Pioneer VSX-524-K vs Pioneer VSX-523-K

      Pioneer VSX-524-K

      Pioneer VSX-523-K
      62
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      63
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      USA
      USA
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      Disclosure: We earn money from the affiliate links to products associated with content in this article.

      Overview

      Here we are comparing Pioneer VSX-524-K to Pioneer VSX-523-K to reveal their common strengths and weaknesses as well as the differences between them which will help you in making a correct decision before the purchase. Both receivers have 5 channel and equally powerful amplifiers.


      Pioneer VSX-524-K Pioneer VSX-523-K

      Pioneer VSX-524-K was introduced in 2014. It is equipped with 5 channel amplifier with 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz and 2 channel driven) power per channel and is capable of 5.1 maximum channel processing. It , passes 4K/60Hz video signal.

      Pioneer VSX-523-K was introduced in 2013. It is equipped with 5 channel amplifier with 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz and 2 channel driven) power per channel and is capable of 5.1 maximum channel processing. It , passes 4K/30Hz video signal.

      Highlights

      • 5.1 Channels
      • 5.1 Channel Processing
      • 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      • 4K/60Hz Passthrough

      Highlights

      • 5.1 Channels
      • 5.1 Channel Processing
      • 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      • 4K/30Hz Passthrough

      Table of Contents
      1. Overview
      2. Pros and Cons
      3. Advantage of Pioneer VSX-524-K
      4. Advantage of Pioneer VSX-523-K
      5. Common Strengths and Weaknesses
      6. Audio Section
      7. Video Section
      8. Inputs and Outputs
      9. Evaluations
      10. Specifications  

      Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these receivers, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

      Pros and Cons

      In this section we present pros and cons of Pioneer VSX-524-K and Pioneer VSX-523-K.

      PROS

      Pioneer VSX-524-K

      Pioneer VSX-523-K

      •   DSD via HDMI
      •   Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
      •   USB Input
      •   Composite Video Inputs
      •   Analog Tuner
      •   DSD via HDMI
      •   Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
      •   New HDCP Version
      •   USB Input
      •   Composite Video Inputs
      •   Analog Tuner

      CONS

      Pioneer VSX-524-K

      Pioneer VSX-523-K

      •   Few Channels - 5.1
      •   Low Power Output - 80 W
      •   5.1 Channel Processing
      •   No Dolby Atmos
      •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
      •   No DTS:X
      •   No IMAX Enhanced
      •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
      •   No HDR10
      •   No HDR10+
      •   No Dolby Vision
      •   No eARC
      •   No 8K Passthrough
      •   No Wi-Fi
      •   No Bluetooth
      •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
      •   4 HDMI Inputs
      •   1 HDMI Outputs
      •   0 8K Input
      •   Few RCA Line Inputs
      •   No Phono Input
      •   No RCA Pre-Outs
      •   No Ethernet
      •   No Zones
      •   No Digital Radio
      •   No Pandora
      •   No Spotify
      •   No Tidal
      •   Few Channels - 5.1
      •   Low Power Output - 80 W
      •   5.1 Channel Processing
      •   No Dolby Atmos
      •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
      •   No DTS:X
      •   No IMAX Enhanced
      •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
      •   No HDR10
      •   No HDR10+
      •   No Dolby Vision
      •   No eARC
      •   No 8K Passthrough
      •   No Wi-Fi
      •   No Bluetooth
      •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
      •   4 HDMI Inputs
      •   1 HDMI Outputs
      •   0 8K Input
      •   Few RCA Line Inputs
      •   No Phono Input
      •   No RCA Pre-Outs
      •   No Ethernet
      •   No Zones
      •   No Digital Radio
      •   No Pandora
      •   No Spotify
      •   No Tidal

      Advantage of Pioneer VSX-524-K

      Pioneer VSX-524-K
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      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pioneer VSX-524-K over Pioneer VSX-523-K.

      Pioneer VSX-524-K vs Pioneer VSX-523-K
      Video Signal Passthrough up to 4K/60p/4:2:0/24-bit
      4K/24p/4:4:4/24-bit
      4K/24p/4:2:2/36-bit      		 vs up to 4K/30p

      Check out other receivers which are frequently compared to Pioneer VSX-524-K.

      Pioneer VSX-522-K
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      5.1 channel

      80 W

      Yamaha RX-A2020
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      9.2 channel

      140 W

      Advantage of Pioneer VSX-523-K

      Pioneer VSX-523-K
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      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pioneer VSX-523-K over Pioneer VSX-524-K.

