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Onkyo TX-NR626 vs Yamaha RX-V675 are two AV receivers that fall in the same league. They are standing in the same price range, with Onkyo TX-NR626 being a little more affordable than Yamaha RX-V675. So, which one is the best model that is worth your money? Read on below to see the detailed comparisons between these two great products.

In this article, you can find out further about:

• Each receiver’s design and ease of use
• The available connection options on each receiver
• The features of Onkyo TX-NR626 vs Yamaha RX-V675
• The sound quality comparison of the two receivers
• The pros and cons of each receiver
• Which AV receiver that is generally more recommended

Overview

Design

Well, most if not all AV receivers are naturally big and boxy, as it is already their nature. However, Onkyo’s models are probably the boxiest of them all, including Onkyo TX-NR626. This model has sharp edges and a large flat front panel, which creates a muscular and brutish look.

Such a rigid design can be quite difficult to blend into a typical living room’s decoration. Fortunately, the tasteful brushed black finish is easy to pair with most television racks.You can try to put the receiver on a rack under your television; it will be nice if the rack fits nicely around the receiver. The aluminum casing is very rigid and robust.

The front panel is quite busy, especially if you compare it to other modern receivers in the market. The trend is going towards minimalism and simplicity. If possible, a cover is put on the front panel to hide most of the buttons and connection ports which you rarely use. Onkyo TX-NR626 has a busy front panel that looks like something from the previous century. Combined with the brutish shape, it is not exactly a first pick for aesthetics.

At least, much of the clutter on the front panel is not visible from a distance. The grooves and ridges help to hide the buttons. When seeing it from your couch, you will only see the fat volume dial and the wide LED display that offers a lot of helpful information about the active inputs, volume, and processing modes.

Onkyo TX-NR626 vs Yamaha RX-V675 is not much too different. After all, you can’t really go far with a hulking black metal box as the base design template. However, we can say that Yamaha RX-V675 looks more modern and elegant. It does not look like something from the previous century. Still, keep in mind that this receiver is quite thick and bulky.

The front panel has a subtle two-tone color scheme. The upper part has a matte black finish that looks very nice from a distance, whereas the bottom part is pitch-black. The front panel is still busy and a little crowded, but not as busy as Onkyo TX-NR626. The buttons and connection ports are arranged neatly in coherent groups. Well, the clutter will be visible if seen from your couch, but the elegant design is enough to atone for the sin.

Remote Control

The remote control that comes with Onkyo TX-NR626 is very good, as far as an AV receiver’s remote control can go. We should point out that the white buttons are very helpful when using the remote in a dim home theater room. You can see these buttons easily. You can make selections without much guesswork. The intuitive button layout also helps in this aspect.

Unfortunately, the buttons don’t feel really clicky. It would be awesome if the buttons are clicky, but this is just a slight issue.In the end, Onkyo TX-NR626’s remote control is much better than the instructable remote control of Yamaga RX-V675. The labels are clear and easy to understand. The most important buttons, such as the volume buttons and the directional pad, are placed nicely to allow intuitive usage.

If you want to get your smartphone or tablet involved, you can install the Onkyo Remote 2 app on your Android or iOS device. You can control the receiver’s key functions through this app. Nevertheless, the included remote control alone is already sufficient for convenience.

Yamaha RX-V675’s remote control is among the most baffling remote controls ever. Oh, well, it does come with various features. But you will never know the functions of the numerous buttons without digging into the manual book. And you will dig into the manual book several times, because the remote control is far from intuitive to use.

On the top, there are two power buttons. Tiny labels tell you that one of these buttons is for controlling other devices. Then, there are several small numbered buttons for HDMI, AV, and audio channels. The #1 button on the HDMI section selects the HDMI 1 input, and so on. The problem is, you have to remember the devices that connect to those ports. Otherwise, you will cycle through all the channels to find what you are looking for.

Fortunately, you can also control Yamaha RX-V675 by using a smartphone app. The mobile app is available for Android and iOS. Through the app, you can perform basic functions, such as selecting an input channel and adjusting the volume level. The app is especially useful for working with the networking features; browsing internet radio stations on the app is much easier than onscreen. Unfortunately, you still have to do a lot of scrolling, as there isn’t a searching feature.

Connectivity of Onkyo TX-NR626
Onkyo has taken a real forward leap in connectivity and features. Perhaps the most notable features of Onkyo TX-NR626 are the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Previously, Onkyo always relied on USB adaptors for wireless connectivity. Although it still lacks Apple AirPlay wireless streaming, this is an appreciable thing.

When choosing between Onkyo TX-NR626 vs Yamaha RX-V675, keep in mind that the built-in wireless connectivity of Onkyo TX-NR626 allows you to make use of various internet streaming services, including Spotify, TuneIn, and Aupeo!. It can also do DLNA streaming of FLAC, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, and other file formats from connected computers and NAS units in the network.

Onkyo TX-NR626 only has one USB port, which is nicely put on the front panel. Having just one USB port is fine because the receiver does not need any dongle for wireless connectivity. Note that this USB port can only play music from USB storage devices; it does not support Apple and Android devices. However, you can use the MHL connection or add the DS-A1 RI dock for iPhone/iPod playback.

