Yamaha RX-S602 vs Pioneer VSX-S520 review

Votes 2 2
Rating 5 5

AV receivers comparison chart

Yamaha RX-S602 vs Pioneer VSX-S520 review

Yamaha RX-S602
vs
Pioneer VSX-S520

An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Yamaha RX-S602 vs Pioneer VSX-S520 comparison definitely makes sense.

Amplifier

Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 5.1. Regarding power, then RX-S602 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 80/8, 125/6 when VSX-S520 has a power of 50/4. The THD is 0.08% for the RX-S602 but 0.09% for the VSX-S520.

Audio features

Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for RX-S602 and 192 KHz/24-bit for the VSX-S520. Only the RX-S602 supports Bi-amping feature. 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 Yamaha RX-S602 has support for AirPlay, AirPlay 2, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The RX-S602 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, Qobuz, and the VSX-S520 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, 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 RX-S602. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the VSX-S520.

Extensive connections

Each receiver has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs.Yamaha RX-S602 connectionsPioneer VSX-S520 connections 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. The RX-S602 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.3, versus HDCP 2.2 in the VSX-S520. The VSX-S520 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. An ECO mode is only available for the RX-S602. Both RX-S602 and VSX-S520 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

Yamaha RX-S602
Pioneer VSX-S520

Model

RX-S602
VSX-S520

Brand

Yamaha
Pioneer

Reviews

6
77

Amplifier

Channels

5.1
5.1

Stereo power (RMS), W/Ohm

80/8, 125/6
50/4

Output impedance, Ohm

8, 6
4

Frequency response

10Hz-100KHz
10Hz-100KHz

THD in stereo, %

0.08
0.09

Audio features

Digital to analog converter (DAC)

Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit
192 KHz/24-bit

Bi-amping

Pure direct (straight)

Auto speaker calibration

YPAO
MCACC

Speaker A/B switching

Other audio features

CINEMA DSP 3D, Compressed Music Enhancer, Virtual CINEMA FRONT
Advanced Sound Retriever, 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 2
AirPlay

Amazon Music

Spotify

Other streaming services

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

Extensive connection

HDMI input/output

4/1
4/1

HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel)

HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)

HDMI CEC

Digital content protection (HDCP)

HDCP 2.3
HDCP 2.2

Subwoofer output (LFE)

1
1

Headphone output

1 x 6.3
1 x 6.3

Optical digital input

1
1

Coaxial digital input

2
1

Composite input

3
0

Component input/output

0/0
0/0

Phono (MM) input

Front panel connectors

USB, phones, setup mic, AUX
USB, 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
DeepColor, x.v.Color

Additional features

Voice control

Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant

App control

iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android
iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android

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
has not

Multi-room

Multi-room zones

2
has not

Zone audio output

speaker
has not

Zone HDMI output

has not

Multi-room control

MusicCast
has not

RS-232

0
0

Remote control input/output (IR)

0/0
0/0

DC trigger output (12V)

0
0

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-HD, DTS-EXPRESS
DTS-ES, DTS 96/24

Auro-3D

IMAX Enhanced

Multichannel stereo

Audio file formats

MP3

WMA

AAC

WAV

FLAC

ALAC

Other audio file formats

AIFF
AIFF

Power

Operational power consumption, W

190
60

Standby consumption, W

0.1
0.2

Removable power cord

User manual

Manual

Dimensions

Size W x H x D, cm/inches

43.5 x 11.1 x 32.8/17 x 4.3 x 12.8
43.5 x 7 x 32.5/17x 2.7 x 12.6

Weight, kg/lbs

7.8/17.2
4/8.8

Other

Release year

2018
2016
Yamaha RX-S602
Pioneer VSX-S520
Yamaha RX-S602
Pioneer VSX-S520

AV receivers SoundInspiration comparison rating

  • better
  • worse
  • 6.5
  • 6
  • 6.5Yamaha RX-S602
  • 6Pioneer VSX-S520