Was the failure within the first 2 years and if so, why didn't you have it replaced under warranty? Your post was about a year ago and the unit only came out in 2021 (mid-2021 I beilieve) meaning it should have been covered.
I had mines in the box for months watching videos on this receiver & catching up with home theater for the last 3 yrs so now I finally hooked up the speakers to this receiver man the sound is beefy out the box !!! Tidal Playlist sound mean , control tidal thru the onkyo app it's goes straight pure music mode yooooooo !!! 🔥🔥 without the subwoofer
Hi Bentley! That’s awesome. I’m glad you are enjoying your RZ50 like I do too. After my speaker upgrade a couple of months ago my Onkyo really shows what it can do. I’m loving it every day 👍☺️
@@SamDansCouch Great job. Us folks doing research really appreciate it. I am sold on this receiver. It is my end all hopefully. It will be replacing an Integra DTR 50.3 that I've had 10 years now. Hate to see it go but it's time to upgrade everything.
@@Guiltless765 Thank you! Yes I felt that way about my old Onkyo 646 too. Still worked fine but I wanted more channels and HDMI 2.1. So worth the upgrade, especially with DiracLive included.
Great review! And finally someone who shows the menus, listening modes, PS5/Xbox Series X settings! But please don't set your PS5 to DTS, that just increases lag as the PS5 have to encode the PCM to DTS and the AVR has to decode it and more importantly DTS is lossy so you only get 1509 kbit/s max, just set it to PCM and you can still use DTS Neural:X.
Hi Daniel, thank you so much. I try to make my reviews from the real world - from the actual user perspective. Thanks for the tip with PCM. I’m gonna go with that 👍😎
This is the most desired AVR currently on the market. I paid for mine apx 2 months ago and still have no idea when it will be shipped. Supply chain issues and chip shortage have messed everything up. I am anxious to experience the magic of DIRAC. Congratulations on your pickup!
Hi Matt! Thank you, I’m absolutely loving it. I ordered mine in December and got it early January. Super lucky because the store said they had 150 people in cue before me. I hope you get yours soon as well. DIRAC makes a big difference. Takes some effort to do the measuring but so worth it 😊
This receiver has been going in and out of stock at BestBuy website since June 6. I was checking at least 4-5X a day every day for that ADD TO CART function. However I discovered that even though it said available and I clicked add to cart, it then said out of stock but then if I clicked BUY NOW then my transaction processed. And I picked it up this week. YAHOO! Hopefully you got it by now.
I was originally going to purchase the Pioneer elite 504 last year. It was $999 and then at one point it was marked down $50 off clearance. I still did not purchase it waiting for a lower price but in the end it went out of stock. Then I wanted the pioneer elite 505 until I stumbled upon this receiver. I did reviews on UA-cam and online and found that it was a great receiver to add to my new home theater. And then the waiting game began as this Onkyo RZ50 receiver was out of stock day after day. It finally went back in stock on the Best Buy website last Monday. I quickly jumped on it and I picked it up this past Wednesday. I still have my wires to run to my speakers before I can set up the receiver. I am so excited to hear movies with this receiver. Thank you for the great review.
Hi Berty, personally I’d go with the RZ50 because of having HDMI 2.1. The Denon is from 2018 and doesn’t support the latest HDMI standard. Might be why the owner wants to sell it. I’m using my RZ50 daily and I’m happy with it 😊
Hiya... something some people MIGHT find useful... . I use my RZ50 for processing sound off my PC, using THX certed speakers and subs for a nice little 7.2.4. I like to game while watching movies.... I use my Sony 85K as a main monitor in a 4 monitor setup. . Something I did NOT know, was that Windows has the habit of switching on the 'HDR' option under Display Settings... . ... don't let it... . ....it has a habit of completely screwing up your monitor settings, and can even end up damaging your PC AND/OR your AVR with the issues that can come up. Make sure the 'HDR' option is unchecked in display settings
Hi James! 👋 Thank you for sharing this information. HDR is not perfect yet using windows. There’s also a slight delay when using Dolby Atmos on windows which can be annoying when playing games that require the right timing. Hopefully all this will get a fix soon.
@@SamDansCouch Actually, one of the issues was when I turned on the TV/Monitor or the AVR... the HDMI control format would glitch, and auto-select the wrong source on the AVR... but swapping it to correct on the AVR would THEN change the Source input on the TV. When THAT happened, I would lose ALL the monitors in the display setting except the one attached to the vid-cards 1st output, which happened to be DP... I would then have to manually add them back in..... this happened EVERY SINGLE TIME I turned off the AVR. . A couple months back the rapid switching back & forth blew out my Integra AVR... was a bad day. I've been using an older back-up Onkyo while I saved for the RZ50.. but still had it doing the same things & having the same problem... . It stopped when I switched off HDR in Display settings
Hi Ladislav! Thank you 😊 I’m using my rz50 every day and a year later I’d still buy it today. It’s amazing receiver. I’ve just gotten new speakers a month ago, which I also made a video about. It sounds stunning, in stereo too. Definitely can recommend it also in 2023 👍
Hello 👋 Yes that’s correct. There are tiny symbols on the display that shows the format but if you hit the info button on the remote you can see on your tv what format is being processed.
I appreciate your video. I am purchasing one and am wondering if I have to have the amp to run my atmos speakers. I had an entry level Yamaha that has locked up in safety mode due to over load. Do you think it is worth getting it fixed? I bought it 2.5 years ago.
Hi Tammy, thank you 😊 the rz50 is perfect for Atmos. You don’t need an extra amp unless you need more than 5.1.2 channels. I’d not bother fixing the Yamaha. The rz50 has hdmi2.1, DiracLive and is all around a great receiver. I’ve been using mine since over a year every day 😎
I just purchased the rz50, and I am struggling with Dirac, I too have Bose speakers (AM-5 series 1). My question is how to eliminate all low frequencies from my cube speakers, and where do I set my crossover for them because the cube speakers do not have woofers.
Hello Michael, congratulations to your new RZ50! I have the "Bose Acoustimass 10 Series V". The novelty about the bose systems are, that the subwoofer takes charge which frequencies are being routet to which speaker. I suspect that your system works the same way(?). You can tell if all your satellite speakers are connected to your subwoofer FIRST and then get connected to the receiver. What you have to do is to set your speakers to full range/large (120Hz) in the Onkyo speaker settings and the LFE channel to 80Hz. After you run DIRAC check the receiver settings again and adjust those settings if needed. My DIRAC run always messed with these settings and I fixed it by manually putting it back to these numbers. Then everything should work fine. I was happy how DIRAC made my Bose speakers sound even better than before.
@@SamDansCouch Thanks! My setup is different, I have my speakers connected to the receiver, I do not use the accoustimass bass module, I use 2 10” Klipsch subs. I have not run Dirac yet, I need to learn more about it. I don’t think in I should set my speakers to full range/large because of my setup. I am currently running a 5.2.4 setup. When I do run Dirac I will be sure to go back in and check my crossover settings.
@@michaeltobler649 ah ok 👍 then definitely set the speakers to small and crossover much higher than 80hz. When you do Dirac you should be able to see what frequencies your satellite speakers can physically reproduce. You can see the graph slope down when the speaker reaches is limits. I’m sure you can get a great sounding system this way 😊
@@SamDansCouch Thank you so much, the RZ50 is awesome…well worth the money. With Dirac is there a way that I can toggle between before and after to see the difference it has on the sound from my speakers?
@@michaeltobler649 yes, you have three “slots” to save Dirac settings in inside the RZ50. The fasted way to switch would be to just leave one Dirac slot unused. Then you can just switch back and forth 👍
Great job with the review. I was extremely lucky when I bought this receiver I work graveyard shift and just happen to check early morning like 1am and the website had it available to add to cart. I’m upgrading from a Yamaha RX-V681 7.2. I’m not even using Dirac live and I already notice the difference in quality even when I had company my friend said that my music sounded so good and I explained that it was because of the new receiver I got. To be honest Dirac live set up feels a bit intimidating I am a bit tech savvy but im still not even sure where to begin on how to set it up with my MacBook. I’m curious at what volume do you set your receiver when watching movies on my Apple TV it’s around -19DB sometimes even -17DB but if I watch an actual 4K disc from ps5 it’s around -20DB. Also I’m not sure why the receiver won’t let me set up top front and top middle i do have over head speakers so I have to do front high and top middle but maybe I can move couch a bit forward and do top front and top rear, but I have my atmos speaker in the middle of where I sit so not sure if I want to set to top rear. Anyways I’m hoping maybe someone can do a step by step guide on how to set up Dirac live because I just might be missing out but like I said even now without live it sounds way better then what I had before.
