Customer Ratings & Reviews

I'm a 'retro' Pioneer stereo guy and I think I know Pioneer gear fairly well, I have several Pioneer stereo systems.. This receiver 'threw me for a loop'. The connected HDMI cables from components (streaming box, Blu-ray DVD) were not recognized by the receiver computer, which should have been 'plug & play'. The receiver Bluetooth will pair with my iPod but will not pair with my iPad. However, the sound and brilliance of the receiver negates the few 'bugs & glitches' in the system. It's a wonderful receiver that can do many things. One of the unique things this receiver has is a 'phono' connection so one can play vinyl without using a phono preamp. Additionally, because it has a 4K 'pass through' my Amazon Fire TV box streams 4k video. Stunning video on a 4K HDTV I've also modified the speaker outputs on this receiver to have a Dolby Atmos (5.1.2.) surround system. 'Atmos' sends music from 'overhead' plus 'surround' music. I'm using seven speakers in the system. It's not a perfect receiver, but I haven't found any other brand that does as much as the VSX-LX301. If in doubt, don't hesitate, buy it.

Does everything and more... 4 HDMI inputs are HDCP 2.2 compliant, very important if you plan on connecting 4K players or sources. The audio is a major standout. I upgraded to this from a vsx-60, and the new audio profile is a giant leap forward. Setup is very simple, and the built in wifi makes connectivity a breeze. You will not be disappointed with this receiver.

I've been a loyal Yamaha receiver fan for a long time, and they still make really good ones. But I chose this Pioneer receiver because you get more for your money. Specifically, this AVR has 6 HMDI 2.0 inputs on the back, and all of them are HDCP 2.2 compatible, meaning they are fully ready for 4K. The Comparable Yamaha model has only 5 HDMI 2.0 inputs on the back, and of these, only 3 are HDCP 2.2 compatible. The Pioneer has 10 watts more going into 2 channels, and while that doesn't seem like a lot, it can make a big difference. The back of the Pioneer seemed a little easier for all the connections (speaker wires, HDMI sources, etc.). Things didn't feel as crammed together as on my Yamaha. Best of all, the Pioneer's on-screen graphic interface for setup is a lot more intuitive than Yamaha's interface. I'm not saying that Yamaha's interface is hard, and I never had any trouble with it, but I prefer Pioneer's setup. I also like the remote control. It is a lot less cluttered and it's easier to use. There's a button that allows you to instantly access certain settings such as sound level for the center speaker and subwoofer, so you can quickly adjust these while you're watching or listening. Once you're finished and have changed inputs, the levels will return to whatever you had them set at before, so it's a temporary change, which makes sense. You can also access the AV sync this way, though I have had a lot fewer issues with AV sync with the Pioneer than I had with the Yamaha. But the real test for an AVR is the sound and this is where the Pioneer really shines. I did a comparison at the store between the Pioneer and a Yamaha that was about $50 less expensive (the next Yamaha was $900, more than I wanted to spend). I listened to a couple of CDs and sampled a Blu-Ray, using speakers that were as close to my own as possible. The Pioneer sounded better, especially at the high end, but it's hard to judge in a store's listening room. But the difference was even more noticeable when I got it installed at home. Compared to the Yamaha it replaced, the Pioneer's high end is definitely clearer and smoother, the midrange is more full, and the bass, especially the subwoofer, is also a lot better. I ran the setup with the microphone, but after trying it for a few hours, I reverted to my own settings. I've never had good luck with the automatic setups, probably because my system is in an open space without a lot of walls. But it's very easy to get the sound you want using the user-friendly Pioneer on-screen setup. The Pioneer is able to deliver this high quality sound without breaking a sweat. I have not noticed any unusual heating up of the unit while it's being used, even after having been on for hours. Build quality is at least as good as the Yamaha, and it looks better. I also found the printed user guide (there's also an online version) to be easier to use than the Yamaha user guide. So far, I'm very pleased with this purchase.

Like a lot of people today, we needed to upgrade our AV Receiver to handle 4k and HDR. Over a year ago we got an Onkyo HT-R693 that came with one HDMI input that could handle 4k. Trouble is we found out later that it couldn’t handle HDR. It did not work with 4k discs played in our Samsung UBD-K8500 4k player. We had to wire our 4k Blu-ray player direct to the TV with separate digital audio going to the AVR. We finally had enough of that gimmicky setup and found this nice Pioneer Elite VSX-LX301 AVR on sale at our local Best Buy Magnolia store. We’ve had Pioneer Elites before (a 92TX and 1122k come to mind) and liked their sound. This LX301 continues the quality tradition. Set-up is easy. I’m using this 7.2 receiver configued for a Dolby Atmos 5.2.2 system and it sounds great. The built in menu system is great too – easy to use and understand. The best feature is that the AVR works nice with our new Panasonic DMP-UB900 4k Blu-ray player. You can set the receiver to do no video processing at all. This allows our excellent 4k TV to handle any upscaling, which it does very well. Our biggest complaint is that of the six rear HDMI inputs, the remote control only has buttons to directly choose three of them. You have to use left-right arrows to get to scroll to the rest. However, this is a feature of every AVR we looked at with this number of HDMI inputs. Now if you download the Pioneer remote control app for your smart phone (and have your phone and AVR on the same home Wifi network) then you can easily choose any input you wish on the phone’s screen. Works very quick and easy. Overall we are very happy with this receiver and would buy it again.

