Pioneer SC-LX904: Fully equipped AV receiver

Thanks to the sixth generation of Direct Energy HD amplifiers, the Pioneer SC-LX904 is designed for 11 x 140 W at 8-Ohm...

Pioneer SC-LX904
Pioneer SC-LX904

Pioneer’s senior AV receivers, especially the ones with the SC label, have always been known for their incredible depth and scale, while also paying close attention to every little detail in the sound. Nothing gets overlooked by these receivers. The top-of-the-line Pioneer SC-LX904 packs all the best features and tech. Its powerful sound processor lets you create precise spatial effects, making it easy to track the movement of virtual sound sources. Plus, with four ceiling channels, you get a truly immersive 3D sound experience. To dive into another world, just grab some high-quality soundtracks in Dolby Atmos, DTS: X, or IMAX Enhanced Surround formats—the cinema setup is totally ready for it.

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Thanks to the sixth generation of Direct Energy HD amplifiers, the model is designed for 11 x 140 W at 8-Ohm speakers. The new product provides support for “simultaneous multi-channel amplification”. The system is supplemented with new power coils and special capacitors to reduce noise and improve sound. The

Pioneer SC-LX904 AV receiver weighs 18.3 kg with a case depth of 44 cm, which is 6 mm more than the width of the front panel. The volume control and source switching drums are so voluminous that it is somehow difficult to call them “handles”. Under the folding flap, we found the expected set of ports: HDMI, USB, headphone jacks and a calibration microphone. The front panel is made of plastic, or rather, injection molded from a high-hardness polymer. Its “polished” texture looks great from any angle, and getting a little ahead of myself, I will say that accusing the developers of the Pioneer SC-LX904 of saving on metal is completely unfounded. The Pioneer SC-LX904 is ready for 4K/60 Hz transmission with HDCP 2.3 and supports a wide color gamut, 4K scaling for 1080p sources and three high dynamic range (HDR) formats: Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG (hybrid log gamma).

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The Pioneer SC-LX904 AV receiver is equipped with three HDMI outputs that can operate in parallel. This feature will be useful when building complex AV systems with two display devices. For example, with a projector for watching movies and two TVs for games and watching TV shows. The multi-channel analog output 11.2 will allow you to increase the system’s power over time by adding external power amplifiers. The receiver is equipped with a very good multimedia player that can not only play audio files from DLNA servers on the network and from external drives with a USB interface, but also broadcast music from the Internet. All popular audio encoding formats are supported – WAV, FLAC, ALAC and AIFF with parameters up to 24 bit / 192 kHz. Also, Pioneer SC-LX904 is capable of decoding DSD stream with parameters of 2.8, 5.6 and 11.2 MHz, received via HDMI, via USB or via LAN\Wi-Fi. As for control, in addition to traditional options, you can use Google Assistant and Alexa (after updating the firmware). Thanks to these functions, access to Internet radio and online music services is also provided – such as Tidal, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, Deezer.

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For integration into a home computer network, there is an Ethernet RJ-45 port and wireless network support — the Pioneer SC-LX904 is equipped with a dual-band Wi-Fi adapter. In addition to access to DLNA home network servers and popular streaming services Tidal, Spotify and Deezer, the network connection allows you to use a smartphone or tablet as an advanced remote control — just install the iControlAV5 application on your mobile device, available for iOS and Android operating systems. The developers paid the closest attention to integration with Apple products. The receiver supports not only a cable connection of mobile gadgets to the USB port on its facade, but also wireless music streaming via the Apple AirPlay 2 protocol.

Adaptation of the receiver’s sound to the acoustic features of the cinema hall is traditionally entrusted to the MCACC Pro system, created in collaboration with the British professional recording studio AIR Studios. Using the results of measurements obtained with a calibration microphone, this algorithm not only equalizes the frequency response of the system, but also compensates for room resonances, and even effectively combats standing sound waves. Over the many years that Pioneer receivers have been equipped with this system, MCACC has been continuously improved, resulting in the Pro version, which includes, in addition to the usual set of algorithms, the Full Band Phase Control phase correction procedure and Precision Distance technology.