Hi Henry, thank you so much! It means a lot to me to get positive feedback on my videos, keeps me motivated to keep making them. 👍 I'm glad you got your hands on the RZ50 too. I was lucky as well since I wasn't in the market for a new receiver when the first pre-order wave happened. I totally agree with you that the RZ50 sounds by itself already better than other receivers. The power and dynamic are unmatched compared to what I owned before. I didn't want to dwell too much on the Hi-Fi aspect in this video, but it is for sure the best sounding receiver I've had so far. I was a little intimidated like you in the beginning by DIRAC LIVE but you need to take it slow. Once you look at it and play with it, it is not too difficult. And when you do it on the computer you can always reload your measurements and change them without having to remeasure each time with the microphone. It can be finicky when measuring, but keep on going and the end result will be great. Just bump up the low Hz a bit if your subwoofer/Bass sounds too meek. DIRAC by design is a little conservative with bass at its default settings. I used my MacBook Pro for the setup too. Just download the software and make sure the RZ50 and your Macbook are on the same WIFI network (or ethernet of course). The software will find the Onkyo by itself and then you just click on it. Keep in mind that even when using the computer, the supplied mic plugs into your RZ50 and not your computer. For the volume, not to blow out my wife's ears lol, I am usually running mostly 55DB for PS5. Movies depend how those are mixed (can be hugely different). Also that number is dependent on what you set the volume to - to your individual speakers and of course how many speakers you have connected. In my case it's one sub, 5 surrounds and 2 pairs of ceiling speakers (5.1.4). And of course how big your room is. My living room space is not that big so I sit not too far away from each speaker. I've had the same problem btw. with the ceiling speaker config. That's why I have it set up to "ceiling front and ceiling back" though it's physically not correct. Top middle is not selectable. That's not an Onkyo thing though. I heard that Denon user have the same limitation. Might be a Dolby standard thing (?). Like I said in my video though it sounds good even with my couch against the wall. I might be able to maybe make a DIRAC LIVE video specially about the RZ50. It would have made this video too long to also include the entire DIRAC set up. Thank you again for watching and enjoy your RZ50! 😊
How does this work with bass from a subwoofer and front speakers combined? Wouldn't the house curve on the subwoofer and front speakers mess up the totall bass, because you have bass from the subwoofer and front speakers combined? Couldn't this result in more bass than you set your house curve to?
Hi Mike, it sure can make your head spin with all these settings. My speakers are connected to the subwoofer first. The sub “decides” itself when getting the input signal for a full range front speaker from the RZ50 and takes the lows in that signal into the sub. The sub settings are separate. So it does work out in the end. The DIREC support also confirmed me that their software works with such a setup as well and it sounds fine. Just needed to elevate the lows a bit more hence Dirac is more “pure” while for movies and games I like more “boom” 😉
Hi Recently bought Onkyo TX RZ50 receiver replacing my old Harman Kardon AVR 3600. I used chromecast hooked up projecting from 1080p projector BenQ HT 3050 an amazon prime movie. through the onkyo receiver I find that images are not as crisp as seen while using the Harman Kardon which are very crisp. I also find that sound through Onkyo Receiver diesn't dynamically adjust volume to maintain same volume over dialogues and background music loudness. any ide why images are not as crisp as what Onkyo should have dleivered? and why sounds are not balanced well between dialogues and background music ?
Hello 👋 You should not have a different image quality just by using a different receiver. Check your resolution settings on the chrome cast while it is connected to your Onkyo to see if it's set correctly. If your projector maxes out at 1080p I would set the output resolution as such on the chrome cast as well. Also check the settings of the RZ50 and deactivate upscaling so that you get a pure 1080p signal to your projector. Sound and voice clarity depends heavily on how the sound is mixed from its source. Sometimes it's even compressed harder for streaming. Id always give your center speaker a few more db volume to get more clarity out of movies.
Quite a thorough review. I was thinking of buying this receiver due to its specs, to replace an old pre hdmi 777 onkyo, since I've recently updated my speakers to some nice kef and jamo , but this review has completely scared me away from this receiver as it just sounds way to complicated to work out. I have knowledge of setting up basic features such as speaker sizes, parameters, gains, allocating inputs etc, but having to download apps on my phones or tablets and getting laptops and computers involved to achieve a descent setup is way more trouble than i would have imagined. I think its way too technical for me. Im only running a 5.1 with some very nice quality large speakers and was hoping to get some newer surround processing power, thats all. Thanks for the info.
Hi George. Thank you for watching and writing about your experience. I really love my RZ50 and it can be as easy or advanced to set up as you want it to be. The RZ50 runs fine without even using DiracLive. If you want a simple set up the basic settings are just fine (speaker size, distance etc) and you can go ahead and enjoy this receiver. The room correction is something you can use to tweak the sound. So no worries, don’t be scared. It’s a great receiver for doing regular 5.1 too ☺️I’m went into all the details to help others out because I didn’t know all this at the beginning either. I’m actually getting new speakers soon and will probably run the RZ50 as is for a while to “run in” the speakers. We have a great hobby. I hope you are having fun with your setup 😊
Thank you Samdan for clearing that up. Yes we have a very enjoyable hobby that has gotten very technically advanced over recent years which can be exciting but a bit scary at times as I've fallen behind these last 10 years. My fairly new Kef Q900s and jamo bookshelf rears have been a nice upgrade but I'm sure they will sound much better with a new receiver which is why I'm shopping around and relying on experienced reviews such as yours which are helping me decide. I was originally looking at changing to a Denon , Marantz , yamaha or even Sony but i know Onkyo was awesome! especially many years ago as ive owned a few but never anything else. My last one was a let down as it never really sounded detailed or had much bass even though i run a 12inch jbl sub? And it still seems ONKYO gives you much more bang for $$buck... So I'm hoping and was tossing up between the NR7100 and the RZ50 ?? As i love my movies but also want to enjoy a bit of quality sounding music. So if you think RZ50 sounds nice in both departments and not too much of a hassle to set up i think it might be my choice. I appreciate your detailed review and thanks for sharing brother.
@@SamDansCouch can i ask you if it is possible to use the calibration mic for a basic setup? or does that require the whole DIRAC LIVE scenario with the installation of the app to control everything etc ?? Cheers, George
@@georgeb2085 Oh I feel exactly the same George. I've been doing this since the 90s and all of a sudden our hobby became super technical like a music studio setup. Many things I've seen from my dad, who actually had his own music studio, made it into our home surround systems now. It took me a while to advance and I'm still learning new details about our hobby every day. It definitely can be intimidating but you always got to keep in mind that all that matters is that your system sounds good to you. Reading too much insider message boards can make you feel dizzy 😂This is my second Onkyo that I own and it really still is the fact that you get the most features for your money. Many swear on Denon but you just don't get as many features for the money plus Denon is going to charge you extra for features like DiracLive which is going to be another 260 dollars just for the software which just comes with the Onkyo for free. Also upgrading from my old 400 dollar reciever to the RZ50 did make a big difference in sound quality too with the same old speakers im running so that was great as well. The NR7100 is a great reciever. If you don't need more than 9.1 channels it would save you some money. I had the chance to get the RZ50 for the price of the NR7100 a year ago so I took the plunge. I also like the look of the RZ50 a little bit more. So yes I can definitely recommend the Onkyo line. One year later im still super happy with it and I'll pair it with new speakers and a new sub after Xmas which I'll probably make a new video about too.
@@georgeb2085 You can run the regular sound setup with the supplied mic. No need for DiracLive. (You can also always do DiracLive later if you wanted to.) The Onkyo comes with their own easier to use AccuEQ ROOM calibration as well.
Used the Dirac Live calibration through the Onkyo Controller app for Android 3 times, saved all of them. Glad I did, because Slot 3 was the best.. My main room now sounds fabulous, despite being only 5.0. However, I cannot route the HDMI 2.1 sound from the old Vizio TV to the speakers via preamp I had set up for my previous JVC receiver, using the same Bitstream audio setting. When I tried to set it up via the receiver for Zone 3, it flashed "Source," switched the TV audio to PCM and immediately, I lost the sound for my main room and still no audio to the kitchen or dining room. Any workarounds?
Hi Michael, congrats to your new receiver. The Pioneer is just as good of a choice. Internally probably the same compared to the RZ50 (Pioneer belongs to the Onkyo brand just like Integra).
@@ole812ellie The LX305. I would've preferred the 505 but when I gave up waiting on RZ50, the 505 was nowhere to be had. I needed to buy something because my older 4K Yamaha receiver was HDMI incompatible with my new LG C1 tv. The 305 had received good reviews on other channels. I was using optical cable and not utilizing many features.
I've been waiting 6 months. I had one opportunity where 4 receivers were in stock but I was too late. I gave up too. I brought Onkyo tx-nr7100 which I Really like, with the exception that I cannot add an amplifier no preouts. We'll probably go ahead and get the RZ50 In a year or 2. Would love to be able to add an amplifier.
Hi. I am having trouble setting up 7.1.4 dolby atmos. I am using an external amp for the front 3. I had 4 in-ceiling speakers installed with my surrounds and my back surrounds, but on the back of the onkyo it only has 1 set of height speakers, and then a zone. How do I get this to work for an actual 7.1.4 system?
Hi Jose! Nice setup! The height 1 speakers go on the height 1 connectors - while the height 2 speakers go on the surround back connectors. Your actual surround back speakers will be connected to your second amp. The second amp connects to the surround back pre-outs. Check out the RZ50 pdf manual on the Onkyo website page 58 for a nice visualization. I hope that helps. You are gonna have an awesome setup 👍😊
@@SamDansCouch if I do that then I'm missing out the most important sound driving my front three. I spent as much money on the xba mot with three channel amp as I did for the Onkyo receiver to drive the most important speakers which are the front three. If I use that just to drive surrounds that would be a negative. Can I reassign the zone connections to act as the height speaker connectors for the second pair?
@@josefernandez2722 oh I see what you are trying to do. I don’t have a second amp at hand right now so I can’t test it myself unfortunately. Try to check “Speaker" - "Configuration" - "Speaker Channels” if you can change the arrangement there. I hope you can get it to work.
Hi Burak! Music sounds very dynamic with more details than I had before compared to my older receiver. On top of it the DIRAC LIVE calibration got more clarity out of my speakers than I could have hoped for. I hear details in songs now I haven't heard before with the exact same speakers. I am very happy with the results. I usually listen to Apple Music or Amazon music when using streaming services.