Like a lot of people today, we needed to upgrade our AV Receiver to handle 4k and HDR. Over a year ago we got an Onkyo HT-R693 that came with one HDMI input that could handle 4k. Trouble is we found out later that it couldn’t handle HDR. It did not work with 4k discs played in our Samsung UBD-K8500 4k player. We had to wire our 4k Blu-ray player direct to the TV with separate digital audio going to the AVR. We finally had enough of that gimmicky setup and found this nice Pioneer Elite VSX-LX301 AVR on sale at our local Best Buy Magnolia store. We’ve had Pioneer Elites before (a 92TX and 1122k come to mind) and liked their sound. This LX301 continues the quality tradition. Set-up is easy. I’m using this 7.2 receiver configued for a Dolby Atmos 5.2.2 system and it sounds great. The built in menu system is great too – easy to use and understand. The best feature is that the AVR works nice with our new Panasonic DMP-UB900 4k Blu-ray player. You can set the receiver to do no video processing at all. This allows our excellent 4k TV to handle any upscaling, which it does very well. Our biggest complaint is that of the six rear HDMI inputs, the remote control only has buttons to directly choose three of them. You have to use left-right arrows to get to scroll to the rest. However, this is a feature of every AVR we looked at with this number of HDMI inputs. Now if you download the Pioneer remote control app for your smart phone (and have your phone and AVR on the same home Wifi network) then you can easily choose any input you wish on the phone’s screen. Works very quick and easy. Overall we are very happy with this receiver and would buy it again.

Have always had Denons in the past, and were good receivers, but both had issues within a few years. I decided to try this Pioneer, and am more than happy at the sound quality, and power. Every sound is crystal clear, and I've yet to be able to get the volume higher than -15 without the windows rattling. This is also a very easy receiver to navigated through, unlike the Denons. If this receiver ever goes out, I will buy another Elite!

Well, i may not be an audiophile, but this is definitely a step up. The 4K capabilities, I haven't used yet. But the convenience of setup, blue tooth, and the overall quality from my speakers that this produces is amazing. Loud and clear.

Found this receiver on sale for under $500. Great price for a mid-level home theater receiver with ample power (1190W). Great expandability. I have a 5.1 speaker setup now with four satellites for the fronts and rears, that I will shift to 7.1 configuration by adding a couple of towers for the fronts. Supports Dual Zone functionality so you can play music in a second room in your house. Remote is simplified from most AV Receivers and all additional functionality can be accessed through the graphical user interface when connected to your TV. Was easy to setup and use. Easy to use Airplay functionality and other streaming services built in. Sound is crisp, bright, and solid. Great for pounding out Hip-Hop and Pop and really crisp highs for voices and strings on classical music. Elite is a great name. I highly recommend this unit.

The Pioneer ELITE system is an excellent mid-grade receiver. It has a host of inputs for Dolby Surround Sound 5.1 and beyond; has multiple HDMI and optical connections; and dedicated subwoofer connection. The system auto-balances sound from the input channels and setup is handled through your TV. I found it pretty seemless to upgrade from my previous introductory Dolby 5.1 system when the receiver/sub-woofer combo went bad. I replaced the receiver with this one and added a sub-woofer to the mix. The speakers sound much richer now with the extra power driving them with extra range. I picked this vs. some similarly priced Yamaha options in-store in the Best Buy sound room.

I purchased this receiver instead of the comparable Denon model which is what I used before a Denon. This is a great receiver and sound quality is fine for my application, do not have extraordinary speakers requiring precision. It has a simple remote(nicer than my old Denon that had 8,000 buttons to which I used 20 of them). Easy setup to my 4K 65" Samsung. I love the multiple hdmi inputs and 2 outputs. Everything goes through this receiver (Xbox, DVD, Amazon Fire Stick, & cable. Love being able to listen to all devices through the stereo. Would definitely recommend.

Have always bought Denon recievers in the past, but after talking to the sales rep about the Pioneer Elite Series, I decided to try one. Wow, I am so glad I did! The sound is Amazing, the remote is simple, and the power is more than I will ever use. I've only been able to get the volume up to minus 15. The Denon's I had were very good sounding, but were very difficult to understand, and adjust the settings. All in all, this is a Great reciever for anyone who wants Great sound, but doesn't want to have go to college to have to learn how to use it!

