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expirediconian | Staff posted Jan 19, 2024 08:18 PM
expirediconian | Staff posted Jan 19, 2024 08:18 PM

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

+ Free Shipping

$649

$1,300

50% off
Adorama
269 Comments 71,305 Views
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Update: This deal is still available.

Adorama has Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 9.2-Channel 8K A/V Receiver on sale for $649. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Editor iconian for finding this deal.

Note: You may need to add to cart to see deal price.

Key Features:
  • Dirac Live Room Correction
  • HDMI 2.1
  • Ultimate 4K Gaming Experience
  • 9 Channels of onboard amplification with 11.2-Channel Processing
  • 120-watts/per channel
  • Imax Enhanced
  • Powered Zone 2/Zone 3 Audio
  • Bi-directional Bluetooth with aptX HD
Includes:
  • Pioneer Home Audio Elite VSX-LX505 120W 9.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver
  • RC-974R Remote Controller with 2x AAA Batteries
  • Speaker Setup Microphone
  • DAB/FM Antenna
  • Indoor FM Antenna
  • AM Loop Antenna
  • Power Cord
  • User Manual
  • Pioneer Home Audio 3 Year limited Warranty

Editor's Notes

Written by qwikwit | Staff

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Update: This deal is still available.

Adorama has Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 9.2-Channel 8K A/V Receiver on sale for $649. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Editor iconian for finding this deal.

Note: You may need to add to cart to see deal price.

Key Features:
  • Dirac Live Room Correction
  • HDMI 2.1
  • Ultimate 4K Gaming Experience
  • 9 Channels of onboard amplification with 11.2-Channel Processing
  • 120-watts/per channel
  • Imax Enhanced
  • Powered Zone 2/Zone 3 Audio
  • Bi-directional Bluetooth with aptX HD
Includes:
  • Pioneer Home Audio Elite VSX-LX505 120W 9.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver
  • RC-974R Remote Controller with 2x AAA Batteries
  • Speaker Setup Microphone
  • DAB/FM Antenna
  • Indoor FM Antenna
  • AM Loop Antenna
  • Power Cord
  • User Manual
  • Pioneer Home Audio 3 Year limited Warranty

Editor's Notes

Written by qwikwit | Staff

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff

Community Voting

Deal Score
+73
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Model: Pioneer Home Audio Elite VSX-LX505 120W 9.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver

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Top Comments

pracura
64 Posts
34 Reputation
I know there are a lot of fans of the Lx-505, the Onkyo, and the similar integra models. After months trying when they were all released I managed to get the Pioneer. I was replacing an x4100 Denon in a 5.1.4 setup. I built the room for high quality sound and to spec with Atmos, DTS-X, and Auro 3D.

I even bought the higher end tuning mic for Dirac and the special mic stand. I got deep into all of the tuning curves, laptop software, and all that jazz well before actually getting the receiver. For months I combed AV forums to get tips and expert advice.

In the end, in spite of days of tuning and tweaks, I returned the Pioneer. The Pioneer's sound was just flat compared to my older Denon. The 3 dimensions of sound were just 2D and too crisp. I thought for sure I got a defective Pioneer and after returning it, continued searching obsessively for any one of these three extremely similar models.

I was on the Crutchfield waitlist for a few months and finally got the Onkyo. I hooked it up. Did all the initial, standard calibration but got the exact same result. I did the curves and tweaked and tweaked. Things changed but never got close to my older Denon. Just flat sound that made me sad. I ended up returning the Onkyo too. It killed my soul.

So now I have the Denon x4700. It sounds amazing like my x4100 but a little better. The new Denon has some features my old Denon did not and that were critical at my house - having volume control on-screen and being able to turn everything on and off with a simple remote.

I'm not arguing with all the people who love these receivers. On paper they look awesome. My experience was less than awesome, but what pleases people's ears is ultimately a very personal experience and wanted to share mine.

That being said. This Pioneer is still a quality receiver and at this price definitely a slick deal. But I'll warn you not to invest as much time as I did trying to tweak it if you aren't impressed after your first calibration. Tweaking helped but in my case did not work out.
Blahgod
644 Posts
123 Reputation
Hard to imagine a 30 year AV hobbyist that never tried using external amps with an AVR.

