Smart. That’s the latest catch word that’s circulating around tech circles these days. Nearly every electronic device today now has the word “smart” attached to the front of its name. Of course, the home theater industry isn’t any different. One of Onkyo’s latest receivers, the 9.2 Channel TX-NR797, touts itself as a “Smart AV Receiver”.
The 797’s smart features revolve around its plethora of streaming options. The amp supports Sonos, Chromecast built-in, AirPlay 2, DTS Play-Fi®, and FlareConnect for multi-room audio. With its Sonos compatibility, the Onkyo TX-NR797 can be seamlessly added to an existing Sonos eco system. And with Chromecast-Built-in, audio can be streamed easily from your smartphone, laptop, or PC. When it comes to music, the Onkyo 797 can sling content from Amazon Music, Pandora®, Spotify®, TIDAL, Deezer , and TuneIn.
On the home theater front, the Onkyo TX-NR797 doesn’t skimp on the audio formats that it supports. The 797 is able to process both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X encoded audio. These two formats allow sound mixers to orient sounds in 3-D space which results in a more engaging experience. The Onkyo 797 can also breathe new life into legacy audio formats thanks to Dolby Surround and DTS: Neural-X which gives these tracks 3-D depth. In addition to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the Onkyo TX-NR797 will also be one of the few AV receivers to be IMAX enhanced with the help of a future firmware update. This new feature will allow the 797 to produce full-range IMAX theatrical sound-mixes.
As with most modern AV receivers, the Onkyo 797, handles most of the popular 4K video standards. Its 6 HMDI inputs support HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision®, 4:4:4 Color Space, and BT.2020. On paper, the Onkyo TX-NR797 looks like a home theater powerhouse. The Onkyo 797 is expected to be landing on store shelves soon. Anyone looking to upgrade their home theater experience should give the 797 a hard look.
