Listen to this articlePioneer has announced a brand new flagship Elite 11.2.4-channel AV receiver, the VSX-LX805 ($2,999 / round £2,500 / AU$4,500). This is the first flagship mannequin to reach from Pioneer since rights to its AV model have been acquired by the Premium Audio Company, a subsidiary of VOXX International that also holds the Klipsch, Jamo, and Integra manufacturers under its company umbrella, and it’s nothing if not feature-packed.
Like all of the greatest AV receivers, the VSX-LX805 gives processing help for each Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and it is also IMAX Enhanced licensed. A firmware update scheduled for June will add Auro-3D processing, making the brand new Pioneer Elite mannequin a completely stocked choice for immersive audio.
The VSX-LX805’s 11 class-AB amplifier channels are every rated to ship 150 watts output, and it may be used to power as much as three zones. It has 15 RCA preamp outputs for future amplifier upgrades together with stereo XLR enter and output connections.
A complete of seven HDMI 2.1 inputs are provided and there are three HDMI outputs together with one with eARC. Of these, inputs 1-6 help 8K pass-through, together with 4K 120Hz alerts from PS5 and Xbox Series X gaming consoles, and there’s also help for VRR, ALLM, and Quick Media Transport (QMS), which lets the receiver change between video output at completely different body charges corresponding to 24fps and 60fps with none glitches.
Streaming also will get complete help on Pioneer’s new receiver, with Chromecast, AirPlay 2, DTS Play-Fi, and Bluetooth aptX HD all accommodated. Chromecast and DTS Play-Fi provide high-res audio streaming, and DTS Play-Fi just lately added gapless playback as a function, so both will probably be a fantastic way to take heed to music on the VSX-LX805. Otherwise, it has built-in help for Tidal, Spotify, and Amazon Music Unlimited, permitting you to immediately entry these music streaming providers when utilizing Pioneer’s management app.
Dirac Live and Dirac Live Bass Control
One of the more attention-grabbing options discovered on the VSX-LX805 is Dirac Live. This is a sophisticated type of room correction processing to optimize the sound of multi-channel speaker techniques, and the built-in full-bandwidth model Pioneer gives helps you to right for audio frequencies above 500Hz, versus the more restricted bass-only model supported by some merchandise.
You can also improve the VSX-LX805 for Dirac Live Bass Control for techniques with single or a number of subwoofers (the cost is $349 for a single sub and $399 for 2 subs).
In the corporate’s own phrases, “Dirac Live Bass Control leverages all-pass filters, plus machine learning and artificial intelligence, to calculate gains, delays, and all-pass filters for each subwoofer. In this way, the Dirac solution ensures that low frequencies add up so that not only the average is controlled, but most importantly, seat-to-seat variation is minimized as we can now achieve a level of control in multiple locations at once.”
Analysis: Pioneer AV receivers are back, and so they’ve returned in fashion
Often when a serious audio model is acquired, the brand new model finally ends up being a pale shadow of its former self. There are numerous examples of this to attract from over the many years, and a few of us who cowl the AV area had just about given up on Pioneer Elite, which had disappeared from view a number of years back.
But with the brand new Elite VSX-LX805 AV receiver, the model is back, and it’s trying as sturdy as ever. Same as with the current Sony AV receiver launch, Pioneer’s flagship is outfitted with all the most recent connection choices, with help for 8K and 4K 120Hz on a number of HDMI ports. This makes the VSX-LX805 primarily future-proof, and anybody shopping for one now can relaxation simple realizing that the latest-gen HDMI model is supported and that any video alerts they route via it can cross via with out difficulty.
The VSX-LX805’s streaming choices are wide-ranging, even one-upping the brand new Sony AVR choices on that entrance. And its hefty power specs imply that it ought to have the ability to drive all method of audio system with out breaking a sweat. Spatial audio help is equally spectacular, with Auro-3D supplementing the standard Dolby Atmos and DTS:X choices.
But even with all these facilities, the options that basically put the brand new Pioneer excessive are its built-in Dirac Live and the Dirac Live Bass Control choice. Having used Dirac Live extensively in the past, I’m aware of the dramatic enhancements it may possibly bring to the sound of audio system located in less-than-perfect rooms (which principally means most rooms). And the Dirac Live MacOS or PC utility helps you to also fine-tune the correction curves to style, which takes it a step past the auto room EQ processing constructed into many different receivers.
The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805 will probably be obtainable this spring.
