HDMI 2.1 AVR Recommendations (2021)

hajalie24 said:
That's disappointing. Are the issues resolved with Atmos, 120hz, etc when connecting directly to the TV and using eARC?

Also, I don't know if it's cause I'm on an insider preview build, but I noticed within the last month or two all my games now support atmos. I don't believe its the PCM 2.0 kind either. Not sure what happened but I'm playing Horizon Zero Dawn and it's working great, just wish I had overhead speakers now instead of just upfiring ones. Soon!
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Yeah, if I use eARC then I can get 120Hz with 10 and 12 bit color + Atmos at the same time. Trick is, eARC has too much delay for twitchy games. I tried playing Street Fighter 5 and all the audio was about 1/4 second late. With movies things seem fine, though. Are there any tricks to making eARC quicker and more accurate? Lip sync didn't seem to matter.

I've managed to get 120Hz with YCbCr420 12-bit color + normal 7.1 audio (rather than Atmos), so that's actually working pretty well for the moment. It'll also play MKV's that have surround sound...even Atmos. No games I'm currently playing support Atmos and I figure I can swap back to 60Hz if something major does. Then again, I don't really own much that can pull 120fps, either.

I hit up both Onkyo and Nvidia, so maybe these things are fixable, too. Seems like with every major driver release you'll see something obscure related to certain TV's, so maybe an AVR will get some love. Hell, it could even be the Dolby Access app. It's also only barely a retail product. There's a shot additional firmware will improve things.
 
Hmm, I'm not aware of any tricks to make eARC quicker. On my LG CX it appears to have no lag at all, but maybe I'll try to monitor it more closely with one of those audio sync youtube videos.

My cheap Samsung TV gives me tons of trouble with ARC and HDMI CEC, while my LG TVs in the past have always handled both well, so it wouldn't surprise me if these things vary by manufacturer. What TV do you have?
 
hajalie24 said:
Hmm, I'm not aware of any tricks to make eARC quicker. On my LG CX it appears to have no lag at all, but maybe I'll try to monitor it more closely with one of those audio sync youtube videos.

My cheap Samsung TV gives me tons of trouble with ARC and HDMI CEC, while my LG TVs in the past have always handled both well, so it wouldn't surprise me if these things vary by manufacturer. What TV do you have?
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It's an LG C1. The eARC lag really only seems particularly noticeable with twitchy games.
A new firmware rolled out to the Onkyo last night that actually made my issues worse :p Toggling between devices is kinda buggy now. It takes a second for the sound/image to show up and with my PC, sometimes it just doesn't. If that happens, I basically have to hit the reset button on my PC. That's the annoying thing. To fix any of the instances where the image isn't right, rebooting/resetting my PC is the only solution. I think I'm starting to realize why this AVR wasn't super expensive, though. It just has a "cheap" vibe about it.
 
Connect the TV and AVR as 2 displays, then the AVR and TV both get their signals directly from the gfx card.
 
Speak of the devil, the Onkyo support team sent me something that seems to have helped! After enabling the maximum bandwidth for the HDMI inputs, you hold down the input (on the front of the AVR) and press the power button twice. Suddenly now I can do 4K/120/HDR/Atmos in Windows. Yay!

Nenu said:
Connect the TV and AVR as 2 displays, then the AVR and TV both get their signals directly from the gfx card.
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What's the easiest way to do that? My card only has a single HDMI-out, so I'm guessing you'd need some DP adapters or a splitter of some sort?
 
Domingo said:
What's the easiest way to do that? My card only has a single HDMI-out, so I'm guessing you'd need some DP adapters or a splitter of some sort?
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Thats unfortunate, all active HDMI to DP adapters limit audio to 16bit/48KHz max and min. They wont pass audio unless at that rate.
This means the windows mixer must be used to automatically convert anything lower or higher, reducing quality.
It works but isnt what it could be and may not pass Atmos (I cant remember whether mine did soz).

Because of this exact problem my current card has more than 1 HDMI port, to be safe.
Though I now use a DP monitor so only need one HDMI port.

