Onkyo TX-NR727 7.2-Ch Network A/V Receiver Preview

Steve81

Steve81

Audioholics Five-0
Onkyo TX-NR727 7.2-Ch Network A/V Receiver Preview
The Onkyo TX-NR727 Network A/V Receiver is ostensibly the spearhead of Onkyo's new for 2013 lineup, and sports a dizzying array of features including 110 watts of power per channel (into 8 ohms, 2 channels driven), 4K passthrough and upscaling, Audyssey MultEQ, 8 HDMI inputs plus two outputs, and THX Select 2 Plus certification. Retailing for $899, the incoming TX-NR727 undercuts its predecessor by $50, which is naturally a welcome change, at least so long as it isn't accompanied by corner cutting. So does Onkyo's latest offering have what it takes to make it in a highly competitive market, or is it just a mediocre player? Read on to see my take.

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Versus The TX-NR717

With respect to its predecessor, the TX-NR727 packs a few new tricks up its sleeve which Onkyo is presumably hoping will improve the odds of it ending up at the heart of your A/V system. Probably the biggest bonus in the eyes of a diehard Audioholic is the jump from Audyssey 2EQ to MultEQ. For those unfamiliar with Audyssey's product line, MultEQ improves over base 2EQ by delivering correction for the subwoofer as well as higher resolution filters for the other channels. For the videophiles among us, the TX-NR727 offers 4K passthrough and upscaling; it is of course worth noting that 4K support isn't inordinately important today given that 4K displays are hardly commonplace, you'd need a fairly large display for there to be a useful difference between 1080p and 4K, and 4K content is practically nonexistant. However, it's nice to have the capability there for folks who don't change receivers like underwear, and lets face it, Onkyo can't just sit back while everyone else rolls out 4K support. So what other worthwhile feature could Onkyo cram into a mid-level receiver? New for the TX-NR727 is built in wireless connectivity, both Bluetooth and WiFi (a/b/g/n bands); considering that a physical network connection is another cable to fuss with at best, and a giant pain to get from your router to your receiver at worst, some might find this to be a very welcome addition.

Alright, I know what's on everyone's minds: what about the power? Given that the TX-NR727 is two pounds lighter and $50 cheaper than it's predecessor, it would stand to reason that corners were cut in the amplification department. To its credit, the TX-NR727's power ratings are identical to its predecessor's in all respects, i.e. 110 watts into 8 ohms with 0.08% THD, 2 channels driven, as well as ratings into 6 ohms and dynamic output. In addition, the new TX-NR727 retains the THX Select 2 Plus certification, which suggests the built in amplifiers should deliver competent performance in small to midsized rooms with typical 8 ohm nominal loudspeakers. The only specification that suggests something may be amiss is that the TX-NR727 does not have a check mark next to "certified 4 ohm performance", unlike it's older brother.

Unfortunately, one missing check mark isn't the only fly in the ointment: where the TX-NR717 offered a full set of preamplifier outputs to feed an external amplifier, the TX-NR727 offers none. This may not be a huge deal for the average user who doesn't like to push the envelope; however, for the audiophile that likes to push the volume to theater levels (and beyond!), or folks that have speakers which are relatively difficult to drive, the lack of preamp outputs is a pretty big deal. This could be a big double whammy when coupled with less potent amplification than its predecessor.

So How Does It Stack Up To The Competition?
Priced at $999, the recently previewed Denon AVR-X3000 seems like a natural competitor for the Onkyo TX-NR727. Both receivers are undoubtedly high tech pieces of equipment and boast a plethora of features. Built in amplification appears to be fairly comparable and like the TX-NR727, the AVR-X3000 lacks main zone preamp outputs. The Denon does offer a step up in terms of Audyssey (MultEQ XT), but doesn't have built in wireless connectivity or Zone 3 preamp outputs.

Retailing for $849, another player in the midrange receiver market worth considering is the Marantz SR5007. While the Marantz offers a reasonably up to date feature set including 4K passthrough and upscaling, it lacks in the connectivity department compared to the Onkyo, with a total of 6 HDMI inputs and a single output and no wireless capabilities built in. In the Marantz's corner however is the upgraded Audyssey MultEQ XT and a full set of preouts.

So where does this leave us?
Frankly the first time I read through the spec sheet of the TX-NR727 I was a bit put off by the lack of preouts. For those who like to push the limits of their systems and folks whose loudspeakers present less than benign loads to a partnering amplifier, this omission is undoubtedly a dealbreaker. For everyone else, Onkyo's latest receiver appears to offer an interesting value on the back of its feature set, particularly in terms of connectivity.

So what do you guys think? Would you buy this receiver? Is this an item you'd like to see Gene put through the ringer?

Quick Specs and Features:

Power Watts/ch: 110W (8ohms 20-20kHz, 0.08% THD, 2 Channels Driven, FTC)
HDMI I/O: 8 (7 + 1)/ 2
HDMI Version: V1.4a (supports 3D video and Audio Return Channel)
Analog Pre-Outs: Subwoofer (x2)
192K/24 Bit DACs: ✓ (Burr-Brown)
DOLBY Decoder: True HD, DD Plus, PLIIz
DTS Decoder: DTS-HD Master Audio
Wireless Network: ✓ (Wi-Fi-Certified)
Bluetooth: ✓ (Built-in)
Auto Speaker Calibration W/Mic.: ✓ (Audyssey MultEQ)
THX Certified: Select2 Plus
Dimensions (W x H x D): 17 1/8" x 6 7/8" x 14 15/16" (435 x 175 x 380 mm)
Weight: 24.7 lbs (9.8 kg)

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Steve81

Steve81

Audioholics Five-0
So what's going on here?

