Pioneer VSX-LX303 AV Receiver Review

The Pioneer VSX-LX303 is an amazing package when you consider what comes inside this little black box. The 303 outputs a respectable 100 watts of juice to its 9.2 channels. Not only that it includes Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 4K video support and more which isn’t bad for a receiver that costs under a grand.

Pioneer VSX-LX303 Appearance

Pioneer really hasn’t changed the overall aesthetics of their av receivers for quite some time. As in years past, the 303 has a brushed aluminum finish. The front houses an amber lit display that’s flanked by input select and volume knobs on the left and right. The amp includes a headphone port on the front as well as USB and HDMI inputs.

Take a peek at the backside of the amp and you see an ample array of inputs and outputs. The Pioneer VSX-LX303 includes a multitude of analog and digital inputs, but let’s face it, the highlight of the show is its six HDMIs. Most of us have either a flat-screen TV or a projector which means the HDMI inputs will probably be the most used inputs on the Pioneer 303. The HDMIs are pretty future proof since they support most of the recent 4K video standards such as; DR10, HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), Dolby Vision, 4K at (60p/4:4:4/24-bit), BT.2020, and HDCP 2.2. Whew… as far as video there really isn’t much more anyone can ask for.

The remote that comes with the Pioneer VSX-LX303 is pretty slick. Unlike some remotes that come bundled with AV equipment, it’s not over-stuffed with buttons. It’s actually pretty intuitive and easy to use and is definitely one of the better remotes that I’ve used with an AV receiver.

Dolby Atmos & DTS:X

It’s unusual to find a 9 channel Atmos & DTS:X enabled amp at this price point, but here we have one. The Pioneer VSX-LX303’s 9 channels give you a lot of flexibility with speaker placement. For Atmos & DTS:X, most will probably run the 303 in 5.1.4 or 7.1.2 speaker arrangement. For my listening tests, I ran it using a 5.1.4 speaker layout.

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Check out our review of the Yamaha RX-V685

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Pioneer VSX-LX303 Wireless & Networking

Times have certainly changed. The days of having multiple devices tethered to your AV receiver are slowly coming to an end thanks to WiFi and Bluetooth. Luckily, the 303 has both of these features built-in. Thanks to Bluetooth you can stream audio from just about any Bluetooth compatible device such as a smartphone or tablet. Spotify, Deezer, and Tidal are among a few of the streaming services that you can use. All of these work pretty seamlessly with the unit.

For multi-room audio and wireless streaming, the 303 has no shortage of options. The amp has Chromecast built-in and is also compatible with Google Assistant which allows you to control some of the receiver’s basic functions with voice commands if you have a Google voice-activated speaker connected. If you have Sonos speakers planted around your house, the Pioneer VSX-303 works with Sonos which means you can seamlessly integrate it with your existing Sonos ecosystem.

Two other lesser-known multi-room systems are DTS-PlayFi and FlareConnect. If you have equipment that supports either of these two formats, then the Pioneer VSX-LX303 can act as the centerpiece of your multi-room audio system. The one drawback to these two formats is that neither of them has really caught on yet which means there isn’t a huge variety of compatible devices.

I said that the Pioneer 303 gives you a lot of streaming options and I wasn’t joking. Because in addition to the above, the 303 is also AirPlay compatible, which is perfect for streaming from Apple devices. If you want to stream hi-res audio over your network, the Pioneer VSX-LX303 is also DLNA compliant which means you can stream hi-res files from a compatible NAS drive that resides on your network.

Pioneer VSX-LX303 Setup

The setup and calibration of the 303 are pretty straightforward. For calibration, the Pioneer VSX-LX303 uses Pioneer’s tried and true MCACC system. With MCACC, you place the included microphone at the designated positions in your listening area and then the 303 sets the proper distance, speaker levels, and crossover settings for your speakers. After running the calibration, I went back in to double-check the settings which I recommend that everyone do. When I did, I noticed that the MCACC had set my front speakers to large (full-range). So I changed the crossover settings to a THX recommended 80Hz. This problem isn’t relegated to just MCACC. Nearly every calibration system I’ve ever tested has done this so I always advise people to double-check the settings after they run the calibration routine.

Performance

The first movie I tested the Pioneer VSX-LX303 with was Godzilla King of Monsters and this amp didn’t disappoint. Encoded with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, this movie uses tons of panning effects, not only horizontally, but vertically as well. The end result is that it creates a sonic bubble that pulls you into the movie. The 303 easily tackled the soundtrack of King of Monsters with ease. Dialogue was clear and precise coming from the center channel and the bass output from the 303 was thunderous.

Next up was Fast and Furious: Hobbs & Shaw. The soundtrack for this movie is pretty insane which is pretty much what you’d expect from a Fast and Furious movie. The Atmos track for this is relentless in its complexity. Sounds pop-in from all directions and never lets up and luckily the Pioneer VSX-LX303 seemed more than capable of keeping up.

For music, the 303 was equally impressive. The receiver was agile and powerful enough to easily handle rock and Hip Hop soundtracks but also had enough nuance to tackle classical music. I did note that the LX303 does have a slightly warm tonality to it. Personally, I have no problem with this, however, audio purists may object.

Conclusion

The Pioneer VSX-LX303 is loaded with features and has impressive sound quality to boot! Pioneer’s suggested MSRP for the 303 is $800 and for that price, it’s a pretty good value. However, considering that you can pick one of these up right now for well under $800, it’s a steal.