The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Denon AVR-X1600H 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-X1600H has 7.2 versus 9.2 for Onkyo TX-NR787. Regarding power, then AVR-X1600H has such a W/Ohm ratio - 80/8, 120/6 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, 384 KHz/32-bit for AVR-X1600H and AK4458 384 KHz/32-bit for the TX-NR787. Both the AVR-X1600H and the TX-NR787 support Bi-amping. 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 Denon AVR-X1600H has support for AirPlay, AirPlay 2, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The AVR-X1600H can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, TuneIn Radio, iHeart Radio, Mood Mix, and the TX-NR787 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, TuneIn Radio.
Both AV receivers support HDR10 technology (High dynamic range). 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-X1600H 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. The HDMI eARC is available only on the AVR-X1600H. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The AVR-X1600H supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.3, versus HDCP 2.2 in the TX-NR787. These compared receivers have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
The AVR-X1600H supports 2 Multi-room zones, versus 3 for the TX-NR787. The AVR-X1600H supports voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI, and the TX-NR787 - Google Assistant. An ECO mode is only available for the AVR-X1600H. Both AVR-X1600H 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.