An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Yamaha RX-V581 vs Marantz SR5011 comparison definitely makes sense.
Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 7.2. Regarding power, then RX-V581 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 115/6 when SR5011 has a power of 100/8, 140/6. The THD is 0.09% for the RX-V581 but 0.08% for the SR5011.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, Burr-Brown 192 KHz/24-bit for RX-V581 and 192 KHz/24-bit for the SR5011. Both the RX-V581 and the SR5011 support Bi-amping. 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 Apple Music service is implemented on considered devices: AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The RX-V581 can work with the audio stream from Pandora, JUKE, and the SR5011 can receive a content from Pandora, SiriusXM.
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 SR5011 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the RX-V581. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the SR5011.
The Yamaha RX-V581 has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 8/2 HDMI connectors of the Marantz SR5011. 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. Receivers do not have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
Each of the AV receivers from our review supports 2 Multi-room zones. A voice control is not available. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both RX-V581 and SR5011 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.