Onkyo TX-RZ50 9.2-Channel AV Receiver

I’ve finally replaced 14 year-old audio/video receiver, Denon AVR-790, with this Onkyo TX-RZ50. The Denon one was a budget ($460 in 2009) 7 channel processing unit, which has served my entertainment room with 7.1 sound. Overall the old Denon was ok after Audyssey MultED calibrated speakers for the room, yet the center channel and voice left always something to be improved. I thought that it is attributed in part to the speakers. I’ve been looking for an upgrade which can process 7.1.4 surround to provide an object based sound such as ATMOS or DTS:X. This TX-RZ50 came to my search radar to meet all the requirement with great reviews from so many critics at an affordable price tag ($1,199 from Amazon or $1,599 from Onkyo).

As for the ATMOS set up, I’ve added 4 satellite speakers identical with the original set (Onkyo SKS-HT540). This is a budget speaker system; but shows pretty decent frequency response, sensitivity, and drivers manufactured by Onkyo back then. I’ve installed them as two front height and two middle height speakers. ATMOS has been debatable regarding its 3D sound effect – but I became to love the front height speakers most in a way that they provided a larger screen effect more than just two front left/right speakers. There are clearly sound movements following objects between heights and ear-level speakers, but I wished I could feel more than currently what they are from streaming ATMOS contents of NETFLIX, Max (HBO), Disney+, and Apple TV+ [please read my update below]. So far, I could not test DTS:X or IMAX Enhanced properly due to the lack of sources available. This will be something I can continue to explore in the future. In this price tag, Auro-3D is not available, but that’s ok.

It is true that the sound quality is steps of upgrade compared to the old Denon. Onkyo’s legacy software has been AcuuEQ. However, recent Onkyo receivers are bundled with Dirac Live software (for free!). This AcuuEQ did an ok job upon my testing; however, Dirac Live made much improved sound quality and crossover clarity with flexible controls. The mobile “Onkyo Controller” app (I have an iOS one) could perform the Dirac Live calibration in an easy but limited manner; however, I like the full software better installed to my Mac. I realized that my old speaker sets could have been this good after Dirac Live calibration with my personal touches on the volume and crossover set. During the calibration, I used the puck type microphone provided, which worked just fine – in the future, I’d like to test the calibrated mic such as UMIK. The mobile Controller app can work literally as a replacement of the remote. It’s fun to test speaker outputs in various ways from pure stereo to 7.1.4. Only I wish I can choose the output mode directly, instead of through a rotary mode. Hope that a future firmware can upgrade it.

TX-RZ50 can process 9 channels (and 2 identical subwoofers) – so I needed an amp to power 2 extra channels for 11 (7.1.4) setup. I’m recycling the retiring Denon unit as an stereo amp for surround back left/right speakers – it appears that the preamp of TX-RZ50 to support 11 channels should be always from surround back left/right and that the speaker outputs from surround back left/right should go to rear height two channels, per the manual. This is a bit confusing why it should be like that.

I have a funny experience with the Apple TV 4K (2nd gen), which is the main streaming box directly connected to TX-RZ50. When I assigned the Apple TV in the HomeKit to “Family Room”, the default audio output was set as TV Speakers – I had to change it to Receiver Speakers every time. However, after I reset the Apple TV in HomeKit to “Home Theater”, the default audio is now set as “Receiver Speakers”. I did not experiment carefully, but the Receiver Speakers setup gave me a better sound for some reason, especially from the height channels.

TV (Samsung 75” QLED Smart 4K, 2019 model) works as a hub for ARC and HDMI-CEC to control the audio return, volume, and power for TV, receiver, and Apple TV all at once. Some consumers appear to have issue for HDMI and ARC connection, but my unit has been a charm without any. It takes about 15 sec to show the Apple TV content on screen after I turn on the Apple TV remote. Switching between connected gears such as playstation and blurry player takes about 12 sec. It is ok, but feels like a bit lagging.

Overall, I’m very satisfied with this AVR at its 3 weeks possession. It is one of the best mid-range 9 channel ATMOS receivers out there in terms of sound quality. I truly welcome Onkyo back in the business after its acquisition by Premium Audio Company. I’ve contacted the service provider (11 Trading Company) during the registration, and they seem to be very responsive. The unit comes in 3 years manufacture warranty once you confirm that you purchase it from an authorized dealer. Amazon is one of them.

