Pioneer VSX-S520 vs Marantz NR1510 review

vs

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. 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.