Your alternative is to get a monitor with DisplayPort (given the problems getting a new gfx card these days)
Or...
You can use an non-active HDMI to DP adapter, I heard these dont limit audio but are 1080p max. However this doesnt matter when you only need it for audio.
But finding one that works can be an issue, lots of crap is on sale.
Only get one that has a very high review score by a butt load of reviewers (like thousands on Amazon) or is recommended by someone trustworthy.
And look for comments that it doesnt mess with audio. Tricky.


However, since Onkyo have told you how to enable full bandwidth, perhaps your problem is solved? :)
 
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Nenu said:
However, since Onkyo have told you how to enable full bandwidth, perhaps your problem is solved? :)
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Hopefully! I just bought a new TV and AVR, so I'm also still figuring things out, too.

EDIT: After playing around for about an hour, I think everything is working. I'm able to go from input to input without any issues. I have one of these, which was able to learn all of the important LG and Onkyo functions so that I can toggle between the HDMI inputs on both the AVR and the TV, too: https://www.amazon.com/Inteset-Universal-Backlit-Learning-Streamers/dp/B00M4I1BAY/
I think this thing is going to work out after all. I was pretty damned disappointed on day 1, but I think I'm good to go, now.
 
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Domingo said:
Hopefully! I just bought a new TV and AVR, so I'm also still figuring things out, too.

EDIT: After playing around for about an hour, I think everything is working. I'm able to go from input to input without any issues. I have one of these, which was able to learn all of the important LG and Onkyo functions so that I can toggle between the HDMI inputs on both the AVR and the TV, too: https://www.amazon.com/Inteset-Universal-Backlit-Learning-Streamers/dp/B00M4I1BAY/
I think this thing is going to work out after all. I was pretty damned disappointed on day 1, but I think I'm good to go, now.
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Congrats on getting it figured out, sounds like they still have some kinks to work out with firmware but at least the HDMI 2.1 hardware is working correctly. If it's anything like my Marantz they just aren't designed with PCs in mind, I hear Yamaha is a little better in that regard but not much.
 
As I'm getting deeper into things, I'm finding Gsync to be a huge game changer. At least now that I've figured out how to actually use it. I've never experienced smooth FPS like that before, and on games that would have FPS all over the place under normal circumstances. Exiting a game that uses all the bells and whistles (gsync, HDR, Atmos, 120Hz, etc.) sometimes causes my screen to go bonkers, but swapping over to another input typically fixes it. Ditto with audio issues. Sometime my audio will just drop out in the middle of my day, but swapping inputs normalizes it.
 
Domingo said:
Speak of the devil, the Onkyo support team sent me something that seems to have helped! After enabling the maximum bandwidth for the HDMI inputs, you hold down the input (on the front of the AVR) and press the power button twice. Suddenly now I can do 4K/120/HDR/Atmos in Windows. Yay!



What's the easiest way to do that? My card only has a single HDMI-out, so I'm guessing you'd need some DP adapters or a splitter of some sort?
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So the ports were not in full bandwidth? What were they at, 24gbps vs 40 or 48 now? I had to do something similar to my current Denon X4700H but I still need the little converter box in between
 
ssj925 said:
So the ports were not in full bandwidth? What were they at, 24gbps vs 40 or 48 now? I had to do something similar to my current Denon X4700H but I still need the little converter box in between
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The ports list 3 options by default (4K Standard, 4K Enhanced, and 8K Standard...no further details), and apparently it's a known issue for device settings to have issues when you toggle from one to the next. 8K Standard is the only one that'll do 4K/120/HDR. Holding the device button and hitting the power button twice supposedly clears all bandwith on the AVR side and it made it so 4K/120/HDR works and I can still get audio, too. Before HDMI audio simply wouldn't work and I got visual corruption.
There's a beta driver from Nvidia, 471.22, that includes some additional fixes for HDMI 2.1 users having visual and audio issues. The newest driver doesn't have those fixes, so I hope I'm not stuck having to use a weird driver branch forever.

