An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Pioneer VSX-S520 vs Denon AVR-X1400H comparison definitely makes sense.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Pioneer VSX-S520 has 5.1 versus 7.2 for Denon AVR-X1400H. Regarding power, then VSX-S520 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 50/4 when AVR-X1400H has a power of 80/8, 120/6. The THD is 0.09% for the VSX-S520 but 0.08% for the AVR-X1400H.
Competitors' digital to analog converter (DAC) is identical to 192 KHz/24-bit. Only the AVR-X1400H supports Bi-amping feature. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Pioneer VSX-S520 has support for AirPlay, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The VSX-S520 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, TuneIn Radio, and the AVR-X1400H can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio, iHeart Radio, Sound Cloud.
These units support HDR technology. Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/60Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. The VSX-S520 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the AVR-X1400H. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.
The Pioneer VSX-S520 has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 6/1 HDMI connectors of the Denon AVR-X1400H. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Unfortunately, HDMI eARC is not available on monitored devices. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.2. The VSX-S520 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. An ECO mode is only available for the AVR-X1400H. Both VSX-S520 and AVR-X1400H can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Both devices have support for Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format. The surround sound technology DTS:X is supported by devices under review.