@@SamDansCouch i means: but I wonder if this wonderful device plays an USB flash drive with video ...? Or just for audio? But what about modern devices...? Which one has this option...?
@@VinylPro No it doesn’t and I also don’t know of any other receiver who does. It would be cool though. Usually you can connect a usb stick with video files directly to your smart Tv.
@@SamDansCouch no, "directly to your smart TV" is not an option, the most of TVs have not the right codex to open the movie in "full quality" from a USB.... ONLY few DVD or BD players have the option to play it in a "full quality"... besides there are a lot of formats even in AVI , MP4 or similar, which are not accessible by a smart TV or usual BD-player..... that why the question.
Hi Gregory. I had (and still own) the Yamaha RX-V1067 and still love it. I think I bought it around 2010. Besides the RZ50 sounding really good by itself - having up to date sound formats like Dolby Atmos and the room correction DIRAC make a big difference. Atmos being more 3D and way more dynamic and DIRAC being able to pull even better sound quality out of my speakers. I’d definitely consider upgrading 🙂
@SamDansCouch I dont get the HDMI Arc to work with my LG OLED B2 TV. When i activate (e)Arc the TV Displays Mute and i cant get any sound out of the Smart TV apps. Can anyone help? Thank you!
Hi Jacob, I'm using an LG OLED E7 and it works well for me. Did you try to hit the mute button on the TV remote? Then check on the LG TV the sound out options if you have it on "Audio out (optical/HDMI ARC). Then on the Onkyo settings "input/output speaker"->"1.TV out/OSD"->"HDMI OUT"->set to MAIN.And then check "Hardware"->"1. HDMI"->"HDMI CEC"->"ON" and have the second option on "Auto" and the remaining options on "on". I hope this helps and that you can get it running. 😊
Hi mike, yes I got my couch against the wall too. It’s just not practical any other way for me. I have my first set of Atmos above my couch and the second set further towards the tv, between the tv and the couch. It works pretty well and I am happy with it
@@SamDansCouch im using a sr5008 currently looking to get the onkyo rz50, over the new sony and new cinema line maretz, because of cost are u happy with the rz50 and has it held up well no repair s ect running klipsch bookshelf 5.1 set up
@@mikeschmidt2339 I am very happy with the RZ50. I have it running now since almost two years and I’d still buy it today. It holds up very nicely, gets regular firmware updates and never needed any repairs. I’d say go for it especially since it has build in DiracLive licensing.
I find this receiver is odd. Simple things like bluetooth has a delay whereas the yamaha tsr 700 from costco did not, and even displayed the song I was playing from my phone. The onkyo only displays the first song upon connecting and then is just stuck displaying that same song until I turn off the unit. But the things that matter, it does sound great and is able to connect an amp for many channels.
Hi Stanley, I’m sorry you have some issues with your RZ50. I haven’t tested Bluetooth much yet, e.g. headphones not at all yet because I just don’t need it. But I did use my iPhone with Apple Music streaming over per AirPlay 2 and that works like it should. No interruptions and display worked too with album cover and all. Same with internal streaming apps. I’ll look into Bluetooth now that you mentioned it. If there is a problem from the onkyo side Im pretty confident that there will be a firmware update in the future. Onkyo has been pretty good in the past with supplying updates even for devices that are several years old.
@@SamDansCouch yea with UA-cam the video title and all will display correctly, it’s mainly for local music on my phone that it acts weird. Do you have any good guides on properly setting up Dirac? Or how to tweak the curves after? Felt like my bass was muted after calibration which I think you mentioned you had to boost it
Onkyo receivers are really great. Before I owned an Onkyo I was a little biased and thought the only great receivers were Yamaha or Denon and never even looked at Onkyo. One day I did end up with my first Onkyo (646) and was blown away with how much sound and formats I got for a fraction of the price of e.g. a denon. And even though the RZ is not cheap, it sounds like a receiver that’s much more expensive from competitive brands. I can highly recommend giving Onkyo a try 😊
Congrats on getting the RZ50! While there is nothing wrong with your Bose, personally I'd upgrade to really get the most out of the RZ50. Also, maybe I missed it, but what is your current streaming box? I had a FireTV, but upgraded to an Apple TV 4k and man, my speakers came alive, I don't think the FireTV has enough processing power for true dolby atoms. However, the Apple TV and Nvidia Shield (haven't tried the shield but I'm sure it's amazing) should crush it.
Also wanna mention this is coming from a place of hate or anything wacky, I see a lot of people tear each other down in the HT space for whatever reason, I just want everyone to get the most out of their setups!
Hi Perfector, thank you for your feedback. I agree the RZ50 can do even more with more expensive speakers and I eventually will upgrade. In the HT space you need to upgrade one thing after another if you don't have endless resources. So for now my big upgrade was my receiver. And yes the hate is big on BOSE, or in the HT space in general (brand wars wherever you look). I wish more people would just enjoy each others setup in general and just do tips like you said. But my setup is also a good example that DIRAC LIVE can get more out of none high end speakers as well. For streaming I used the internal LG TV apps and Xbox Series X apps. Just a week ago though I upgraded to Apple TV 4K which is very awesome. I love, next to the movie stuff, to also feed lossless and Dolby Atmos music from the Apple Music service. Something you can't do wirelessly with your phone. But Apple TV does. So I can feed that directly into my RZ50 through HDMI. Makes the RZ50 sing 😊👍
I just got mine a couple of days ago and I am not totally happy with the sound. I wasn't successful with the Dirac live and I did the other one instead. My results for certain things like spectrum cable sounded pretty thin. I especially found the E ARC connection while using the TVs apps, the worst. When I plugged in a Roku device, the sound improved. I need to use a pc for Dirac to see if that works because the phone app kept giving me errors. When you said that your Onkyo sounded thin before calibration, it gave me hope. I had a 20+-year-old Onkyo 805 whose sound was exceptional but doesn't have processing for atmos and 4k. 4k and blue-ray discs do sound great, however. It's just that with the older Onkyo everything sounded better, not just the discs. If you can think of anything I might have missed, please let me know. Thanks.
Hi Jose, congratulations that you got the RZ50! Fear not, the thin sound is normal at first. Especially DIRAC takes bass out by design to make it sound more like a professional studio norm which doesn’t 100% fit us movie and gamers who want big sound. With the right tweaking you will get the perfect detailed sound from Dirac plus extra volume by manual tweaking. It takes some time to make it sound “right” for your own personal taste. I am actually in the process of making a video about setting up DIRAC with the RZ50 to share my findings and give some tips. Maybe I can help you with my experience too. Should be out in a couple of days 🙂
@@josefernandez2722 Great! I try to cover as much as possible. It’s quiet the topic once I started thinking about making a guide. I hope it will help and if you have more question you can always ask. I’m Daniel btw. I guess I never made that clear in the videos 😅
@@SamDansCouch I ordered late Dec Just glad it finally got stocked ( Canada ) 2.1 for both my series x and ps5. And I have a projector / tv setup so both outputs. Will be used but projector will only be 2.0 4k.
Setting up Dirac Live for me has been a b!tch. I live on an appartment building next to a well transited area and everytime the programs says there's a lot of background noise and can't calibrate correctly :/ any help for that?
Hello Ar2kill, I hear you. The software is very precise and therefore insists on nothing going on in the background. Try playing with the Mic gain settings, this should help making the mic pick up less background noise. Also if you haven‘t watched it yet - I made a whole video about DIRAC Live for the RZ 50. Try to find a time in the day where less traffic is going on outside and where neighbors aren‘t running around all the time. I had to wait for a good time as well since in my case I had dogs barking a lot upstairs. I wish you good luck! Here is my DIRAC video: ua-cam.com/video/vmiapW5R7h8/v-deo.html
@@SamDansCouch Yeah I watched your video (you were my reference for trying to set up my receiver :)) I think I'll have to set it up by midnight cause that's the only time everyone stays quiet
Does this av receiver good for 2.1 music and to convert to VIRTUAL Music from UA-cam, FLAC, Mp3 & DVD format files even though I am a Movie Buff,I got BLURAY Files from 5.1 to HD including ATMOS Dumps to watch. I am planning to connect rz50 my PC rtx 4070TI Graphics with HDMI 2.1 to my monitor to check out the menu & and then CREATIVE AE-9 Soundcard optical for non HD Content - UA-cam, FLAC, Mp3 & DVD format files Speakers are KLIPSCH Reference 5.1.4 atmos speakers. Please give me some infos... Thanks, Pradeep.
