Used Pioneer Home Audio Elite VSX-LX505 120W 9.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver

2024-06-11T02:43:09

Been using this receiver for almost 5 months now (pur 1/29/2024) I held off on my review to give this receiver some use before commenting. Thus far this VSX-LX505 has been a joy, with no issues with plenty of power (120W) into my 5.1 (Polk) has given new life to a set of old speakers, granted the Polks are very efficient not needing much wattage to drive them which has been a issue for some users who have larger more power hungry speakers as the 505 at times will drop the power as the unit heats up, I have not had this issue. Using Dirac was pretty simple, I loaded up the Dirac software onto my laptop and connected to the receiver wirelessly, then using the supplied microphone which plugs into the front of the LX505 made this fairly easy, of course I have had experience setting up Audessey on my old Onkyo so maybe to someone without any experience might find this difficult. The Dirac room correction is what really makes this Receiver so special, it definitely enhances your sound experience much better than Audessey, I could hear the difference after setup, it blew me away how much better this receiver is compared to my 7.1 Onkyo 130 watts receivers, no contest. The LX505 is packed with so many goodies and apps makes this a real bargain and most importantly it is future proof with pre-outs to expand your sound field to 11 channels and will pass a 8k signal at 60hz. 120 Watts is decent for a AVR in this price range. I have two low profile ported fans running on top of my amps sucking out the hot air from the receiver case before it can build up, I suggest this especially if you are running power hungry speakers the heat is what is causing power throttling and really if you are running 11.2 120 Watts isn't that much power for inefficient speakers. I purchased the VSX-LX505 during Adorama's sale and paid less than half its normal price, I couldn't be happier and would totally recommend the VSX-LX505

Brian E.

2024-05-27T06:30:01

Great receiver. Love the IMAX Enhanced and the Dirac Live features!

Steve R.

2024-04-27T06:26:31

Sounds great, DIRAC set up was pretty simple. Slightly more complex than the Audysey microphone I used for my old Onkyo. The DIRAC correction made a big difference from uncorrected but I'm not sure how much different it was from audysey. I wish I had gone with the cheaper Onkyo NR-7100 since this receiver is way more than I need for my 5.1 setup.

MICHAEL W.

2024-03-26T07:22:04

Overall, I might have been happy with this unit, but the surround back outputs never worked.

Jason J.

2024-01-24T02:49:55

This was exactly what I was looking for. Price was awesome also. I like how it has a full set of pre amps to upgrade down the road plus this has Dirac.

JAMES P.

2023-12-19T07:26:24

I was in the market to replace an 8 year old receiver and didn't initially consider the Pioneer as an option. I've had a mix of Denon and Onkyo going back 20 years or so and have never veered from that path, but I am really glad I did. This unit is loaded with features and has improved the sound in my room exponentially. Was super easy to set up and took advantage of Dirac for audio correction/settings. Really happy with this purchase and highly recommend to those looking for a great set of features without breaking the bank.

DANIEL F.

2023-12-17T17:23:19

The VSX-LX505 offers high power 120wpc for listening to music as well as all the amplified channels you will need for movies.

William P.

2023-12-07T04:53:01

My previous Pioneer eventually died on me after 10 years of daily use. It was also outdated as it was stuck at 1080P. I just love everything about Pioneer. Solid build, lovely, powerful surround sound and easy navigation/setup. The 505 does not disappoint. I did have to order an Umek-1, so I could calibrate with Dirac Live. No matter how many times I tried the included puck kept giving me noise/ratio errors. It also didn't matter if I used the phone or Mac app. I do advise using the computer Dirac live app and if you can use your laptop. The included puck does effortlessly work with MCACC though. Streaming music does sound nice, but cannot compete with my dedicated stereo amplifier/receiver. No AVR ever will imo. For me personally, an AVR receiver excels at surround sound and gets used as such. I hear many dish the global crossover settings that Pioneer offers but it has never been an issue for me as I program everything at 80Hz/ small. That's what works best with my speakers. Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with my purchase, as it perfectly fits into my budget and need. As to longevity, time will tell. Adorama was superfast at shipping out.

Max S.