Onkyo 7.2 Receiver w/ Bluetooth & Wi-Fi

Most modern systems use spectrum adjustments of some sort. I shoved the 901 audio box into a closet some years back and use the internal tone controls with the 901’s as my really big speakers on the fronts of Zone 1. Sounds great.

Wow. If you have questions about this receiver, just go look at the July comments - 149 of them over 4 pages!

OnkyoUSA is even posting in there.

Thanks @lichme.

7/9/2013 - $399.99 - 135 comment(s)

Digital ready zone 2 is typically only in high-end units, so unfortunately the answer here is no. There is a resource here that is a good overview of how zone 2 works to explain Understanding Zones | batpigworld.

Only online.

No HDMI and no digital ins for Zone 2, BUT you can stream the internet sources to Zone 2.

The mobile app to control this works pretty well, but to get the android app to control volume for zone 2 you need to update the firmware on the receiver.

If you buy an Onkyo receiver, put the plug somewhere easy to reach. You’ll be unplugging it to fix these random firmware glitches at least monthly, sometimes weekly. My first Onkyo needed to be unplugged weekly to stop it from buzzing (aka “the hum,” a constant plague on all Onkyo products), and my current one needs to be unplugged once a month or so before it will actually display HDMI video.

Onkyo receivers are the cheapest for a reason. They’re feature-rich and will handle anything you throw at them…most of the time. Other times, they just stop working and there’s nothing you can do about it. Onkyo denies most of these problems exist, because for the most part they cannot be reproduced (unplugging it to have it serviced will fix it).

Hey Folks, just though I would put this out there. I worked for a home technology company for the past year. we had many service calls for Onkyo receivers. I have seen in not a very long time in the field. you don’t want to be getting onkyo, if you plan on keeping your receiver for any length of time. they stop working very soon after the manufacture warrenty wears off. and theres nothing you can do about it. they seem to work fine for up to 2 years, then they crap out. I would turn and walk away.

Am i able to control this from my ipad trough wifi or does it have to be bluetooth? My backyard is not close to where this would be set up. Thanks for the help!

Any info about AirPlay capability on this? I recently set up a RaspberyPi to be the AirPlay reciever and then patched it into an older Onkyo set that Woot offered a while back. If this one offers a native AirPlay capability it’d be one step closer to my whole house streaming offering.

Who still uses s-video? :stuck_out_tongue:

The receiver won’t do it natively, but an investment of $20 will have you listening to your AppleTV in zone 2. Just pick up a digital to analog converter from Amazon or Monoprice, feed the optical out of your Apple TV (use the HDMI for your zone1) into the converter, analog out of the converter to an unused analog input on your receiver. Now you can play the audio from your Apple TV in Zone 2. This is possible because all outputs from your Apple TV are always live.

I do the same with zone 2 for my patio TV. HDMI feeds the inside from the cable box through the receiver. The analog audio outs feed an analog in on the receiver. Video goes via component cables from the cable box to the outside TV. This saves me the hassle and expense of another cable box.

The folks who stopped using composite because it was inferior.

I used to think Onkyo was the shizzy back in the day. Now, from what I read and research, I would stay far away.

Yes you can do exactly what you want.

I got this same unit back in July… and despite the negative comments in the forum (as well as a few here today) I have to says I’ve been really happy with mine.

Setup… well that depends a lot on what you’re connecting. Every source I wanted to add was HDMI; there are two PC’s, an XBox 360, and a Blu-Ray player in my setup at the moment. Connecting it up, it replaced a 15 year old Harmon Kardon setup. As a result, there were no new speaker runs or anything; I just hooked up the ones I had. Yes, the Onkyo is capable of 7.2, but I have it set up for 5.1. Anyway, once it was cabled in; no problems. It powered right on, and I used the included microphone to set up the optimum sound balance.

Now performance. This thing sounds beautiful. The HK it replaced was fabulous for very warm sound, but did lack a little at the top end. Well, even with the same HK speakers, this unit found those missing highs. Tuning the sub has been a bit of a chore because the output seems quite different in the Onkyo… but given the age of it I might replace it anyway. Output from any HDMI digital sources is very clean with just the right amount of warmth.

As for the extra features… well I have used the 'Net features a lot especially Pandora. Especially when having a dinner party or something it’s nice to have some music going quietly in the background… Pandora’s perfect for that. Being able to control it with an app on my smartphone is freaking awesome BTW… likes, dislikes, skips… and changing source if I so desire.

The Bluetooth is not the greatest though. BT audio is rarely fantastic, but I get a lot of choppiness even when my Macbook Pro is sitting 5 feet away running BT audio through the Onkyo. Better to use DLNA over the WiFi for playback.

Now, how will the longevity be? Well, this has been what… six weeks? So far so good. I have not had any trouble with blinking, sound dropouts or “the hum”. The only sound dropouts I’ve had are actually a bug with one of the two PC’s I have that output sound via HDMI. A simple reboot of the computer fixes that.

For the price, this really is a fantastic unit. Granted I’m coming from positively stoneage technology but I have been incredibly impressed both with the feature set and the sound output. While it’s a little odd at first when you have the surround processor dialed in properly with the microphone for tuning… you quickly become accustomed to it.

Also, for $329? I’d say pull the trigger. It’s a great value at this price, and check around online; the repairs to the HDMI if it happens to fail are cheap, quick and easy. I’ve saved a few links just in case… but hopefully I won’t need them.

Wifi control only.

To the guy who cannot find any receiver with an S-video connection. Ummm. Because S-video is obsolete and has a horrible video display. Upgrade and destroy whatever old piece of crap still only has an S-video connection. The last car you bought, tell me did it come with a hand crank to start the engine?

ONKYO Rocks(for the price). I have friends still rocking to some old ass Onkyos. My 6yrs old HT-R520 that I got for like $499 w/5 speakers and a separate sub is going strong.

Main complaint with mine is how hot it runs.

Is heat still a problem?

It is not as hot as my old Onkyo, plus it has a fan inside it (which I’ve never heard turn on) I think it’s just in case it ever got hot. Plus it’s shorter than the last one I owned so the cables in the back have room!
Is heat still a problem?