Pioneer VSX-532 vs Onkyo TX-8260 review

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It makes sense comparing Pioneer VSX-532 vs Onkyo TX-8260 because they both are able to give some premium features.

Amplifier

A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Pioneer VSX-532 has 5.1 versus 2.0 for Onkyo TX-8260. Regarding power, then VSX-532 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 80/8, 150/6 when TX-8260 has a power of 80/8, 160/6. The THD is 0.08% for the VSX-532 but 0.09% for the TX-8260.

Audio features

Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/24-bit for VSX-532 and AK4452 384 KHz/32-bit for the TX-8260. 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

Only the Onkyo TX-8260 can connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Only the TX-8260 supports Spotify. Only the VSX-532 provides HDMI signal transmission in standby mode. Both competitors are not able to scale the HDMI signal. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is not supported by these receivers. Only the VSX-532 supports HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). Unfortunately, HDMI eARC is not available on monitored devices. Of the two receivers in our comparison, HDMI CEC is present in only the VSX-532. The TX-8260 has 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.