The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Onkyo TX-NR696 vs Pioneer VSX-1130-K that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 7.2. Regarding power, then TX-NR696 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 165/6 when VSX-1130-K has a power of 100/8, 165/6. The THD is 0.08% for the TX-NR696 but 0.09% for the VSX-1130-K.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, AK4458 384 KHz/32-bit for TX-NR696 and ESS SABRE Premier 192 KHz/32-bit for the VSX-1130-K. Both the TX-NR696 and the VSX-1130-K 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 Onkyo TX-NR696 has support for AirPlay, AirPlay 2, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The TX-NR696 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and the VSX-1130-K can receive a content from Pandora. 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 rivals can scale the resolution of the incoming HDMI signal. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the TX-NR696.
Each receiver has 7/2 HDMI inputs/outputs. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Unfortunately, HDMI eARC is not available on monitored devices. Of the two receivers in our comparison, HDMI CEC is present in only the TX-NR696. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.2. The TX-NR696 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
Each of the AV receivers from our review supports 2 Multi-room zones. An ECO mode is only available for the VSX-1130-K. Both TX-NR696 and VSX-1130-K can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Both devices have support for Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the TX-NR696.