Pioneer VSX-524-K

    62
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    USA

    Highlights

    • 5.1 Channels
    • 5.1 Channel Processing
    • 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
    • 4K/60Hz Passthrough
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    Disclosure: We earn money from the affiliate links to products associated with content in this article.

    Overview

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

    We evaluated the a/v receiver and gave 62 overall score out of 100. Our ranking system is based on the amplifier specifications, audio and video features, connectivity, multizone capabilities, radio and many other details.

    Table of Contents
    1. Overview
    2. Pros and Cons
    3. 2014 Lineup
    4. Predecessor
    5. Successor
    6. Audio Section
    7. Video Section
    8. Multi-zone Playback
    9. Inputs and Outputs
    10. Evaluation
    11. Specifications  

    Pros and Cons

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

    PROs

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

    CONs

    •   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

    Pioneer 2014 Lineup

    In 2014 Pioneer released 11 new receivers. Here is the lineup:

    Pioneer 2014 Lineup
    ModelChannelsPowerMax. Ch. Proc.Pre OutsRoom Corr.Immersive AudioZones Price
    SC-89 Image cannot be found
    Compare
    		9.2140 W9.211.2 MCACC ProDolby Atmos4
    SC-87 Image cannot be found
    Compare
    		9.2140 W9.211.2 MCACC ProDolby Atmos4
    SC-85 Image cannot be found
    Compare
    		9.2135 W9.211.2 MCACC ProDolby Atmos4
    SC-82 Image cannot be found
    Compare
    		7.2130 W7.19.2 Advanced MCACC4
    SC-81 Image cannot be found
    Compare
    		7.2120 W7.12.2 Advanced MCACC3
    VSX-80 Image cannot be found
    Compare
    		7.290 W7.12.2 Advanced MCACC3
    VSX-44 Image cannot be found
    Compare
    		7.280 W7.1 MCACC2
    VSX-1124-K Image cannot be found
    Compare
    		7.290 W7.12.2 Advanced MCACC3
    VSX-1024-K Image cannot be found
    Compare
    		7.280 W7.1 MCACC Auto2
    VSX-824-K Image cannot be found
    Compare
    		5.280 W5.1 MCACC Auto1
    VSX-524-K Image cannot be found 5.180 W5.1 MCACC Auto1

    You can view their side-by-side comparison here: Pioneer SC-89 vs SC-87 vs SC-85 vs SC-82 vs SC-81 vs VSX-80.

    Predecessor

    Here we are comparing Pioneer VSX-524-K to its predecessor VSX-523-K and displaying the major changes.

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

    For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Pioneer VSX-524-K vs VSX-523-K.

    Successor

    In 2015 Pioneer VSX-524-K was replaced by Pioneer VSX-530-K. Let us now have a look at some important differences between Pioneer VSX-524-K and its successor.

    UPGRADES Pioneer VSX-530-K vs Pioneer VSX-524-K
    DTS-HD High Resolution Audio vs
    Super Resolution vs
    Bluetooth SBC, AAC vs
    MHL Input 1 Rear (Version 2.0) vs
    DLNA 1.5 vs
    AirPlay AirPlay vs
    Remote Controll App iControlAV5 (for iOS and Android) vs
    On-Screen Display HDMI only vs Analog Only
    DOWNGRADES Pioneer VSX-530-K vs Pioneer VSX-524-K
    DTS Express vs
    Auto Level Control vs 2 Channel
    Less Advanced Auto Speaker Calibration System vs MCACC Auto
    More EQ Bands vs 5-Band
    Symmetric EQ vs

    For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Pioneer VSX-524-K vs VSX-530-K.

    Audio Section

    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).

      AMPLIFIER
      Channels5.1
      Power Output80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      Amplifier DesignDiscrete Direct Energy
      THX™ Certification
      Continuous 6 Ω Rated
      Certified 4 Ω Performance
      Bi-amp Capability

      Speaker Configurations

      Pioneer VSX-524-K's 5 channel amplifier can be assigned for different speaker configurations.