      Pioneer VSX-524-K vs Pioneer VSX-523-K
      DLNA 1.5 vs
      AirPlay vs AirPlay

      Check out other receivers which are frequently compared to Pioneer VSX-523-K.

      Pioneer VSX-522-K
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      5.1 channel

      80 W

      Pioneer SC-77
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      9.2 channel

      140 W

      Pioneer VSX-534D
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      5.2 channel

      80 W

      Yamaha RX-V485
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      5.1 channel

      80 W

      Pioneer VSX-823-K
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      5.1 channel

      80 W

      Arcam AVR11
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      7.2 channel

      80 W

      Common Strengths and Weaknesses

      We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

      STRENGTHS Pioneer VSX-524-K Pioneer VSX-523-K
        DSD via HDMI 2-ch Input 2-ch Input
        Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic. MCACC Auto MCACC Auto
        USB Input1 Front1 Front
        Composite Video Inputs22
        Analog Tuner FM/AM FM/AM
      WEAKNESSES Pioneer VSX-524-K Pioneer VSX-523-K
        Few Channels5.15.1
        Low Power Output80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
        Channel Processing5.15.1
        No Dolby Atmos
        No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
        No DTS:X
        No IMAX Enhanced
        No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
        No HDR10
        No HDR10+
        No Dolby Vision
        No eARC
        No 8K Passthroughup to 4K/60p/4:2:0/24-bit
      4K/24p/4:4:4/24-bit
      4K/24p/4:2:2/36-bit      		up to 4K/30p
        No Wi-Fi
        No Bluetooth
        Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
        Few HDMI Inputs44
        Few HDMI Outputs11
        Few 8K Inputs
        Few RCA Line Inputs33
        No Phono Input
        No RCA Pre-Outs0.10.1
        No Ethernet
        No Zones11
        No Digital Radio
        No Pandora
        No Spotify
        No Tidal

      Audio Section

      Amplifier

      Pioneer VSX-524-K Pioneer VSX-523-K

      5 channel Discrete Direct Energy Amplifier: Pioneer VSX-524-K features 5 channel power amplifier with Discrete Direct Energy design. It is rated at 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven).

      5 channel Discrete Direct Energy Amplifier: Pioneer VSX-523-K features 5 channel power amplifier with Discrete Direct Energy design. It is rated at 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven).

        Speaker Configurations

        Pioneer VSX-524-K's and Pioneer VSX-523-K's amplifiers can be assigned for different speaker configurations.

        • Configurations: Available configurations are:
        • Pioneer VSX-524-K: 5.1 with internal amplifier.
        • Pioneer VSX-523-K: 5.1 with internal amplifier.

          • Sound Processing

          • Compressed Music Enhancer: Pioneer VSX-524-K and Pioneer VSX-523-K feature Compressed Music Enhancer which enhances the quality of the music files with lossy compression.
          • Advanced Sound Retriever: Compressed music enhancement in Pioneer VSX-524-K and Pioneer VSX-523-K is done by Pioneer’s Advanced Sound Retriever. Hear the detail, warmth and clarity, the way the artist intended it, from all of your highly compressed MP3 and WMA files stored on USB, Smartphone and portable media players. By restoring data that tend to get lost in the digital compression process, Pioneers Advanced Sound Retriever Technology enhances audio reproduction all the way upto 20 Khz frequencies.

          Room Calibration

          Pioneer VSX-524-K and Pioneer VSX-523-K come with MCACC Auto room correction system.

          • MCACC: Pioneer’s exclusive Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration System (MCACC) delivers an easy-to-use, automatic sound adjustment system to precision-tune your Pioneer and Pioneer Elite receivers with minimal effort. Every MCACC system comes with a microphone to measure and analyze reverb characteristics. The equalizer optimally adjusts sound parameters to fit the size and shape of your home environment while maintaining the integrity of high-resolution playback without any degradation to the quality of your music.

        Video Section

        HDMI

        Pioneer VSX-524-K and Pioneer VSX-523-K come with 4 HDMI inputs. It has 1 output.