269 Comments

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Jan 27, 2024 01:42 PM
33 Posts
Joined Apr 2013
elite.Jan 27, 2024 01:42 PM
33 Posts
I have a vsx-32, using it in a 5.1 configuration. It's almost 15yrs old but running strong. Would I notice a nice improvement upgrading? Currently using a Klipsch reference series setup with Acoustech sub, pretty simple.
Jan 27, 2024 02:02 PM
2 Posts
Joined Jan 2022
PleasingJan 27, 2024 02:02 PM
2 Posts
Will this work with a 1988 OG pioneer elite stereo reference power amplifier model M-90. Back when they used wood lacquer for sides of this amp
Last edited by Pleasing January 27, 2024 at 06:54 AM.
Jan 27, 2024 02:13 PM
18 Posts
Joined Feb 2015
cronsonJan 27, 2024 02:13 PM
18 Posts
Quote from Lazer.Beam :
Monoprice Monolith 5x90wpc w/ 12V trigger. Get LCR and heights for 7.x.4

https://www.googleadservices.com/...QEw&adurl= [googleadservices.com]
I'm not crazy about the amp technology Monoprice is using for those amps (and Emotiva with their Basx). It seems like you're just getting the same shared amp tech in a modern AVR. It'll take a lot of the work off the AVR for sure, but it seems like a half step compared to a Purifi or Hypex amp with tons of discrete power. I know they cost more, but IMO, it seems wiser to give the LCR as much power as you can.
Jan 27, 2024 02:33 PM
5 Posts
Joined Jul 2016
DCM13113Jan 27, 2024 02:33 PM
5 Posts
Quote from tenali :
If I have this receiver, why can't I just connect my 5.1 speakers to this? Why do I need amp? Would appreciate if some expert care to explain. I have never used an amp nor do I understand what it does, but have always connected my speakers to my receiver. Am I missing something here by not getting an amp?
I am running a 5.1.2 setup and tried both - without amp (for a few days) and now with an amp. The difference to me is in higher volumes with media like Dolby Atmos or at least 5.1 sound. I see this debate is throughout this post. Bottom line, the receiver allows for a "power upgrade" and I highly recommend it however, most people have to upgrade in phases. I had an amp (used an Ebay Russound D850 bridged on RLC channels adding 80 wpc - leaving 120 wpc to two surrounds and two height speakers, with powered sub) from another project and was able to add at a reasonable cost. Bottom line, recommend considering future upgrade! I love this receiver and my upgrade from an older Onkyo RZ710 is very, very noticeable.
Pro
Jan 27, 2024 03:27 PM
12,626 Posts
Joined Jul 2010
supermanrob
Pro
Jan 27, 2024 03:27 PM
12,626 Posts
Quote from tenali :
If I have this receiver, why can't I just connect my 5.1 speakers to this? Why do I need amp? Would appreciate if some expert care to explain. I have never used an amp nor do I understand what it does, but have always connected my speakers to my receiver. Am I missing something here by not getting an amp?
If you have always used the internal amps without issue I wouldn't bother going down that big rabbit hole.

As you can see just in here, you then get into how and who built them, measurements, etc etc etc!

Keep in mind this receiver would be overkill anyways.
You're paying for more internal amps and pre outs!

