On that last point, it is worth noting that models produced before mid-2021 were susceptible to a bug making them non-4K/120Hz-compliant. 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. $700 at Best Buy Which receiver should I buy? Still, as the Onkyo offers balanced performance across both, it's my current favorite. The Yamaha is great with movies but doesn't sound as good with music streaming. What was surprising is that the onboard phono preamp was even better than the one on the rival Onkyo RZ50, so I can recommend it for people who don't want a separate preamp for their turntable. The Yamaha's sound quality tended toward the cinematic rather than the musical and offered a big, roomy sound perfect for blockbusters or moody conspiracy thrillers. I tested the Yamaha A4A against the Onkyo RZ50 and the Denon X3700. The system is capable of a beefy 110 watts per channel (stereo) and has seven HDMI ports for your connectivity needs. Look through the fancy top grille and you'll see neatly packed components and a distinguished, stamped transformer. As it turns out, this Yamaha offers even better build quality and a huge cinematic sound. I'm a big fan of the Yamaha RX-V6A, so I was curious to see what the step-up RX-A4A brings to the table. 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 the Onkyo may be out of stock at present, but as an alternative the Yamaha RX-A4 is even better with movies. Performance was excellent whether listening to streamed music, or watching a movie: I hadn't heard Dolby Atmos sound this convincing in a long time.
It also has two-way Bluetooth for streaming as well as listening on wireless headphones.
What improvements does the $1,400 TX-RZ50 offer over the $800 TX-NR6100? Firstly, it offers double the number of 8K compatible inputs (six versus three) plus it boasts more power (120 watts versus 80 watts). On that point, 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-level calibration called Dirac Live, as well as the best streaming suite offered in an AV receiver.
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.