The power amp section on the VSX-LX103, VSX-LX102 and VSX-LX101 is identical. They have 7 channels of amplification, and the rated output power is the same for all three receivers: 80 Watts per channel (2-channel driven into 8 ohms loads, 20 Hz - 20kHz, 0.08% THD). There is a difference in the number of speaker terminals: the VSX-LX103 has 9 vs 7 on the VSX-LX102 and VSX-LX101. This means that with the VSX-LX103 you can connect a 7.1 channel speakers system in your main room and 2 channel speakers in a second room although if you're playing music in Zone 2, the surround back speakers in your main room cannot be powered due to the fact that the VSX-LX103 only has 7 amp channels. Conversely, the Zone 2 speakers cannot be active while 7.1 channel audio is playing in your main zone. In order to avoid that, you can use the two Pre/Line outs for Zone 2 on the VSX-LX103, which are omitted from the VSX-LX102 and VSX-LX101, for connecting an external power amplifier so that you have 7.1 channel audio in your main room and 2 channel audio in Zone 2 playing at the same time. You can connect up to two powered subwoofers to any of the three receivers. That being said, the same signal is output for the two subwoofer pre outs since the VSX-LX103, VSX-LX102 and VSX-LX101 lack any discrete subwoofer functionality.
The VSX-LX103 and VSX-LX101 have 6 HDMI inputs located at the back whereas the VSX-LX102 has only 4 rear HDMI inputs. All three receivers have a single HDMI output at the back. There aren't any HDMI terminals at the front of any of the three receivers.The VSX-LX103's 6 HDMI inputs and the VSX-LX102's 4 HDMI inputs are full-bandwidth (in terms of the HDMI 2.0 specification), meaning 4K at 50/60Hz signal with full chroma resolution 4:4:4 (and 8-bit color depth) is supported on all HDMI inputs for the two receivers. When it comes to the VSX-LX101, however, only HDMI IN 1-3 are full-bandwidth whereas the remaining three HDMI inputs have limited bandwidth. The VSX-LX103 and VSX-LX102 support HDCP 2.2 on all of their HDMI ports while the only three of the VSX-LX101's HDMI inputs (and the HDMI output) are HDCP 2.2 compatible. The HDMI IN 4-6 on the VSX-LX101 support only HDCP 1.4, meaning that they cannot be used for connecting an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. Furthermore, Dolby Vision pass-through is possible only on HDMI IN 1-3 on the the VSX-LX101 but you'll need to update the firmware first (via USB) because the VSX-LX101 initially supports only HDR10 pass-through on the aforementioned HDMI inputs. The VSX-LX103 and VSX-LX102, on the other hand, support HDR10 and Dolby Vision pass-through out of the box on all HDMI ports. It should be mentioned, though, that there is a firmware update available for the VSX-LX102 that improves Dolby Vision signal pass-through in the event you're experiencing any issues with this HDR format.
Another difference between the VSX-LX103 and VSX-LX101 on the one hand, and the VSX-LX102 on the other is that the former two receivers utilize AK4458 DACs whereas the VSX-LX102 employs AK4438 DACs. Although both DACs are 32-bit (768kHz maximum PCM input), it should be said that the AK4458 has an advantage over the AK4438 in terms of low distortion. The signal-to-noise ratio is 115dB on the AK4458 vs 108dB on the AK4438. The VSX-LX103, VSX-LX102 and VSX-LX101 support the same high-res audio formats. For example, all three receivers are capable of playing 2.8/5.8 MHz DSD files via wired network or USB. Furthermore, ALAC, FLAC, AIFF and WAV up to 192kHz/24-bit can be played back but if you're using wireless network rather than a wired network or USB, the supported sampling rate may be lower: e.g. ALAC up to 96kHz is supported via a wireless network. The VSX-LX103, VSX-LX102 and VSX-LX101 support Dolby Atmos (in up to 5.2.2 channel speaker configuration) out of the box but when it comes to DTS:X, the VSX-LX101 requires a firmware update. The VSX-LX103 and VSX-LX102, however, support DTS:X out of the box.
The VSX-LX101 omits the single USB port that can be found on the back of either the VSX-LX103 or VSX-LX102. That being said, all three receivers have one USB port at the front. The VSX-LX103 is the only one that has a component video input, in addition to the two composite video inputs. The VSX-LX102 and VSX-LX101 only have two composite video inputs, meaning the component video input is omitted. The VSX-LX103 has 5 rear analog audio inputs whereas the VSX-LX101 and VSX-LX102 have only 3 analog audio inputs at the back. The VSX-LX101 lacks the 12V trigger output, the RS-232C port and the IR jack that can be found on the VSX-LX103 and VSX-LX102.
Check availability and pricing on Amazon.com for the VSX-LX103, VSX-LX102 and VSX-LX101 (affiliate links; As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
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