Customer Ratings & Reviews

This receiver is everything I wanted, and needed its very unique will buy it again

Display on unit does not work. Have not returned it yet due to the unit does produce sound but no visual display to see what it’s doing like tuning any radio or streaming.

I had a 3 year old Pioneer Elite that started to turn itself off randomly and send loud cracks to the speakers. I replaced it with this Pioneer Elite LX 505. It did not want to connect properly to my 85” Sony Bravia ARC port, it took a long time to switch between devices and then constantly lost the signal to the TV. I thought it had an issue and replaced it with another - same issue ! I returned this unit again and went with a Marantz, (cinema-50-8k-ultra-hd-9-4-channel-110w-x-9-av). What a difference - much improved and stable. Slightly more $ but worth it for my set up, see picture.

This Pioneer is replacing a Pioneer Elite unit from 25 years ago (which still works, BTW). I'm expanding the system from 5.1 to an Atmos set up and the old unit doesn't "speak" any of the new digital formats and is pre-HDMI. Setup was easy and uneventful. It was a little confusing figuring out how to relabel the various inputs, but it's nice to see "Switch" or "Wii U" on the display instead of remembering what unit is plugged into which pre-named input. I still use a Harmony universal remote (RIP) and this new Pioneer is fully supported, so that's nice. Attaching our current 7.1 speakers (no height yet) was easy and the quality of the surround effects is much clearer and immersive than the basic Dolby 5.1 support the old unit had. Voice separation on the center channel is much improved. A feature we're enjoying is the built in AirPlay 2 support... we can stream lossless music to the new Pioneer when we're back there or eating dinner in that room and not need the TV on like we had to do when using the Roku as a music streamer. Connection to the network is fast and control of the AVR using the included Pioneer app is responsive. The included Dirac Live software in the Pioneer app and included mic did a good job correcting some room resonances at 34Hz and 60Hz. Dirac Live is one of the reasons to look at this AVR, in my opinion. I later used the Dirac Live software on a laptop and a calibrated mic on a mic stand and did a more extensive room calibration and the room response is great everywhere on our main listening couch. You don't have to go to this depth to enjoy the AVR (please do use the Dirac with the app, though, only takes a few minutes) but it's a very nice capability to tune the system and room as best as possible. I have some wiring work to do before I install the Atmos speakers, but based on how this has gone so far, I don't expect any problems.

This is a great A/V Receiver. With 120 watts per channel, it processes all the newest sounds with Dolby ATMOS and DTSX plus dozens of other surround sound effects. This is top of the line and was a great buy as it was Open Box. I am very happy with this vsx-lx505. I also have a lx305 in my home theatre which also gives out great sound.

After exhaustive research to determine a replacement for my Yamaha 671 reciever and looking at the equivalent Onkyo RZ50, I deicded the Pioneer Elite LX-505 was the best bet. Sound is amazing, especially Dolby Atmos content via ARC from my Samsung TV using Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Vudu. Streaming capabilities are extensive and work great. Configuration is complex, but understandable if you read the manual and use quality cables if you want the best performance. No heat issues. Love the flip down panel on the front, especially with the USB and HDMI connections. Heavy, quality-built component. One thing I wish it would do is allow Zone 2 audio to be downmixed from an HDMI source.

Recently upgraded our speaker system to Klipsch Reverence series and was impressed with the sound improvement but the sound stage in our oddly shaped listening area didn’t improve. Was running a Pioneer Elite VSX-LX105 in 5.2.2 mode. Surround and Atmos was Ok but not great after using the Pioneer auto setup. Then I saw the VSX-LX505 reviews praising the Dirac Live speaker setup. The 505 was the lowest cost AVR I could find with the Dirac included. So I bought the 505 along with two Klipsch ceiling speakers to add the rear surrounds and set it up as a 7.2.2 system. By getting the 505 with the extra speakers we were able to finance for 2 years. The 505 worked out-of-the-box with latest firmware already installed. If you are familiar with multi-speaker systems, the 505 went together without a hitch. Used eARC to connect to our 83” Sony OLED TV. Plugged our 4k Bluray player into the first HDMI port with our two game systems going into the next two. Everything worked together seamlessly. After getting the speakers installed, I ran the Dirac Live setup in the wide mode. It measured from nine locations around the seating positions. Using my camera tripod made moving the included microphone around easy. And WOW what an improvement! We primarily stream TV and play UHD/HD movies. Dirac set up the sound stage perfectly for two listeners. The new rear surrounds added that much more depth to our 9 speaker, 2 subwoofer setup. We’ve been running our favorite movies all over again just to hear everything we had been missing. This Pioneer Elite VSX-LX505 with Dirac is the best sounding setup we’ve ever heard. Not disappointed in the least.