As you can see the biggest selling point to this is Dirac Live and if that's what you're after you can get the 305 which just dropped down to $530.
2
Jan 27, 2024 04:05 PM
5 Posts
Joined Jan 2024
Lazer.BeamJan 27, 2024 04:05 PM
5 Posts
Quote from cronson :
I'm not crazy about the amp technology Monoprice is using for those amps (and Emotiva with their Basx). It seems like you're just getting the same shared amp tech in a modern AVR. It'll take a lot of the work off the AVR for sure, but it seems like a half step compared to a Purifi or Hypex amp with tons of discrete power. I know they cost more, but IMO, it seems wiser to give the LCR as much power as you can.
When I get it all set up, I'll be running some cursory benchmarks/tests. I'll try to remember you report back out here. I know I'm gambling a bit. I was of the same mentality... that at least the AVR would be taxed less. For me amped LCR (albeit not by as much as it would be with other big dog 5ch amps) was icing on the cake since the primary goal was the 2 channel for heights to get 7.x.4.
Jan 27, 2024 04:39 PM
2,981 Posts
Joined Nov 2008
automatedJan 27, 2024 04:39 PM
2,981 Posts
Quote from DCM13113 :
I am running a 5.1.2 setup and tried both - without amp (for a few days) and now with an amp. The difference to me is in higher volumes with media like Dolby Atmos or at least 5.1 sound. I see this debate is throughout this post. Bottom line, the receiver allows for a "power upgrade" and I highly recommend it however, most people have to upgrade in phases. I had an amp (used an Ebay Russound D850 bridged on RLC channels adding 80 wpc - leaving 120 wpc to two surrounds and two height speakers, with powered sub) from another project and was able to add at a reasonable cost. Bottom line, recommend considering future upgrade! I love this receiver and my upgrade from an older Onkyo RZ710 is very, very noticeable.
Yeah this is where I'm at now, moving to a new place (from a house to an apartment) & trying to decide if I should upgrade my AVR & add a separate amp or ditch my towers for something smaller that will be a little more forward on the higher range frequencies. Current setup sounds amazing with music at higher volumes but is missing details at lower volumes, I think bc it's a very midrange forward system.

New living room is actually larger than the living room at my house, but I don't think my listening position will be much different.

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Jan 27, 2024 05:30 PM
18 Posts
Joined Feb 2015
cronsonJan 27, 2024 05:30 PM
18 Posts
Quote from Lazer.Beam :
When I get it all set up, I'll be running some cursory benchmarks/tests. I'll try to remember you report back out here. I know I'm gambling a bit. I was of the same mentality... that at least the AVR would be taxed less. For me amped LCR (albeit not by as much as it would be with other big dog 5ch amps) was icing on the cake since the primary goal was the 2 channel for heights to get 7.x.4.
I'm very curious what you think.

I will admit, the times I notice the added power are obviously with very loud listening and specifically very dynamic scenes. I watched some Tron Legacy yesterday and it was insane how powerful everything sounds. It definitely did before the new amp as well, but there's more punch now, and sustained loud scenes (the train wreck in Super 8) just continue to startle you the whole time.
1
Jan 27, 2024 05:59 PM
2,981 Posts
Joined Nov 2008
automatedJan 27, 2024 05:59 PM
2,981 Posts
Quote from cronson :
I'm very curious what you think.

I will admit, the times I notice the added power are obviously with very loud listening and specifically very dynamic scenes. I watched some Tron Legacy yesterday and it was insane how powerful everything sounds. It definitely did before the new amp as well, but there's more punch now, and sustained loud scenes (the train wreck in Super 8) just continue to startle you the whole time.
Is this mainly noticable at louder volumes? I'm wondering if I'll see any improvement running at more moderate levels.
Pro
Jan 27, 2024 06:28 PM
483 Posts
Joined Nov 2017
BML6182
Pro
Jan 27, 2024 06:28 PM
483 Posts
Quote from Pleasing :
Will this work with a 1988 OG pioneer elite stereo reference power amplifier model M-90. Back when they used wood lacquer for sides of this amp
I found some photos of this M-90 amp, from what I can tell the answer is yes! You run the RCA cables from the pre outs of your Left and Right channels of the AVR into the inputs on the M-90. Then run the speaker wire from the M-90 to your speakers and then you are good to go. Looks like a good way to put a classic amp to use.

How are the capacitors on the M-90? If they haven't been tested, you may want to consider testing to make sure they are in working order and in spec. If not you should consider re-capping that classic before putting it into use.
Pro
Jan 27, 2024 06:43 PM
483 Posts
Joined Nov 2017
BML6182
Pro
Jan 27, 2024 06:43 PM
483 Posts
Quote from elite. :
I have a vsx-32, using it in a 5.1 configuration. It's almost 15yrs old but running strong. Would I notice a nice improvement upgrading? Currently using a Klipsch reference series setup with Acoustech sub, pretty simple.
It's a very subjective question. It's going to be extremely hard to know without doing and A/B compare. Both amps are going to be similar and unless the components inside the vsx-32 such as the capacitors have started to degrade, it going to be hard to know if there is a significant enough difference.

