Questions about Onkyo TX-NR797

[devilmanterry]

 

[lovinthehd]

Why would you want 7.1 speaker setup then add a zone 2 in the ceiling in the same room? Or these are different rooms?

Can't help you with linking avrs, though doubt the Onkyo has the ability as it doesn't have the likes of Heos/Musicast....

What audio do you need to return to the avr from the tv over a single hdmi connection? That's what ARC is about....Audio Return Channel. eARC increases the bandwidth of the possible audio (i.e. can handle lossless audio codecs instead of the lossy that ARC is limited to).

 

[devilmanterry]

The Zone 2 is back in the back of the room over a bar area - mainly for when hosting I believe when having surround sound isn't a priority, just either having stereo from the tv or playing music. Okay I just wasn't sure what the difference was between ARC and eARC, understand the purpose of it and do need the return channel.

 

[lovinthehd]

Ah, gotcha...check the avr manual to see if zone 2 is playable from an hdmi source, some avrs wouldn't allow that. What audio will you need to source from the tv rather than the avr?

 

[Trebdp83]

Yes, you can assign the Zone 2 speakers to the height terminals when using a 7.1 + Zone 2 setup. The Onkyo Controller app can be used for input selection and network streaming. It can be one of several devices used to output music if using Airplay 2 from an Apple device.

 

[devilmanterry]

Ok good to know, thanks. For the AirPlay2 solution, just to make sure I fully understand - I can have two receivers that are AirPlay2 capable, stream to both and it should be simultaneous? Or would I only stream directly to 1 of the receivers and the AirPlay2 software would link that receiver to the other?

 

[Trebdp83]

Let's say you wanted to stream music stored in an iPhone and have three Onkyo TX-NR797 receivers. You would be able to select all of them from your phone as speakers for your music. You could also rename them from the Onkyo Controller app to tell them apart. So, one would show up as "Basement", one as say "Living Room" and maybe one as "Bedroom" or "Kitchen." If you have receivers without Airplay 2, you can hook up an Apple TV to them and select the Apple TV as a speaker along with the airplay 2 receivers. The Onkyo supports several music streaming service apps but the experience is nothing like using the actual service apps from a smart phone. You can also use the physical remote control if in front of the unit to use NET features such as streaming from services or from NAS.

 

[devilmanterry]

Ok great, thanks for the help.