The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Onkyo TX-NR646 vs Onkyo TX-SR353 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Onkyo TX-NR646 has 7.2 versus 5.1 for Onkyo TX-SR353. Regarding power, then TX-NR646 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 160/6 when TX-SR353 has a power of 140/6. The THD is the same and is 0.08%.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, Hi-Grade 384 KHz/32-bit for TX-NR646 and 192 KHz/24-bit for the TX-SR353. Only the TX-NR646 supports Bi-amping feature. The Onkyo TX-NR646 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.
Only the Onkyo TX-NR646 can connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Only the TX-NR646 supports Spotify.
Only the Onkyo TX-NR646 has support for High dynamic range (HDR). HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. Both competitors are not able to scale the HDMI signal. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is not supported by these receivers.
The Onkyo TX-NR646 has 8/2 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Onkyo TX-SR353. 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-NR646 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. A voice control is not available. An ECO mode is only available for the TX-NR646. The setup assistant will help you configure Onkyo TX-NR646.
Only the TX-NR646 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the TX-NR646.