Pioneer VSX-532 vs Onkyo TX-SR353 review

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The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Pioneer VSX-532 vs Onkyo TX-SR353 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.

Amplifier

Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 5.1. Regarding power, then VSX-532 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 80/8, 150/6 when TX-SR353 has a power of 140/6. The THD is the same and is 0.08%.

Audio features

Competitors' digital to analog converter (DAC) is identical to 192 KHz/24-bit. Only the VSX-532 supports Bi-amping feature. The Pioneer VSX-532 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.

Connectivity

Both models do not have WI-FI support. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Each of these units does not support Apple Music. Competitors do not have built-in Spotify service. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. Both competitors are not able to scale the HDMI signal. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is not supported by these receivers.

Extensive connections

Each receiver has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs. 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 VSX-532. Unfortunately, the setup assistant is not available in each of the models.

Multichannel surround

None of the rivals equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The receivers do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X.