Pioneer Vs Yamaha – AV Receivers (The Truth)

Pioneer and Yamaha are both old names when it comes to audio device engineering. People however report having different tastes when it comes to sound quality. In this article, we compare Pioneer and Yamaha receivers.

Pioneer receivers tend to outperform Yamaha receivers of similar specifications and prices. However, Yamaha receivers offer excellent durability, built quality, and warranty.

If buying either brand, stick to models that are still made in Japan, as opposed to Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.

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Pioneer Vs Yamaha Comparison Table

Features	Pioneer	Yamaha
Sound Quality	Smooth and high-quality sound. The performance is natural and accurate with progressed sound and heavy bass.	The sound is good. However, they may sometimes be harsh and fatiguing.
Bass Performance	The bass is splendid and great with all music types.	More superior bass
Frequency Response	An expansive sound stage.	Frequency response is wide with much better mid-range delivery.
Pricing	Affordable pricing	Expensive and inexpensive models are available
Efficiency	Pioneer speakers produce excellent high, mid and low ranges.	Great deep bass, extended power highs, good power handling, and high sensitivity for exceptional dynamic range.
Power and Amplification	They deliver huge bass values at lower power rates and will not drive your power bills crazy.	values at lower power rates and will not drive your power bills crazy. Heavy-duty P.A speakers will demand more power compared to low-value speakers.
Music	Mellow music – jazz, soul, blues	Harsher music genres – hard rock, punk and metallic
Movies	Drama, comedy, romance	Action, thriller, science fiction

Pioneer Vs Yamaha Overview

Pioneer Overview

Pioneer has been in the market for many years. Their receivers are high-quality and worth considering for people who are looking for quality receivers.

Pioneer produces two broad categories of receivers – the high-end Elite series and the budget VSX series. The Elite VSX models are generally labeled VSX-LXxxx, while the non-Elite VSX models are VSX-xxx without including the LX.

Also, apart from being a quality brand, Pioneer is a brand of innovation too. It launched the first LD combination player in 1984.

The player had the ability to be connected to LDs and CDs. To stamp its position in the market, it launched the first DVD player for professional DJs and VDJs 20 years later, and in-dash multimedia AVH receivers in 2018. The receivers come with Bluetooth HFP 1.6, a wideband for higher sound quality, and AVRCP 1.5 which makes it easier to browse your media library.

Yamaha Overview

In 1991, Yamaha started shipping RX-V1050 and RX-V850 receivers built around a digital Yamaha decoder integrated circuit (YSS203). In this era, other Dolby Pro Logic decoders utilized analog circuitry. 

The Dolby Pro Logic Enhanced surround mode that was first introduced in the Yamaha RX-V850 offered to envelop DSP processing for directional sound placement. This contributed to today’s Yamaha technologies – Surround AI and CINEMA DSP.

Before the move to separate components, Yamaha evolved from CINEMA DSP through Dolby Digital, YPAO to HDMI.

In 2007, Yamaha produced the last Z-series AV receiver – RX-Z11, and moved to separates in 2008. Yet in 2010, Yamaha reengineered its receivers and came up with an AVENTAGE line of receivers. 

In 2015, Yamaha introduced Dolby Atmos, which became a much more advanced breakthrough in surround sound.

The latest AV receivers are however more enhanced with Surround: AI capabilities. Besides, they can decode up to 9.1 channels of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based surround sound. 

Sound Quality

Pioneer Sound Quality

Pioneer speakers’ sound is so smooth and high-quality. The performance is natural and accurate with progressed sound and heavy bass that consists of hip hop, opportunity rock, and dubstep.

The subwoofers are also highly pleased with the production of high, deep, and extra-correct bass tones.

Pioneer ensures that all the subs deliver excessive energy to create a wonderful effect in very deep frequencies.

Besides, the plug-and-play function provides enhanced stability. In addition, all the Pioneers GM-Series are fitted with adjustable gain controls that guarantee music free from sound distortion.

Yamaha Sound Quality

Yamaha speakers are known to have been designed to give users satisfactory performance. Besides, the designs look appealing and the sound quality is excellent.

Whether you are looking for a soundbar to accompany your TV or you are buying a completely new sound system, Yamaha is a good choice with a great musical performance.

Pioneer Sound Harshness and Fatigue

As anyone would expect, Pioneer speakers deliver very high-quality sound. Besides, they are well-built.

The highs are very clean and crisp. Also, the mids are very clean and deliver a good amount of bass. They are however not harsh like other brands. Generally, Pioneer speakers are much smoother than Yamaha.

Yamaha Sound Harshness and Fatigue

Many Yamaha users say that the speakers are either harsh or fatiguing. While the designs look appealing to the eyes, the sound quality of some Yamaha speaker models is excellent. Also, the harness and fatigue may depend on the type of music you are playing or even the receiver effects.