Right now the only issue I have left is related to Atmos. For some weird reason, Atmos is showing up as PCM 7.1 when using Atmos for Home Theater in Windows. That's for games that use Atmos and for those who don't. My old Denon would output Dolby Digital all the time until an Atmos bitstream showed up (like Borderlands and Cyberpunk), and it would swap over. This Onkyo keeps showing PCM 7.1. However with movies and Netflix - Atmos bitstreams just fine in Windows. I mentioned that to Nvidia and they're still looking into it.
 
Is there an Nvidia HDMI audio driver issue with Dolly Atmos right now? I’m seriously considering dropping at least $2,500+ on my new audio setup once I get my hands on an Onkyo TX-RZ50 or the TX-NR7100 which have confirmed full HDMI 2.1 support (4k, 120hz, VRR, 10 bit HDR, 4:4:4, no additional input lag, etc.). It would be MUCH cheaper doing a 7.2.0 setup versus a 7.2.4 setup if you factor in a more expensive AVR w/ pre-outs, additional amps, speakers, wires, etc. I’d hate to spend too much then just realize there’s still massive bugs. I know there aren’t a lot of PC Atmos games either but trying to plan for the future.
 
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Domingo said:
Got my 5100. 4K/120 (with HDR, Atmos, etc.) Pass-Thru works with my Nvidia 3090, but it's definitely quirky.
You have to set everything to YCbCr420 8-bit limited in "PC Mode" via the Nvidia control panel. RGB creates overscan and "just scan" on my TV can't properly fix it. The top 5% of the screen looks like vsync is permanently off and it's distracting to have this weird little strip that keeps image tearing.

Atmos and HDR will work at 120Hz...but not at the same time. There aren't many titles that use Atmos right now, but the few that do tend to be HDR titles, too. Randomly after exiting something that's in full-screen mode, the image will turn a weird shade of green and rebooting is the only way to fix it. I've tried everything from powering my TV and AVR down, but nothing seems to fix it, so I think it's on the PC's end. Gsync DOES work, though. Ditto with the Windows implementation of VRR...although I'm not sure what games even use that.

For the sake of convenience, I'm just running normal 'ol 4K/60, which works fine with Atmos and HDR + Gsync. I figure additional firmware updates (and potential updates to Nvidia's drivers) will potentially alleviate the other issues. Everything seems to work 100% fine for the PS5 right now, although it's worth noting that the PS5 doesn't use Atmos.
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unfortunately the fine print got ya. The Onkyo TX-NR5100 doesn’t appear to support full 40Gpbs HDMI 2.1 if you read the spec sheet more carefully. Only the NR7100 and RZ50 does. You have to use 4:2:0 and stuff to meet the bandwidth specs.
 
Seyumi said:
unfortunately the fine print got ya. The Onkyo TX-NR5100 doesn’t appear to support full 40Gpbs HDMI 2.1 if you read the spec sheet more carefully. Only the NR7100 and RZ50 does. You have to use 4:2:0 and stuff to meet the bandwidth specs.
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Honestly, I'm okay with that. I'm more concerned with the little quirks (like Atmos) and occasional signal dropouts. The color spec is something I probably wouldn't notice. I've managed to get everything else to work the way I want, but Atmos still only kicks-in for video content.
 
Does the receiver switch to STRAIGHT when you're playing an atmos game? Or does it still say surround decode, PCM or whatever?

What does the windows audio settings screen look like? Mine would have options for stereo, 5.1, 7.1, or Dolby Atmos for Home Theater whenever atmos works correctly. However, when it bugs to default PCM 2.0 atmos, it only shows stereo or Dolby Atmos for Home Theater.