This receiver puts out good power and soundsee great and more intuitive to operate than a Yamaha I replaced. Also like the Bluetooth functionality

I tried other brands and love this the best. A button on the remote allows you to switch between 7.1 surround and 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos. Don't have to switch any wires around. I also love how it shows on the display of the receiver which speakers are being used at all times. I compared the newer model to this one and the only difference I found was the newer model has a little more power per channel, otherwise identical. There are receivers hundreds of dollars more that don't have some of the features this has.

I got this after returning the LX101 that was to warm for my taste. This one runs way cooler. This is the first receiver I've ever owned and while I like playing with technology this didn't require me having a PhD in the subject. The menus are intuitive, the setup wizard is dummy proof and the Android /iOS app is very helpful. I'm not 100% convinced about the results from the Auto calibration, but at least gives you a starting point to start you manual setup. I'm not sure but for some reason it always set my speakers to Large when I run MCACC, that doesn't work with my speakers and makes their levels to be a bit lower than what I like. hopefully that is something that they can fix on a future firmware update. So far they have been a few of them to add new features. everyone else recommends Yamaha or Denon but I'm happy with the value I got with this purchase.

Was having issues with my 10 year old receiver and figured it was time for a change. Visited our local Best Buy and talked with a very knowledgeable salesperson regarding the most bang for my buck. In our price range, there was only a couple choices and we followed the salesperson recommendation. Easy to hook up (very similar to our previous receiver) and operate! Great sound! Lots of options for inputs and outputs. Easy to use!

Easy to set up and use. Sounds great. I love that it is blue tooth compatible.

I purchased this receiver when it went on sale for about $460 over the holidays. I was a bit weary, as there were very few reviews available on it across the Internet, and on those reviews several people complained about the unit having significant switching (amplified channel being turned on and off) sounds while watching DTS or other multichannel content. Also, this receiver is pretty much the same as Pioneer's VSX-1131 non-Elite model, which tends to go on sale for $399; the differences between the two are minimal (the Elite has a 3 year warranty vs 1 year for the 1131 and I believe the Elite has more options for multi-room device control). So a bit of a risk in purchasing it while essentially paying some $60 more than its non-Elite brother. This said, I have not experienced any issues with the unit and I am quite happy with its performance. The DAC is quite good; all of my digital content comes through with a clarity and depth that I had not heard before. Bluetooth and wireless work without dropping signal. Network connectivity is excellent (no playback issues over DLNA), though the menu flow for content selection is poor. Has almost every conceivable connector, including Phono for those of us who still like vinyl. Most inputs are configurable (i.e., BD Player can have audio from here, video from there). Power is ok though not overwhelming. MCACC works all right but manual configuration options are limited and difficult to access - at first it may seem like you can't change anything, getting my sub to activate required setting my front speakers to small even though they are large in size, a common set up issue for Pioneer and others. Also, this is not true Elite in that it does NOT have class D amplifiers, something I knew before purchasing. The key question in my mind is how long it will last. But for the first month or so that I've owned it, and for $460, I can say I am truly satisfied. I would not purchase it at its regular $700 price. Wait for a sale and grab one.

Pioneer elite vsxlx 301 I absolutely love this receiver

This is the first receiver I've ever bought. I am not much of an audio guy however the house I just bought came with six in wall speakers (x2 in living room, x2 in kitchen, and x2 in master bedroom.) I had a BestBuy consultant come out to my house and give me advise on what type of receiver I would need to get. We came to the conclusion that the Pioneer would meet all my needs. It was shipped directly to my house. Set up was fairly easy for a guy that has never done it before. The only problem I was having is setting up zone 2 speakers. I bought a speaker switch in order to be able to play music in the kitchen and bedroom separately from the living room. It took my 5 days and several hours to realize that you can only hook up zone 2 speakers with devices that are connected via analog to the receiver... BUMMER! However I was able to hook the speaker switch into "Speaker B" which does pretty much the same thing. All in all I am very happy with my purchase.

When we needed to upgrade our AVR to one with HDMI pass-through ability I made the mistake of going with a cheaper unit first. It may have been faulty because when I hooked everything up the picture was so much worse than before I had to completely re-adjust the settings. I returned it after 2 days without a problem. This store didn't have a Magnolia section so I went to one that did. There a very knowledgeable person showed me 3 different AVR's in my price range and this Pioneer was clearly the best one in my opinion. The clarity of the picture now is so much better than ever before. Very sharp and we have an older plasma tv. The sound is awesome. Very good highs, midrange, and bass with my older Polk Audio surround sound speakers. It's very easy to adjust the speaker levels with the included Mic, just follow the on-screen instructions. We're very happy with it.