Pioneer VSX-S520 vs Marantz NR1510 review

Votes 4 4
Rating 4.3 4.3

AV receivers comparison chart

Pioneer VSX-S520 vs Marantz NR1510 review

Pioneer VSX-S520
vs
Marantz NR1510

The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Pioneer VSX-S520 vs Marantz NR1510 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.

Amplifier

A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Pioneer VSX-S520 has 5.1 versus 5.2 for Marantz NR1510. Regarding power, then VSX-S520 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 50/4 when NR1510 has a power of 50/8, 60/6. The THD is 0.09% for the VSX-S520 but 0.08% for the NR1510.

Audio features

Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/24-bit for VSX-S520 and 192 KHz/32-bit for the NR1510. None of the models support Bi-amping. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.

Connectivity

WI-FI modules have the same characteristics: 2.4/5GHz. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Pioneer VSX-S520 has support for AirPlay, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The VSX-S520 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, TuneIn Radio, and the NR1510 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio. 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 VSX-S520 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the NR1510. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.

Extensive connections

The Pioneer VSX-S520 has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 8/1 HDMI connectors of the Marantz NR1510.Pioneer VSX-S520 connectionsMarantz NR1510 connections The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the NR1510. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The VSX-S520 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.2, versus HDCP 2.3 in the NR1510. These compared receivers have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. An ECO mode is only available for the NR1510. Both VSX-S520 and NR1510 can be configured using the Setup assistant.

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

Pioneer VSX-S520
Marantz NR1510

Model

VSX-S520
NR1510

Brand

Pioneer
Marantz

Reviews

77
13

Amplifier

Channels

5.1
5.2

Stereo power (RMS), W/Ohm

50/4
50/8, 60/6

Output impedance, Ohm

4
8, 6

Frequency response

10Hz-100KHz
10Hz-100KHz

THD in stereo, %

0.09
0.08

Audio features

Digital to analog converter (DAC)

192 KHz/24-bit
192 KHz/32-bit

Bi-amping

Pure direct (straight)

Auto speaker calibration

MCACC
Audyssey MultEQ

Speaker A/B switching

Other audio features

Advanced Sound Retriever, Hi-Res audio
Audyssey Dynamic Volume, Audyssey Dynamic EQ, Compressed Audio Enhancer, Hi-Res audio

Connectivity

Wi-Fi

2.4/5GHz
2.4/5GHz

USB

1 (USB 2.0)
1 (USB 2.0)

Bluetooth

Ethernet (RJ45)

1
1

DLNA

MHL

Streaming services

Apple Music (AirPlay)

AirPlay
AirPlay, AirPlay 2

Amazon Music

Spotify

Other streaming services

Deezer, TIDAL, TuneIn Radio
Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio

Extensive connection

HDMI input/output

4/1
8/1

HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel)

HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)

HDMI CEC

Digital content protection (HDCP)

HDCP 2.2
HDCP 2.3

Subwoofer output (LFE)

1
2

Headphone output

1 x 6.3
1 x 6.3

Optical digital input

1
1

Coaxial digital input

1
1

Composite input

0
3

Component input/output

0/0
2/1

Phono (MM) input

Front panel connectors

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

Multi channel preamp output

Video features

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

HDR10

4K signal pass-through

4K/60Hz
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 scaling

HDMI to HDMI scaling

Dolby Vision

Other video features

DeepColor, x.v.Color
HLG, BT.2020

Additional features

Voice control

Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI

App control

iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android
iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, Amazon Kindle

Display

colour OSD
colour OSD

Tuner

AM, FM
AM, FM

Sleep timer

Auto power off

ECO mode

Graphical user interface (GUI)

Setup assistant

Firmware update

network, USB
network, USB

Other additional features

has not
IP Control, Web Control

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
1/0

DC trigger output (12V)

0
1

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, DTS-HD, DTS-EXPRESS, DTS-Surround, DTS-Neo:6

Auro-3D

IMAX Enhanced

Multichannel stereo

Audio file formats

MP3

WMA

AAC

WAV

FLAC

ALAC

Other audio file formats

AIFF
has not

Power

Operational power consumption, W

60
180

Standby consumption, W

0.2
0.2

Removable power cord

User manual

Manual

Dimensions

Size W x H x D, cm/inches

43.5 x 7 x 32.5/17x 2.7 x 12.6
43.5 x 10.1 x 35.5/17 x 4.1 x 14.9

Weight, kg/lbs

4/8.8
8.1/18.1

Other

Release year

2016
2019
Pioneer VSX-S520
Marantz NR1510
Pioneer VSX-S520
Marantz NR1510

AV receivers SoundInspiration comparison rating

  • better
  • worse
  • 6
  • 7
  • 6Pioneer VSX-S520
  • 7Marantz NR1510