Onkyo TX-NR626 has six HDMI inputs and two HDMI outputs. Four of these inputs support 4K upscaling, 1080p upscaling, and 3D passthrough. Both of the outputs have Audio Return Channel (ARC). Unfortunately, there is no HDMI input on the front. All of them are placed on the rear. So, accessing them may be a little difficult.

Numerous analogue and digital video and audio connections are available on the rear panel. There is a phono connection, which is handy for attaching a turntable. A stereo input is easily accessible on the front.

If you need Zone 2 connections, you are probably pleased to know that Onkyo TX-NR626 comes with upgraded terminals. All the speaker connections now have banana plug-compatible binding posts. However, keep in mind that all the Zone 2 outputs are analogue, so you can’t use a digital source for the multi-room outputting.

Connectivity of Yamaha RX-V675
When choosing between Onkyo TX-NR626vs Yamaha RX-V675, note that the Yamaha receiver does not have built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You need optional adapters for those features. But it does have built-in vTuner internet radio, Napster (Yamaha’s subscription-based music service), and Apple AirPlay.

Although this unit does not have built-in wireless connectivity, there is an Ethernet port for networking. Yamaha RX-V675 supports DLNA for streaming content from a connected hard drive in the network. So, connecting this unit to your home network is still possible.

There are six HDMI inputs – one on the front, five on the rear. This receiver is future-proofed with 4K upscaling and pass-through. However, it only has single HDMI output, which supports ARC. Then again, Yamaha RX-V675 supports MHL and has the ‘Made for iPod’ USB port, which can charge and play content from iPod/iPhone devices.

The USB port additionally supports WAV and FLAC files up to 24-bit/192KHz. So, Yamaha RX-V675 is ready to give you impressive high-resolution music.

Calibration and Features
Setting up Onkyo TX-NR626 is easy and simple. The AudysseyMultEQ calibration is very nice. The calibration of Onkyo TX-NR626 is quite better and more reliable than that of Yamaha RX-V675.

To calibrate the receiver, you need to hook up the included Audyssey microphone. Run the set-up process, and the receiver will automatically calculate the speakers’ levels and distances with outstanding accuracy.

Inside Onkyo TX-NR626, you can find the acclaimed Texas Instruments Burr-Brown 24-bit/192kHz DACs on all channels. It boasts a total output power of 160 Watts per channel. Well, it does not have the THX Select 2 certification, but it comes with Qdeo video processing and various sound modes, audio filters, and tone controls.

Yamaha RX-V675 relies on YPAO (Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer) for calibration. It is pretty good, but it is not as accurate as the Onkyo receiver. The result from the automatic calibration doesn’t sound really impressive. Nevertheless, Yamaha RX-V675 takes pride in their DSP tech. With a total of 17 DSP settings, the receiver has just about everything to suit different music and movie genres.

The extended surround effects and Virtual Cinema DSP can enlarge the sound field of stereo speakers by adding more height or creating a virtual seven-channel surround image. You can tinker with the treble, bass, and dialogue levels. It is recommended that you keep the Adaptive DRC turned off, though. If you are solely using analogue sources, you can try to push the Pure Direct mode.

Performance
It is quite acceptable for AV receivers in this price range to have good but not great sound quality. Both Onkyo TX-NR626 vs Yamaha RX-V675 have impressive qualities, but they are not flawless. Each has some minor weaknesses.

The surround steering is effective in creating an immersive experience. This is why Onkyo TX-NR626 is often preferred when someone wants to build a 7.2-channel home theater system with a limited budget. However, the sound is sometimes leaden-footed, and it lacks a layer of detail. The tracks don’t hang together very much, but fortunately you can take advantage of the 24-bit/192kHz hi-res playback via DLNA to get the best possible results.

We cannot deny that the image quality and audio performance in many areas are impressive. Onkyo TX-NR626 is certainly capable of producing precise and accurate, fast and fluid content. It is just not flawless. It has neither the last level of detail needed for the maximum entertainment nor the extra subtlety for the absolute realism. It also has some hardness on certain frequencies.

On the other hand, Yamaha RX-V675 has a dramatic sound with an expansive sound field. The DSP modes are very nice and effective in creating the desired audio characters. They are indeed handy for various music and movie genres.

Explosion sound effects are packed with weight and impact. The dynamics are very nice, and it can easily fill up a large listening room. The V75 Series amps work very well in processing the sound effects and in steering the seven speakers. You will feel as if you are encased in a perfect bubble of immersion, which allows for a thrilling home theater experience.

Still, Yamaha RX-V675 is not entirely flawless. The sound tends to have some thickness that keeps nagging, especially on dialogues. As the effect, the voices are sometimes not as clear and crisp as desired. Sometimes, you will feel compelled to fiddle with the volume buttons to find the right balance between dialogue clarity and sound effects.

Luckily, there is a possible solution for this problem. And it is by choosing the right DSP mode. The Spectacle and Sci-Fi DSP modes are indeed bombastic, but they are not highly recommended for dialogue clarity. The best balance is acquired from the Standard and Drama DSP modes. The Standard mode is quite balanced, whereas the Drama mode leans more to dialogue clarity by clearing some thick bass.

Onkyo TX-NR626 Vs Yamaha RX-V675

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