Pioneer VSX-LX55 AV-receiver
The new Pioneer VSX-LX55 receiver seems to have reached its highest level of communication with the outside world.
Support for AirPlay technology and DLNA protocol allows you to play music from your computer, as well as from portable Apple devices connected to your home network. The file format can be almost anything: Apple Lossless, mp3, AAC, WMA Lossless, WAV, LPCM and even FLAC 24/192. This is made possible by the use of the latest 32-bit signal processor with tremendous performance. It also implements the Advanced Sound Retriever function, which restores data lost during audio information compression. Thanks to the AVNavigator application, network settings are also open to a user who is far from computer technology.
Audio files from a desktop computer, laptop or media server are available via the local network. If the iPod, iPhone or iPad is connected via the appropriate adapter via USB - no docking station is needed - then the signal will be decoded without intermediate conversions in Direct Digital mode, although the maximum resolution will be 24/96. But there is an obvious plus: video content is also available via USB and a composite video input - photos or YouTube videos can be displayed on a large TV screen.
The more advanced iControl-AV2 system is designed to use any of the "apple" devices or gadgets under the Android OS (this is the main feature of the second generation) as a remote control. For this, a special application was developed with fantastically beautiful and masterfully voiced video graphics, which can be downloaded from the App Store. Visual videos not only make it easier to communicate with the receiver, but also turn the setup process into a truly exciting experience. For example, to adjust the equalizer, just draw the desired frequency response on the tablet screen with your finger, and to set the volume level, turn the virtual knob.
Another very interesting thing implemented in the Pioneer VSX-LX55 is Air Jam, i.e. formation of a playlist by several participants. iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad owners connect to the receiver via Bluetooth and take turns streaming their own music through the speakers. At the same time, they see on their screens which track is currently playing and which one will be next.
The switching of HDMI sources has also been expanded, now there can be seven of them (one input on the front panel), and two corresponding outputs are designed to output images to monitors in different zones. The groundbreaking Advanced Video Adjust system optimizes image quality depending on whether it is a TV or a projector. In addition, the video processor, guided by the data of the MCACC calibration system, adjusts the parameters in accordance with the distance between the viewer and the screen.
Video signal fed to any of the inputs, including analog ones, is upscaled in HD up to 1080p. Of course, the path supports 3D and formats with extended color space Deep Color and x.v.Color. The audio path of the receiver contains decoders of almost all current formats, and one of them, completely new, is THX Select2 Plus, according to which the sound field parameters are optimized for small rooms. From this point of view, the VSX-LX55 is universal - with the power of output amplifiers of 7 x 150 W (8 ohms), it is able to sound a pretty decent movie theater. If side channels are not needed, they can be used to connect front acoustics according to the bi-amping scheme.
The MCACC auto-calibration system with an external microphone also takes into account early reflections from walls, floors and ceilings, and this is a very accurate method of forming a three-dimensional sound field.
For quality music playback, the Pioneer VSX-LX55 receiver has a PQLS jitter suppression system, but it only works with Pioneer Blu-ray players. Sounding of two additional zones is provided, for which not only separate audio and video outputs are organized, but also setup sections in the menu.
Built-in FM-tuner has a memory of 63 stations, RDS information reception is not provided. But there is the possibility of direct access, for which in D.Access mode it is enough to dial the frequency of the station on the numeric keypad of the remote control. By the way, even with iControl, Pioneer specialists took care of the ergonomics of the standard remote control. Despite the abundance of rather small buttons, it is convenient to work with it. Although it's not so easy to immediately understand what's what, the receiver has a lot of settings and modes, and even separate groups are allocated for two additional zones. The remote control is programmable and learnable, codes for equipment from other manufacturers and macros are loaded in a section of the main menu specially designated for this. It is a pity that a simplified remote control with basic functions is not provided for everyday work.
The design of the VSX-LX55 receiver is typical of Pioneer. On the front panel are symmetrically located large knobs of the input switch and volume control. In the center, below the display, there are buttons for controlling the tuner and selecting surround sound formats. Connectors for operational switching - and these are USB, AV inputs, a jack for connecting a measuring microphone and menu navigation buttons - are hidden under a hinged cover. When turned on, the display lights up, occupying almost the entire upper part of the front panel. Focusing on it, you can quickly set up a multi-channel system (basic operations are described in the Quick Start Guide) and quickly manage it. For more advanced users, it makes sense to display a graphical interface on the TV screen.
When passing a 1080p video signal through an HDMI switch, clips from the movie How to Train Your Dragon did not lose any clarity or saturation. When playing a DVD with subsequent scaling to Full HD, artifacts were minimal, the contours of fast moving objects were not blurred. Video noise suppressor is useful only when watching on-air programs, when playing a BD or DVD, it is better to turn it off. The sound character of the receiver is the same as that of the VSX-2021 model, which we tested not so long ago. Balanced reproduction from all points of view, with accurate and deep bass in all channels, with the appropriate acoustics, of course. With our Monitor Audio Gold Reference 20, both the lower register and the overall dynamics were at their best - explosions, gunshots and impacts in car accident scenes sounded extremely authentic. Even with complex signal transformations, for example, when decomposing a stereophonic phonogram into seven channels, digital coloring is minimal, only a slight simplification of the atmosphere is noticeable.
Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoders create a dense and rich three-dimensional field in the room. The music tracks have quite decent harmonic resolution, which is especially noticeable in the Stream Direct mode when most of the digital circuits are excluded from the path. In cinema, the transition to HD formats is felt by a clearer drawing of distant plans, the sound field itself seems more saturated and informative. Through USB, music sounds nice, but somewhat blurry, regardless of the bitrate. The power reserve is quite sufficient to sound a quite decent room, and in the presence of sensitive acoustics, even a small cinema hall.
