Pioneer VSX-531 vs Pioneer VSX-530-K

      Pioneer VSX-531

      Pioneer VSX-530-K
      67
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      65
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      North America
      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-531 to Pioneer VSX-530-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-531 Pioneer VSX-530-K

      Pioneer VSX-531 was introduced in 2016. 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-530-K was introduced in 2015. 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.

      Highlights

      • 5.1 Channels
      • 5.1 Channel Processing
      • 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      • HDR10
      • 4K/60Hz Passthrough
      • Bluetooth

      Highlights

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

      Table of Contents
      1. Overview
      2. Pros and Cons
      3. Advantage of Pioneer VSX-531
      4. Advantage of Pioneer VSX-530-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-531 and Pioneer VSX-530-K.

      PROS

      Pioneer VSX-531

      Pioneer VSX-530-K

      •   DSD via HDMI
      •   HDR10
      •   New HDCP Version
      •   Bluetooth
      •   USB Input
      •   Composite Video Inputs
      •   Analog Tuner
      •   DSD via HDMI
      •   New HDCP Version
      •   Bluetooth
      •   USB Input
      •   Composite Video Inputs
      •   Analog Tuner

      CONS

      Pioneer VSX-531

      Pioneer VSX-530-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 Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
      •   No HDR10+
      •   No Dolby Vision
      •   No eARC
      •   No 8K Passthrough
      •   No Wi-Fi
      •   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
      •   Bluetooth 3.0
      •   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 Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
      •   No HDR10
      •   No HDR10+
      •   No Dolby Vision
      •   No eARC
      •   No 8K Passthrough
      •   No Wi-Fi
      •   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
      •   Bluetooth 3.0

      Advantage of Pioneer VSX-531

      Pioneer VSX-531
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      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pioneer VSX-531 over Pioneer VSX-530-K.

      Pioneer VSX-531 vs Pioneer VSX-530-K
      Auto Level Control vs
      HDR10 vs
      Front A/V Inputs USB, Mini-Jack vs USB

      Check out other receivers which are frequently compared to Pioneer VSX-531.

      Yamaha RX-A1050
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      7.2 channel

      110 W

      Pioneer VSX-834
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      7.2 channel

      80 W

      Yamaha RX-V4A
      Image cannot be found

      5.2 channel

      80 W

      Pioneer VSX-534
      Image cannot be found

      5.2 channel

      80 W

      Onkyo TX-RZ1100
      Image cannot be found

      9.2 channel

      140 W

      Onkyo TX-SR353
      Image cannot be found

      5.1 channel

      80 W

      Pioneer VSX-822-K
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      5.1 channel

      80 W

      Sony STR-DN1080
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      7.2 channel

      100 W

      Yamaha TSR-7850
      Image cannot be found

      7.2 channel

      95 W

      Pioneer VSX-524-K
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      5.1 channel

      80 W

      Marantz SR7012
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      9.2 channel

      125 W

      Pioneer VSX-935
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      7.2 channel

      80 W

      Advantage of Pioneer VSX-530-K

      Pioneer VSX-530-K
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      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pioneer VSX-530-K over Pioneer VSX-531.

      Pioneer VSX-531 vs Pioneer VSX-530-K
      Front Stage Surround Advance vs
      Headphone Surround vs
      Super Resolution vs
      MHL Input vs 1 Rear (Version 2.0)
      DLNA 1.5 vs
      AirPlay vs AirPlay
      Remote Controll App vs iControlAV5 (for iOS and Android)
      Bigger Power Supply 210 W vs 415 W

      Check out other receivers which are frequently compared to Pioneer VSX-530-K.

      Yamaha RX-A1070
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      7.2 channel

      110 W

      Yamaha RX-A880
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      7.2 channel

      100 W

      Yamaha RX-A810
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      7.2 channel

      100 W

      Denon AVR-S650H
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      5.2 channel

      75 W

      Pioneer SC-LX901
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      11.2 channel

      140 W

      Onkyo TX-NR747
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      7.2 channel

      110 W

      Yamaha RX-A1040
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      7.2 channel

      110 W

      Pioneer VSX-LX305
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      9.2 channel

      100 W

      Pioneer SC-91
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      7.2 channel

      130 W

      Yamaha RX-V4A
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      5.2 channel

      80 W

      Yamaha RX-A8A
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      11.2 channel

      150 W

      Pioneer SC-97
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      9.2 channel