Hi Pradeep, yes the RZ50 is good for all these applications. You can also up convert sound to all your Atmos speakers. I’ve been using my PC and steamdeck on the Onkyo as well without any problems. I can recommend it 👍😊
@@SamDansCouch Thanks Sam.. Reply like a FLASH... setting up in my bedroom with PC. I am making high end pc after 18 years now.. Previous I had THX Certified SOUNDCARD and THX Logitech Z680( currently is z906 going to replace with rz50 connecting with the soundcard + HDMI).. Right now DEC 2024 is the investment 1599 USD for rz50 and 599 KLIPSCH REF 5.1.4 dad is sponsoring mate.. Waiting for all DIRAC updates including other updates in feature in this model in future and other bugs to get it right and for the funds for my dad... Will tag u on my configuration in your twitter account about my present pc specs for your note and you can give me in suggestion. i got my ACER 37.5 UHD Monitor and 16 x 20 room height 10 feet approx.- No funds for Noise removal so getting this one Happy to receive your reply mate. Thanks & Regards, Pradeep. Pollachi,Tamilnadu-South India
Every time I try a Dirac Live calibration through the Onkyo RZ50 Controller app, it keeps giving me an error: Measurement failed because the volume was too high. It allows me to reduce the volume by up to 6 decibels, which I do, but then it gives me the same results I'm unable to use Dirac calibration at all on this brand new receiver. Can anyone help me?😢😢
Hi Persian cat! To get the volume right at the start is a tricky part. I just redid my Dirac live with my new MA Bronze 100s. Here are some tips : if you can, turn off AC, it was a major factor that ruined my measurements. Turn mic gain down to 0. Adjust all speaker volume levels to the lowest speaker in your setup. My problematic clipping speaker is usually the sub. So turn that down and adjust all other speaker levels to the same level. Then run the 1st measurement. Try till you won’t get the clipping errors any more. Nice kefs btw. I saw your short video. 😎👍
@@SamDansCouch Thank you very much for your guidance. I am so happy. I will try your suggestion again and hope it will be successful. I am very happy that you watched my video. This is the first time I bought a speaker in my life. I like this speaker. The sound is very good. Thank you very much. you have a nice day😊❤️☺️❤️
I would like to know how you experience going from 2 height speakers to 4 height speakers. Do you feel like 2 of the speakers of the 4 heights sound louder then the other 2 heights for example more channel info then the other 2 heights? does your top rear sound louder then your front top even though they have the same level does Dirac live take those height channels into account to calibrate them to how they are suppose to sound?
Going from 2 to 4 ceiling speakers made the virtual "sound dome" more closed. Imagine a helicopter only being able to go from left to right with 2 ceiling speakers. With 4, the helicopter can actually circle around above your head. Of course the surround sound needs to be mixed like that. Games actually feel even more in depth, because you can interactively move around. You should not be able to hear different volumes from your individual speakers - as in make sure to set each speaker up to the same volume from where you sit. I mentioned the SPL meter (or app for your phone). With that you can fine tune the volume so that each speaker has the same volume from your seating position.If everything is set up right all 4 ceiling speakers should sound like one unit. And yes DIRAC LIVE actually measures and calibrates all your speakers, even the ceiling speakers. Definitely run DIRAC first but then do some fine tuning later with the volumes settings and of course the crossover settings. It's not hard but a little time consuming. But that's part of the fun messing with your new "baby" 😊
Hi Angel, as far as I know the upgrade is only for Rotel, Arcam, NAD and some other brands plus DAWs but not Onkyo, Integra or Pioneer. You can find the list of supported audio devices on the Dirac shop website. Personally the build in license works great for me. Especially with the target curve where you can boost the bass yourself. In depth video from me about the Dirac measurement will go up on this channel soon.
Hi Seneca, since the price reduction - the denon would be a good choice too IF you don't want DIRAC, which is a very useful feature. So personally I'd still go with the Rz50 unless you really dont want DIRAC and prefer the Denon brand 👍
Bought it, but it makes a hissing sound when ever i browse Netflix and youtube or when i start a new content, anyone have the same problem? or know anyway i can fix it?
Hi Node, I’m sorry you are having issues. Do you have a fast HDMI cable? (Best would be HDMI 2.1 cable). If the bandwidth for that cable is too low this could be a cause. Try out different HDMI cables if you can. do you use the TVs internal apps or an external player like an Apple TV? I use both. Maybe check the settings. But if the problem persists you should ask onkyo support. Hope you get it fixed. 👍
Also do you really have full band speakers? (As I doubt it?) the crossover should be set to 80Hz for all speakers and they should be set to small as it’s says nothing about the actual size of the speakers but rather the frequency response of the speakers a full band speaker means you don’t need subwoofers and it can do 25 to 25K/45K frequencies. Seeing your clips I doubt your speakers can do that? So I would highly advice against setting it up like you did. Instead set everything to small and all crossovers to 80 except for the ceiling/heights that should be set between 120/150 as you don’t want much bass from them. Other than that nice videos but a bit misinformed. Hope I have helped a bit 👍
Hello Killersneak 👋 Good observation and this is how you would do it with regular small speakers. In my specific case though the settings are indeed correct. My Bose Surround Sound speaker system works that way, that it requires full spectrum output. All the information is then routed into the powered sub and the sub itself takes care of routing the crossover frequencies into the satellite speakers. It sure is a unique approach by Bose and my DiracLive correction could make these speakers sound much better. Ever since making this video I have moved on from my Bose setup and I am using an SVS sub and Monitor Audio speakers these days. I’ve also made a video about my new setup and a separate DiracLive setup video on this channel if you are interested.
Hi love yyour content. I just got one and had a big disappointment. Perhaps it won't matter to anyone however I found out there is a HUGE difference in the THX ratings. If I use this for 8K I loose almost 50 rms watts a channel from a thx-ultra model (Pioneer Elete) they rate all channels at once mine is 1,400 watts RMS course it weighs 80 pounds. Needless to say with low efficiency speakers it will stay. A folllow up three days later aftter trying to find aa new THX-ultra on ebay none, only my big pioneer, and a very old (and expensive) Marranttz. I have it put away no hdmi and only 5.1 but monster discrete amps. The difference in the ratings is simple Room size. The thx-ultra2 are for huge rooms in a home hennce the power. This info from thx labs!
Hi Robert, thank you so much! My room isn't huge so I don't even need all the wattage but for dedicated home cinemas that is very interesting and good to know. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Dazza, yes it's so difficult these days to get electronics and the RZ50 seem to be the PS5 of the audio world - super hard to get. I got mine from AVScience. They don't sell receivers on their website but you can e-mail them and ask. I did and even got a super fair price for it. From ordering to actually getting it took around 25 days.
So...I have a TCL 75 r646 with the RZ50. It states that the OSD is not supported by your TV. Does anyone have a fix? Temporarily disabling eArc worked.
![Onkyo TX RZ50 Review [NEW VIDEO] DIRAC Built in Dolby Vision Dolby Atmos DTS:X Xbox Series X & PS5](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BKOGwSN_VyQ/mqdefault.jpg)
HOW TO SET UP DIRAC LIVE ON THE RZ50:
ua-cam.com/video/vmiapW5R7h8/v-deo.html
Was the failure within the first 2 years and if so, why didn't you have it replaced under warranty? Your post was about a year ago and the unit only came out in 2021 (mid-2021 I beilieve) meaning it should have been covered.
Im here after the $750 Black Friday deal! Mine is sitting in the garage right now waiting for setup this weekend. Upgrading from a 6050.
Hello Nickgrnr! Oh wow that was a great deal you got. Congratulations! Take your time setting everything up. The result won't disappoint 🙂
I had mines in the box for months watching videos on this receiver & catching up with home theater for the last 3 yrs so now I finally hooked up the speakers to this receiver man the sound is beefy out the box !!! Tidal Playlist sound mean , control tidal thru the onkyo app it's goes straight pure music mode yooooooo !!! 🔥🔥 without the subwoofer
Hi Bentley! That’s awesome. I’m glad you are enjoying your RZ50 like I do too. After my speaker upgrade a couple of months ago my Onkyo really shows what it can do. I’m loving it every day 👍☺️
@@SamDansCouch I have the klipsch r41m speakers
FINALLY someone that goes through the menu's.🥃
Hi Guiltless! I’m making my videos the way I would want somebody to show me something that I am interested in. I’m glad I could help!
@@SamDansCouch
Great job. Us folks doing research really appreciate it. I am sold on this receiver. It is my end all hopefully. It will be replacing an Integra DTR 50.3 that I've had 10 years now. Hate to see it go but it's time to upgrade everything.
@@Guiltless765 Thank you! Yes I felt that way about my old Onkyo 646 too. Still worked fine but I wanted more channels and HDMI 2.1. So worth the upgrade, especially with DiracLive included.
Great review! And finally someone who shows the menus, listening modes, PS5/Xbox Series X settings! But please don't set your PS5 to DTS, that just increases lag as the PS5 have to encode the PCM to DTS and the AVR has to decode it and more importantly DTS is lossy so you only get 1509 kbit/s max, just set it to PCM and you can still use DTS Neural:X.
Hi Daniel, thank you so much. I try to make my reviews from the real world - from the actual user perspective. Thanks for the tip with PCM. I’m gonna go with that 👍😎
Onkyo is a very sucessful company with great products !
Well done Onkyo !
This didn’t age well.
This is the most desired AVR currently on the market. I paid for mine apx 2 months ago and still have no idea when it will be shipped. Supply chain issues and chip shortage have messed everything up. I am anxious to experience the magic of DIRAC. Congratulations on your pickup!
Hi Matt! Thank you, I’m absolutely loving it. I ordered mine in December and got it early January. Super lucky because the store said they had 150 people in cue before me. I hope you get yours soon as well. DIRAC makes a big difference. Takes some effort to do the measuring but so worth it 😊
Same
This receiver has been going in and out of stock at BestBuy website since June 6.
I was checking at least 4-5X a day every day for that ADD TO CART function.
However I discovered that even though it said available and I clicked add to cart, it then said out of stock but then if I clicked BUY NOW then my transaction processed. And I picked it up this week. YAHOO!
Hopefully you got it by now.
@@Roger0125 Congrats on your pick-up. You WONT be disappointed. I got mine several weeks ago. Best piece of AV gear I own.
Wow sorry to hear that 😮
I’m sure once you receive it, you will be extremely happy!
