Sony STR DH550 vs Pioneer VSX-S520 review

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Rating 5 5

AV receivers comparison chart

Sony STR DH550 vs Pioneer VSX-S520 review

Sony STR DH550
vs
Pioneer VSX-S520

An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Sony STR DH550 vs Pioneer VSX-S520 comparison definitely makes sense.

Amplifier

A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Sony STR DH550 has 5.2 versus 5.1 for Pioneer VSX-S520. Regarding power, then STR DH550 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 90/6 when VSX-S520 has a power of 50/4. The THD is the same and is 0.09%.

Audio features

Competitors' digital to analog converter (DAC) is identical to 192 KHz/24-bit. None of the models support Bi-amping. The Pioneer VSX-S520 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Only the VSX-S520 has Bluetooth support. Only the VSX-S520 supports Spotify.

Video features

Only the Pioneer VSX-S520 has support for High dynamic range (HDR). Only the VSX-S520 provides HDMI signal transmission in standby mode. The VSX-S520 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the STR DH550. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the VSX-S520.

Extensive connections

Each receiver has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs.Sony STR DH550 connectionsPioneer VSX-S520 connections 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. A voice control is not available. An ECO mode is not present in each of the AV receivers. The setup assistant will help you configure Pioneer VSX-S520.

Multichannel surround

Only the VSX-S520 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the VSX-S520.

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General

Item

Sony STR DH550
Pioneer VSX-S520

Model

STR DH550
VSX-S520

Brand

Sony
Pioneer

Reviews

1143
77

Amplifier

Channels

5.2
5.1

Stereo power (RMS), W/Ohm

90/6
50/4

Output impedance, Ohm

6
4

Frequency response

10Hz-100KHz
10Hz-100KHz

THD in stereo, %

0.09
0.09

Audio features

Digital to analog converter (DAC)

192 KHz/24-bit
192 KHz/24-bit

Bi-amping

Pure direct (straight)

Auto speaker calibration

DCAC
MCACC

Speaker A/B switching

Other audio features

has not
Advanced Sound Retriever, Hi-Res audio

Connectivity

Wi-Fi

2.4/5GHz

USB

1 (USB 2.0)
1 (USB 2.0)

Bluetooth

Ethernet (RJ45)

1

DLNA

MHL

Streaming services

Apple Music (AirPlay)

AirPlay

Amazon Music

Spotify

Other streaming services

has not
Deezer, TIDAL, TuneIn Radio

Extensive connection

HDMI input/output

4/1
4/1

HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel)

HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)

HDMI CEC

Digital content protection (HDCP)

HDCP 2.2
HDCP 2.2

Subwoofer output (LFE)

2
1

Headphone output

1 x 6.3
1 x 6.3

Optical digital input

2
1

Coaxial digital input

1
1

Composite input

2
0

Component input/output

0/0
0/0

Phono (MM) input

Front panel connectors

USB, phones, setup mic
USB, phones, setup mic

Multi channel preamp output

Video features

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

4K signal pass-through

4K/60Hz

8K signal pass-through

HDMI signal pass-through

3D signal pass-through

HDMI pass-through in standby mode

Video conversion

analog to HDMI

Analog to HDMI scaling

HDMI to HDMI scaling

Dolby Vision

Other video features

DeepColor, x.v.Color
DeepColor, x.v.Color

Additional features

Voice control

App control

iPhone, iPod, Android
iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android

Display

fluorescent
colour OSD

Tuner

AM, FM
AM, FM

Sleep timer

Auto power off

ECO mode

Graphical user interface (GUI)

Setup assistant

Firmware update

USB
network, USB

Other additional features

has not
has not

Multi-room

Multi-room zones

has not
has not

Zone audio output

has not
has not

Zone HDMI output

has not
has not

Multi-room control

has not
has not

RS-232

0
0

Remote control input/output (IR)

0/0
0/0

DC trigger output (12V)

0
0

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos

Dolby TrueHD

Dolby Surround

Dolby (other)

Dolby Digital Plus
Dolby Digital Plus

DTS:X

DTS HD Master

DTS Virtual:X

DTS Neural:X

DTS (other)

DTS-ES, DTS 96/24
DTS-ES, DTS 96/24

Auro-3D

IMAX Enhanced

Multichannel stereo

Audio file formats

MP3

WMA

AAC

WAV

FLAC

ALAC

Other audio file formats

has not
AIFF

Power

Operational power consumption, W

200
60

Standby consumption, W

0.3
0.2

Removable power cord

User manual

Manual

Dimensions

Size W x H x D, cm/inches

43 x 15.6 x 33/17 x 6 x 13
43.5 x 7 x 32.5/17x 2.7 x 12.6

Weight, kg/lbs

7.6/16.2
4/8.8

Other

Release year

2014
2016
Sony STR DH550
Pioneer VSX-S520
Sony STR DH550
Pioneer VSX-S520

AV receivers SoundInspiration comparison rating

  • better
  • worse
  • 3.7
  • 6
  • 3.7Sony STR DH550
  • 6Pioneer VSX-S520