Onkyo TX-NR696 Home Audio Smart Audio and Video Receiver, Sonos Compatible and Dolby Atmos Enabled, 4K Ultra HD and AirPlay 2, Black

I've owned this receiver for just over a year now and I love it. I have my PC connected to it via HDMI, 7.1 surround with my choice of DTS, Dolby, or THX modes. Setup was simple and I had no issues getting everything configured. A few months ago I updated the firmware which was also easy and problem free. All my movies that are encoded with DTS or Atmos come through sounding great. Hearing jets flying over you while the subwoofer lets you feel every explosion. Dialog comes in crisp and clear. Video games are also much more immersive. Playing Dead Space (2023) in Dolby Atmos is so much fun when you can hear monsters coming up behind you. Space Marine 2 also sounds great from hearing the roar of some alien creature to the satisfying sound the Thunder Hammer makes when you crush said creature. I have a plugin for Winamp (Yup! I'm that old and it still whips the llama's ass) that up-scales stereo to 5.1, I use DTS:X which fills out to 7.1 and makes the sound really fill out the room. Pink Floyd's remastered Dark Side of the Moon for Dolby Atmos sounds like your on the stage with the band. You can hear different instruments and sound effects from different speakers. The only problem I've been having, which I'm not sure is the fault of the receiver, is the mode on the receiver will sometimes change from DTS:X to whatever mode I had set before it detected the DTS:X signal. This could be due to windows closing the audio connection when the file ends. Sometimes I can just press play and it will switch back, other times I have to manually re-select DTS:X in windows. DTS:X and Dolby Atmos are only enabled when the receiver detects that type of signal and you can't manually set it to either and have it not change on its own. All in all I am very happy with my purchase. This is my first Onkyo that replaced a very old Sony that was good in its time when it worked. The Sony died once a year 3 years in a row. Hopefully the Onkyo does better.

I had an older Onkyo receiver that struggled to handle HDMI communications with my devices. I ordered the NR696 because of great reviews, a Zone 2 that now plays inputs for 3 HDMI sources. My old Onkyo could only send analog signals to Zone 2. I love listening to a variety of music sources when working or entertaining (it will happen again as I write this in the COVID-19 misery of June 2020). I use this with a Harmony Hub to control multiple devices, slick. The Onkyo iPhone/iPad app is terrific. I can pick Zone 1 or 2, customizable for name and picture ID, to play any musical source I want inside or out. AirPlay was a bit tricky to find and setup but works just fine for Apple music, for example. You have to setup AirPlay from the Network setup menu, keep diving deep. And then create a password which also has to be used on your iPhone/pads. This is all a one time setup. Sound quality and power are excellent, HDMI connections are fast and flawless. This is a terrifc receiver.

First off let me start off with I bought this as open item got it and box was beat up bad ( like dropped off the back of a truck bad lol 😜) That said had two problems: 1 remote was crushed and non usable 2 back of receiver was dented but nothing loose just dented immediately left message with seller…Seller confirmed my problems and asked if I wanted to keep it and receive partial refund so I could purchase another remote and for dents I decided to keep it and except partial refund this is 350.00 + tax for new got it for a very reasonable price and customer service was outstanding got it up and running and could not be happier sounds awesome with my Klipsch speakers who cares about couple large dents you really don’t see anyway Thank you Amazon! 😎👍👍👍

