Part 4 - Integra Pioneer Onkyo Flagships - In House Review - User Experience

Part 4 - Integra Pioneer Onkyo Flagships - In House Review - User Experience
In this video we compare Flagship AV Receivers - the Onkyo TX-RZ70, the Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805 and the Integra DRX-8.5 user interfaces. We look at the physical interface of the front panel along with the remote, on-screen display, mobile applications and web page interfaces.
Other videos in this series:
Integra Pioneer Onkyo Flagships - In House Review - Part 1 - Overview & First Look
• Integra Pioneer Onkyo ...
Part 2 - Integra Pioneer Onkyo Flagships - In House Review Initial Setup & Dirac Configuration
• Part 2 - Integra Pione...
Part 3 - Integra Pioneer Onkyo Flagships - In House Review - MCAAC, AccuEQ, Dirac Live 3 Full App
• Part 3 - Integra Pione...
Other Ripewave videos:
Pioneer new ELITE Flagship VSX LX805 11.4 8K AV Receiver vs Integra DRX-8.4 and full range
• Pioneer new ELITE Flag...
Integra 2023 DRX-8.4 Flagship 8K AV Receiver and full range - DRX-5.4, 3.4, 2.4, DRX-7.3
• Integra 2023 DRX-8.4 F...
Pioneer Elite 2021 8K AV Receivers
• Pioneer Elite 2021 8K ...
Onkyo 2021 8K AV Receivers vs. Pioneer
• Onkyo 2021 8K AV Recei...
Integra 2021 8K AV Receivers vs Onkyo and Pioneer
• Integra 2021 8K AV Rec...
Sony New 2023 8K AV Receivers - STR-AZ7000ES, STR-AZ5000ES, STR-AZ3000ES, STR-AZ1000ES, STR-AN1000
• Sony New 2023 8K AV Re...
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• AudioControl New 2022 ...
New Anthem AV 8K Processors Receivers 2022 - AVM 90, AVM 70 8K, MRX 1140 8K, MRX 740 8K, MRX 540 8K
• New Anthem AV 8K Proce...
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• Arcam New 2022 8K AV R...
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• New Marantz Cinema Ran...
New Denon AV Receivers 2022-23 vs Marantz Cinema - AHR-A1H, AVR-X3800H, AVR-X4800H, AVR-X2800H
• New Denon AV Receivers...
#hometheater #onkyo #integra #avreceiver #ripewave

[@ranakirti]

this whole series is a GIFT to the audio/video enthusiast community.

[@truwarrior22]

Man is on a mission

[@ripewave]

Thank you. While I do receive payments from KZbin for views, it does not currently justify the effort required. So I am motivated beyond that compensation. I don’t expect to get brand sponsorship with my honest approach, but again it’s a path I prefer to take. -Jon

[@williamhicks2763]

Thanks for all of this help but also for mentioning the legality of the text. I have resorted to a dedicated flashlight and glasses for the living room and it shouldn’t need to be that way.

[@ripewave]

I don’t get why their engineers can think it is acceptable. While they manage to include what the product manager must have ask for I can’t even read up close with glasses. Time to move on the modern displays and larger size screens. For the remote it is more a matter of larger, clearer fonts as the button sizes are fine. -Jon

[@Kevingc1]

Jon, you provide the most indepth comparisons on actual product setup and use. It allows the potential buyer to know what they are getting into in the era of buying things on-line. Thank you. What people do with this information and final setup is left up to them.

[@ripewave]

You have identified what I am trying to achieve with these videos. I want them to be a reference to fully understand what they are getting (or not getting) as you can’t play in local stores in most cases anymore. I am glad these are serving that need. -Jon

[@JC-eh5be]

Great video. Congrats. I went for the RZ70. My biggest disappointment is not being able to switch among the different inputs ( STR, BD, Game...) while in standby mode. The unit turns on automatically. This was possible in my previous Denon (X4400H)......UPDATE: Can be done by setting HDMI Standby Through with "Last".

[@ripewave]

Glad you were able to find a way to set via the HDMI Standby mode. Glad you enjoyed the video -Jon

[@carlosarques]

Terrific work Jon. Way to go!. Thanks!

