Onkyo TX-RZ70 11.2CH AV Receiver - Official Support Thread

[stevestrike]

It seems they file for bankruptcy every few years. Plus historically they have had poor reliability and/or customer support. It seems the only reason people are interested in Onkyo is because of the low prices.

I was interested in getting one also because of the low price. I owned an Onkyo for about 15 minutes - bought one, drove home, halfway there I drove back and got a refund.

Have they truly “turned” it around? Will they stop filling for bankruptcy? How can they keep it up financially before filing bankruptcy AGAIN if they sell for much lower than the other brands like Yamaha and Denon/Marantz?

What point are your trying to make here? Doesn't seem to be one other than you made a bad decision and returned the one you almost had.

 

[dlaloum]

Meh, Yamaha looks nicer and has some balanced in/outs but... you're stuck with YPAO.

Onkyo inclues Dirac Full Bandwidth for that price and you can upgrade to DLBC if you want to. No Contest.

Also the Integra peeps did say that Dirac ART was on its way for the DRX 8.4.... and that to me implies also the RZ70, and LX805.

For those of us not planning to have more than 2 subs, that makes a pretty strong case!

 

[gene]

Also the Integra peeps did say that Dirac ART was on its way for the DRX 8.4.... and that to me implies also the RZ70, and LX805.

For those of us not planning to have more than 2 subs, that makes a pretty strong case!

I have NOT heard this. If anyone is a candidate for ART, it's Marantz/Denon, since they are the ONLY AVR manufacturer with 4 independent sub outs and Dirac support.

 

[Tankini]

Meh, Yamaha looks nicer and has some balanced in/outs but... you're stuck with YPAO.

Onkyo inclues Dirac Full Bandwidth for that price and you can upgrade to DLBC if you want to. No Contest.

I don't use Any ARC= (DSP) no need to ,as many others don't use ARC. As for which ARC(DSP) Call it what you want after all it is a DSP, which is better, all subjective. My RBH speakers need no help to sound better. How ever I used PEQ (Manual adjusts) for my Sub. As far as Anesthetics, again subjective. Not a gamer, so still no use for 2.1, VRR. I'd bet my house that with any of those flagship line AVR's, when setup Equally one would be hard pressed to distinguish sound quality between any of them. With All DSP off, Direct mode. No Sub/Subs used.

Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, Marantz etc flagship line all have Stout amps, also SOTA pre-amp. After that comes which Features one needs/like or doesn't, all subjected, Personal choice, what one is willing to pay. Picking a AVR based on which ACR (DSP) A subjective decision based on a personal preference.

 

[PENG]

I have NOT heard this. If anyone is a candidate for ART, it's Marantz/Denon, since they are the ONLY AVR manufacturer with 4 independent sub outs and Dirac support.

I don't know who is going to get ART first and I trust you have more information on that than most of us forum members. Aside from that though, I have to agree with @dlaloum 's point that "For those of us not planning to have more than 2 subs, that makes a pretty strong case! " It sounds logical to me.

For those using Denon/Marantz's 4 independent sub outs fully and use Dirac Live's bass control, they would likely be able to achieve reasonably smooth 20-200 Hz bass response already without ART, but those with fewer subs such as 1 or 2, ART could be a real game changer, if it works as effectively as what Dirac has been telling us on their website and technical article(s).

 

[Trebdp83]

For anybody running 7.1, or 7.1.4, this Onkyo exhibits the same obnoxious behavior as every other new Onkyo and DD 5.1 signals will have the Surround channel info output from the Surround Back speakers and the Surround speakers will be silent.

If it also behaves like my Onkyo, DTS 5.1 signals will have the Surround channel info duplicated to the Surround Back channels when running 7.1. The DD behavior is laid out in the manual while DTS behavior is not mentioned and took the Onkyo rep I contacted by surprise.

