Onkyo TX NR656 Review For Buyers

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Anyone who currently has or is considering building a home theater system will find that the A/V Receiver is a necessary addition for your entertainment center.

The A/V receiver functions to take digital audio signals from a source, and amping them up so that your listening area becomes immersed with surround sound playback.

In a nutshell, the A/V receiver takes signals from a source and conducts them through your speaker system, or headphones, and many receivers can even transmit video to your television.

As you will find from our Onkyo TX NR656 review, having a receiver of this quality only accentuates your home theater system.

You May Choose This Onkyo Receiver For The Following Specification:

  • Up to 100 Watts per Channel at 8 Ohms.
  • AccuEQ Sound Optimization.
  • 4K Ultra HD.
  • HDMI with 3D and Audio Return Channel.
  • Built-In Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
  • Apple AirPlay Connectivity.

Onkyo TX NR656 Review with Features


The Onkyo TX-NR656 is a Must Have for Your Home Theater System


Are you looking for that perfect A/V receiver to compliment your home theater system, one that is loaded with features and produces the ultimate in high quality playback?

Well, if so, look no further than Onkyo TX-NR656 7.2 Channel Network A/V Receiver. This receiver is a top of the line, wireless audio streaming, object-based and multi-channel jewel among A/V receivers.

The Onkyo is packed with features that you will find extremely useful, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and AirPlay capabilities.

Onkyo TX-NR656 Review (Best 7.2 AV Receiver)
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You are guaranteed to obtain epic surround sound pouring into your room with the Onkyo Receiver and its high-current amplifier design.

Sound features include a 32-bit/384kHz Asahi Kasei AK4458 digital to analog converter, which transmits crisp, clear as crystal sound from any and all of your digital sources.

The Music Optimizer feature will work to enhance the quality of sound from any of your compressed music files or Bluetooth streams. By reassigning surround back channels you can obtain bi-amplifier ability with your front speakers.


Features of the Onkyo TX-NR656


Lets open up with a run down of some of the basic features you get with the Onkyo TX-NR656. First of all, the Onkyo comes with an HDMI standby pass through.

In receivers, a pass through allows a signal to pass through, unchanged. The HDMI standby pass though will give you access to any and all HDMI connected devices without having to turn on your receiver.

There is also a 4K/60p and 3D video pass through, and an audio return channel ability which will receive digital audio signals from a TV tuner by way of the HDMI.

If you would love to have more than one room in your home with sound, no problem here as the Onkyo offers you a dual-room/dual-source output.

This way, you use a 5.2-channel for your main room, or home entertainment theater system, and use the second room output for a separate amplifier or speakers.

Phase Matching Bass Technology works to optimize any low frequencies, which results in the best in audio making it easy to hear those hard to hear bits of movie dialogue or music vocals.

Finally, you get 40 AM and FM presets along with a remote control and remote app so you can conveniently control your receiver by way of your Apple or android device.


The Onkyo TX-NR656 Supports Both Atmos and DTS:X


The Onkyo TX-NR656 receiver is up to the challenge of handling the technology that professional sound engineers use when mixing films and music.

As a result, you get to hear the exact audio that the sound engineers worked hard to create for the cinema, right in your own home.

The Onkyo supports the Atmos 5.1.2. layout, where the first number is the number of speakers, and the second refers to the number of subwoofers, and the last number refers to the number of overhead speakers.

Dolby Atmos is an audio technology which gives sound engineers a lot of elbow room when it comes to developing a films soundtrack.

The Onkyo TX-NR656 Supports Both Atmos and DTSX
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Atmos gives these artists up to 128 audio tracks and 64 different speaker channels to get creative with, and these sound objects can move from speaker to speaker.

For instance, say you are a sound engineer working on a soundtrack, your sound objects would be the sound of a running horse through mud, or an alien craft landing in New York.

Sound engineers manipulate these objects to give the best possible audio experience, and the Onkyo TX-NR656 reproduces this for you.

DTS:X is known as a rival to Dolby Atmos in the field of audio technology, and one that does not require a special speaker layout.

Like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X is also an object based audio technology that strives to immerse the listener by bathing them in a sea of surround sound.

DTS:X technology creates lifelike, multi-dimensional sound and is free from channel restrictions, which means that sounds can moved to where they’d be best suited.

For instance, if you are watching a movie on your home theaters system, and have a hard time hearing a line, it’s possible to single that line out from the background a bit.


Digital Streaming Option for Music Lovers


Your Onkyo TX-NR656 receiver comes music ready for those of you audiophiles eager to sit back and listen to your music collections with built-in Wi-Fi.

With the Onkyo, you can now listen to music via your PC, Internet radio station, such as Pandora, Spotify and Tunein. Fan favorites like TIDAL and Google Cast are also available by way of firmware updates.

The Onkyo is also Bluetooth ready for wireless streaming from your mobile devices such as smartphone, computer or tablet.

For those who have apple products, the Onkyo is compatible with Apple AirPlay which allows streaming from iPhones, iPads, iPod touch.

The Onkyo will also transmit music from your high-res digital files by way of a USB or computer. Finally, it plays your direct stream digital, or DSD music downloads as well.


Versatility with Audio Features and Connectivity


One of the perks of this receiver is the high level of connectivity you get. First off, you have an HDMI 2.0 audio/video switching 8 in, 2 out, HDCP 2.2 technology that makes certain you have suitable compatibility with 4K Ultra HD sources.

This receiver is HDR compatible with 4K TVs and HDR encoded design. Furthermore, there are 2 component video inputs and 2 composite video inputs, 2 digital audio inputs, one for coaxial and 2 for optical, and 6 analog stereo audio inputs.

Best 7.2 AV Receiver
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If you are old school and own a turntable, you are in luck as the Onkyo has a phono input for direct connect. Preamp outputs for 2 powered subwoofers, and a rear-panel USB port to transmit playback from your USB devices.

There is also an Ethernet port for your network, and enough outputs for 9 speakers which include: Front left and right; Center, Surround left and right, Surround back left and right and Zone 2 left and right.


The Final Words (Summary)


From looking at our Onkyo TX NR656 review, it’s quite easy to see why this is the preferred A/V receiver for thousands of audiophiles.

The TN-NR656 is a 7.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver than can power a maximum of seven channels at one time.

It comes with a GUI On-Screen Display via HDMI, 170 Watts/Ch (6 ohms), Dynamic Audio Amplification for clear and realistic sound, HDMI 8 in / 2 out, 4K UltraHD/HDR/HDCP 2.2/4:4:4: color space, Powered Zone 2, and comes with built-in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, with Pandora, Spotify, and AirPlay. Product dimensions are 17-1/8″W x 6-13/16″H x 15-9/16 inches, it weighs in at 22 lbs and has a 2 year manufacturers warranty.


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