Official Onkyo TX RZ920 review & discussion thread

[Tony V.]

Onkyo TX RZ920 discussion​

Picked up an RZ 920 9.2 channel receiver just after Christmas, I will do a full walk through of the setup and operation along with my thoughts along the way.

First of all the specifications:

Amplification for 5.2.4 channels in Dolby Atmos or 9.2 channel soround
135 Watts - 8 Ohm - at 1 kHz - THD 0.08% - 2 channels
175 Watts - 6 Ohm - at 1 kHz - THD 0.9% - 1 channels
Class D amplification
36lbs

THX select certified
Dolby Atmos
DTS X
Dolby Vision

Seven HDMI inputs plus one on the front all HDCP 2.2 compliant
Two HDMI outputs

Supports HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision™, BT.2020,
4K/60 Hz, and HDCP 2.2

The unboxing:



Opening the box, inside is the receiver, remote, manual, AM and FM antenna's, room EQ mic, power cord and batteries

The receiver is solid, and weighs 36lbs. now thats a fair bit lighter than my previous Onkyo TXSR805 @54lbs (I was reminded of its weight as I pulled it off the shelf in my AV rack last night) but given the RZ920 has class D amps this weight is expected to be less. After labeling all my connections as I pulled them of the old Onkyo I was glad I did as I dont have a light in the closet where I access the back of the rack (note to self, install light).

The RZ920 has 7 HDMI inputs so that will future proof it for some time as I was finding that on occasion that I was having to swap HDMI cables on the old Onkyo because it only had 3. The 920 also has another HDMI input under the front flap for hooking up a video camera or other device. The 920 also has a number of analog composite inputs including a phono input (something lacking on many newer receivers these days). It also has pre outs for all 11 channels including the height used for Atmos.

The one thing missing on this receiver is a switched outlet for that matter it has no power outlet at all and I might note as well that the supplied removable power cord is much lighter AWG than my previous 805 and thus my immediate decision was to keep using the one that came with the 805 instead as the plug shape was identical.

The speaker binding posts are solid and my speaker wires went into them without fuss, I noted that the posts seem to be spaced farther apart than standard so if you use banana plugs that are joined they probably wont fit. A really good idea is Onkyo at some point has decided that putting a clear plastic sheet along the back side of the receiver all the way along the area where the binding posts are located to protect it from any possible shorts due to sloppy installation of the speaker wires due to loose strands touching the frame (Great idea Onkyo!)

The remote control, well thats a bit of a letdown if your expecting something as grand as the one included in the old 805 era. Its much smaller and very basic. It has no glow in the dark labels or lit buttons. Onkyo has decided to go the direction of many and start using the Onkyo App on a phone if your looking for better functionality.
The receiver is equipped with bluetooth and both 2.4G and 5G wireless so its kind of hard to not use an app as it can be used anywhere within range of the receivers/home wireless network. It also has built in Chromcast and a USB port for music file playback.

Another small nitpick that I have is the sourse button labels on the receiver are very small and at my age (48) my eyesight is not what it used to be and reading them in a dimly lit room is really hard. This also goes for the other buttons under the flap.

 

[Tony V.]

Initial setup

Powering up the receiver for the first time gives you the above images, moving through the steps was painless and once the wireless was connected I went straight to the Firmware update screen (not really sure why this is not the very first step in the list as you would think you would want to have the latest version installed before doing any other setup) the update took less than 20 min and the display on the Onkyo showed a status percentage all along the way.

Moving back into the AccuEQ room correction setup I was prompted to first select my speaker configuration so currently that is a 7.1 setup with no Atmos speakers yet installed. Plugging in the mic I was then prompted to be quiet (something that's almost impossible in the house with 3 daughters, a dog and of course the wife). The series of clicks, humm's and buzzing went around the room for a long time (AccuEQ takes a lot more samples from each speaker and sub than my previous Audessey Multi EQ XT did however AccuEQ only reads one position) I tried twice to do the setup but there was too much noise so I opted to wait till later this afternoon to continue when I will kick everyone out for an hour LOL.