For those running Full Range Front Speakers, spend the extra money and get the Denon AVR-X6800H for the additional configurability. It has “2ch Playback” settings , “Bass Extraction LPF” and “LFE Distribution” for those that want separate settings for two channel signals in Direct and Stereo modes compared to two channel signals or multichannel signals using upmixers. It has the four Sub pre outs and supports their “Directional” feature. Denon/Marantz also have the “LFE+Main” feature that Onkyo’s “Double Bass” and Yamaha’s “Extra Bass” cannot touch.

 

[PENG]

I also feel that while the Onkyo/Pioneer/Integra are more capable for 4 ohm nominal speakers, the Denon 6800 and Marantz Cinema 30 will likely have better preamp/DAC/DSP performance. At their current price points, the O/P/I models, are much better deals, ignoring the reliability part that is really an unknown quantity for the time being. On money no object basis, the Marantz C30 would be my choice though, I am sure it won't "sound better" on all else being equal basis, but its build quality looks to be the best among the few mentioned, probably only best by the more expensive Denon A1H.

Anyway, this may be the best time in a long time, for those looking for near flagship/flagship AVRs, as there are finally quite a few choices. Wait another 6 months or so, Yamaha may join the group, hopefully.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

What point are your trying to make here? Doesn't seem to be one other than you made a bad decision and returned the one you almost had.

Hey, don't get defensive.

We're all just speaking our minds. Not trying to write a novel or make a great statement about anything.

The point is - If the price is lower than everyone else, what's the "catch"?

If you're buying a car that seems to have "more features" than other cars, but costs a lot less than other cars, wouldn't you be asking, "What's the catch" ?

If they have been in trouble FINANCIALLY and filed BANKRUPTCY, how would they keep up financially if they offer much lower prices than other companies?

Onkyo hasn't exactly been a "solid" option in recent years. In addition to filing bankruptcy at least 2 times in recent years, their reliability and customer support have been an issue in the past.

So before people spend $2K on an AVR, the question they might ask themselves is, what's the catch? Are they cutting corners elsewhere? Are they cutting customer support and warranty? We know that these companies don't exist for the purpose to helping us out - they are here to make a profit. So what's the secret?

 

[ban25]

If they have been in trouble FINANCIALLY and filed BANKRUPTCY, how would they keep up financially if they offer much lower prices than other companies?

Onkyo hasn't exactly been a "solid" option in recent years. In addition to filing bankruptcy at least 2 times in recent years, their reliability and customer support have been an issue in the past.

Sorry but you're spreading so much disinformation here that it's starting to stink. The Onkyo corporate entity in Japan filed for bankruptcy in 2022 and sold off their assets to a Voxx/Sharp partnership named Premium Audio Company, which also owns Klipsch, among others.

The same could be applied to Denon and Marantz, which have had many ownership changes over the years.

 

[gene]

I don't know who is going to get ART first and I trust you have more information on that than most of us forum members. Aside from that though, I have to agree with @dlaloum 's point that "For those of us not planning to have more than 2 subs, that makes a pretty strong case! " It sounds logical to me.

For those using Denon/Marantz's 4 independent sub outs fully and use Dirac Live's bass control, they would likely be able to achieve reasonably smooth 20-200 Hz bass response already without ART, but those with fewer subs such as 1 or 2, ART could be a real game changer, if it works as effectively as what Dirac has been telling us on their website and technical article(s).

so far I'm not impressed with ART. I have it on my Storm ISP and keep it turned off. I'm hoping they can refine it because it sucks the life out of my system right now and neuters the infrasonic bass on my main speakers.

 

[gene]

For anybody running 7.1, or 7.1.4, this Onkyo exhibits the same obnoxious behavior as every other new Onkyo and DD 5.1 signals will have the Surround channel info output from the Surround Back speakers and the Surround speakers will be silent.

If it also behaves like my Onkyo, DTS 5.1 signals will have the Surround channel info duplicated to the Surround Back channels when running 7.1. The DD behavior is laid out in the manual while DTS behavior is not mentioned and took the Onkyo rep I contacted by surprise.