Seyumi said:
Is there an Nvidia HDMI audio driver issue with Dolly Atmos right now? I’m seriously considering dropping at least $2,500+ on my new audio setup once I get my hands on an Onkyo TX-RZ50 or the TX-NR7100 which have confirmed full HDMI 2.1 support (4k, 120hz, VRR, 10 bit HDR, 4:4:4, no additional input lag, etc.). It would be MUCH cheaper doing a 7.2.0 setup versus a 7.2.4 setup if you factor in a more expensive AVR w/ pre-outs, additional amps, speakers, wires, etc. I’d hate to spend too much then just realize there’s still massive bugs. I know there aren’t a lot of PC Atmos games either but trying to plan for the future.
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I've noticed only recently for me sometimes audio would cut out for a second or two, it used to be perfect up until maybe 2-3 weeks ago other than the occasional hiccup getting Windows to detect it. Glad to know there's a new driver so I will attempt that, I initially thought it was just an eARC bug with my receiver or TV.

I also don't know if it's because I'm on the Windows preview channel, but I also noticed several weeks ago that all my games now support atmos, and not the PCM 2.0 fake kind as far as I can tell. This wasn't the case before, I would get no audio in games that don't support atmos unless I switched to 5.1. I've been playing Horizon Zero Dawn and I definitely notice atmos effects if my head is positioned correctly (I'm using upfiring speakers with an unfinished ceiling so it's hard to notice due to that)

It's pretty neat, because of this I'm going to get 4 overhead speakers instead of my built in upfiring ones and eventually upgrade my receiver once everything is matured with respect to hdmi 2.1. For now, I will stick with eARC and 5.1.2 and just wire my 4 overheads as 2 speakers.
 
hajalie24 said:
Does the receiver switch to STRAIGHT when you're playing an atmos game? Or does it still say surround decode, PCM or whatever?

What does the windows audio settings screen look like? Mine would have options for stereo, 5.1, 7.1, or Dolby Atmos for Home Theater whenever atmos works correctly. However, when it bugs to default PCM 2.0 atmos, it only shows stereo or Dolby Atmos for Home Theater.
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Basically any time I enable Dolby Atmos for Home Theater, the audio will play normally (in 7.1), but the AVR says "PCM 7.1" instead of Dolby Atmos. The little red bitstream flag doesn't light up, either. It doesn't matter whether the game is Atmos enabled or not - it just always plays normal 'ol PCM 7.1. When I swap over to 7.1 via the speaker settings in Windows, it sounds the same, too. It doesn't matter whether I'm in 1080p/60/RGB or 4K/120/HDR/YCbCr. It doesn't seem to want to bitsream for games or normal audio in Windows. On my older Denon, enabling Atmos would output a bitstream Dolby Digital all of the time until a game featured Atmos. Then it would swap over automatically.

However, the weird caveat is that Atmos videos WILL bitstream out on this Onkyo just fine. The ones in the Dolby Access app, MKV's with Atmos tracks, and Netflix videos in the Windows app all work fine. The red light comes on, the receiver and my TV both say the audio is Atmos.

It's not the end of the world since most Atmos content is video-based. Yet there are games like Gears 4/5 and Borderlands that have neat height channel effects. I have tickets in with both Onkyo and Nvidia, so I'm hoping it can be resolved. The only other issue relates to random audio dropouts. About every 20 minutes or so, the audio will just cut-out for a second. That seems to happen at random no matter what my settings are or what the content is.

EDIT: I did a factory reset of the AVR and now it does seem to output bitstream audio when Atmos for Home Theater is enabled. However actual Dolby Atmos enabled games are still swap over PCM when running. Clearly there's some kind of issue with non-video Atmos output.
 
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After ironing out 90% of my technical issues outside of Dolby Atmos in games, I got a new reply from Nvidia. They mentioned that they did find issues with certain HQ codecs (like Atmos and DTS:X) and certain AVR's like mine. No word on a fix, but it's apparently on their end and they are aware of it. If they can fix that and the occasional weird milisecond audio drop-out, I think this thing can probably last me a while. If they can't fix it, I'll probably sell it and get whatever Denon comes out with this winter. My last two Denons have been the most trouble-free AVR's I've ever owned.
 
Seems that If you buy one of the previously bugged Denon AVR's (like the 960H or 2700H), the HDMI 2.1 issues are now fixed and they're equipped with a new board. Unfortunately, you're still looking at only 1/2 slots that support HDMI 2.1 on those, though.