This vid right here man, really great job honestly! I didn’t know a lot thanks !
Thank you so much ! 😊
Just picked mine up 3 days ago. The only one available within 250 miles. I absolutely love it!
Hi Michael! That’s wonderful. I’m glad you got one. Enjoy! 😎👍
I was originally going to purchase the Pioneer elite 504 last year. It was $999 and then at one point it was marked down $50 off clearance. I still did not purchase it waiting for a lower price but in the end it went out of stock. Then I wanted the pioneer elite 505 until I stumbled upon this receiver. I did reviews on UA-cam and online and found that it was a great receiver to add to my new home theater.
And then the waiting game began as this Onkyo RZ50 receiver was out of stock day after day. It finally went back in stock on the Best Buy website last Monday. I quickly jumped on it and I picked it up this past Wednesday. I still have my wires to run to my speakers before I can set up the receiver. I am so excited to hear movies with this receiver. Thank you for the great review.
Hi Roger, thank you for watching! I am happy you were able to get your own RZ50. I hope you are having a lot of fun with your new set up!
Did you see the price went up $200!!!!
Glad I got mine in June when I did!
Wow
@@Roger0125 Yes I saw that just yesterday too and was shocked. I am glad we got ours at a normal price. 😊
How do u show the unit temperature on the diaplay??
Hello Joel 👋 you can check out the temperature only on the web interface.
I ordered mine - early May 2022 delivery date.
Great, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you that you’ll even get it sooner than that 😊👍🏻
This is going to be my next AV receiver!!! Thank you!!!
Hi Keith, thank you for watching! You won’t regret getting the RZ50 😊
Dirac for life… know what I’m saying
Tossing up on getting a second hand x6500H for the same price as an RZ50. I am leaning towards the RZ50.
Hi Berty, personally I’d go with the RZ50 because of having HDMI 2.1. The Denon is from 2018 and doesn’t support the latest HDMI standard. Might be why the owner wants to sell it. I’m using my RZ50 daily and I’m happy with it 😊
@@SamDansCouch thanks for the advice.
The rz50. Dirac is much better and I was a Denon fanboy
I have the 50 preorder in a few web sites so hopefully I’ll be getting one soon.
Hi Eric, that’s great. I keep my fingers crossed for you that you’ll have it in your hands very soon.
I went to just audio will have mine in two days
@@marvincampbell2865 Hi Marvin, great news! I hope you‘ll have a lot of fun with your new receiver!
I have nothing against Klipsch speakers but why does the RZ50 advertise them on speaker settings?
Because Onkyo was bought by the company who is also making Klipsch speakers. So they integrated settings for these speakers.
@@SamDansCouch I see now, Voxx International. Makes sense.
as a denon and yamaha fan.......just purchased this.....im hoping for a great receiver
Hiya... something some people MIGHT find useful...
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I use my RZ50 for processing sound off my PC, using THX certed speakers and subs for a nice little 7.2.4. I like to game while watching movies.... I use my Sony 85K as a main monitor in a 4 monitor setup.
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Something I did NOT know, was that Windows has the habit of switching on the 'HDR' option under Display Settings...
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... don't let it...
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....it has a habit of completely screwing up your monitor settings, and can even end up damaging your PC AND/OR your AVR with the issues that can come up. Make sure the 'HDR' option is unchecked in display settings
Hi James! 👋 Thank you for sharing this information. HDR is not perfect yet using windows. There’s also a slight delay when using Dolby Atmos on windows which can be annoying when playing games that require the right timing. Hopefully all this will get a fix soon.
@@SamDansCouch Actually, one of the issues was when I turned on the TV/Monitor or the AVR... the HDMI control format would glitch, and auto-select the wrong source on the AVR... but swapping it to correct on the AVR would THEN change the Source input on the TV. When THAT happened, I would lose ALL the monitors in the display setting except the one attached to the vid-cards 1st output, which happened to be DP... I would then have to manually add them back in..... this happened EVERY SINGLE TIME I turned off the AVR.
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A couple months back the rapid switching back & forth blew out my Integra AVR... was a bad day. I've been using an older back-up Onkyo while I saved for the RZ50.. but still had it doing the same things & having the same problem...
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It stopped when I switched off HDR in Display settings
Great review. How are you satisfied after months of use? Is it still worth it in 2023? What about music in stereo mode, is it good?
Hi Ladislav! Thank you 😊 I’m using my rz50 every day and a year later I’d still buy it today. It’s amazing receiver. I’ve just gotten new speakers a month ago, which I also made a video about. It sounds stunning, in stereo too. Definitely can recommend it also in 2023 👍
@@SamDansCouch Thank you for your reply. I plan to start with the Klipsch RP6000f II and gradually add more speakers from the rp series.
The surround display doesn't automatically come on, nor does it stay displayed like other receivers correct?
Hello 👋 Yes that’s correct. There are tiny symbols on the display that shows the format but if you hit the info button on the remote you can see on your tv what format is being processed.
@@SamDansCouch I emailed Onkyo over this matter. Hopefully they can come up with a firmware but those agents are useless half the time.
I appreciate your video. I am purchasing one and am wondering if I have to have the amp to run my atmos speakers. I had an entry level Yamaha that has locked up in safety mode due to over load. Do you think it is worth getting it fixed? I bought it 2.5 years ago.
Hi Tammy, thank you 😊 the rz50 is perfect for Atmos. You don’t need an extra amp unless you need more than 5.1.2 channels. I’d not bother fixing the Yamaha. The rz50 has hdmi2.1, DiracLive and is all around a great receiver. I’ve been using mine since over a year every day 😎
I just purchased the rz50, and I am struggling with Dirac, I too have Bose speakers (AM-5 series 1). My question is how to eliminate all low frequencies from my cube speakers, and where do I set my crossover for them because the cube speakers do not have woofers.
Hello Michael, congratulations to your new RZ50!
I have the "Bose Acoustimass 10 Series V". The novelty about the bose systems are, that the subwoofer takes charge which frequencies are being routet to which speaker. I suspect that your system works the same way(?). You can tell if all your satellite speakers are connected to your subwoofer FIRST and then get connected to the receiver.
What you have to do is to set your speakers to full range/large (120Hz) in the Onkyo speaker settings and the LFE channel to 80Hz. After you run DIRAC check the receiver settings again and adjust those settings if needed. My DIRAC run always messed with these settings and I fixed it by manually putting it back to these numbers. Then everything should work fine. I was happy how DIRAC made my Bose speakers sound even better than before.
@@SamDansCouch Thanks! My setup is different, I have my speakers connected to the receiver, I do not use the accoustimass bass module, I use 2 10” Klipsch subs. I have not run Dirac yet, I need to learn more about it.
I don’t think in I should set my speakers to full range/large because of my setup. I am currently running a 5.2.4 setup.
When I do run Dirac I will be sure to go back in and check my crossover settings.
@@michaeltobler649 ah ok 👍 then definitely set the speakers to small and crossover much higher than 80hz. When you do Dirac you should be able to see what frequencies your satellite speakers can physically reproduce. You can see the graph slope down when the speaker reaches is limits. I’m sure you can get a great sounding system this way 😊
@@SamDansCouch Thank you so much, the RZ50 is awesome…well worth the money. With Dirac is there a way that I can toggle between before and after to see the difference it has on the sound from my speakers?
@@michaeltobler649 yes, you have three “slots” to save Dirac settings in inside the RZ50. The fasted way to switch would be to just leave one Dirac slot unused. Then you can just switch back and forth 👍
Great job with the review. I was extremely lucky when I bought this receiver I work graveyard shift and just happen to check early morning like 1am and the website had it available to add to cart. I’m upgrading from a Yamaha RX-V681 7.2. I’m not even using Dirac live and I already notice the difference in quality even when I had company my friend said that my music sounded so good and I explained that it was because of the new receiver I got. To be honest Dirac live set up feels a bit intimidating I am a bit tech savvy but im still not even sure where to begin on how to set it up with my MacBook. I’m curious at what volume do you set your receiver when watching movies on my Apple TV it’s around -19DB sometimes even -17DB but if I watch an actual 4K disc from ps5 it’s around -20DB. Also I’m not sure why the receiver won’t let me set up top front and top middle i do have over head speakers so I have to do front high and top middle but maybe I can move couch a bit forward and do top front and top rear, but I have my atmos speaker in the middle of where I sit so not sure if I want to set to top rear. Anyways I’m hoping maybe someone can do a step by step guide on how to set up Dirac live because I just might be missing out but like I said even now without live it sounds way better then what I had before.
Hi Henry, thank you so much! It means a lot to me to get positive feedback on my videos, keeps me motivated to keep making them. 👍
I'm glad you got your hands on the RZ50 too. I was lucky as well since I wasn't in the market for a new receiver when the first pre-order wave happened.
I totally agree with you that the RZ50 sounds by itself already better than other receivers. The power and dynamic are unmatched compared to what I owned before. I didn't want to dwell too much on the Hi-Fi aspect in this video, but it is for sure the best sounding receiver I've had so far.
I was a little intimidated like you in the beginning by DIRAC LIVE but you need to take it slow. Once you look at it and play with it, it is not too difficult. And when you do it on the computer you can always reload your measurements and change them without having to remeasure each time with the microphone.
It can be finicky when measuring, but keep on going and the end result will be great. Just bump up the low Hz a bit if your subwoofer/Bass sounds too meek.
DIRAC by design is a little conservative with bass at its default settings.