For those running Full Range Front Speakers, spend the extra money and get the Denon AVR-X6800H for the additional configurability. It has “2ch Playback” settings , “Bass Extraction LPF” and “LFE Distribution” for those that want separate settings for two channel signals in Direct and Stereo modes compared to two channel signals or multichannel signals using upmixers. It has the four Sub pre outs and supports their “Directional” feature. Denon/Marantz also have the “LFE+Main” feature that Onkyo’s “Double Bass” and Yamaha’s “Extra Bass” cannot touch.

The LFE bass routing was a feature I asked Denon/Marantz for years. They finally were able to implement. Onkyo and others will likely copy in future models similar to how they did Preamp Disconnect (another feature I lobbied for) in AVRs.

 

[ban25]

so far I'm not impressed with ART. I have it on my Storm ISP and keep it turned off. I'm hoping they can refine it because it sucks the life out of my system right now and neuters the infrasonic bass on my main speakers.

That is one of the big gripes about ART on AVS: it cuts everything <20Hz. There supposedly is an Infrasonic toggle now available, but I haven't seen consistent reports as to whether that fixes it or not.

 

[Jim84]

It seems that filing for bankruptcy has been the business model for years now, so it probably doesn't have any relevance to what you want to listen to.
And if it's junk, that's part of the business model as well.
So if it works enjoy it, but if it fails, good luck getting your money back.

Harvard Business School has pretty much eradicated the notion of quality products.

 

[Trebdp83]

The LFE bass routing was a feature I asked Denon/Marantz for years. They finally were able to implement. Onkyo and others will likely copy in future models similar to how they did Preamp Disconnect (another feature I lobbied for) in AVRs.

Keep houndin’ em’ for features! See what you can do at Onkyo. Did you happen to fiddle with the DTS-Play-Fi app? Was curious if “Transfer to Speaker” feature works with the Onkyo flagship for handing over streamed music from Smart device app.

 

[dlaloum]

I have NOT heard this. If anyone is a candidate for ART, it's Marantz/Denon, since they are the ONLY AVR manufacturer with 4 independent sub outs and Dirac support.

There was a video interview during last CEDIA, where the guys on the Integra stand were recorded saying that Dirac ART was planned for the 8.4... but nothing official was ever published or claimed.

 

[gene]

That is one of the big gripes about ART on AVS: it cuts everything <20Hz. There supposedly is an Infrasonic toggle now available, but I haven't seen consistent reports as to whether that fixes it or not.

Nope it doesn't work properly. It neuters the bass below 20Hz on my main Left/Right speakers. I may re-run ART and then add a shelving filter to bring the bass back. But, Dirac told me their working on this as well as an Infrasonic correction update which should be ready ready to test before Christmas.

 

[dlaloum]

Nope it doesn't work properly. It neuters the bass below 20Hz on my main Left/Right speakers. I may re-run ART and then add a shelving filter to bring the bass back. But, Dirac told me their working on this as well as an Infrasonic correction update which should be ready ready to test before Christmas.

I too have full range speakers, and I am very glad that you are exposing these issues.... as my intention is to take advantage of my 4 base layer full range speakers!

your pain.... hopefully my gain, sometime next year... - thank you!

 

[Danzilla31]

Nope it doesn't work properly. It neuters the bass below 20Hz on my main Left/Right speakers. I may re-run ART and then add a shelving filter to bring the bass back. But, Dirac told me their working on this as well as an Infrasonic correction update which should be ready ready to test before Christmas.

This is great to know this may be some of the reasons why Dirac has delayed ART certification until 2025 so they can make these improvements before it gets released more mass market into D&M and the HTP-1 and other brands like Onkyo

 

[gene]

I too have full range speakers, and I am very glad that you are exposing these issues.... as my intention is to take advantage of my 4 base layer full range speakers!

your pain.... hopefully my gain, sometime next year... - thank you!

If more consumers ping Dirac about the importance of this fix, I think it will help. I think they underestimated how many users would want fullrange towers with LFE support in their systems. I know we will get there eventually and feel badly that I can't use the system now AS IS with my current speaker configuration.

 

[gene]