Onkyo TX-NR656 vs Sony STR-DN850

The receiver can play supported audio tracks with a more immersive sound than regular audio tracks. This is done through its object-based audio which can simulate a specific sound in a 3D environment inside your room. The employed features are Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Be aware that to enable DTS:X technology a firmware upgrade is necessary.

The displayed image with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and BT.2020 technology seems more real with greater depth. This is because it can display a larger scope of contrast and colors when compared to an ordinary receiver.

The receiver has seven active speaker channels which provide a more immersive sound when compared to a five speaker setup. In addition, it has two subwoofers which increases the overall bass quality. The whole combination means that the sound is more evenly distributed through the room and you can have more quality options with speaker and subwoofer placements.

The receiver can control the audio for two different rooms at once. Seven speakers can remain at the main room and two additional speakers can be connected that lead to another room. But be aware that only seven speakers can be active at the same time. This means that if you want to play some music in the second room, the main room will have only five active speakers available. It has nine binding posts available to avoid constantly reconnecting the different speakers to the receiver.

There are a lot of options for music playback. With its internet connectivity it can stream music from internet radios like Spotify, Pandora and Deezer. It even has Apple’s Airplay available to stream content from Apple devices. Can connect to a Bluetooth device for music streaming and has a USB port for flash drives. This combination of features is just about everything that you would ever need for music playback.

The receiver has eight HDMI inputs and three of those are HDCP 2.2 compliant. Other receivers at this price range usually have around four inputs which is a rather large increase.

Its seven speakers add more depth and detail to the sound when compared to a standard five speaker system. In addition, dual sub-woofers offer more optimal listening positions and has increased headroom. Together, the 7.2 channel configuration creates a more immersive and fuller sound for your system.

It has a simple and easy to understand interface that shows all the necessary information while still making it pleasant to look at. This can be applied to the remote as well. It isn’t cluttered with buttons but still offers the same functionality.

Can access some of the regularly used streaming services through its Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections. These streaming services are Spotify, TuneIn and Apple’s Airplay.

The application SongPal is being used as an another controller to manipulate the receiver. It provides the very basic options, such as, source selection, playback of music, volume settings but even includes adding different types of effects to the audio.

Has a USB port at the front and Bluetooth connectivity with NFC support to give you additional music playback choices.

For its 5 HDMI inputs and 1 HDMI output it has 4K pass-through and can even upscale video to a 4K resolution.