      • Configurations: Available configurations are:
      • 5.1 with internal amplifier.
      Pioneer VSX-524-K
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      DECODING
      Dolby Atmos
      Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
      Dolby Atmos Music
      Dolby TrueHD
      Dolby Digital Plus
      Dolby Surround Upmixer
      Dolby Pro Logic PLII
      Dolby Digital EX
      Surround EX
      DTS:X
      DTS Neural:X
      DTS Virtual:X
      DTS Neo Neo:6
      DTS-HD Master Audio
      DTS-HD High Resolution Audio
      DTS 96/24
      DTS Express
      DTS-ES
      IMAX Enhanced
      Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer

      Sound Processing

      • Advanced Sound Retriever: Compressed music enhancement in Pioneer VSX-524-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 comes with MCACC Auto room correction system and includes the calibration microphone.

      • 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 features 4 HDMI inputs. It has 1 output.

      • 4K/60Hz Passthrough: 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.
      • 3D Ready: Pioneer VSX-524-K is able to pass 3D video through HDMI.
      Pioneer VSX-524-K
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      VIDEO FEATURES
      HDR10
      HDR10+
      Dynamic HDR
      BT.2020 color space
      Dolby Vision
      HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma)
      HDBaseT Compatible
      Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)
      QMS (Quick Media Switching)
      ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode)
      VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
      QFT (Quick Frame transport)
      3-D Ready
      Video Signal Passthroughup to 4K/60p/4:2:0/24-bit
      4K/24p/4:4:4/24-bit
      4K/24p/4:2:2/36-bit
      Video Signal Upscaling

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      5.2 Channels

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      7.2 Channels

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      9.2 Channels

      >

      Inputs and Outputs

      Audio

      • Analog Line Inputs: There are 3 line inputs for analog audio connection.
      • Digital Inputs: 1 optical input and 1 coaxial input are available for digital audio connection.
      • Headphone Output: There is a 6.3 mm (1/4") headphone output jack on the front panel.

      Video

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

      Front A/V Inputs

      • USB
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      TERMINALS
      HDMI Inputs4
      HDMI Outputs1
      8K Inputs
      USB Input1 Front
      USB DC Out Port
      Optical Inputs1
      Optical Outputs
      Coaxial Inputs1
      RCA Line Inputs3
      RCA Line Outputs
      XLR Line Inputs
      Phono Input
      Multi-Channel Input
      RCA Pre-Outs0.1
      XLR Pre-outs
      Composite Video Inputs2
      Composite Video Outputs1
      S-Video Inputs
      S-Video Outputs
      Component Video Inputs
      Component Video Outputs

      Pioneer VSX-524-K Evaluation

      We evaluate Pioneer VSX-524-K and give score of 62 out of 100. We also give separate scores for 6 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.


      OVERALL
      62

      Amplifier

      GOOD
      71

      We give Pioneer VSX-524-K a score of 71 for Amplifier features.

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

      Audio Features

      AVERAGE
      62

      We give Pioneer VSX-524-K a score of 62 for Audio Features features.

      •   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

      AVERAGE
      66

      We give Pioneer VSX-524-K a score of 66 for Video Features features.

      •   No HDR10
      •   No HDR10+
      •   No Dolby Vision
      •   No 8K Passthrough

      Connectivity

      POOR
      48

      We give Pioneer VSX-524-K a score of 48 for Connectivity features.

      •   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

      Zones

      AVERAGE
      55

      We give Pioneer VSX-524-K a score of 55 for Zones features.

      •   No Zones

      Radio

      AVERAGE
      59

      We give Pioneer VSX-524-K a score of 59 for Radio features.

      •   Analog Tuner
      •   No Pandora
      •   No Spotify
      •   No Tidal


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

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