      140 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-531 Pioneer VSX-530-K
        DSD via HDMI 2-ch Input 2-ch Input
        New HDCP Version2.22.2
        Bluetooth SBC, AAC SBC, AAC
        USB Input1 Front1 Front
        Composite Video Inputs22
        Analog Tuner FM/AM FM/AM
      WEAKNESSES Pioneer VSX-531 Pioneer VSX-530-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 Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
        No HDR10+
        No Dolby Vision
        No eARC
        No 8K Passthroughup to 4K/60p (4:4:4)up to 4K/60p (4:2:0 24-bit)
      4K/24p (4:4:4 24-bit)
      4K/24p (4:2:2 36-bit)
        No Wi-Fi
        Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
        Few HDMI Inputs44
        Few HDMI Outputs11
        Few 8K Inputs
        Few RCA Line Inputs3 (1 front)3
        No Phono Input
        No RCA Pre-Outs0.10.1
        No Ethernet
        No Zones11
        No Digital Radio
        No Pandora
        No Spotify
        No Tidal
        Old Bluetooth Version3.03.0

      Audio Section

      Amplifier

      Pioneer VSX-531 Pioneer VSX-530-K

      5 channel Discrete Direct Energy Amplifier: Pioneer VSX-531 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-530-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-531's and Pioneer VSX-530-K's amplifiers can be assigned for different speaker configurations.

        • Configurations: Available configurations are:
        • Pioneer VSX-531: 5.1 with internal amplifier.
        • Pioneer VSX-530-K: 5.1 with internal amplifier.

          • Sound Processing

          • Compressed Music Enhancer: Pioneer VSX-531 and Pioneer VSX-530-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-531 and Pioneer VSX-530-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.

        Video Section

        HDMI

        Pioneer VSX-531 and Pioneer VSX-530-K come with 4 HDMI inputs. It has 1 output.

        • 4K/60Hz Passthrough: On both receivers all inputs pass up to 4K/60p (4:4:4) video signal.
        • HDCP 2.2.0 Copy Protection: Both receivers are 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.

        HDR (High Dynamic Range)

        Pioneer VSX-531 supports HDR10

        Pioneer VSX-530-K does not support HDR.

        High dynamic range video has greater dynamic range than standard dynamic range (SDR) video with brighter whites and deeper blacks. The result is greater contrast and more details in dark and bright areas, better color and depth.

        • HDR10: HDR10 uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 supports 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors. It is technically limited to a maximum of 10,000 nits peak brightness, however common HDR10 contents are mastered with peak brightness from 1,000 to 4,000 nits.

        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-531
          Inputs:           4   Outputs: 1
          8K Inputs: 0.
        • Pioneer VSX-530-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-531
          Inputs:           2   Outputs: 1.
        • Pioneer VSX-530-K
          Inputs:           2   Outputs: 1.

        Front A/V Inputs

        • Pioneer VSX-531: USB, Mini-Jack
        • Pioneer VSX-530-K: USB

        Pioneer VSX-531

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        Pioneer VSX-530-K

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        Evaluations

        We evaluate Pioneer VSX-531 and Pioneer VSX-530-K and give them scores of 67 and 65 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-531

        Pioneer VSX-530-K

        OVERALL
        67
        OVERALL
        65

        Amplifier

        Pioneer VSX-531

        Pioneer VSX-530-K

        AVERAGE
        68
        •   Few Channels - 5.1
        •   Low Power Output - 80 W
        GOOD
        71
        •   Few Channels - 5.1
        •   Low Power Output - 80 W

        Audio Features

        Pioneer VSX-531

        Pioneer VSX-530-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-531

        Pioneer VSX-530-K

        GOOD
        80
        •   HDR10
        •   No HDR10+
        •   No Dolby Vision
        •   No 8K Passthrough
        AVERAGE
        66
        •   No HDR10
        •   No HDR10+
        •   No Dolby Vision
        •   No 8K Passthrough

        Connectivity

        Pioneer VSX-531

        Pioneer VSX-530-K

        AVERAGE
        63
        •   No eARC
        •   New HDCP Version
        •   No Wi-Fi
        •   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
        •   Bluetooth 3.0
        AVERAGE
        68
        •   No eARC
        •   New HDCP Version
        •   No Wi-Fi
        •   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
        •   Bluetooth 3.0

        Zones

        Pioneer VSX-531

        Pioneer VSX-530-K

        AVERAGE
        55
        •   No Zones
        AVERAGE
        55
        •   No Zones

        Radio

        Pioneer VSX-531

        Pioneer VSX-530-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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