        • 4K/60Hz Passthrough on Pioneer VSX-524-K: All inputs pass up to 4K/60p/4:2:0/24-bit
          4K/24p/4:4:4/24-bit
          4K/24p/4:2:2/36-bit video signal.
          4K/30Hz Passthrough on Pioneer VSX-523-K: All inputs pass up to 4K/30p video signal.
        • HDCP 2.-1.0 Copy Protection: Pioneer VSX-523-K is HDCP 2.2.0 compliant which is a requirement for 4K/HDR copy-protected content transmission.
        • 3D Ready: Both receivers are able to pass 3D video through HDMI.

        Inputs and Outputs

        Audio

        • Analog Line Inputs: There are 3 pair of line inputs on both receivers for connecting sources with analog outputs.
        • Digital Inputs: 1 optical input and 1 coaxial input are available for digital audio connections on both receivers.
        • Headphone Output: There is a 6.3 mm (1/4") headphone output jack on the front panel of each receiver.

        Video

        • HDMI:
        • Pioneer VSX-524-K
          Inputs:           4   Outputs: 1
          8K Inputs: 0.
        • Pioneer VSX-523-K
          Inputs:           4   Outputs: 1
          8K Inputs: 0.
        • Composite Video: Connect you VCR, Laserdisc player and other old video equipment with composite video cables.
        • Pioneer VSX-524-K
          Inputs:           2   Outputs: 1.
        • Pioneer VSX-523-K
          Inputs:           2   Outputs: 1.

        Front A/V Inputs

        • Pioneer VSX-524-K: USB
        • Pioneer VSX-523-K: USB

        Pioneer VSX-524-K

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        Pioneer VSX-523-K

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        Evaluations

        We evaluate Pioneer VSX-524-K and Pioneer VSX-523-K and give them scores of 62 and 63 out of 100 recpectively. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new receiver is added to the database.


        Pioneer VSX-524-K

        Pioneer VSX-523-K

        OVERALL
        62
        OVERALL
        63

        Amplifier

        Pioneer VSX-524-K

        Pioneer VSX-523-K

        GOOD
        71
        •   Few Channels - 5.1
        •   Low Power Output - 80 W
        GOOD
        71
        •   Few Channels - 5.1
        •   Low Power Output - 80 W

        Audio Features

        Pioneer VSX-524-K

        Pioneer VSX-523-K

        AVERAGE
        62
        •   Few Channels - 5.1
        •   5.1 Channel Processing
        •   No Dolby Atmos
        •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
        •   No DTS:X
        •   No IMAX Enhanced
        •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
        •   DSD via HDMI
        AVERAGE
        62
        •   Few Channels - 5.1
        •   5.1 Channel Processing
        •   No Dolby Atmos
        •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
        •   No DTS:X
        •   No IMAX Enhanced
        •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
        •   DSD via HDMI

        Video Features

        Pioneer VSX-524-K

        Pioneer VSX-523-K

        AVERAGE
        66
        •   No HDR10
        •   No HDR10+
        •   No Dolby Vision
        •   No 8K Passthrough
        AVERAGE
        59
        •   No HDR10
        •   No HDR10+
        •   No Dolby Vision
        •   No 8K Passthrough

        Connectivity

        Pioneer VSX-524-K

        Pioneer VSX-523-K

        POOR
        48
        •   No eARC
        •   No Wi-Fi
        •   No Bluetooth
        •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
        •   4 HDMI Inputs
        •   1 HDMI Outputs
        •   0 8K Input
        •   USB Input
        •   Few RCA Line Inputs
        •   No Phono Input
        •   No RCA Pre-Outs
        •   Composite Video Inputs
        •   No Ethernet
        AVERAGE
        61
        •   No eARC
        •   New HDCP Version
        •   No Wi-Fi
        •   No Bluetooth
        •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
        •   4 HDMI Inputs
        •   1 HDMI Outputs
        •   0 8K Input
        •   USB Input
        •   Few RCA Line Inputs
        •   No Phono Input
        •   No RCA Pre-Outs
        •   Composite Video Inputs
        •   No Ethernet

        Zones

        Pioneer VSX-524-K

        Pioneer VSX-523-K

        AVERAGE
        55
        •   No Zones
        AVERAGE
        55
        •   No Zones

        Radio

        Pioneer VSX-524-K

        Pioneer VSX-523-K

        AVERAGE
        59
        •   Analog Tuner
        •   No Pandora
        •   No Spotify
        •   No Tidal
        AVERAGE
        59
        •   Analog Tuner
        •   No Pandora
        •   No Spotify
        •   No Tidal


        For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:

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