[@ripewave]

I am glad you enjoyed the content - Jon

[@mattgiunt]

After looking at all the various receivers you have explored in so thorough a manner Im still going to stick with Yamaha all the way. Just a reliable product with great sound and features. Hope Yamaha refreshes the line this year. Thanks for your work

[@ripewave]

I appreciate you sticking with me through these series. The Yamaha models are a great choice. -Jon

[@BugleBoogie]

Jon, First, let me thank you for your in depth reviews of all these units. Obviously, a labor of love. Then I would like to say that this is just crazy. I don't know how anyone would be able to pick one of these three units. It seems to boil down to what are you willing to give up. I think I would choose the Integra if I had to pick one. As a side note, years ago I had an Integra unit and had trouble with it. Contacting customer support caused me to swear that I would never own another Integra. I suspect that customer support has changed since then but I would have a great deal of reluctance to buy any of these three brands. Thanks again for all your great efforts. Looking forward to a review of the new AVR-X6800H by Denon.

[@Audiomainia2310]

Jon - your reviews are the best in depth reviews available, and I cant say how appreciative I am that you put so much time and labor into your reviews. What I've found with Onkyo is once you set your soundfields, if listening to music it always defaults to my presets. Volume, soundfield all remain consistent. When switching via HDMI to another source, the system decodes the source mode and defaults to that ( say I put on Cabl / Sat, it will detect if the source is Dolby and switch to that mode. I can set infividual presets to Orchestr, DTS-X, etc and that input will default to my settings ). Say the Pioneer - you can go into its setting page and rename any input - to any name you want. All these units allow this - and that input source retains the name youve changed it to. ) I'm 63 so glasses and a flashlight I need for anything that's not a bigger font - whoever coined the term " The Golden Years" needs a beating!!!!😂😂

[@ripewave]

Thanks for weighing in with details on how these units preserve defaults for presets. Certainly those are helpful - nice touch! Being able to rename inputs is great too. The Pioneer has the wheel input selector, so the display will match what you rename. With the others, any input renamed won't match the physical button label. We should ask them to include glasses and a flashlight in the box for each unit. -Jon

[@Riv359]

I own the Integra 8.4 and I would like to be able to enable Auro 3d over movies playing in Atmos. In order to do this you have to change the audio to 5.1 or anything other than Atmos. I'm coming from a Marantz receiver and Auro 3d can be enabled on demand, as you wish. Other than that is a solid good sounding receiver. Great video👍.

[@ripewave]

I will be trying with the Auro-3D demo disk tomorrow as well as with non-native content so your response is timely. I will try what you mentioned. Denon/Marantz do make selecting the intended sound mode easier. I was just on the Marantz mobile app today and when you select sound mode you are given a pull down menu of all the modes to select directly from vs the Integra which you need to cycle through the list one-by-one and you can’t reverse directions if you passed - you are forced to go around again. I often have to make three trips before I land correctly. -Jon

[@themafia3119]

What Marantz was you using? Also how much better sounding is the 8.4 than your Marantz?

[@Audiomainia2310]

Thanks!

[@ripewave]

I appreciate the donation. Sorry it has taken me a bit to respond. With these series and holidays I have been very busy. Let me know if there is other content I should be developing. Glad to have you here. - Jon

[@user-xe4dn5fj4g]

real good

[@ripewave]

Thanks for watching. Glad the content was good for you. -Jon

[@devansnj]

Hi Jon, great overview of the 3, which has to be difficult to go through all at once. I'm not sure if you saw that you can change the default audio mode on a per source basis. This lets you have a preferred mode per source without having to switch away from all channel stereo each time.

[@ripewave]

I should have covered that feature. It is a nice one built into these. Thanks for calling attention to that capability. -Jon

[@williamhicks2763]

Thanks! I guess I’m still pulling for the Integra, mainly because of the balanced outputs, but I like the front panel pretty well. We’ll see how the sound quality matches up. I feel like I may have returned my best option, the Monolith, but if so a I guess I can always repurchase. Good thing is, I’m not in a hurry.

[@ripewave]

Thanks for your continued and generous support. While the sound comparisons come in the next video and I am still assessing, I am finding the Integra to be in the top tier but not as good as the Monolith HTP-1 and others. It is closer to the Sony in sound quality in that tier. I may adjust after further review, but that is where I am at. The the HTP-1 you have a full set of balanced outputs. While the Integra only provides balanced outputs for Front L/C/R and Subwoofers it also has a balanced input - something I use to connect my phono preamp. The Dirac Live connection works better on the HTP-1. I found the Integra to be glitchy. It always produces an error after taking measurements. I have to re-run the phase control and when loading the filter to the receiver, it takes a long time. This is something Dirac notes on their website as a known issue. The latest release notes states: Filter export takes about 1 minute longer than with Dirac Live 3.4.4 on Onkyo/Pioneer/Integra devices, but it completes eventually, so please have some extra patience. It takes more that a minute longer, maybe 10 or more. Jon

[@hb5623]

Hi Jon, best review/test out there this will help me in making a decision. Did you find some sort of" Dynamic Eq" like Audessy has on Denon/Marantz? Maybe only on the THX certified models?