Onkyo's more premium 7100 model AVR is still unavailable...and it's $1100. Based on my current (and previous) experiences with the brand, I can't see putting that kind of money into anything by Onkyo.
 
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Preordered the TX-RZ50 directly from Onkyo yesterday. Damages were $1,399 + $117.17 tax = $1516.17. It's a preorder and should ship in September.
As far as I can tell, only the TX-RZ50 and the TX-NR7100 are the only 2 AVR's in 2021 that have proper 40Gbps HDMI 2.1 that doesn't require anything such as an external HDMI 2.1 adapter box or a "promised" future firmware update.
Going to run a 7.2.4 setup with just a cheap external 2 channel amp to get those 2 extra channels in (Both AVR's do 9.2 naturally, but the TX-RZ50 can process 11.2 channels with at least a 2 channel external amp)
For right now (to not make any more major purchase decisions that I regret) - I'm going to get a full Sony speaker line up (Sony SSCXXXX lineup). I've heard from multiple sources that the bookshelfs are way better than the towers, and performance matches or even beats many $250~$350+/pair bookshelf speakers. Bookshelves normally MSPR for $150/pair, but are currently $118/pair, and sometimes go down as low as $73/pair. Same goes with the center channel, subwoofers, and reflecting Atmos speakers (yeah I know - in ceiling is better, maybe in the future). The cheapest you can do a TX-RZ50 + 7.2.4 Sony Speakers/Subs + 2 channel amp you can do is around $2,500. Will be over $3,000 if things aren't on sale.
In a few years once (if) all the bugs get worked out and whatnot, I plan on getting an dedicated 11 channel Emotiva amp with a full range of Emovita Airmotiv speakers. We're easily looking at $6,000+ total at that point. Wifey said no to the Emotivas (for now) but will sneak those in throughout the years lol.
 
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I didn't really like my previous Onkyo amps and my 5100 is no different. They're slow, have/had issues restoring video and audio signals, and make loud popping noises a lot. Losing signals = definitely the biggest issue, though. In all 3 instances, they'd lose a video signal and it was damn tough to make it come back. In most cases I'd have to unplug the HDMI cable and going straight into my TV or even (in a few cases) a separate monitor. I actually keep an old spare 4x3 monitor just for instances when I see that infamous Onkyo blue video screen and can't get anything else.
Maybe their higher end stuff is better, although I bought a pretty decent model from a friend 7-8 years ago. I will say that their audio quality has been excellent across the board. 95% of my usage is gaming and movies/TV so I can't really speak for music, though. The sooner I can find something else, the better for my needs.

I'm going back to Denon as soon as they have a 2021 model in the $700-1000 range. Basically something with at least 3 full-load HDMI 2.1 slots. My previous two AVR's were Denons and trouble-free. Swapping inputs was nearly instant and I never had any video or audio issues. They also didn't sound like a circuit board exploding every time the audio changed formats, either. I'm rocking a full set of Polk speakers I bought when Circuit City was doing their 75% off closeout sale. I added some smaller height channels later and will probably keep rolling with those as long as I can.
 
Thanks for all the updates on this thread, really helpful.

I am probably going to keep using my TSR-700 through eARC as it works well enough most times. I want to add 4 height speakers soon and get a 9 channel receiver but it's sad that all these receivers have problems. The Denon's seem promising but only 1 HDMI 2.1 port is a dealbreaker (that's quickly going to get outdated, I already have my PS5 and PC that have HDMI 2.1) I'll ideally want something with at least 3 HDMI 2.1 input ports as well.

What a mess this whole HDMI 2.1 thing has been. I swear only LG has been getting it right.
 
If eArc worked better, I'd probably use it, too. For me it still has a delay and I have a pile of MKV's that have DTS soundtracks. Well, that and the AVR actually does work properly about 95% of the time. It's just that other 5% is super annoying. I'm still hopeful things might get fixed, though. I've already noticed way fewer video issues with Nvidia's newer drivers. Audio still totally dies at random (and Nvidia knows it), though.