Great receiver for the price point, I wanted to keep it but the global crossover was the deal breaker. Dirac from the app was easy and sounded great. No issues connecting. Do your firmware updates as your first priority on any equipment makes the set up process much easier

This receiver drives my 5 speakers without any noticeable issues; with about 30% of volume left, the sound level becomes overwhelming, so I'd imagine it can drive a 7.x.4 setup but maybe not to the point of it being unbearably loud. No overheating issues at this point, the unit tends to be in-between cool and warm but no where near hot. The ability to manually adjust each speakers equalizer through the reciver on-screen menu seems unique and i really enjoyed it; i got my speaker setup dialed in better with the manual eq than it sounded with the Denon 3800H Audyssey setup (Audyssey results did sound good though). With that being said, the Pioneer Mcacc room setup did not do a good job. The receiver's menu is straight forward, the remote is straightforward, most functionalities can be done on the face of the reciever. Thus far it seems to be on par with the Denon 3800H, just cheaper and it comes with Dirac live.

Especially when on sale, the combination of full bandwidth Dirac Live and its very capable Preamp/Processor make the VSX-LX505 a great product. Its amplifiers tested poorly at a respected online site (Audioscience review), but I "preout" all channels to external amplifiers. So it has fabulous capabilities. If you rely on internal amplification, compare reviews of this and the Denon 3800/4800 for example. Having only one true subwoofer signal is also a limitation for some people (me include), but I couldn't pass up the VSX-LX505 for its value.

Great Purchase! Sounds Great! Five stars may seem like a sales pitch, I would give less than five but, that's hard to do when it outperforms the one it replaced and was half the cost. I had to replace a failing Yamaha RXA-2040. I found configuring this Receiver much more intuitive than my last. It works great allowing me to steam music videos outside on Zone 2 while others inside are able to play video games or other. It is also easy to use my pone to control the receiver without complications. I can change adjust each zone independently from my phone while anywhere on the property. There are many other features that I have not explored. This receiver was exactly the replacement I needed. Finally, I can sync all zones so that the same thing is playing everywhere. Great for pool parties.

Purchased before Thanksgiving 2024. Three times paid for install, three times cancelled day before! Happening during Christmas Season I wasn’t very pleased. After the first of the year with some help I did it myself. Reciever removal and replacement connected to nine speakers, I’m 70. The set up was very straightforward, Used the Pioneer speaker set up and it sounds great. One day I will try the Pro software that also comes with it. My 7.1.2 make shift Rec Room set up sounds good enough for me. This is my fourth Pioneer, all becuse of tech upgrades. Best bang for your dollar under a grand.

This receiver sounds great, and has all the HDMI 2.1 features and number of inputs anyone can reasonably ask for in 2022, as well as DTS: X and Dolby Atmos support, and included pre-outs making it as future proof as possible. My only complaints with the receiver is the lack of individual speaker crossovers. However, most of my speakers are identical, so it’s not really an issue for me personally.

Fantastic receiver. Very great warm sound. Processes and Sends out audio in a fantastic manner. I use this as my pre amp with a 70s MCS receiver. I have many devices hooked into it. Turned out really well.

The set up instructions were easy to follow. The receiver works very well. I have Polk Audio speakers and sub woofer attached to the receiver, the sound quality is amazing.

Sound Awesome got my best quality sound and this is the beginning need more speakers around 100 recommend

The VSX-LX505 is packed with a lot of features. I can't really think of anything missing for someone that isn't a high end audiophile. The sound is what I expect, and the power is more than enough for my needs. This is probably my 5th Pioneer Elite receiver in 25 years, and I've always been happy with them. I've tried Denon and Yamaha, but keep coming back to Pioneer Elite. The only reason I keep changing receivers is for features, and I like to upgrade when the old one is still valuable on the secondary market.

Is to set up, great sound, great power through al channels

Excellent mid-range receiver. I have it powering a 5.1.4 setup and it sounds great. It was super easy to setup and calibrate. I would take a half star away for the puny plasticy remote if I could, but not impactful enough to give the receiver 4 stars imo. The receiver is otherwise a great value especially when on sale.

This Pioneer AV rocks the house! But don’t expect Best Buy Tech to set it up correctly. I paid $200 to have it setup. Only to have the tech just connect wires. Sound was awful until I got on YouTube and figured out the Dirac live and WOW! now it is awesome. Sadly that was $200 I can’t get back. Wish I had more confidence I could do the setup. I put too much faith into the Best Buy tech thinking he would know how but he didn’t. He was nice enough and admitted he doesn’t setup Pioneers. He mostly knew Denon and Marantz. They don’t have Dirac live. That is the difference and wow is it awesome. Dirac live setup is time consuming but the sound…oh my. Unbelievably good.