In the meantime I proceeded to get my iPod hooked up and played a few farmilur tracks including Lee Ritenours album Six String Theory running with no room EQ sounded really clean and clear, lows were solid and hit like it should. I'm still running my mains with an external amp (Samson servo 600) so the receivers internal amps are not being used in two channel mode. So I can not comment right now on how the class D amps sound.
Even with AccuEQ done on the first couple tries with some background interference from the family the sound is actually very good. I'm going to say even better than my old setup. Imaging on my EVs in stereo is really solid.
I put A CD in my Denon DNT625 that I rairely play by an unknown group called Iona (Beyond these shores) a female vocal band that also has a number of really good instrumental tracks that are very airy and light with some nicely recorded strings, flute and other wind instruments along with drums and percussion and electric guitar. The sound was crisp and really felt natural.
I put in the album from Fourplay, Esprit De Four and played the song by the same name and again really smooth and dynamic I'm becoming more and more sold on the quality of my upgrade choice.
Finally I put in a live album that I have that is done so well that it dose not even sound like it was recorded live. It's by a Christian group called Mosaic MSC (glory and wonder) the dynamics of this album are really good with lots of imaging. Again, my system has not sound better.
One thing that stands out on the sound of this receiver is that it has let my EVs shine in the imaging department, the highs are less restrained than they were with the old 805 that I had. I'm not sure if it's because AccuEQ does less with the EQ settings on the mains but it sure sounds great! There is very little difference in sound other than more low end switching between pur direct mode and stereo (this is a good thing)

AccuEQ does still apply distance and other phase adjustments to the main channels from what I can tell as it gives you the option to apply EQ to the mains or bypass when in the settings so maybe they have changed how it is done after a few generations of it.

So after getting some quiet time I properly ran AccuEQ and the results are still great. The speaker crossovers were all set at 40hz which is accurate but I put them back up to 80hz and I set my mains to full range as they are and I put the sub at 80hz (it had selected 120hz) I have my Yamaha YDP2006 EQs bypassed at this point as the sound is so good I actually feel there is nothing more that I want to change. Once I run REW I will see if anything needs attention.

There is also a section to adjust the EQ manually for each channel and a menu for Standing wave (it has chosen 3 filters) see image.


All I can say is results are positive. At the end of my review in the next week I will post some REW graphs to show what it's doing.

 

[Tony V.]

Ok, so tonight I sat down and powered up the system and put on some of the DTS x and Dolby trueHD demo trailers that I have. One of them being the DTSX "all around us" and "object emulator" The sound is dynamic to say the least. There are a couple parts where my pant legs moved from the bass. This also goes for the THX "amazing life" trailer it hit hard and the subs lows were deep and clean.

I have several demo trailers that demonstrate really well object sounds from all around the room. The Dolby trailer "unfold" and "audiosphere" are great examples of this and is a great demo. Channel separation is fantastic and you really feel like it is moving around you.

Below is the final results of running AccuEQ and it sounds really good. Red line is sub only and blue line is sub and mains together.

 

[Tony V.]

Final results are in: Very happy with the Onkyo TX RZ920

 

[Todd Anderson]

Great write up Tony! Interesting comments about how you feel the new receiver is treating your mains - sound-wise. That's gotta fall squarely in the EQ department. If I'm not mistaken, AccuEQ only sets distance and level for the mains?

 

[Tony V.]

During setup AccuEQ gave me the option to not do the mains or to apply EQ so they seem to have changed how they do things

 

[Todd Anderson]

And you chose no? You say that your mains sound less restrained... what does that mean?

 

[Tony V.]

Sorry, I selected yes to allow AccuEQ to apply EQ to the mains as well.

My mains sound more rich and the highs are much more forward than before almost as if someone took a thin blanket off of them (maybe thats because the range between 2 and 5k is less restrained). The imaging also seems to be better.

 

[Todd Anderson]

And you didn't move your speakers at all?

 

[Tony V.]