One thing I really do like about the AVR is that the TV detects each input and assigns them their own color profile. With my older TV's, whatever your HDMI-in color settings were would apply to everything plugged into your AVR. With this one I have different colors that auto-apply to my FireTV, PC, PS5, and Switch. They each get their own implementation of HDR and Dolby Vision, too. While most of my inputs share the same color scheme, my FireTV definitely doesn't. The PC, PS5, and Switch color settings I use blast the everloving hell out of the contrast for my FireTV.
 
Verge said:
Woah, i would pay for this.
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It's fantastic for sure. Not sure if it's the AVR or the TV. I bought an LG C1 at the same time so it could be the TV. Either way, it's a great feature. I basically never have to change any color settings on my TV anymore. I set 'em up once (Normal, FireTV color scheme, HDR, and Dolby Vision) and now it auto-detects all the different formats and swaps to the right color scheme by itself. The only things I actually need to control are swapping inputs on the AVR.
 
Domingo said:
One thing I really do like about the AVR is that the TV detects each input and assigns them their own color profile. With my older TV's, whatever your HDMI-in color settings were would apply to everything plugged into your AVR. With this one I have different colors that auto-apply to my FireTV, PC, PS5, and Switch. They each get their own implementation of HDR and Dolby Vision, too. While most of my inputs share the same color scheme, my FireTV definitely doesn't. The PC, PS5, and Switch color settings I use blast the everloving hell out of the contrast for my FireTV.
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I've really been impressed with how my Marantz handles each input separately and lets you use different settings for everything, some of the lower end models and some of the Denon line don't let you control as much independently which would have caused me some issues.
 
Just FYI I've had the HDMI 2.1 Onkyo TX-RZ50 for a few days now. No major complaints (so far):

-4K 120hz 4:4:4 10-bit RGB HDR G-Sync ALLM works perfectly fine as expected on my HDMI 2.1 LG OLED and HDMI 2.1 RTX 3090 PC gaming just like in the HDTV test video.
-No audio pops, audio dropouts, latency issues, etc.
-DiracLive is pretty cool, professional EQ'ing right on the spot, very easy even as a first time user

Only small first time Onkyo owner hurdles/quirks I went through:

-Network firmware update kept failing and getting errors straight out of the box (oh crap did I just brick it? I thought). This is the very first thing the receiver does on first bootup. Updated fine via USB and downloading firmware from Onkyo website.
-Ethernet wasn't being detected, Wi-Fi setup worked fine, then switched back to ethernet and now it works fine as well
-It does indeed have a loud click in the receiver every time you swap sources, goes into power saving mode, etc. Not bad but definitely noticeable.
-It does indeed have a delay when switching audio sources, sometimes takes a while for the audio to start kicking in
-You need to choose each HDMI port to be "8K enhanced" in the settings or it'll only be 4K 60hz 8-bit. I was freaking out for a while wondering why it wasn't detecting 4K 120hz
-Nvidia control panel doesn't see the Oknyo as "G-Sync compatible," because it sees the Onkyo as the monitor instead of the LG, but G-Sync works perfectly fine.
-In the Nvidia control panel, you have to "Use Nvidia Color Settings" and choose 10-bit bcp, if you just "Use default color settings" it will default to 8-bit RGB color only.

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Sounds like the R-Z50 is definitely the HDMI 2.1 AVR of choice. I'll keep an eye on refurbs of that one. I don't really want to drop $1400 on one, but if I see one in the $1000 range I'll probably sell mine and get one.
 
Welp, my trusty Marantz SR5004 seems to be giving out. It's losing signal periodically. It was a refurb unit I bought for $400 in 2010, so it'd done pretty well. The last few years it's been on audio duty only as I have few enough input devices they can all go into the TV and I've been using optical out to the Marantz. My TV (LG C8) doesn't support HDMI 2.1, but I figure it would be nice to have in the future should I upgrade TVs and need more input switching. Really seems like it's only needed for devices that can achieve 4K/120, which for me right now is just my PC. I suppose I may end up with a PS5 in the future, so there's a possibility of two HDMI 2.1 devices.