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Google Cast support has been added for wireless operation with portable gadgets from other manufacturers. And finally, the top model Pioneer SC-LX904 supports the latest wireless technology Flare Connect for building a distributed multi-room music system capable of uniting various sources of audio content and active acoustic systems installed in various corners of your home.

Pioneer SC-LX904 Specifications

Number of channels 11.2 (number of channels processed by the preamplifier: 11.2)
Class-D amplifier section with Direct Energy HD technology yes
Output power 215 watts per channel (6 ohms, 1 kHz, THD: 1%, 1 channel driven)
Input sensitivity / impedance 200 mV / 82 kohms (line input), 3.5 mV / 47 kohms (MM phono equalizer)
Output voltage / impedance 1 V / 470 ohms (Pre Out), 200 mV / 1.2 kohms (Zone B / Zone 2 / Zone 3 line outputs), 2 V / 1.2 kohms (Zone 2 / Zone 3 in preamp mode) Total harmonic distortion
0.04% (1 kHz, 100 W)
signal/noise 107 dB (analog linear connectors)
AM/FM tuner yes
IMAX Enhanced support yes
Built-in decoders (main) DTS:X (up to 7.2.4), DTS Neural:X, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS 96/24, DTS-ES, DTS Express, IMAX Enhanced, Dolby Atmos (up to 7.2.4), Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Surround
MCACC Pro auto calibration with full-range phase delay adjustment
Audio Exclusive audio enhancement mode disables the video signal passing through the HDMI port
AV Direct audio enhancement mode disables network functions
Dialog Enhancement dialog enhancement function yes
Processors 32-bit DSP Cirrus Logic (4 cores) and DSP TI Aureus
DAC 2 x ES9026PRO (32 bit/384 kHz)
Supported audio formats (via local network and USB) ALAC, AIFF, FLAC, WAV (RIFF) up to 24 bit/192 kHz and DSD up to 11.2 MHz
Video upscaler in 1080p resolution to Ultra HD yes
Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4/5 GHz
Bluetooth version 4.2, profiles: A2DP 1.2, AVRCP 1.3, codecs: SBC/AAC, maximum range: up to 15 m
Web services Amazon Music, Spotify, TIDAL, Deezer, TuneIn Internet radio
AirPlay/AirPlay 2 support yes
Google Chromecast support yes
Support for wireless multi-room platforms FlareConnect, DTS Play-Fi, SONOS yes
Roon Tested yes
AM/FM tuner with 40 presets yes
Control with Pioneer Remote App for iOS and Android devices yes
Voice control supported via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri
Number of additional zones 2
Inputs 7 (6+1) x HDMI (4K/60 Hz, HDCP 2.3, HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG, 3D Ready), 2 composite, 2 component, 6 linear RCA, MM phono input (RCA), 3 optical, 2 coaxial, 2 x USB for external storage devices (one on the front panel), LAN port
Outputs 3 x HDMI (4K/60 Hz, HDCP 2.3, CEC and others; one with ARC/eARC support, one for zone 2), 11.2-channel Pre Out, 6.3 mm headphone jack, 2 x Pre/Line Out for zone 2 (linear for zone B) and zone 3 (RCA)
Other switching 3.5 mm input for calibration microphone, 2 trigger outputs (3.5 mm, 12 V, 100 mA/25 mA), IR connectors (2 inputs/1 output), RS-232C interface, AM/FM antenna jacks, 2 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna jacks, ground terminal Speaker
outputs 11 pairs of screw terminals (4–16 Ohm)
Power consumption 340 W, standby: 0.2 W
Remote control yes
Dimensions (WxHxD) 435x185x440 mm
Weight 18.3 kg