[Update 09/08/2023]
For last a month or so, I’ve tested basically multiple Blu-Ray discs of both FHD (1080p) and UHD (4K). Usually FHD Blu-Rays have 5.1 channel surround recordings of either Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio (MA). More recent 4K UHD discs usually have Dolby ATMOS (TrueHD based) or DTS:X (DTS-HD MA based). All these 4 lossless audios from physical discs sounded much better than lossy audios of streaming contents, in terms of dynamic range, loudness, details and clarity. In particular, both ATMOS (Midway, Spiderman: Across The Spider-Verse and Into The Spider-Verse) and DTS:X (Bourne 5 movie collection) sounded AMAZING! They demonstrated the “3D sound dome” where I could feel immersive and object-base effects VERY well. The same ATMOS contents from streaming services like Netflix, Max, Disney+, or Apple TV+ did not match. The last time I bought Blu-ray discs was 2015 (The Matrix Trilogy) and ever since then I was all in for the streaming. But now I bought a 4K UHD player (Panasonic UB 820P-K) and am trying to get more reference quality 4K discs. In addition, > 10 years old blu-rays were being tested and rediscovered for their excellent sound recordings through upmixing their original 5.1 into 7.1.4 by the TX-RZ50. Even “The Eagles – Hell Freezes Over (DVD, 1994)” sounds amazing with its DTS mastering! 
This TX-RZ50 is a fantastic upgrade for my entertainment room presenting me a new joy of watching masterpiece collection!

Es una joya este Receiver

DiracLive, DD, DTS, THX, 9.2 canales, listo para video 8K . En fin , creo que peso a peso es un Reciever que vale mucho la pena

My history:
My first surround sound A/V receiver was an Okyo TX-SV444. This was a great receiver, however it was analog only. I enjoyed it for many years until a co-worker introduced me to digital audio receivers and I replaced the TX-SV444 with an Onkyo TX-SR600.

The TX-SR600 has served me well! What I liked about it is it had multi-channel analog audio inputs which allowed me to connect all four channels of my Teac Reel-To-Real multi-track tape recorder and listen to quadraphonic tapes. Tracks 1 and 3 (front speakers) and tracks 2 and 4 (rear speakers) simultaneously. I know, I know, who still uses tape decks anymore? I DO, THAT’S WHO!!! (I still use VHS technology once in a while as well!) Something disappointing about the TX-SR600 is that it has no tape monitor (sometimes called a tape loop) circuit, nor does it have a phono input. Odd that many new A/V receivers come with a phono input, but you’re very hard-pressed to find one with a tape monitor circuit, or multi-channel analog audio inputs. Additionally, the TX-SR600 does not support HDMI, and this was because the HDMI technology was brand-new and not that common when I purchased this receiver. It supports Dolby Pro-Logic, Dolby Digital, And DTS. Not a bad receiver. Very well-built, and packs a punch.

Well…. now that technology has advanced and we have high definition TV’s, it was time to finally upgrade my A/V receiver. Did a lot of reading as well as watching various A/V comparison YouTube clips and the majority of them have given the Onkyo TX-RZ50 very good reviews. Many have said that the TX-RZ50 is THE RECEIVER to get, if you want high quality at a price that won’t break the bank. I decided to buy one.

The unit arrived from Amazon in two days! WOW! This unit is HEAVY! Took some muscle to heave this beast down the stairs to my basement media room. The receiver comes with an AM antenna, FM antenna, remote control, and a calibration mic with a generously long cable. The power cord for this receiver is detachable, and I believe is the same style plug as what you’d typically find on a computer. The receiver DOES NOT come with any speaker cables, NOR does it come with a printed user’s manual. If you decide to buy this receiver, consider buying some ink cartridges and paper for your printer because you will definitely want to download and print out the user manual. The manual is about 209 pages! ALSO… consider buying a package of “banana” plugs for the speaker wires. You CAN get away without banana plugs, because the terminals will let you insert the speaker cables into the sides of the terminals and screw them tight, but it’s cumbersome, and care must be taken not to have any exposed wires with could potentially short out. Banana plugs are definitely the way to go.

This receiver has the old-style Red, Blue, Green component video input for older equipment such as DVD players, which is a plus. Additionally, it has two analog (composite) video inputs, which allows you to connect a VCR. It doesn’t have an S-Video input, however. (Does anyone besides me still use S-Video? Anyone? Anyone?) The speaker output terminals are organized for front right and left, center, rear right and left, rear back right and left, and left and right “height”. There are zone outputs as well (Two I think) which allows you to run sound into another room and play one audio source out your main channels and a different audio source out the zone channels, or….. play the same audio source out of all channels if you want your entire house thumping.

Remember I said I have a Teac 4-channel tape deck? (Teac A-2340). The TX-RZ50, like most new A/V receivers, does not have a multi-channel audio input. HOWEVER…. with the zone channels, If I wanted to listen to 4-track recordings, I’m thinking I could “probably” plug a pair of rear speakers dedicated just for the reel-to-reel deck into one of those zones. That way, I can listen to the tape deck’s front channels (tracks 1 and 3) out the main speakers AND listen to the rear channels (tracks 2 and 4) out the zone speakers! SWEET! I’m pretty sure I can do this. Haven’t tried it yet.

It does not have a tape monitor circuit.

