An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Yamaha RX-V385BL vs Onkyo TX-NR555 comparison definitely makes sense.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Yamaha RX-V385BL has 5.1 versus 7.2 for Onkyo TX-NR555. Regarding power, then RX-V385BL has such a W/Ohm ratio - 70/8, 145/6 when TX-NR555 has a power of 130/6. The THD is 0.09% for the RX-V385BL but 0.08% for the TX-NR555.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for RX-V385BL and Hi-Grade 384 KHz/32-bit for the TX-NR555. Only the TX-NR555 supports Bi-amping feature. The Onkyo TX-NR555 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Only the TX-NR555 supports Spotify. 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. The RX-V385BL can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the TX-NR555. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the RX-V385BL.
The Yamaha RX-V385BL has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 6/1 HDMI connectors of the Onkyo TX-NR555. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the RX-V385BL. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The RX-V385BL supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.3, versus HDCP 2.2 in the TX-NR555. The TX-NR555 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. A voice control is not available. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Unfortunately, the setup assistant is not available in each of the models.
Only the TX-NR555 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the TX-NR555.