other stuff. The app also lets you check out Dirac Live for room correction, calibration, and customization. The app works on iOS and Android devices. You can also control the receiver using voice commands with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Siri. Just tell them to turn the receiver on or off, change the input source, and adjust the volume.

Cost 

The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 is $1,499 in the US market, which is a pretty decent price for a 9.2 channel receiver with HDMI 2.1 support and Dirac Live integration. It's a great bang for your buck compared to other receivers in its class that have fewer features or lower performance. But it's still a pretty big investment for some users who might not even need all the fancy features or channels it comes with.

There are some extra costs for the receiver that might mess with your budget. So, like, once the free trial is up, you must shell out $99 to get the full version of Dirac Live. Don't forget to grab some extra speakers and cables if you want to go all out with a full 5.1.4 setup and add four height speakers. You might like to grab an external amplifier if you are interested in using all 11.2 channels of processing.

FAQs

How many watts is the VSX-LX505?

The VSX-LX505 powers 9.2 dedicated channels with 120 watts per channel and has the processing power to up that to 11.2 channels with the addition of pre-amplifiers.

How do I set up the receiver for the first time?

You can use the MCACC Pro Auto Room Tuning feature to calibrate the sound settings according to your room acoustics and speaker characteristics. You will need to connect the supplied microphone to the MCACC SETUP MIC jack on the front panel and follow the on-screen instructions.