The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Denon AVR-S720W vs Onkyo TX-NR787 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Denon AVR-S720W has 7.2 versus 9.2 for Onkyo TX-NR787. Regarding power, then AVR-S720W has such a W/Ohm ratio - 75/8, 110/6 when TX-NR787 has a power of 100/8, 220/6. The THD is the same and is 0.08%.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/32-bit for AVR-S720W and AK4458 384 KHz/32-bit for the TX-NR787. Only the TX-NR787 supports Bi-amping feature. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Apple Music service is implemented on considered devices: AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The AVR-S720W can work with the audio stream from Pandora, SiriusXM, and the TX-NR787 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, TuneIn Radio. Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/60Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. Both competitors are not able to scale the HDMI signal. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the TX-NR787.
The Denon AVR-S720W has 6/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 7/2 HDMI connectors of the Onkyo TX-NR787. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Unfortunately, HDMI eARC is not available on monitored devices. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.2. The TX-NR787 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
The AVR-S720W supports 2 Multi-room zones, versus 3 for the TX-NR787. An ECO mode is only available for the AVR-S720W. Both AVR-S720W and TX-NR787 can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Both devices have support for Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format. The surround sound technology DTS:X is supported by devices under review.