Current setup is 2.0, but eventually may add a sub or two and a center channel. I don't anticipate going full surround as I don't really have the room setup for it.

I think I'll try my hand at building some Class-D power amps using Purifi 1ET400A modules over the winter, so I started looking for a pre/pro and realized that's not a component that exists for under $3000 any more. Basically, I guess you just buy a receiver for its pre/pro abilities, and don't use the power amps. Seems rather wasteful but it's the only option. After learning of the dearth of dedicated pre/pro options, I started receiver shopping. The Denon 3700H looks like the ticket, as it's their cheapest model that has dedicated pre-outs for all channels, and from what I hear Denon does a good job with the pre section. So I may start shopping for one of those. I'd use the power amps in it for a few months until I can assemble my own.
 
Seyumi any weird audio cutouts or situations where your audio device seems muted in Windows? That's still a persistent problem on my end. If your setup is still golden, I'm going to start hunting for a used or refurbished R-Z50.
 
Domingo said:
Seyumi any weird audio cutouts or situations where your audio device seems muted in Windows? That's still a persistent problem on my end. If your setup is still golden, I'm going to start hunting for a used or refurbished R-Z50.
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Nothing that I’ve heard. Again it takes a few seconds or so when switches sources or when the receiver goes into standby mode for the audio to kick back in but never just stays muted. I could see where maybe you’re doing Windows stuff and there’s no sound for a while then you may not hear little Windows dings & chimes if the receiver goes into standby and takes a few seconds for the audio to kick in (I should see if I can extend the standby setting or whatnot). The only other weird issue so far is sometimes the receiver will “click” for no reason even when playing audio like when you switch sources or when it goes into standby mode. I feel like it’s getting less frequent overtime though. Happens a few times a day.
 
Mine's definitely more extreme than any sort of timeout delay. My 5100 will lose audio completely over time. Often when going from one audio source to another. For example a streaming video, a Teams chime, a game, etc. Even the little videos in the help section of Photoshop sometimes trigger it. It'll be working great/fine one minute and nada the next. I can tell it has happened because the speaker array (on the AVR's display) will disappear and the HDMI light will start blinking. Switching from my PC's HDMI input to another input (like the PS5) will temporarily fix it most of the time, but not always. It's getting really annoying. It also still doesn't seem to be able to pass Atmos audio in games.
 
Seyumi said:
Nothing that I’ve heard. Again it takes a few seconds or so when switches sources or when the receiver goes into standby mode for the audio to kick back in but never just stays muted. I could see where maybe you’re doing Windows stuff and there’s no sound for a while then you may not hear little Windows dings & chimes if the receiver goes into standby and takes a few seconds for the audio to kick in (I should see if I can extend the standby setting or whatnot). The only other weird issue so far is sometimes the receiver will “click” for no reason even when playing audio like when you switch sources or when it goes into standby mode. I feel like it’s getting less frequent overtime though. Happens a few times a day.
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Clicks can be when it changes power mode, check power saving settings.
When power saving is turned off, check it doesnt get too hot when running for a while.
More heat = less life

I keep a silent fan running on top of my AVR to be sure it wont fail early for that reason.
 
Seyumi one more question about the TX-RZ50. Did you manage to get an early release or is yours from a prior year? Seems like everything I can find on that model says it's available for pre-order for an October release, but nobody actually has gotten any.
 
Domingo said:
Seyumi one more question about the TX-RZ50. Did you manage to get an early release or is yours from a prior year? Seems like everything I can find on that model says it's available for pre-order for an October release, but nobody actually has gotten any.
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No it's definitely the new 2021 model. Onkyo had a pre-order on their website but then the button went to "out of stock" within a day. I was just checking the website daily and got lucky I guess. It's pretty popular so not surprised why its still out of stock.

Btw, since I owned this for a bit longer now, I am now experiencing more severe audio "kicking in" issues than I initially reported, somewhat like your Onkyo NR-5100 issues. Sometimes it can take like 30+ seconds for audio to start playing when changing sources or going out of standby mode. There's also sometimes where the audio won't kick back in at all unless I purposely change sources, change audio modes, power the receiver back off and back on again, etc. There are also some games that don't play any audio at all unless I change audio modes (such as going from Dolby to THX, and scrolling through back to Dolby). I assume it's more related to the game and their audio codecs than the receiver.

