Otherwise, the competitive Yamaha RX-A4A may not be as good with music, but it offers better home theater performance based on our direct comparisons. The addition of Dirac Live adds its own complexities in setup - please, only use the Onkyo Controller mobile app in combination with the supplied microphone - but doing so rewards with a highly-involving performance.īe aware that the Onkyo is currently out of stock, but it is worth waiting for.
#Dolby atmos receiver movie#
Performance was excellent whether watching a movie (and we haven't heard Dolby Atmos sound this convincing in a long time) or listening to streamed music. It also has two-way Bluetooth for streaming as well as listening on wireless headphones. What improvements does the $1,400 TX-RZ50 offer on the $800 TX-NR6100? Firstly, it offers double the number of 8K compatible inputs (six versus three) plus it offers more power (120 watts versus 80 watts). Also, being able to request songs directly from Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa is a real boon. Like its budget-oriented label mate, the TX-NR6100, it's stacked with features including the audiophile-quality calibration routine called Dirac Live as well as the best streaming suite in an AV receiver.
#Dolby atmos receiver upgrade#
Onkyo's TX-RZ50 is a perfect step-up model for those looking to upgrade their systems for a set of better-quality speakers or to add a turntable. Alternatively, if it's home theater thrills you're after, the Yamaha RX-A4A offers crisp, dynamic sound and fantastic build quality for the same $1,400 - and unlike the Onkyo, it's available to buy right now. It sounds great with music and movies alike. It offers an excellent, if slightly scary, calibration routine from Dirac Live and the best number of streaming features on the market. Meanwhile, the Onkyo TX-RZ50 is an excellent receiver if you're looking for the next level of features and a performance bump over sub-$1,000 models.
The Onkyo is an excellent performer and offers easy setup, excellent usability, solid looks and useful features, including the best streaming suite. If you want to be on the safer side, the Onkyo TX-NR6100 is the receiver to buy. However, the company has fixes standing by, as you'll see below. On that last point, it is worth noting that until mid-2021 all models were susceptible to a bug making them non-4K/120Hz-compliant, and there may be some of these left on the shelves. It also has plenty of connectivity options including a wealth of HDMI 2.1 ports for connecting the Xbox Series X and more. The Yamaha RX-V6A is CNET's favorite receiver under $1,000 and offers striking looks with the performance chops to match.