I used my MacBook Pro for the setup too. Just download the software and make sure the RZ50 and your Macbook are on the same WIFI network (or ethernet of course). The software will find the Onkyo by itself and then you just click on it.
Keep in mind that even when using the computer, the supplied mic plugs into your RZ50 and not your computer.
For the volume, not to blow out my wife's ears lol, I am usually running mostly 55DB for PS5. Movies depend how those are mixed (can be hugely different). Also that number is dependent on what you set the volume to - to your individual speakers and of course how many speakers you have connected. In my case it's one sub, 5 surrounds and 2 pairs of ceiling speakers (5.1.4). And of course how big your room is. My living room space is not that big so I sit not too far away from each speaker.
I've had the same problem btw. with the ceiling speaker config. That's why I have it set up to "ceiling front and ceiling back" though it's physically not correct. Top middle is not selectable. That's not an Onkyo thing though. I heard that Denon user have the same limitation. Might be a Dolby standard thing (?). Like I said in my video though it sounds good even with my couch against the wall.
I might be able to maybe make a DIRAC LIVE video specially about the RZ50. It would have made this video too long to also include the entire DIRAC set up. Thank you again for watching and enjoy your RZ50! 😊
How does this work with bass from a subwoofer and front speakers combined? Wouldn't the house curve on the subwoofer and front speakers mess up the totall bass, because you have bass from the subwoofer and front speakers combined? Couldn't this result in more bass than you set your house curve to?
Hi Mike, it sure can make your head spin with all these settings. My speakers are connected to the subwoofer first. The sub “decides” itself when getting the input signal for a full range front speaker from the RZ50 and takes the lows in that signal into the sub. The sub settings are separate. So it does work out in the end. The DIREC support also confirmed me that their software works with such a setup as well and it sounds fine. Just needed to elevate the lows a bit more hence Dirac is more “pure” while for movies and games I like more “boom” 😉
Hi Recently bought Onkyo TX RZ50 receiver replacing my old Harman Kardon AVR 3600. I used chromecast hooked up projecting from 1080p projector BenQ HT 3050 an amazon prime movie. through the onkyo receiver I find that images are not as crisp as seen while using the Harman Kardon which are very crisp.
I also find that sound through Onkyo Receiver diesn't dynamically adjust volume to maintain same volume over dialogues and background music loudness.
any ide why images are not as crisp as what Onkyo should have dleivered?
and why sounds are not balanced well between dialogues and background music ?
Hello 👋 You should not have a different image quality just by using a different receiver. Check your resolution settings on the chrome cast while it is connected to your Onkyo to see if it's set correctly. If your projector maxes out at 1080p I would set the output resolution as such on the chrome cast as well. Also check the settings of the RZ50 and deactivate upscaling so that you get a pure 1080p signal to your projector. Sound and voice clarity depends heavily on how the sound is mixed from its source. Sometimes it's even compressed harder for streaming. Id always give your center speaker a few more db volume to get more clarity out of movies.
Quite a thorough review. I was thinking of buying this receiver due to its specs, to replace an old pre hdmi 777 onkyo, since I've recently updated my speakers to some nice kef and jamo , but this review has completely scared me away from this receiver as it just sounds way to complicated to work out. I have knowledge of setting up basic features such as speaker sizes, parameters, gains, allocating inputs etc, but having to download apps on my phones or tablets and getting laptops and computers involved to achieve a descent setup is way more trouble than i would have imagined. I think its way too technical for me. Im only running a 5.1 with some very nice quality large speakers and was hoping to get some newer surround processing power, thats all. Thanks for the info.
Hi George. Thank you for watching and writing about your experience. I really love my RZ50 and it can be as easy or advanced to set up as you want it to be. The RZ50 runs fine without even using DiracLive. If you want a simple set up the basic settings are just fine (speaker size, distance etc) and you can go ahead and enjoy this receiver. The room correction is something you can use to tweak the sound. So no worries, don’t be scared. It’s a great receiver for doing regular 5.1 too ☺️I’m went into all the details to help others out because I didn’t know all this at the beginning either. I’m actually getting new speakers soon and will probably run the RZ50 as is for a while to “run in” the speakers. We have a great hobby. I hope you are having fun with your setup 😊
Thank you Samdan for clearing that up. Yes we have a very enjoyable hobby that has gotten very technically advanced over recent years which can be exciting but a bit scary at times as I've fallen behind these last 10 years. My fairly new Kef Q900s and jamo bookshelf rears have been a nice upgrade but I'm sure they will sound much better with a new receiver which is why I'm shopping around and relying on experienced reviews such as yours which are helping me decide. I was originally looking at changing to a Denon , Marantz , yamaha or even Sony but i know Onkyo was awesome! especially many years ago as ive owned a few but never anything else. My last one was a let down as it never really sounded detailed or had much bass even though i run a 12inch jbl sub? And it still seems ONKYO gives you much more bang for $$buck... So I'm hoping and was tossing up between the NR7100 and the RZ50 ?? As i love my movies but also want to enjoy a bit of quality sounding music. So if you think RZ50 sounds nice in both departments and not too much of a hassle to set up i think it might be my choice. I appreciate your detailed review and thanks for sharing brother.
@@SamDansCouch can i ask you if it is possible to use the calibration mic for a basic setup? or does that require the whole DIRAC LIVE scenario with the installation of the app to control everything etc ?? Cheers, George
@@georgeb2085 Oh I feel exactly the same George. I've been doing this since the 90s and all of a sudden our hobby became super technical like a music studio setup. Many things I've seen from my dad, who actually had his own music studio, made it into our home surround systems now. It took me a while to advance and I'm still learning new details about our hobby every day. It definitely can be intimidating but you always got to keep in mind that all that matters is that your system sounds good to you. Reading too much insider message boards can make you feel dizzy 😂This is my second Onkyo that I own and it really still is the fact that you get the most features for your money. Many swear on Denon but you just don't get as many features for the money plus Denon is going to charge you extra for features like DiracLive which is going to be another 260 dollars just for the software which just comes with the Onkyo for free. Also upgrading from my old 400 dollar reciever to the RZ50 did make a big difference in sound quality too with the same old speakers im running so that was great as well. The NR7100 is a great reciever. If you don't need more than 9.1 channels it would save you some money. I had the chance to get the RZ50 for the price of the NR7100 a year ago so I took the plunge. I also like the look of the RZ50 a little bit more. So yes I can definitely recommend the Onkyo line. One year later im still super happy with it and I'll pair it with new speakers and a new sub after Xmas which I'll probably make a new video about too.
@@georgeb2085 You can run the regular sound setup with the supplied mic. No need for DiracLive. (You can also always do DiracLive later if you wanted to.) The Onkyo comes with their own easier to use AccuEQ ROOM calibration as well.
Used the Dirac Live calibration through the Onkyo Controller app for Android 3 times, saved all of them. Glad I did, because Slot 3 was the best.. My main room now sounds fabulous, despite being only 5.0. However, I cannot route the HDMI 2.1 sound from the old Vizio TV to the speakers via preamp I had set up for my previous JVC receiver, using the same Bitstream audio setting. When I tried to set it up via the receiver for Zone 3, it flashed "Source," switched the TV audio to PCM and immediately, I lost the sound for my main room and still no audio to the kitchen or dining room. Any workarounds?
I gave up getting my hands on an RZ50 three mos ago. Bought a Pioneer Elite instead.
Hi Michael, congrats to your new receiver. The Pioneer is just as good of a choice. Internally probably the same compared to the RZ50 (Pioneer belongs to the Onkyo brand just like Integra).
Which Pioneer did you get?
@@ole812ellie If he got the Pioneer VSX-LX505 it should be very similar to the RZ50.
@@ole812ellie The LX305. I would've preferred the 505 but when I gave up waiting on RZ50, the 505 was nowhere to be had. I needed to buy something because my older 4K Yamaha receiver was HDMI incompatible with my new LG C1 tv. The 305 had received good reviews on other channels. I was using optical cable and not utilizing many features.
I've been waiting 6 months. I had one opportunity where 4 receivers were in stock but I was too late. I gave up too. I brought Onkyo tx-nr7100 which I Really like, with the exception that I cannot add an amplifier no preouts. We'll probably go ahead and get the RZ50 In a year or 2. Would love to be able to add an amplifier.
Hi. I am having trouble setting up 7.1.4 dolby atmos. I am using an external amp for the front 3. I had 4 in-ceiling speakers installed with my surrounds and my back surrounds, but on the back of the onkyo it only has 1 set of height speakers, and then a zone. How do I get this to work for an actual 7.1.4 system?
Hi Jose! Nice setup! The height 1 speakers go on the height 1 connectors - while the height 2 speakers go on the surround back connectors. Your actual surround back speakers will be connected to your second amp. The second amp connects to the surround back pre-outs. Check out the RZ50 pdf manual on the Onkyo website page 58 for a nice visualization. I hope that helps. You are gonna have an awesome setup 👍😊
@@SamDansCouch if I do that then I'm missing out the most important sound driving my front three. I spent as much money on the xba mot with three channel amp as I did for the Onkyo receiver to drive the most important speakers which are the front three. If I use that just to drive surrounds that would be a negative. Can I reassign the zone connections to act as the height speaker connectors for the second pair?
@@josefernandez2722 oh I see what you are trying to do. I don’t have a second amp at hand right now so I can’t test it myself unfortunately. Try to check “Speaker" - "Configuration" - "Speaker Channels” if you can change the arrangement there. I hope you can get it to work.
@@SamDansCouch Hello! Were you able to use the amplifiers in the front? In 7.1.4 ?