[@BrianGarside]

Great video once again Jon! Will you be doing a part 5 for sound comparisons?

[@ripewave]

👍 yes

[@BradsHacks]

17:36 I noticed on my RZ70 that Chromecast is only available on Main Zone, not Zone 2 and Zone 3. Is this also true for the Integra 8.4 and Pioneer LX805?

[@carlosarques]

I'd be good to know if THX certification makes any difference in sound among these 3 receivers.

[@ripewave]

I am hoping to come to a conclusion as a prepare for the next video - which will compare the sound quality. My initial impression is not with the sound quality. There are the exclusive THX sound modes which Pioneer does not have. However, I haven’t heard anything yet which non critical listening that stands them apart any further. My feeling is some models they send to THX for certification and others they don’t, but are mostly the same. I could prove wrong with my more critical sessions. -Jon

[@RobDarman]

Your reviews are most excellent for those that are buying AVRs to use as a pre-amp. It would be very useful if you could test the amplifiers in the AVR as well, as I think that most people who buy AVRs care about the quality of the amplifiers. Might you hook the units directly to your speakers and review that as well?

[@ripewave]

I appreciate the request. I need to be able to devise a good test plan for amplifiers (either internal or external). I feel I need to acquire test equipment, but that is currently outside my budget right now. Thanks for the kind words about the pre-amp videos. Hopefully I can expand into more areas as I go. -Jon

[@stackoverflow8260]

I has no issues Jon reading fonts. What i found is that i can't seem to get into direct mode when using chromecast after a firmware upgrade..i can see the direct mode as an option before i connect to the device through chromecast.

[@ripewave]

Obviously your eyes are better than mine, you are fortunate. Thanks for sharing your Chromecast issue, I use AirPlay instead of Chromecast so I didn’t try. That is odd as I understand that Chromecast now supports streams up to 24/96kHz, so having a Direct option makes sense. One thing to check is whether you are connecting with WiFi or Bluetooth. Bluetooth will use compression and not a good candidate for a Diect mode, but with WiFi the full lossless can be sent.-Jon

[@user-us9ms3jk6c]

And yet one more question. I have Amazon Unlimited. How can I listen to Dolby Atmos music? I didn't set up Chromecast when I installed it, but Amazon Music HD works for me 24/96.

[@pierremackenson3490]

Apple music work with atmos on my 805

[@user-us9ms3jk6c]

I have two requests for 805. When I listen to TuneIn radio (I don't have a paid version), how can I add it to my favorites in the AVR? And how would I make it so that when I turn off the AVR, when I turn it back on, the radio I was listening to before turning it off will directly start? It always throws me on "TuneIn".

[@pierremackenson3490]

Same problem

[@SwirlingDragonMist]

I think the Pioneer exclusive features are identifiable as brand specific functionality that existed before the corporate mergers. I personally would like them to be more different, and to each further their own research and development and brand identity. The more they become the same the more they all lose value. Seeing past the illusion of choice is a deal breaker. If they’re only going to make one product, they should only have one brand. Do they even know what they want to do with them? Regulators would do them a favor by breaking them up into separate companies. In the information age, illusion of choice cannot succeed.

[@ripewave]

Thanks for sharing that perspective and I get it. In fact I will slightly revise my position as a result of reading through your explanation. I too would like to see differentiation between sister brands - a few families come to mind (Denon/Marantz, Arcam/JBL Synthsis, Onkyo/Pioneer/Integra). They are seem to have their own cosmetics differences on the front panel. Remotes are often shared only minor deviations. For same tier models, they may not have noticeable differences in the specifications and feature sets. What was nagging me where the subtle minor differences that won’t be articulated by each company in marketing. These models I found were too similar on the surface (aside from front panel) and only minor points under the hood. THX on Onkyo/Integra and not Pioneer is a good difference. I get confused when the most expensive model doesn’t have a superset of all the best / high performing features. It seems you are paying a brand premium and not for its value as a receiver between Integra and Pioneer. In summary, I think they should have main differences that is clear in marketing, but for the lesser functions that are expected, they should be the same or at least providing more value as you move to the more expensive brand, not just executed to be different -Jon

[@zandymarantal9113]

Thanks!

[@ripewave]

Thanks for the donation - those help me a lot. -Jon