Onkyo TX-NR656 vs Yamaha RX-V481BL

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.

All five speaker inputs employ binding posts instead of spring clips which makes it easier to set up speakers. Binding posts provide better contact between the wire and the receiver than spring clips making it a safer choice. In addition, banana plugs can be used with binding posts to allow for very quick swapping of speaker wires.

It has higher picture accuracy than other receivers at this price range. To achieve this, it uses the High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology for a higher range of contrast and colors. In addition, the BT.2020 option is employed which expands the range of colors. Together, they create a much more natural and more pronounced picture.

This Yamaha receiver has better sound than most of the receivers in this price range. The bass is definite and the depth of the sound is quite noteworthy. The sound as a whole has good clarity.

There are extensive music playback options through Bluetooth, USB and Wi-Fi connectivity.

It is possible to control the receiver through your mobile application. The MusicCast application is simple, visually pleasing, and even has several options to customize its look.