Now what about room correction, both AVRs have MCACC but have you heard DIRAC? I think the element I noticed most about this AVR was the room correction, the surround sound channels have never been better for me. If one of your primary use cases is surround sound, then yes, I think it's a major upgrade. My family gets 'freaked' out all the time by movies and shows that have 5+ channels since the upgrade. This amp does a better job at sound dispersion and they think there are sounds coming from all over the living room. The Denon's Audyssey was good but the DIRAC is great to my ears. Audyssey XT32 is better than Audyssey, but to my ears, DIRAC is better than XT32. MCACC is just good. Here is my hierarchy based on my experience from hearing them in my home from worst to best: Sony Room Calibration (2010-2016 receivers) < MCACC < Audyssey < Audyssey XT32 < DIRAC Live
1
Jan 27, 2024 06:51 PM
33 Posts
Joined Apr 2013
elite.Jan 27, 2024 06:51 PM
33 Posts
Quote from BML6182 :
It's a very subjective question. It's going to be extremely hard to know without doing and A/B compare. Both amps are going to be similar and unless the components inside the vsx-32 such as the capacitors have started to degrade, it going to be hard to know if there is a significant enough difference.

Now what about room correction, both AVRs have MCACC but have you heard DIRAC? I think the element I noticed most about this AVR was the room correction, the surround sound channels have never been better for me. If one of your primary use cases is surround sound, then yes, I think it's a major upgrade. My family gets 'freaked' out all the time by movies and shows that have 5+ channels since the upgrade. This amp does a better job at sound dispersion and they think there are sounds coming from all over the living room. The Denon's Audyssey was good but the DIRAC is great to my ears. Audyssey XT32 is better than Audyssey, but to my ears, DIRAC is better than XT32. MCACC is just good. Here is my hierarchy based on my experience from hearing them in my home from worst to best: Sony Room Calibration (2010-2016 receivers) < MCACC < Audyssey < Audyssey XT32 < DIRAC Live
So the software and correction is likely more valuable that the hardware itself. To spend the money or not. ;-)
Pro
Jan 27, 2024 07:02 PM
483 Posts
Joined Nov 2017
BML6182
Pro
Jan 27, 2024 07:02 PM
483 Posts
Quote from elite. :
So the software and correction is likely more valuable that the hardware itself. To spend the money or not. ;-)
If you look at the specifications, there are tons of things that the 505 brings to the table that were not really invented or available 15 years ago when the VSX-32 was released. Do you want to be able to access your receiver from your phone? Go with the 305 or 505, do you want to use modern HDMI 2.1 inputs? Go with the 305 or 505. Bluetooth? Etc. etc. If you don't need any modern tech and just need an amp to power your speakers? Keep what you have. The 305 and 505 have all the modern tech.

Here is a comparison between the VSX-LX505 and the VSX-42: https://www.zkelectronics.com/com...sx-42/usa/ They don't go back far enough for the VSX-32.
Last edited by BML6182 January 27, 2024 at 11:05 AM.
Jan 27, 2024 07:16 PM
1,702 Posts
Joined Jun 2023
LovelySparrow901Jan 27, 2024 07:16 PM
1,702 Posts
Quote from elite. :
So the software and correction is likely more valuable that the hardware itself. To spend the money or not. ;-)
Advanced room EQ is the biggest improvement in home audio fidelity to come down the road in a long time, but they are not all equal. Research and find the one that you thinks will fit your needs and find whatever device it comes packaged in that fits you budget and includes all the other features you want, such a HDMI 2.1, etc. I'm not a gamer, so all the hdmi 2.1 talk in the last couple years has been of zero interest to me. I also have the ability to plug my video sources directly to my tv rather than an avr, and I can run eArc from the tv to the avr.
3

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Jan 27, 2024 07:27 PM
18 Posts
Joined Feb 2015
cronsonJan 27, 2024 07:27 PM
18 Posts
Quote from automated :
Is this mainly noticable at louder volumes? I'm wondering if I'll see any improvement running at more moderate levels.
At moderate volume, I doubt you'd notice the difference between a modern AVR's amp and a dedicated amp.

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