Onkyo RZ50 Owners thread

[Jay Mammoth]

So far so awesome with the RZ50. Really impressed with the sound I hooked it up while dinner was cooking and did a quick Dirac set up (3 positions) with the included mic and the sound was a noticeable improvement over the Denon 4300 i had. On the Denon i would listen at around -12-13 on the RZ50 -18 sounds amazing.
Dialog sounds clearer and better separation, especially the top atmos speakers, me and the kid watched the Spiderman 2 4K Disc. One problem im having is i cant get airplay to work, my iPhone and iPad can see the Onkyo on the network but then says unable to connect.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Diggin' the setup there!

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on one of these. Supposedly that will happen soon, but supply shortages have made sourcing review gear tough. Not enough to go around.

Weird about Airplay... is your iOS firmware up to date?

Thoughts on bass management?

 

[Jay Mammoth]

Bass definitely seems tighter after Dirac set up then it did with my previous denon with Audessey.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Bass definitely seems tighter after Dirac set up then it did with my previous denon with Audessey.

That's interesting. I'd love to get some measurements and see what's happening. Audyssey XT32 is fairly competent at bass control, good news that you didn't see a drop off in performance.

Sounds like the amp section is healthy also, although some of that 5dB difference could be accounted for by how the speakers are channel leveled in setup. Still, though, positive signs!

 

[tombs14]

Could you help me understand the takeaway on Jay's picture showing the Crossover settings? To me it doesn't specifically confirm each paired channel can have independent crossover freqs? Unless I'm missing something. Thank you!

 

[Jay Mammoth]

Yeah as far as i know you can only change crossovers per pair, unless there’s a menu I’m missing. Also would like to know how to use Dirac on my laptop with the RZ50 so i can use my umik to measure for room correction.

 

[tombs14]

Yeah as far as i know you can only change crossovers per pair, unless there’s a menu I’m missing. Also would like to know how to use Dirac on my laptop with the RZ50 so i can use my umik to measure for room correction.

But you can set your Fronts different than your Center and Sides, Heights, etc, yes?

 

[Todd Anderson]

Yeah as far as i know you can only change crossovers per pair, unless there’s a menu I’m missing. Also would like to know how to use Dirac on my laptop with the RZ50 so i can use my umik to measure for room correction.

Dirac is easy. You need to register at Dirac, the. Download the app to you PC or Mac.
Make sure you have your Umik correction file from Mini DSP and you’re good to go. Your computer will capture and send measurements to Dirac… once it’s done, you’ll upload the file from your computer to the RZ50.

I believe the PC/Mac approach allows you to add up to 13 measurements, as opposed to nine with the mobile app.

For reference on how to use the computer app, Bryston has a great breakdown in its BRSP4 user manual:

http://support.bryston.com/downloads/SP4/SP4 Owner's Manual 34R1-2 web.pdf

 

[Todd Anderson]

But you can set your Fronts different than your Center and Sides, Heights, etc, yes?

Certainly looks like you have independent control over groupings of channels… you should definitely have access to that control through Dirac Live in your computer

 

[Jay Mammoth]

But you can set your Fronts different than your Center and Sides, Heights, etc, yes?

Oh yeah, I actually just changed my surrounds to 90 and my atmos to 100.

 

[Jay Mammoth]

Dirac is easy. You need to register at Dirac, the. Download the app to you PC or Mac.
Make sure you have your Umik correction file from Mini DSP and you’re good to go. Your computer will capture and send measurements to Dirac… once it’s done, you’ll upload the file from your computer to the RZ50.

I believe the PC/Mac approach allows you to add up to 13 measurements, as opposed to nine with the mobile app.

For reference on how to use the computer app, Bryston has a great breakdown in its BRSP4 user manual:

http://support.bryston.com/downloads/SP4/SP4 Owner's Manual 34R1-2 web.pdf

Thanks for answering and being civil. A few Karen’s on AVS get upset if people ask a question lol

 

[symphara]

Dirac is easy. You need to register at Dirac, the. Download the app to you PC or Mac.
Make sure you have your Umik correction file from Mini DSP and you’re good to go. Your computer will capture and send measurements to Dirac… once it’s done, you’ll upload the file from your computer to the RZ50.

I believe the PC/Mac approach allows you to add up to 13 measurements, as opposed to nine with the mobile app.

