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.

Would never buy a Onkyo receiver again! The warranty sucks it’s only for repair not for replacement even though it lasted me 11 months. I had a very bad experience with the seller and the manufacturer to get this resolved. Which didn’t they wouldn’t even talk to me about replacing the unit and had to get nasty before they even made much of an attempt to help. And I might add they expect you as the buyer to pay for the shipping. I think Amazon should remove them as a seller if they don’t stand behind a product that they sell. I would like to Adorama is the seller I bought this from and they have terrible customer service. They actually told me that I should’ve contacted them in 30 days or less. Hmmmm did I buy a toy watch or a cheap radio? No I purchased a receiver that cost hundreds of dollars. Who out would think that it would quit in 30 days or less?

Unbeatable price on Amazon/Adorama on this very capable receiver. I’d recommend this for anyone looking for a capable and flexible AV Receiver. The remote control and the app are a little dated but functional. The description wants you to think that it’s a 210 watts per channel receiver. It’s really rated at 210W/Ch at 10%THD with a single channel driven! With 2 channels driven it’s 100W/Ch at 0.08% THD. Overall, driving 5 or 7 or 9 channels, it may be sufficient but could be under powered in a large room. The receiver is replacing a Sony receiver in a spare room and powering 5.1 system, mainly to add the Network capabilities. I also have a six year old Onkyo TX-NR646 that powers another 5.1 system along with 5 sets of stereo speakers on Zone 2, throughout the house and patio. And it does a great job powering all speakers. Overall, there’s very little difference between this and a six years older receiver. Unfortunately, each receiver uses a different app.

This product was a refurbished unit from an authorized Onkyo company, I spent 30 plus years in the electronics refurb industry and am well versed in how early life failures get rectified, and had confidence in purchasing this unit, also saved me $300 and upgraded me from a 636 and what a difference, the new setup is more in depth on the speaker and spatial sound side as well as subwoofer performance, very happy, I've owned Onkyo home theater products for over 25 years, always have been satisfied.

There is a difference in the power output you need for an indoor system and an outdoor or OPEN space audio system. This Receiver pushes PLENTY of watts to your speakers to rock a solid system outside. IF you need the next step down in power because you have a normal 15x 20 living room then the Onkyo TXSR494 is a good option. Or spend a little more on this TX-NR696 and KNOW YOU HAVE ENOUGH POWER ALL DAY!!!! I have multiple of both receivers and the space size determines what you need but if you aren't sure. The volume is on 63 of 90 in the video and it's LOUD and CLEAR. It will stay clear all the way to the top volume.