Pioneer has announced a new flagship AV Elite 11.2.4 receiver, the VSX-LX805 ($2,999 / approx £2,500 / AU$4,500). This is the first flagship model to come from Pioneer since the rights to its AV brand were acquired by Premium Audio Company, a subsidiary of VOXX International which also owns the Klipsch, Jamo and Integra brands under its corporate umbrella, and is not nothing if not. full of features.
Like all the better AV receivers, the VSX-LX805 provides processing support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and is also IMAX Enhanced certified. A firmware update scheduled for June will add Auro-3D processing, making the new Pioneer Elite model a fully equipped option for immersive sound.
The VSX-LX805’s 11 channels of class-AB amplifier are each rated at 150 watts and can be used to power up to three zones. It features 15 RCA preamp outputs for future amp upgrades along with stereo XLR input and output connections.
A total of seven HDMI 2.1 inputs are provided and there are three HDMI outputs, including one with eARC. Of these, inputs 1-6 support 8K pass-through, along with 4K 120Hz signals from PS5 and Xbox Series X game consoles, and there’s also support for VRR, ALLM and Quick Media Transport (QMS), allowing the receiver to switch between video output at different frame rates, such as 24fps and 60fps, seamlessly.
Streaming also gets comprehensive support on Pioneer’s new receiver, with Chromecast, AirPlay 2, DTS Play-Fi, and Bluetooth aptX HD. Chromecast and DTS Play-Fi provide high-resolution audio streaming, and DTS Play-Fi recently added gapless playback as a feature, so both will be a great way to listen to music on the VSX-LX805. Otherwise, it has built-in support for Tidal, Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited, allowing you to directly access these music streaming services when using Pioneer’s control app.
Dirac Live and Dirac Live Bass Control
One of the more interesting features found on the VSX-LX805 is Dirac Live. This is an advanced form of space correction processing to optimize the sound of multi-channel speaker systems, and the built-in full-bandwidth version provided by Pioneer allows you to correct audio frequencies above 500 Hz, unlike the bass-only version supported by certain products.
You can also upgrade the VSX-LX805 for Dirac Live Bass Control for single or multi-sub systems ($349 for a single sub and $399 for two).
In the company’s words, “Dirac Live Bass Control leverages all-pass filters, as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence, to calculate gains, delays and all-pass filters for each subwoofer. In this way, the Dirac solution ensures that the low frequencies are summed, so that not only the average is controlled, but more importantly, the position-to-position variation is minimized, as we can now achieve a level of control over many locations at the same time”.
Review: Pioneer AV receivers are back and back in style
Often when a major audio brand is acquired, the new version ends up being a pale shadow of its former self. There are countless examples to draw from over the decades, and some of us covering the AV space almost gave up on the Pioneer Elite, which disappeared from view a few years ago.
But with the new Elite VSX-LX805 AV receiver, the brand is back and looking as strong as ever. Same as last time Start Sony AV receiver, Pioneer’s flagship is equipped with all the latest connectivity options, with support for 8K and 4K 120Hz across multiple HDMI ports. This makes the VSX-LX805 virtually future-proof, and anyone buying now can rest easy knowing that the latest generation of HDMI is supported and that all video signals passing through it will pass through without issue.
The VSX-LX805’s streaming options are wide-ranging, surpassing even Sony’s new AVR offerings on this front. And its high power rating means it should be able to drive all the speakers without breaking a sweat. Surround sound support is equally impressive, with Auro-3D complementing the usual Dolby Atmos and DTS:X options.
But even with all these conveniences, the features that really set the new Pioneer apart are the built-in Dirac Live and optional Dirac Live Bass Control. Having used Dirac Live extensively in the past, I know the dramatic improvements it can make to the sound of speakers in less-than-perfect rooms (which basically means most rooms). And the Dirac Live MacOS or PC app also lets you adjust the correction curves to taste, which takes it a step beyond the automatic room EQ processing built into many other receivers.
The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805 will be available this spring.