New Receiver: to wait or not?

[MarcsAV]

Hi everyone and thanks for this awesome forum!

I currently have a 5.1.4 set up with a Pioneer Elite SC-87 and just got a new 85” 4K TV and was thinking about a receiver upgrade also. The new Onkyo RZ50 seems good if the price will stick at $1099 or maybe been the new Elite 505. I did just come across an Onkyo 797 for $799 with a lot of the new technology; HDR10, Dolby Vision etc. I really just wanted to get some more seasoned opinions for a new receiver with a max price of $1100. That’s def my max budget for this. Maybe wait a few weeks for the new receivers to hopefully come out if all goes well with the Onkyo, Pioneer buyout or is there a better deal out there such as the Onkyo 797 for $799.

Thanks for anyone’s assistance.

Marc

 

[Todd Anderson]

Hey @MarcsAV, welcome to the forum!

Just out of curiosity, what's the reason behind moving beyond the SC-87? No right or wrong answer, just curious! ;-)

 

[MarcsAV]

Thanks and I want to take advantage of HDR, HDR10 and + along with Dolby Vision content. At some point when they become more readily available a PS5. My 4K Apple TV through my receiver will only play SDR. I figure it’s time to upgrade and sell the SC-87 while they still bring decent money.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Makes sense... unfortunately, the way the market is unfolding, you might be in for a bit of a wait. It's impossible to predict real ship times and final pricing. That said, the new offerings from Onkyo, Pioneer, and Yamaha all look like they're going to be competitive and loaded to the brim with full HDMI 2.1 accommodations.

That Onkyo RZ50 might be the perfect fit for you IF the pricing actually lands in your zone. Onkyo has warned that material and shipping costs are fluctuating a lot, so that price point could change very rapidly. Another model to keep your eye on is the Marantz SR-6015. Unfortunately, it's $4-500 more than you're looking to spend. Yamaha won't have an Aventage AVR in your price range capable of accommodating 9.1-channels...

I think you're best bet is to wait a month or two and see how the Onkyo/Pioneer gear rolls out.

 

[carnutzblues1]

My personal experience with Onkyo (along with a friend that bought at the same time) was far less than ideal. The receiver (TX-NR737) would randomly turn my Vizio TV on and then occasionally lock up, requiring a total reset of all presets. The Vizio problem was eventually rectified with a software fix. The freeze up issue was never solved. My friend's receiver did not play well with his Cox cable box, requiring it to be turned off and on to get the sound to work. We both switched to Yamaha's and have had ZERO issues. The Yamaha phone app is also light year's ahead of Onkyo's. There were also numerous issues with bad HDMI boards, per the Onkyo blog site. Maybe they got everything working, but we both will never go back to Onkyo. I sold mine (with full disclaimer as to issues encountered) and my friend's sits in a box in his garage. Onkyo customer service was OK when you could reach them, but were largely ineffective in addressing our issues. Onkyo is big bang for your buck, but more like the explosive kind for both of us.

 

[ddude003]

You might have a look at the Yamaha RX-A2A AVENTAGE 7.2-Channel AV Receiver MSRP: $799.95 or the Yamaha RX-A4A AVENTAGE 7.2-Channel AV Receiver MSRP: $1,299.95...

From usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/av_receivers_amps

Sorry, missed the 9 channels comment...