Is there this configuration option?
Subscribed. Great video
Thank you so much! 😊
how i can use 11.2 with this resiver? i read that everywhere? front is preout or?
Hi Ernst, you’ll need to hook up a separate stereo amp to the RZ50 to get 11.2. Check out my video at ua-cam.com/video/CswvEE_bojU/v-deo.html
How is your music listening experience with this avr? I'm thinking of getting one. Besides movies, I listen to music on streaming services.
Hi Burak! Music sounds very dynamic with more details than I had before compared to my older receiver. On top of it the DIRAC LIVE calibration got more clarity out of my speakers than I could have hoped for. I hear details in songs now I haven't heard before with the exact same speakers. I am very happy with the results. I usually listen to Apple Music or Amazon music when using streaming services.
Good stuff man, keep it up.
Thank you! 🙏
Can you switch the way the volume is displayed instead of just 0-70 or whatever can it be displayed as like -20 for instance
Hi Dane, yes you can switch between absolute or relative display of the volume. 👍
@@SamDansCouch awesome thanks for the quick reply
are running a 5.1.2 my room is the same as your couch against the wall
do the front located USB has a videoplayback ? or it is just for music...?
Hi VinylPro 👋 It’s only for music playback.
@@SamDansCouch you absolutely sure ?
because there are some few, who means they can also video...
@@SamDansCouch i means:
but I wonder if this wonderful device plays an USB flash drive with video ...?
Or just for audio?
But what about modern devices...? Which one has this option...?
@@VinylPro No it doesn’t and I also don’t know of any other receiver who does. It would be cool though. Usually you can connect a usb stick with video files directly to your smart Tv.
@@SamDansCouch no, "directly to your smart TV" is not an option,
the most of TVs have not the right codex to open the movie in "full quality" from a USB....
ONLY few DVD or BD players have the option to play it in a "full quality"...
besides there are a lot of formats even in AVI , MP4 or similar, which are not accessible by a smart TV or usual BD-player.....
that why the question.
What was the model number of you Yamaha I am debating whether to upgrade or not mine was Yamaha 2070 and was it worth it?
Hi Gregory. I had (and still own) the Yamaha RX-V1067 and still love it. I think I bought it around 2010. Besides the RZ50 sounding really good by itself - having up to date sound formats like Dolby Atmos and the room correction DIRAC make a big difference. Atmos being more 3D and way more dynamic and DIRAC being able to pull even better sound quality out of my speakers. I’d definitely consider upgrading 🙂
@SamDansCouch I dont get the HDMI Arc to work with my LG OLED B2 TV. When i activate (e)Arc the TV Displays Mute and i cant get any sound out of the Smart TV apps. Can anyone help? Thank you!
Hi Jacob, I'm using an LG OLED E7 and it works well for me. Did you try to hit the mute button on the TV remote? Then check on the LG TV the sound out options if you have it on "Audio out (optical/HDMI ARC). Then on the Onkyo settings "input/output speaker"->"1.TV out/OSD"->"HDMI OUT"->set to MAIN.And then check "Hardware"->"1. HDMI"->"HDMI CEC"->"ON" and have the second option on "Auto" and the remaining options on "on". I hope this helps and that you can get it running. 😊
@@SamDansCouch Now its Working! Thank you ! 🙂
where did u put your second atmos set
Hi mike, yes I got my couch against the wall too. It’s just not practical any other way for me. I have my first set of Atmos above my couch and the second set further towards the tv, between the tv and the couch. It works pretty well and I am happy with it
@@SamDansCouch do u think just those 2 speakers would give me good atmos, it a building grade speaker.
@@SamDansCouch im using a sr5008 currently looking to get the onkyo rz50, over the new sony and new cinema line maretz, because of cost are u happy with the rz50 and has it held up well no repair s ect running klipsch bookshelf 5.1 set up
@@mikeschmidt2339 Yes I think it would sound awesome. Ever since I got my Atmos setting i wouldn’t want to go back to regular 5.1 again
@@mikeschmidt2339 I am very happy with the RZ50. I have it running now since almost two years and I’d still buy it today. It holds up very nicely, gets regular firmware updates and never needed any repairs. I’d say go for it especially since it has build in DiracLive licensing.
I find this receiver is odd. Simple things like bluetooth has a delay whereas the yamaha tsr 700 from costco did not, and even displayed the song I was playing from my phone. The onkyo only displays the first song upon connecting and then is just stuck displaying that same song until I turn off the unit. But the things that matter, it does sound great and is able to connect an amp for many channels.
Hi Stanley, I’m sorry you have some issues with your RZ50. I haven’t tested Bluetooth much yet, e.g. headphones not at all yet because I just don’t need it. But I did use my iPhone with Apple Music streaming over per AirPlay 2 and that works like it should. No interruptions and display worked too with album cover and all. Same with internal streaming apps. I’ll look into Bluetooth now that you mentioned it. If there is a problem from the onkyo side Im pretty confident that there will be a firmware update in the future. Onkyo has been pretty good in the past with supplying updates even for devices that are several years old.
@@SamDansCouch yea with UA-cam the video title and all will display correctly, it’s mainly for local music on my phone that it acts weird. Do you have any good guides on properly setting up Dirac? Or how to tweak the curves after? Felt like my bass was muted after calibration which I think you mentioned you had to boost it
Onkyo catches my attention after Denon disappeared.
Onkyo receivers are really great. Before I owned an Onkyo I was a little biased and thought the only great receivers were Yamaha or Denon and never even looked at Onkyo. One day I did end up with my first Onkyo (646) and was blown away with how much sound and formats I got for a fraction of the price of e.g. a denon. And even though the RZ is not cheap, it sounds like a receiver that’s much more expensive from competitive brands. I can highly recommend giving Onkyo a try 😊
@@SamDansCouch Thanks for the input. Claiming that RZ isn't cheap brought a smile, remembering that top Denon models cost $4K and even more.
Congrats on getting the RZ50! While there is nothing wrong with your Bose, personally I'd upgrade to really get the most out of the RZ50. Also, maybe I missed it, but what is your current streaming box? I had a FireTV, but upgraded to an Apple TV 4k and man, my speakers came alive, I don't think the FireTV has enough processing power for true dolby atoms. However, the Apple TV and Nvidia Shield (haven't tried the shield but I'm sure it's amazing) should crush it.
Also wanna mention this is coming from a place of hate or anything wacky, I see a lot of people tear each other down in the HT space for whatever reason, I just want everyone to get the most out of their setups!
Hi Perfector, thank you for your feedback. I agree the RZ50 can do even more with more expensive speakers and I eventually will upgrade. In the HT space you need to upgrade one thing after another if you don't have endless resources. So for now my big upgrade was my receiver. And yes the hate is big on BOSE, or in the HT space in general (brand wars wherever you look). I wish more people would just enjoy each others setup in general and just do tips like you said. But my setup is also a good example that DIRAC LIVE can get more out of none high end speakers as well. For streaming I used the internal LG TV apps and Xbox Series X apps. Just a week ago though I upgraded to Apple TV 4K which is very awesome. I love, next to the movie stuff, to also feed lossless and Dolby Atmos music from the Apple Music service. Something you can't do wirelessly with your phone. But Apple TV does. So I can feed that directly into my RZ50 through HDMI. Makes the RZ50 sing 😊👍
I just got mine a couple of days ago and I am not totally happy with the sound. I wasn't successful with the Dirac live and I did the other one instead. My results for certain things like spectrum cable sounded pretty thin. I especially found the E ARC connection while using the TVs apps, the worst. When I plugged in a Roku device, the sound improved. I need to use a pc for Dirac to see if that works because the phone app kept giving me errors. When you said that your Onkyo sounded thin before calibration, it gave me hope. I had a 20+-year-old Onkyo 805 whose sound was exceptional but doesn't have processing for atmos and 4k. 4k and blue-ray discs do sound great, however. It's just that with the older Onkyo everything sounded better, not just the discs. If you can think of anything I might have missed, please let me know. Thanks.
Hi Jose, congratulations that you got the RZ50! Fear not, the thin sound is normal at first. Especially DIRAC takes bass out by design to make it sound more like a professional studio norm which doesn’t 100% fit us movie and gamers who want big sound. With the right tweaking you will get the perfect detailed sound from Dirac plus extra volume by manual tweaking. It takes some time to make it sound “right” for your own personal taste. I am actually in the process of making a video about setting up DIRAC with the RZ50 to share my findings and give some tips. Maybe I can help you with my experience too. Should be out in a couple of days 🙂
@@SamDansCouch thanks so much.Sam I'll be waiting for it.
@@josefernandez2722 Great! I try to cover as much as possible. It’s quiet the topic once I started thinking about making a guide. I hope it will help and if you have more question you can always ask. I’m Daniel btw. I guess I never made that clear in the videos 😅
@@SamDansCouch Ok Daniel. Thanks
Another thing Dan, is that I'm using 2 subs and the calibration only sees 1 of them so I don't know how to approach calibrating the 2nd sub.
Missed delivery so I pick up on Monday
Oh no, but thankfully Monday will be here soon. Have fun setting it up 😊👍
@@SamDansCouch
I ordered late Dec
Just glad it finally got stocked ( Canada )
2.1 for both my series x and ps5.
And I have a projector / tv setup so both outputs. Will be used but projector will only be 2.0 4k.