For reference on how to use the computer app, Bryston has a great breakdown in its BRSP4 user manual:

http://support.bryston.com/downloads/SP4/SP4 Owner's Manual 34R1-2 web.pdf

This manual suggests to me that you need to measure each speaker in all the mike positions before moving on to the next speaker. Is this so? Seems cumbersome.

Normally measurements are done for all speakers in a given mike position. At least that's the case for Audyssey, ARC, YPAO.

 

[Todd Anderson]

It’s all speakers per microphone position.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Thanks for answering and being civil. A few Karen’s on AVS get upset if people ask a question lol

Of course. We're all about sharing information and helping others with open and friendly conversation. It's great to see enthusiasts like yourself hanging here!

 

[Todd Anderson]

This manual suggests to me that you need to measure each speaker in all the mike positions before moving on to the next speaker. Is this so? Seems cumbersome.

Normally measurements are done for all speakers in a given mike position. At least that's the case for Audyssey, ARC, YPAO.

During a recent review of StormAudio's ISP 32 MK2 processor, I spent quite a few hours with their in-house acoustics expert working with Dirac. He stressed taking a variety of measurements across my seating position, varying height and proximity to the speakers... He told me they find the best results when most measurements are head level and above. They analyzed the dimensions/layout of my room before coming up with measurement position/height recommendations... I'd be more than happy to share them with you guys if you're interested.

 

[Shepherd]

I'm still waiting for my RZ50 order to ship from AvScience. I just purchased a umik 1 while I wait.
Should the mic stand be placed behind the couch with mic boom extended out forward to listening position? I've seen some pics of new RZ50 owners using a mic stand between the mic and speakers and wondered if sound would bounce/reflect off the stand interfering with measurements.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I doubt it would have much of an effect - at least that you'll hear. My mic stand doesn't have an arm that's long enough to remain solely behind the seating, but come to think of it, even it did the stand will still "technically" reflect sound, right? c

 

[Todd Anderson]

Here's a diagram of where Storm's audio expert had me take measurements. This is essentially a top-down view of the seating area with the front of the seats on the bottom edge. First number is the measurement number (aka the order measurements are taken in). Each dot represents microphone position in relation to the seat, and the last two numbers you see are the height of the tip of the microphone. Your UMIK microphone should be at 90 degrees (pointed up) with the 90-degree correction file loaded.

You'll notice the measurements are somewhat elevated... this method is what they've found sounds best in various custom installs.

If you wouldn't mind leaving this image here and directing anyone interested in using it to avnirvana, would be appreciated! Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[theetjuh]

Nice, thanks for that info Todd

Are those 5 squares the seats with the backrest at the top?
If so, then the measuring points are quite far separated, more then I’m used to with AccuEQ or Audyssey.

 

[Shepherd]

I guess with all the wave guide, room refraction, room dressing arguments one would think the boom arm and stand would do the same.
I was planning on buying a cheap $20 stand with a boom arm for the umik1 but if the small stand sitting on some boxes on the couch does just as good then I won't bother.

 

[Todd Anderson]

You might very well be right... it's impossible to completely remove any potential disturbances. If you have the means of minimizing them, though, why not? Perhaps @John Mulcahy has an opinion about this...

 

[Todd Anderson]

Nice, thanks for that info Todd

Are those 5 squares the seats with the backrest at the top?
If so, then the measuring points are quite far separated, more then I’m used to with AccuEQ or Audyssey.

Yes, they're backrests. Obviously, you can expand and contract these placements across your seating area depending on how tight you want the correction to be around your primary seat. If, for example, you're the only one watching movies, I'd condense it down to just one seat.

 

[kovacsgergely83]

I guess with all the wave guide, room refraction, room dressing arguments one would think the boom arm and stand would do the same.
I was planning on buying a cheap $20 stand with a boom arm for the umik1 but if the small stand sitting on some boxes on the couch does just as good then I won't bother.

View attachment 44775

I'd definitely buy a cheap, but well adjustable mic stand, helped me a lot with measuing my current system (RZ730 + miniDSP 2x4) in varios positions.

 

[Todd Anderson]

That looks very similar to what I have... my issue is the extension arm isn't long enough to reach the front edge of my seats. what I need is an arm that's capable of extending.

 

[theetjuh]

I'd definitely buy a cheap, but well adjustable mic stand

Got any suggestions for a brand/model with like @Todd Anderson mentions enough extension and reach?