JoeRod
Onkyo TX-NR929 9.2-CH Network A/V Receiver
It's that time of year again and Onkyo has been releasing their latest receivers. Usually each year I end up Reviewing a few of them. This year in order to make room to Review different components I am just planning on doing a couple of "My Takes" on a couple of them. I may do a full Review on their newest flagship model but decision will not be made until the Fall. Enough about me let's get to the new 929! I am surprised to see 11.2 pre outs in this model. Usually that is reserved for Onkyo's top two models. This is a huge plus and allows many to step into separates one day by just adding an Amp or two. For the majority of My Take I used the 929 as a Receiver using 9 channels with Height speakers. As a Receiver it does pack 135 Watts-per-channel. The 929 has THX Select2 Plus. This model marks the special 20 year anniversary between Onkyo & THX. Even if you don't use the THX modes it still has THX's hands all over it. With their 2,000 test in 75 different categories you might say Onkyo receivers are like their kids. I feature I am excited about and hope others start doing is built-in-Wifi with Bluetooth. No cables or adapters needed! This makes life too easy! I was able to find my network and connect to it very quickly. You can use your devices to send in high quality audio. Also you can do firmware updates. This is huge! Onkyo again has delivered cutting edge technology.
As you can see the 929 has very impressive ins and outs for its price range. There are 8 HDMI inputs (two out) on the back. One in the front which can be used to connect smartphones and other devices. I am shocked we still get a few Coax and Optical inputs. The day is coming fast when we will be lucky to get one of each of those. There's also a couple component inputs and one out. Those are also fading fast. The speaker terminals are neatly placed and easy to connect to. The remote is the same as last year's and the year before and the year before... No complaints with it as it feels good in your hand and has direct access buttons to inputs and category sound modes. Also a Home button which takes you to the main page. Speaking of which the OSD or GUI is neat and mostly the same as the past couple of generations. If it works don't fix it! There is no SUB EQ but two subwoofers can still easily be set up.
So how does the 929 sound? After doing the Audyssey XT32 calibration with the included mic it is a POWERHOUSE for sports. Onkyo has included a new featured called PM-Bass. Onkyo explains it.
"Phase-Matching Bass optimizes low frequencies and preserves mid-range clarity. This means that powerful bass plays back with clear vocals; it doesn't overpower them.hase-Matching Bass optimizes low frequencies and preserves mid-range clarity. This means powerful bass plays back with clear vocals; it doesn't overpower them."
This is pretty cool and does make a difference with movie soundtracks. Movies like Oblivion and Olympus Has Fallen sounded excellent. Voices were spot. The overall mix was handled nicely. So how about sports? After using the Marantz 8801 pre-pro I can say that Onkyo in Height mode for sports is simply better. That is my opinion of course but after doing an A/B recently with the Onkyo 5010 and now 929 my taste is for the Onkyos. The crowd is stronger and the QB dialogue has better clarity when he is barking out the signals. Sure I favor the Marantz for movies but the msrp is somewhat more. And as much as I loved the 8801 and my flagship Onkyo the McIntosh MX151 is even better but of course with its price tag it better be! Still, the 929 is an awesome bargain for what it does. I consider it very much on par with last years Onkyo 3010. It is that good! Also, video processing is being done again by Qdeo. That is not a bad thing as it does a very nice job with DirecTV and sending out 1080p. It also has 4K and 3D passthru. And for those videophiles you get ISF calibrated modes.
So if you are in the market and your budget is in the Onkyo TX-NR929 area you should definitely have it on your very short list. As Onkyo states, "It is loaded with technology and connectivity to transform your home into a high-resolution entertainment haven." And for this price range you can't go wrong with both features and sound! Kudos to Onkyo again for raising the bar!
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Joerodhometheater.com
SONY VPL-VW1000ES 4K PROJECTOR, Onkyo TX-NR929, McIntosh MX151 A/V Control Center,Sony BDP-S790 Blu ray,Simplay Labs DVDO DUO VP, OnkyoTX-NR 5010 Receiver/ Pre-Pro, DARBLET, DirecTV Genie, Xbox 360, PS3, Monster Power HTS 5100, Oppo 103 Blu ray, Panasonic BDT 500 3D Blu ray player, MonsterVision 3D glasses, Sony 3D glasses, Parasound HALO A51 AMP x 2, Antec Component Coolers, Vutec SilverStar 120.5" screen with a Carada Masquerade Masking System. Speakers MARTIN LOGAN STAGE X Center, THEOS (Left and Right), VANQUISH (Surrounds), AXIS (Backs), Subwoofers- Martin Logan DESCENT i, BG Woofer SW210, Dayton APA150 Sub AMP, 8 Aura Pro Bass Shakers, 8 Black Seatcraft Venetian Home Theater Chairs, Remote: Harmony 1100. Monster 1000 HDX Ultimate HDMI cables top to bottom. And two Monster 35 foot HDX Hyperspeed HDMI cables.
Equipment used for all or part of this "My Take"
Click Onkyo to learn more about the Onkyo TX-NR 929 Receiver.
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Coming soon... Martin Logan Speakers, Sony Projectors, the new Onkyo Flagship and a new 4K Video Processor!
Those are the Reviews on deck. See you this Fall!
"MY TAKE"
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