@@PagliaroMark nice setup! I upgraded to the RZ for 2.1 too so when I get a new tv I can enjoy full 120hz in PS5 and X 😎
Setting up Dirac Live for me has been a b!tch. I live on an appartment building next to a well transited area and everytime the programs says there's a lot of background noise and can't calibrate correctly :/ any help for that?
Hello Ar2kill, I hear you. The software is very precise and therefore insists on nothing going on in the background. Try playing with the Mic gain settings, this should help making the mic pick up less background noise. Also if you haven‘t watched it yet - I made a whole video about DIRAC Live for the RZ 50. Try to find a time in the day where less traffic is going on outside and where neighbors aren‘t running around all the time. I had to wait for a good time as well since in my case I had dogs barking a lot upstairs. I wish you good luck! Here is my DIRAC video: ua-cam.com/video/vmiapW5R7h8/v-deo.html
@@SamDansCouch Yeah I watched your video (you were my reference for trying to set up my receiver :)) I think I'll have to set it up by midnight cause that's the only time everyone stays quiet
Does this av receiver good for 2.1 music and to convert to VIRTUAL Music from UA-cam, FLAC, Mp3 & DVD format files even though I am a Movie Buff,I got BLURAY Files from 5.1 to HD including ATMOS Dumps to watch.
I am planning to connect rz50 my PC rtx 4070TI Graphics with HDMI 2.1 to my monitor to check out the menu & and then CREATIVE AE-9 Soundcard optical for non HD Content - UA-cam, FLAC, Mp3 & DVD format files
Speakers are KLIPSCH Reference 5.1.4 atmos speakers.
Please give me some infos...
Thanks,
Pradeep.
Hi Pradeep, yes the RZ50 is good for all these applications. You can also up convert sound to all your Atmos speakers. I’ve been using my PC and steamdeck on the Onkyo as well without any problems. I can recommend it 👍😊
@@SamDansCouch Thanks Sam.. Reply like a FLASH... setting up in my bedroom with PC.
I am making high end pc after 18 years now.. Previous I had THX Certified SOUNDCARD and THX Logitech Z680( currently is z906 going to replace with rz50 connecting with the soundcard + HDMI).. Right now DEC 2024 is the investment 1599 USD for rz50 and 599 KLIPSCH REF 5.1.4 dad is sponsoring mate..
Waiting for all DIRAC updates including other updates in feature in this model in future and other bugs to get it right and for the funds for my dad...
Will tag u on my configuration in your twitter account about my present pc specs for your note and you can give me in suggestion.
i got my ACER 37.5 UHD Monitor and 16 x 20 room height 10 feet approx.- No funds for Noise removal so getting this one
Happy to receive your reply mate.
Thanks & Regards,
Pradeep.
Pollachi,Tamilnadu-South India
@@SamDansCouch Convert to ATMOS sounds like FUN and Immersive Excited..
Every time I try a Dirac Live calibration through the Onkyo RZ50 Controller app, it keeps giving me an error: Measurement failed because the volume was too high. It allows me to reduce the volume by up to 6 decibels, which I do, but then it gives me the same results I'm unable to use Dirac calibration at all on this brand new receiver. Can anyone help me?😢😢
Hi Persian cat! To get the volume right at the start is a tricky part. I just redid my Dirac live with my new MA Bronze 100s. Here are some tips : if you can, turn off AC, it was a major factor that ruined my measurements. Turn mic gain down to 0. Adjust all speaker volume levels to the lowest speaker in your setup. My problematic clipping speaker is usually the sub. So turn that down and adjust all other speaker levels to the same level. Then run the 1st measurement. Try till you won’t get the clipping errors any more. Nice kefs btw. I saw your short video. 😎👍
@@SamDansCouch Thank you very much for your guidance. I am so happy. I will try your suggestion again and hope it will be successful. I am very happy that you watched my video. This is the first time I bought a speaker in my life. I like this speaker. The sound is very good. Thank you very much. you have a nice day😊❤️☺️❤️
@@persiancat5188 No problem ☺️take your time and enjoy your beautiful set up. It looks great! 👍
@@SamDansCouch ok i will thank you
I would like to know how you experience going from 2 height speakers to 4 height speakers. Do you feel like 2 of the speakers of the 4 heights sound louder then the other 2 heights for example more channel info then the other 2 heights? does your top rear sound louder then your front top even though they have the same level does Dirac live take those height channels into account to calibrate them to how they are suppose to sound?
Going from 2 to 4 ceiling speakers made the virtual "sound dome" more closed.
Imagine a helicopter only being able to go from left to right with 2 ceiling speakers. With 4, the helicopter can actually circle around above your head. Of course the surround sound needs to be mixed like that. Games actually feel even more in depth, because you can interactively move around.
You should not be able to hear different volumes from your individual speakers - as in make sure to set each speaker up to the same volume from where you sit. I mentioned the SPL meter (or app for your phone). With that you can fine tune the volume so that each speaker has the same volume from your seating position.If everything is set up right all 4 ceiling speakers should sound like one unit.
And yes DIRAC LIVE actually measures and calibrates all your speakers, even the ceiling speakers. Definitely run DIRAC first but then do some fine tuning later with the volumes settings and of course the crossover settings. It's not hard but a little time consuming. But that's part of the fun messing with your new "baby" 😊
Great review!
Thank you 😊
if you purchase bass or multibass from DIRAC, will it work with this reciever 🤔
Hi Angel, as far as I know the upgrade is only for Rotel, Arcam, NAD and some other brands plus DAWs but not Onkyo, Integra or Pioneer. You can find the list of supported audio devices on the Dirac shop website. Personally the build in license works great for me. Especially with the target curve where you can boost the bass yourself. In depth video from me about the Dirac measurement will go up on this channel soon.
4700h denon vs rz50?
Hi Seneca, since the price reduction - the denon would be a good choice too IF you don't want DIRAC, which is a very useful feature. So personally I'd still go with the Rz50 unless you really dont want DIRAC and prefer the Denon brand 👍
Bought it, but it makes a hissing sound when ever i browse Netflix and youtube or when i start a new content, anyone have the same problem? or know anyway i can fix it?
Hi Node, I’m sorry you are having issues. Do you have a fast HDMI cable? (Best would be HDMI 2.1 cable). If the bandwidth for that cable is too low this could be a cause. Try out different HDMI cables if you can. do you use the TVs internal apps or an external player like an Apple TV? I use both. Maybe check the settings. But if the problem persists you should ask onkyo support. Hope you get it fixed. 👍
@@SamDansCouch hi sam, thanks mate will try those options.
Also do you really have full band speakers? (As I doubt it?) the crossover should be set to 80Hz for all speakers and they should be set to small as it’s says nothing about the actual size of the speakers but rather the frequency response of the speakers a full band speaker means you don’t need subwoofers and it can do 25 to 25K/45K frequencies. Seeing your clips I doubt your speakers can do that? So I would highly advice against setting it up like you did. Instead set everything to small and all crossovers to 80 except for the ceiling/heights that should be set between 120/150 as you don’t want much bass from them. Other than that nice videos but a bit misinformed. Hope I have helped a bit 👍
Hello Killersneak 👋 Good observation and this is how you would do it with regular small speakers. In my specific case though the settings are indeed correct. My Bose Surround Sound speaker system works that way, that it requires full spectrum output. All the information is then routed into the powered sub and the sub itself takes care of routing the crossover frequencies into the satellite speakers. It sure is a unique approach by Bose and my DiracLive correction could make these speakers sound much better. Ever since making this video I have moved on from my Bose setup and I am using an SVS sub and Monitor Audio speakers these days. I’ve also made a video about my new setup and a separate DiracLive setup video on this channel if you are interested.
@@SamDansCouchI want to see that I’m gonna look for it what about watching movies like 4k ultra? Can I use ps5 for that?
@@michaelmarquez6133 hello Michael 👋 yes you can. I actually just watched super Mario bros on my PS5 in Ultra 4K. A really cool experience 😎
Nice
Gajendra patel Gujarat india
Hi love yyour content. I just got one and had a big disappointment. Perhaps it won't matter to anyone however I found out there is a HUGE difference in the THX ratings. If I use this for 8K I loose almost 50 rms watts a channel from a thx-ultra model (Pioneer Elete) they rate all channels at once mine is 1,400 watts RMS course it weighs 80 pounds. Needless to say with low efficiency speakers it will stay. A folllow up three days later aftter trying to find aa new THX-ultra on ebay none, only my big pioneer, and a very old (and expensive) Marranttz. I have it put away no hdmi and only 5.1 but monster discrete amps. The difference in the ratings is simple Room size. The thx-ultra2 are for huge rooms in a home hennce the power. This info from thx labs!
Hi Robert, thank you so much! My room isn't huge so I don't even need all the wattage but for dedicated home cinemas that is very interesting and good to know. Thank you for sharing.
If you can find one….
Hi Dazza, yes it's so difficult these days to get electronics and the RZ50 seem to be the PS5 of the audio world - super hard to get. I got mine from AVScience. They don't sell receivers on their website but you can e-mail them and ask. I did and even got a super fair price for it. From ordering to actually getting it took around 25 days.
@@SamDansCouch I ended up getting a Marantz SR5015 today….apples and oranges compared to the TX, but I liked the specs.
@@dazzazulu777That’s great! Another wonderful receiver. I hope you’ll enjoy it and have fun setting it up 😊👍🏻
So...I have a TCL 75 r646 with the RZ50. It states that the OSD is not supported by your TV. Does anyone have a fix? Temporarily disabling eArc worked.
rheeee! my turtle headset can do all that! rheeeeee, pc master race! hahahaa