Nope, they are right under the screen as Ive always had them.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Nice work Tony... sounds like you are very happy with it and it's working well for you. The AccuEQ is much better than I thought it would be.

 

[Bent1]

View attachment 6232 View attachment 6233

Initial setup

Powering up the receiver for the first time gives you the above images, moving through the steps was painless and once the wireless was connected I went straight to the Firmware update screen (not really sure why this is not the very first step in the list as you would think you would want to have the latest version installed before doing any other setup) the update took less than 20 min and the display on the Onkyo showed a status percentage all along the way.
View attachment 6244
Moving back into the AccuEQ room correction setup I was prompted to first select my speaker configuration so currently that is a 7.1 setup with no Atmos speakers yet installed. Plugging in the mic I was then prompted to be quiet (something that's almost impossible in the house with 3 daughters, a dog and of course the wife). The series of clicks, humm's and buzzing went around the room for a long time (AccuEQ takes a lot more samples from each speaker and sub than my previous Audessey Multi EQ XT did however AccuEQ only reads one position) I tried twice to do the setup but there was too much noise so I opted to wait till later this afternoon to continue when I will kick everyone out for an hour LOL.

In the meantime I proceeded to get my iPod hooked up and played a few farmilur tracks including Lee Ritenours album Six String Theory running with no room EQ sounded really clean and clear, lows were solid and hit like it should. I'm still running my mains with an external amp (Samson servo 600) so the receivers internal amps are not being used in two channel mode. So I can not comment right now on how the class D amps sound.
Even with AccuEQ done on the first couple tries with some background interference from the family the sound is actually very good. I'm going to say even better than my old setup. Imaging on my EVs in stereo is really solid.
I put A CD in my Denon DNT625 that I rairely play by an unknown group called Iona (Beyond these shores) a female vocal band that also has a number of really good instrumental tracks that are very airy and light with some nicely recorded strings, flute and other wind instruments along with drums and percussion and electric guitar. The sound was crisp and really felt natural.
I put in the album from Fourplay, Esprit De Four and played the song by the same name and again really smooth and dynamic I'm becoming more and more sold on the quality of my upgrade choice.
Finally I put in a live album that I have that is done so well that it dose not even sound like it was recorded live. It's by a Christian group called Mosaic MSC (glory and wonder) the dynamics of this album are really good with lots of imaging. Again, my system has not sound better.
One thing that stands out on the sound of this receiver is that it has let my EVs shine in the imaging department, the highs are less restrained than they were with the old 805 that I had. I'm not sure if it's because AccuEQ does less with the EQ settings on the mains but it sure sounds great! There is very little difference in sound other than more low end switching between pur direct mode and stereo (this is a good thing)

AccuEQ does still apply distance and other phase adjustments to the main channels from what I can tell as it gives you the option to apply EQ to the mains or bypass when in the settings so maybe they have changed how it is done after a few generations of it.
View attachment 6245
So after getting some quiet time I properly ran AccuEQ and the results are still great. The speaker crossovers were all set at 40hz which is accurate but I put them back up to 80hz and I set my mains to full range as they are and I put the sub at 80hz (it had selected 120hz) I have my Yamaha YDP2006 EQs bypassed at this point as the sound is so good I actually feel there is nothing more that I want to change. Once I run REW I will see if anything needs attention.
View attachment 6247
There is also a section to adjust the EQ manually for each channel and a menu for Standing wave (it has chosen 3 filters) see image.
View attachment 6246

All I can say is results are positive. At the end of my review in the next week I will post some REW graphs to show what it's doing.

Hello Tony, I'm to be receiving my TX-RZ920 next week some time from Onkyo doing the recall on my TX-NR809 receiver, I just have purchased new speakers from SVS and have the Prime Tower's, 4 Prime Satellite speakers, the Prime Center speaker, and of course couldn't do with-out the last of the run PC13-Ultra Sub-Woofer, I have it pretty tweeted but any advice for when I receive the new 920 next week. Any would be appreciated. Ben

 

[Tony V.]

