The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Denon AVR-S540BT vs Onkyo TX-SR353 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Denon AVR-S540BT has 5.2 versus 5.1 for Onkyo TX-SR353. Regarding power, then AVR-S540BT has such a W/Ohm ratio - 70/8, 90/6 when TX-SR353 has a power of 140/6. The THD is the same and is 0.08%.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/32-bit for AVR-S540BT and 192 KHz/24-bit for the TX-SR353. None of the models support Bi-amping. Sound transmission directly to the amplifier in Pure direct (straight) mode is not implemented in these models.
Both models do not have WI-FI support. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Each of these units does not support Apple Music. Only the AVR-S540BT supports Spotify.
Only the Denon AVR-S540BT has support for High dynamic range (HDR). HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. Both competitors are not able to scale the HDMI signal. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the AVR-S540BT.
The Denon AVR-S540BT has 5/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Onkyo TX-SR353. 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. A voice control is not available. An ECO mode is only available for the AVR-S540BT. The setup assistant will help you configure Denon AVR-S540BT.
None of the rivals equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The receivers do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X.