Bass Performance

For the purpose of bass performance, we shall review Pioneer SW-8MK2 Vs. Yamaha YST-SW012.

These subwoofers offer splendid bass performance regardless of the music you are listening to. If you need more power-handling capabilities, go with Yamaha. However, if your interest is in more powerful bass extortion, Pioneer wins the league.

Yamaha YST-SW012 a powerful Subwoofer

The sub produces a more powerful and richer sound with more texture. Even when tucked under the table, cause its size allows anyway, the sub is still capable of bouncing sound off the walls with a mightful thump and deep rich bass sound.

Pros

• It has its own power switch and volume controls for superior balancing.
• The small size of the driver is good for playing classical or jazz music.

Cons

• No auto-off

Pioneer SW-8MK2 a front-firing subwoofer

This sub delivers excellent performance and is good for any type of music. Besides, movies sound great and quite deep and impactful.

Pros

• It drives some useful bass extension for the system and certainly rounds out the sound.
• Extremely easy to set up.
• Deep bass is also loud enough in a small/medium-sized room.

Cons

• The low-frequency range extends to only 38Hz and provides no frequency response curves to show how it performs once there.

Frequency Response

Pioneer Frequency Response

Pioneer delivers a smooth frequency response and an expansive sound stage you can listen to your music with. The TS series speakers have a frequency response spanning from 34Hz to 42Hz.

Yamaha Frequency Response

The HS series Yamaha speakers have a wide frequency response ranging from 38Hz to 30kHZ. The PA system Yamaha speakers however have a shorter frequency response ranging from 55Hz to 20kHz.

Pricing

Pioneer Speaker prices

Pioneer speakers are fairly priced. Although some speakers from this company will go as high as $80,000, some of the latest versions in the Pioneer series such as the SP-BS22-LR go as low as $159/pr.

Yamaha Speaker Prices

Yamaha speakers are favorably priced with the lower range being completely affordable. However, some of the best models can be very expensive.

Efficiency

Pioneer speakers produce excellent high, mid and low ranges. They sound admittingly clear and are efficient for small or large rooms if well placed.

Yamaha speakers have a unique sound signature that makes them sound completely neutral. They also offer great deep bass, extended power highs, good power handling, and high sensitivity for exceptional dynamic range that make them among the most efficient speakers in the market.

Power And Amplification

Pioneer Power Requirements

Pioneer speakers are not so power-hungry. They deliver huge bass values at lower power rates and will not drive your power bills crazy.

Yamaha Power Requirements

Yamaha speakers are generally not power-hungry. However, depending on the category of speakers you choose, heavy-duty P. A speaker will demand more power compared to low-value speakers.

Pioneer Vs Yamaha For Music And Movies

Pioneer Speakers For Music and movies

Pioneer is suitable for more mellow music and movies without a lot of sound effects. Great genres include jazz, soul, blues, and so on. Movie genres you can enjoy with pioneer include drama, comedy, romance, and so on.

Yamaha Speakers For Music and Movies

When it comes to harsh music genres such as hard rock, punk, Metallica, and so on at incredible volumes, Yamaha is the better choice. Some of the movie genres you can enjoy with Yamaha speakers include thriller, action, science fiction, and so on.

Design And Build Quality

Pioneer Design and Build Quality

Pioneer speakers have a much shallow design, even though the tweeters, midrange, and other components are really good. Their designs are not always the most modern.

Yamaha Design and Build Quality

Yamaha speakers’ design looks so appealing to the eye. Besides, they produce excellent sound quality.

They are just a perfect build for you whether you are looking for a soundbar to pair with your TV or you desire a full-Fledged sound system, they are really modern.

The Importance Of Audio Audition

Choosing the best speaker in a market marred with a mix of vintage and modern speakers from a myriad of manufacturers may not be so easy. That is why we recommend you conduct a better audio audition when choosing speakers until you land your best match. You will find one of your best speakers from Pioneer or Yamaha, just listen to both.

Example Comparison Of Sound Quality

For this article, we picked four comparable speakers from Pioneer and Yamaha the Pioneer SP-FS52 and SP-BS22-LR, and Yamaha NS-F150 and NS-6490.

These are not top brands but are simply comparable.

Pioneer SP-FS52 and SP-BS22-LR

Pioneer has maintained its reputation for producing great speakers. These speakers come with an incredible design and deliver sophisticated sound quality. Although they are good secondary floor-standing speakers, the sounds can be dull at high volumes.

Yamaha NS-F150 and NS-6490

These speakers rock, and are true 3-way speakers. The highs are clear and deliver classic mid-range value. The bass is however crappy.

Conclusion

So, comparing Pioneer Vs. Yamaha, Pioneer makes Yamaha a runner-up in terms of power. Pioneer is generally claimed to be a mix of quality and innovation, making it the best bet in most use scenarios.