Hey Ben, welcome aboard AV NIRVANA

So far I've had no issues or complaints, there was a firmware update right after I set it up and that went without any problems as well. I must say that it runs way cooler than my old 805 does.

Your system is going to rock! If I was in the market to replace my speakers Im fairly certain it would be with the SVS Ultra's

 

[Bent1]

Hey Ben, welcome aboard AV NIRVANA

So far I've had no issues or complaints, there was a firmware update right after I set it up and that went without any problems as well. I must say that it runs way cooler than my old 805 does.

Your system is going to rock! If I was in the market to replace my speakers Im fairly certain it would be with the SVS Ultra's

Thanks Tony, Well Tony I could only afford to purchase the Prime line of their speaker's and now that my 45 days are up I'm going Rock! with these Prime. Man I am in sound haven here and can't wait to get that RZ920 here and running. I like the articles you have done on this set of speaker's and you help me decide and others that the prime tower's are the way to go with a room my size. I really could only in my opinion afford to go with these and have no regret. Thanks and I'll let you know how it goes here. Ben, PS: the picture I posted for my profile is the set up I have right now, tweeting it some more & rest of wires in wall & more.

 

[Tony V.]

There is nothing wrong with SVS prime speakers, they faired really well against some much higher end speakers in a comparison some others did some time ago. You won't be dissapointed

 

[Todd Anderson]

I agree on the Primes. Just make sure you take the time to put them in the best position to succeed in your room, and you should be good to go!

Check out Wayne's Prime Tower review: https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/svs-prime-tower-review.2589/

Lots of good info there.

And welcome to AV NIRVANA! Glad to have you onboard!

 

[squish72]

would this 920 be much of an upgrade from my 818? My current receiver is on the recall list so I can get the 920 at a pretty good discount. Would it be worth it?

 

[Tony V.]

I have had no issues with it to this point. I would say go for it. Acu EQ is better than I thought it would be.

 

[squish72]

In your pictures you have an adjustable eq, is that able to be used with acueq or is that with acueq off. On my 818 I can only adjust manually with audyssey off. Is each speaker able to be adjusted or just as pairs?

 

[Daren]

I just bought this and I think a couple quirks are annoying but it’s a really good receiver. I don’t like that you have to hit the info button just so you can see the audio information.

Also, I believe this is a quirk but in my 5.1.4 setup (front and back height speakers) the Onkyo display is confusing. I can hear the Atmos sound great and on the configuration screen it’s setup correctly. However, the display only shows the filling as if I only had one set of front height speakers which is confusing.

I double checked the manual and it said the rear Heights should be connected to Surround not Surroind back.

 

[Tony V.]

Hi Daren, have you gone through the auto speaker setup in the acuEQ and told the receiver that you are using 5.1.4. Also have you run test tones using the level calibration menus to make sure you have sound correctly going to each speaker?

Atmos will only work if your sending Atmos encoded audio to the receiver.

 

[Daren]

Hi Daren, have you gone through the auto speaker setup in the acuEQ and told the receiver that you are using 5.1.4. Also have you run test tones using the level calibration menus to make sure you have sound correctly going to each speaker?

Atmos will only work if your sending Atmos encoded audio to the receiver.

I have gone through auto-calibration and yes on the configuration screen set it to 5.1.4. Also, when I run the test tones it shows on that screen the correct configuration on that screen too.

As I stated when playing ATMOS sound is coming out of all the speakers when I play an ATMOS source.

 

[Tony V.]

If Atmos tracks play fine I am confused as to what you are having issues with? Are you saying sounds from Atmos tracks are playing out of your mains also?

 

[Tony V.]

I double checked the manual and it said the rear Heights should be connected to Surround not Surroind back.

The Atmos speakers should be connected to the "Height channels" not soround channels.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Have you gone into the settings and designated your front Atmos channels properly? I'm not entirely familiar with the Onkyo settings, but quite a few brands will designate front channels as wall-mounted height channels post calibration, necessitating you to dig into the settings and change them to ceiling mounted channels.

Just a thought.