Pioneer announces 2016 AV receivers with Atmos and multi-room support

Pioneer has fitted all three models with an ESS SABRE32 Ultra DAC, which the company says allows them to deliver “clear, detailed sound”. The Direct Energy HD amplifier incorporated in the trio has been redesigned from the ground up, including the circuit layout. Pioneer says the changes have resulted in an improved sound quality.

Also featured is Pioneer’s Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration System (MCACC), which calibrates the sound according to the room it’s in. Pioneer claims that the system is able to compensate for differences in speaker size, level and distance.

A new Reflect Optimiser is onboard to help deliver the “best sound experience” from Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers and add-ons. DTS:X is supported alongside Dolby Atmos and is ready to go out-the-box.

The SC-LX901 is an 11.1-channel amplifier

The SC-LX901 is an 11.1-channel amplifier

All three models can handle 4K video at 60fps with HDCP 2.2, meaning they can be used with Ultra HD Blu-ray players such as the Panasonic DMP-UB900.

With all three units being Google Cast ready, you can also wirelessly stream music, radio and podcasts directly to the receivers.

Alternatively you can stream music from the in-built Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and TuneIn radio services, or use them as part of a multi-room music system, thanks to Zone 2 powered/line out output and Zone 3 line out output.

The Pioneer SC-LX701 (£1399), SC-LX801 (£1899) and SC-LX901 (£2499) will be available from September.

MORE: Best home cinema amplifiers 2016

Max is a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?'s sister site, TechRadar, in Australia. But being the wonderful English guy he is, he helps out with content across a number of Future sites, including What Hi-Fi?. It wouldn't be his first exposure to the world of all things hi-fi and home cinema, as his first role in technology journalism was with What Hi-Fi? in the UK. Clearly he pined to return after making the move to Australia and the team have welcomed him back with arms wide open.