As for TAPE RECORDING, there is no analog audio output jacks, which is a bit disappointing. HOWEVER…. I “Think” I can probably use a zone pre-amp output as a tape/line out jack, but I will definitely want to check the pre-amp output voltages to make sure it outputs line level and won’t overload the tape deck(s) tape inputs. Pretty sure I can do this, but we’ll see.

It DOES have a phono input!

Speaking of pre-amp outputs, you can output all channels to an external amp or amps if you wanted to, and not even use the built-in amp and speaker terminals.

Some audio enthusiasts are disappointed about the subwoofer options on this receiver. While you CAN connect TWO subwoofers, they are wired together. You cannot control/output each subwoofer separately. For some, this is a deal breaker, but for the majority of us, I don’t think this is any big deal at all.

There are two HDMI outputs, one of which is ARC. There are I think 6 HDMI inputs. The receiver supports both cabled ethernet OR wi-fi.

There are two digital audio inputs; one coaxial and one optical. There are NO digital audio outputs however.

I have my speaker system configured as follows:
Two Infinity Primus 150 speakers for the front left and right speakers, located near ear level, next to my Infinity center channel. These front and right speakers were initially mounted on the left and right walls, near the ceiling, about 4 feet FORWARD of the center channel! HUH??? Why did I do that? I don’t know, but that’s how I designed the room initially. I have since relocated those front speakers so that they now sit immediately to the left and right of the center channel, as they should be.

I mounted a pair of Insignia speakers on the left and right walls, near the ceiling, where my front speakers used to be. I set these Insignia speakers as my “High, MIDDLE” speakers.

At the back of the room, above my couch, I have two Infinity satellite speakers mounted near the ceiling on the back wall. These are configured as my surround left and right back speakers.

I bought an additional pair of Insignia speakers along with some speaker stands, and I use those for my Left and Right Surround Rear Speakers. I placed them to the left and right of the couch so that they face each other.

There is also an Infinity powered subwoofer located near the front, right corner of the room.

The room has a tile floor, so obviously I needed to adjust the room eq.

The TX-RZ50 has Di-rack Live eq calibration as well as Onkyo’s proprietary EQ option. Trust me, you’re going to want to use Di-rack instead of the other!

Configuring Di-rack was a bit intimidating at first. It kept losing connectivity with the network, and some of the channels gave errors about signal to noise ratio or clipping. It took some playing around to get it to finally calibrate. During the calibration process, you move the mic to various positions and take measurements. I highly recommend using the di-rack software (downloadable for free) on a LAPTOP instead of your phone.

Once I got the speakers calibrated, it was time to try things out. Three words; OH-MY-GOODNESS!!!!! It sounds absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!!!! I played various songs, and wow, did it sound amazing! Put in a DVD of Jurrasic Park, and it just RATTLED the place! Sounds soooooo good! There are LOTS of listening settings, and I’m still learning what they all do. Takes some experimenting to determine what mode sounds the best with what input I’m listening to.

Some reviewers have mentioned that the audio output is weak. I thought this at first, until I started experimenting with the different settings. I found that setting my equipment to use bitstream instead of PCM made a world of difference. I do have to set the volume to about 50%-ish, on average. It varies depending on what I’m listening to.

I had a problem at first with getting the video to display when playing blueray disks. It was strange; I could get audio, but I’d get a message saying HDMI signal wasn’t detected. It turns out I needed to enable a setting on my Visio TV, (UHD I think it was?) and now bluerays play just fine.

Anyway, as you can probably tell, I am absolutely DELIGHTED with this purchase! I love the way this receiver sounds!

After doing months of research, I went with the RZ50. Took a few more weeks to get as it was hard to find back when it first came out. Had for over a year now and it is a great system. I am running it in a 7.1.4 setup with a 2 ch external amp. Bought when it was $1399. Excellent value over all the others of its class. And even better against the newer 2023 stuff which is rather pricey now. You can’t beat the sound quality (clear dialogue and full sound) and the addition of free DIRAC Live for room correction ($300 value) is awesome. Plenty of power too. It will get LOUD (well past THX ref levels) by itself. Get it while you can while its still $1200 range. Highly recommended.

By far the best value for your money if going 7.1.2 or 5.1.4 or 7.1.4.

Great points:
1. 7.1.4 Atmos capability (need an external amp)
2. App support (Chomecast/airplay,etc)
3. Sound Quality
4. DIRAC Included with mic
5. 8K/60/4K/120 HDMI ports (6)
6. Full set of pre-outs
7. You can independently set the crossovers
8. Price/performance ratio

Bad Points:
1. None I see.

Odd Points:
1. If doing 7.1.4 with an external 2 channel amp, only the rear surrounds are allowed to be powered by them. You can not select a different set of speakers.
2. The dual sub outs are not independent but advertised as a 9.2 system.
3. Minor quirks with the HDMI switching – it can take a second or two to switch from one to the other like from Apple TV to Bluray or cable box and TV will temporarily show as no signal. You get used to it.