A bit annoying but not a big deal breaker for me. There's already been an update since this has been released with some fixes so I assume it'll only get better in the future.
 
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Seyumi said:
No it's definitely the new 2021 model. Onkyo had a pre-order on their website but then the button went to "out of stock" within a day. I was just checking the website daily and got lucky I guess. It's pretty popular so not surprised why its still out of stock.

Btw, since I owned this for a bit longer now, I am now experiencing more severe audio "kicking in" issues than I initially reported, somewhat like your Onkyo NR-5100 issues. Sometimes it can take like 30+ seconds for audio to start playing when changing sources or going out of standby mode. There's also sometimes where the audio won't kick back in at all unless I purposely change sources, change audio modes, power the receiver back off and back on again, etc. There are also some games that don't play any audio at all unless I change audio modes (such as going from Dolby to THX, and scrolling through back to Dolby). I assume it's more related to the game and their audio codecs than the receiver.

A bit annoying but not a big deal breaker for me. There's already been an update since this has been released with some fixes so I assume it'll only get better in the future.
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Every Onkyo receiver I have had does this exact same thing. Need to change inputs or power cycle to get audio back. I refuse to ever buy another Onkyo receiver because of this and other problems such as the HDMI/Network card failures and issues with DirecTV receivers.
 
With mine, I've only ever had issues on my PC. With my PS5, Switch, and Amazon FireTV it's basically been bulletproof. Swapping from one input to another takes a second or two, but that's no big deal to me. No audio dropouts, delays, or issues so far. Yet on my PC, it's still a struggle to keep an audio signal. Everything will seem to be working and then all of a sudden my audio is gone...which really sucks when you use Team audio alerts throughout the day. I'm half tempted to blame Nvidia considering everything else works so well...but knowing what a pain HDMI 2.1 has been, it's probably a combination of issues for both Onkyo and Nvidia. If there's no fix by the time some other brands start launching new models, I'm selling this thing and looking elsewhere. Trick is, most manufacturers have been totally silent lately. I've seen some hyping up their high-end lines for 2022, but want something in the $700-900 range...and soon.
 
Domingo said:
With mine, I've only ever had issues on my PC. With my PS5, Switch, and Amazon FireTV it's basically been bulletproof. Swapping from one input to another takes a second or two, but that's no big deal to me. No audio dropouts, delays, or issues so far. Yet on my PC, it's still a struggle to keep an audio signal. Everything will seem to be working and then all of a sudden my audio is gone...which really sucks when you use Team audio alerts throughout the day. I'm half tempted to blame Nvidia considering everything else works so well...but knowing what a pain HDMI 2.1 has been, it's probably a combination of issues for both Onkyo and Nvidia. If there's no fix by the time some other brands start launching new models, I'm selling this thing and looking elsewhere. Trick is, most manufacturers have been totally silent lately. I've seen some hyping up their high-end lines for 2022, but want something in the $700-900 range...and soon.
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I thought that the newest Denon/Marantz models have been shipping with fully functional HDMI 2.1 since about mid-summer.
 
Ebernanut said:
I thought that the newest Denon/Marantz models have been shipping with fully functional HDMI 2.1 since about mid-summer.
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Costco started stocking the new Denon 760H this month, sounds like it's going for about $450. It's not showing on their website (they still only list the 750H online) you gotta actually call or go look at your local store.
More info here:
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/denon-avr-s760h.3218301/
 
VERY Interesting about the 760H. One reason I wasn't interested in the earlier "fixed" Denon models was because they didn't have enough HDMI 2.1 inputs. I need at least 2 for my PC and PS5. That model has 3. Plus it has 6 overall inputs, which is a nice bonus.
Frankly it sounds EXACTLY like what I want. The responses in the AVS forum make it sound like it covers all the right bases. I think I'll post something there to see what people's experiences are like on a PC.
 
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