I was recommended a Denon X2600H and gave it a shot. Coming from an older Onkyo, I didn't feel like the Denon packed enough punch. Dialogue wasn't quite as clear as what I was used to and music felt more flat. I hooked up the NR696 when it arrived and ran the speaker calibration. I instantly noticed the difference in sound between the two receivers. Everything sounds much more crisp and clear on the Onkyo. Much like the sound I was used to from my old faithful Onkyo that still works after 15 years, but updated with HDMI for a more convenient setup. Onkyo NR696 is also THX certified unlike the mid range Denon receivers, and THX Cinema mode sounds awesome. Pretty much every THX mode seems to produce the best sound. Apparently Onkyo addressed past HDMI issues with "refined HDMI grounds". I haven't had any issues with it yet. Dolby Vision (HDR) passes through it fine and the picture looks great. So far I have a 4k blu ray player and PC going through it and all's well. I also prefer the Onkyo remote. The ability to adjust tone and boost voice with the touch of a button is nice. I do wish it was back-lit though. It seems remote back-lighting is becoming less common for whatever reason. Maybe to keep prices more competitive. Aside from that there's really nothing I don't like about this receiver as of now. I'll update if any issues come up. UPDATE 11/10/19. 2 stars removed: I'm noticing video blackouts on multiple HDMI ports. So far I've only used stream box, PC, and BD/DVD HDMI ports and all three have the same issue with different devices. The screen will randomly go black for a few seconds, but the audio will continue playing. Sometimes (rarely) I'll lose the signal completely and have to unplug the receiver and plug it back in. I'm using quality HDMI cables, and the 4K Fire Stick plugs directly into the port so there's no cable at all to question. It's not a constant problem, but if it happens once a day it's still a problem. I'll be contacting customer service and hoping to find a fix rather than sending it in for repair. UPDATE 6/24/20. One star restored: I'm happy to say that after a few firmware updates (not sure which one did the trick), I'm no longer losing signal with HDMI. I haven't had to unplug and replug the receiver when switching devices for weeks. No cable or device changes were made, just firmware updates from Onkyo. Sometimes there is still a bit of a handshake issue, like it'll switch to stream box when a device initially starts up in game, but that's easily fixed with the remote. I gave it one more star for their efforts, but still not a solid 5 star because of the initial issues I had and minor problems that still exist. I love the sound and features and don't regret my purchase. A shaky start but for the price I'm happy.

Excelente receiver! A qualidade de som melhorou sensivelmente do modelo anterior que tive, nr626. Interage muito bem com todos meus equipamentos, Blu-ray, PS4, DVD-R, Net, etc; identifica perfeitamente os sistemas de áudio e vídeo, etc. Acho que o controle remoto poderia ser um pouco mais moderno, ser mais interativo e programável, de forma a controlar as funções principais de outros equipamentos. Produto ótimo, funciona perfeitamente!

Update- They replaced with new one after repeating the same issue. I waited for this update for more than another year. It is working great as of October 2022. I appreciate their customer service and now giving them 5 star. Old review below- Well, it has been a year and a half that I am using this amp. It is a really nice amp, I enjoy its many features including ARC, Dolby Surround, Built-in Chromecast, Alexa and Google Voice Command, Mobile App Control etc. Unfortunately, it recently started auto shut off (goes to standby) beyond a certain volume. It started to auto shut off about volume 75 (0 to 100) and then came to around 60. Sent to the authorized repair shop. Shop said, nothing wrong, they reset and tested for hours and it is alright. When I tested it at home again after their 'claimed fix' it shut itself off again. Sent to the same repair shop and now they say they have to replace a part of the board. They have not told me in details yet. They are waiting for the parts. 1) There is no short in wiring, yes I triple checked. 2) Firmware is auto updated, wired internet. 3) 5.1 sound system and the speakers' ohms/watt/amperage drawing is under the capacity of my amplifier. I appreciate that it provided 2 years warranty and parts and labor are included but the unit being repaired for defects within 2 years does not inspire confidence at all. I would give 4.5 stars for its features and my experience prior the issue but only giving 3 stars for the defect and that is possible because of its warranty otherwise would give 2 (repair is underway and it can go anyway from parts not found to testing failed in future). I just hope the issue is only my unit but I also doubt that too because there are many people in online forums sharing same issues like mine.

Exelente aparato, totalmente recomendado. Onkyo es una marca de audio con muy buen sonido. Lo tengo conectado con unas bocinas harman kardon y se escucha muy bien.

Receiver was easy to set up. Set up as a 7.1.2 and makes videos, etc., come alive with excellent sound. Very pleased with product, quality and price.

Comprei esse receiver para substituir meu Pioneer Elite LX-302 que queimou por causa de um surto de energia (era meu quarto Pioneer). Depois de um mês de uso, estou bem satisfeito. Muitos recursos de equalização e de decodificação dos áudios. O reconhecimento e equalização automáticos, foram muito eficientes no meu ponto de vista. O controle remoto poderia ser um pouco mais "amigável", mas nada que um pouco de treino, não resolva. Vamos ver como ele se comporta no longo prazo.