As some of you may have read, Audioholics is getting ready to migrate the site over to Wordpress as the current site doesn't play well with Google. In the meantime, Gene is looking to see what can be done to help remedy that issue, and one idea was for the contributing staff to post informal preview articles directly to the forum as its platform is a little more Google-friendly.
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
thanks Steve. In fact, this is a calling to All Audioholics forum members. You can help us out by posting new product threads in our forums.

Step1: Chose the product you want to discuss
Step 2: Select the appropriate forum area to post about it. IE. Receivers, Speakers, Subwoofers
Step 3: Put Brand Model# Short Description Type of Product Preview in the Page Title: IE. Denon AVR-x5000 A/V Receiver Preview
Step 4: Write up a few paragraphs about the product with the brand/model# within the first sentence
Step 5: Throw in some images
Step 6: Post it!

Thanks all!
 
P

PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
Onkyo TX-NR727 7.2-Ch Network A/V Receiver Preview
Given that the TX-NR727 is two pounds lighter and $50 cheaper than it's predecessor, it would stand to reason that corners were cut in the amplification department.
If they had learnt a few tricks from D&M then it should be fine. Just read all those published lab measurements by S&V, HTM, HCC etc., you will see that the correlation between measured power output and weight is weak/unreliable in many cases (obvious not all), unless you are comparing units in the same product line launched in the same production year. Low loss and quiet transformers with higher Watt/lb ratio will likely cost more though, at least for the time being.

I also hope Onkyo would finally work on lowering their units weight without sacrificing SQ and power output because that only makes sense in keeping pace with technological advances. One reason I will likely never buy EMO amps (tempted though) is because of their weight. I don't mind 50 to 60 lbs but beyond that no thanks, for a variety of reasons.
 
A

alphaiii

Audioholic General
Just a comment regarding the Onkyo NR727...

While it steps up from 2EQ to MultiEQ... lets not forget that the NR717 was a big step back in several ways from the NR709, which had MultiEQ XT and Dolby Volume... It's still disappointing the NR727 only has MultiEQ, when Denon is adding XT to much cheaper models... And Dolby Volume was a huge bonus since most brands don't include it...

Onkyo continues to steer me away from their mid-level products...
 
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Adam

Adam

Audioholic Jedi
Something that I just saw on the unit but didn't see mentioned yet is that it has a Phono input (as does the 626 at $500). Nowadays, that's pretty amazing. I know that phono preamps are inexpensive, but I'm old enough to appreciate seeing that. :)

... And Dolby Volume was a huge bonus since most brands don't include it...
The 727 does have Audyssey Dynamic Volume. How does that compare against Dolby Volume? I just read at AVS that Dolby does more computations, but I don't know the real world differences.
 
jonlmiller

jonlmiller

Audiophyte
Having just purchased the "older" TX-NR717, I was prepared for some serious buyer's remorse when i started reading this post. However, based on this preview and comments I'm still happy with my choice ($554 from Amazon, overnight, tax include -- about $200 less than the TX-NR727). My previous receiver, a B&K AVR202, developed dementia and now just cycles through "Resetting Preset ..." messages and won't even respond to the factory reset key combo.

Mainly I listen to music, often at unhealthy volumes, through a pair of Def Tech BP10s. Occassionally, we watch movies with a Panasonic PT-AE900U 720p projector on a 100" screen. (This is in our livingroom which has great natural light, so movie mode is only useful between sunset and putting the kids to sleep. Next purchase: a pair of high quality wireless headphones for post-bedtime movies!) I haven't been interested in surround speakers or a subwoofer. The BP10s are "bipolar" with drivers in front and in back, so there are already four really clean 6.5" midrange/bass drivers that have no trouble shaking the house. Also, the angled, back facing tweeters really fill out the sound. It's true that we don't get the specifically mixed surround sound effects, but it's big, phat, theatre-like sound as is.

Now that I'm a responsible adult, however, I can't justify $2,000+ for a modern, HDMI equipped direct equivalent to the AVR202. So I starting looking at less expensive options. My requirements are fairly simple: a preamp with lots of HDMI plus and some optical (CD/DVD player; Airplay from an Airport Express) and analog inputs, and at least 2 channels of clean, ~100w amplification.

The first try was a Harman Kardon 3490 120w stereo (non av) receiver. For $357 overnight with tax, I figured I'd continue to switch the video externally. Yuck! Returned it the next day. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a defective unit -- the bass sounded like I'd put the speakers inside of big plastic garbage bins, and the upper registers were unpleasant to the point of being painful. Looking at various reviews for equipment in this price range (including the TX-NR717), my guess is that a small percentage of units come through defective and sounding terrible. That might explain the distribution of ratings, with many 5/5's, and then a few 1's and 2's that despise the sound.

In contrast, I like the sound of the TX-NR717 through the BP10's. The higher-end B&K probably sounded better, but without an A/B comparison, I've quickly gotten used to the TX-NR717 sound. I have ethernet near the receiver, and most of my music listening is via Rhapsody, so the built-in client is sometimes a nice alternative to streaming from a separate iPod or Mac via Airplay.

Getting back to this thread's actual topic -- I really like the 717, even though I barely know my way through its features (haven't read the manual yet). With just the BP10s, I don't yet know how useful I'll find all the fancy audio modes and auto-callibration. I've run the 2EQ procedure, but mostly prefer the Direct setting which I believe bypasses that computed correction. Plus, if I do find the 717 underpowered or not clean enough as I go through my music collection, I have the simple option to upgrade with an external amp -- I'd avoid the 727 just because of that.

The only actual "con" so far... no backlight for the remote!
 

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