Onkyo TX-SR494 4K Home Theatre Receiver

Onkyo TX-SR494 4K Home Theatre Receiver

From easy Bluetooth® wireless streaming to the heart-pounding thrills of Dolby Atmos® and DTS:X® soundtracks, the TX-SR494 deepens enjoyment of daily life with great sound and smart features. Seven channels of high-current power give you freedom to choose a speaker layout that suits. Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer* or DTS Virtual:X® place sound overhead or behind if you don't want height or surround speakers and both Dolby Surround® and DTS Neural:X® are on board. Rear surrounds, bi-amped front speakers, or Powered Zone B audio are also an option. AccuEQ with subwoofer EQ and AccuReflex™ for 5.2.2-ch Dolby Atmos-enabled systems clarify sound in any space.

As the heart of your home cinema, the TX-SR494 has HDMI® terminals supporting HDR and 4K/60p video, while the GUI with OSD over HDMI, Zone B pre-/line-out, and Vocal Enhancer function make this receiver a joy to use as well as hear. *Enabled with a future firmware update.

Dolby Atmos® & DTS:X®: The TX-SR494 supercharges your Dolby Atmos® and DTS:X® experience. Object-based audio is mixed in 3D space and lets any sound play through any speaker, tracking the action, localizing effects, and moving around you. Dolby Surround® and DTS Neural:X® complement native 3D audio playback. These technologies find localization cues in legacy stereo or multichannel soundtracks and upmix these elements to create immersive top-to-bottom dimensionality.

Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer: When playing any Dolby® format, engaging Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer enables a more immersive listening experience, creating a virtual surround and height effect from traditional speaker layouts without employing additional surround or height speakers.

Note: Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer will be enabled with a future firmware update.

Spatial Sound Elevated with DTS Virtual:X®: DTS Virtual:X is a new surround-sound virtualization technology that creates an immersive 3D soundfield from any speaker layout, such as 2.1, 3.1, 5.1, and 7.1 configurations without height, surround, or rear surround speakers deployed. It uses sophisticated DSP-based algorithms to place the audience at the centre of a multidimensional soundfield with height and surround spatiality, and is equally effective in large or small spaces. DTS Virtual:X works in the 3D domain with DTS:X soundtracks, DTS formats, and non-encoded stereo.

Ready for 4K HDR Entertainment: Enjoy comprehensive support for 4K/60p and HDR (High Dynamic Range) video formats including HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision®, and BT.2020. The 4:4:4 colour-space is also supported. All four HDMI® inputs and ARC-ready output pass video from player to your compatible TV, unlocking everything the latest films and games have to offer. You can easily confirm A/V input-output status via a new OSD window.

More Power, More Realism, More Magic: It's tempting to see watts as the most important figure on an amp's spec sheet. However, watts are an indication of loudness, not sound quality. Amperes - electrical current - tell the real story. The more current an amplifier develops, the better it controls the speakers. Better control equals fast transient response, wide dynamic range, and clear, accurate sound. The high-output transformer, large capacitors, and discrete amps inside the TX-SR494 produce the most current in its class. And that's one big reason why it sounds as good as it does.

AccuEQ Room Acoustic Calibration with AccuReflex: AccuEQ Room Acoustic Calibration creates a harmonious soundfield in your room. It detects speaker presence, size, and distance from a measurement position, and sets appropriate sound-pressure levels. It then selects the ideal subwoofer crossover and applies equalization to all speakers. AccuReflex technology optimizes reproduction of object-based audio through Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers. It resolves phase-shift arising from path differences between directional and non-directional sounds. Along with improved localization, a 3D field with vertical movement and overhead dimensionality is produced.

Hear Dialogue Clearly At The Touch Of A Button: Finally, a fast and effective solution to inaudible dialogue in TV programs and movies. The TX-SR494 features DSP-controlled Vocal Enhancer that identifies vocal frequencies and allows you to raise or lower them to taste using keys on the remote or via the tone controls on the receiver's front panel.

Share The Atmosphere Or Relax In Privacy: A fantastic addition to the TX-SR494 is a Zone B pre-/line-out. It connects a component with an analogue RCA line input to audio sources available to the receiver, including HDMI and digital audio. Share sound to a hi-fi in a nearby space or connect a supported charging transmitter dock for wireless headphones and enjoy your entertainment without disturbing anybody.

Powered Zone B Audio Or Front-Channel Bi-Amping: The Height/Surround Back/Bi-Amp/Zone B speaker outputs can drive stereo speakers in another room with a 5.2-ch setup in the main room. The outputs can share any AVR source exclusively in Zone B or play the same source in Main and Zone B. Alternatively, you can bi-amp your pair of compatible front speakers.

Simple Steps To Sweet Sound: The TX-SR494 simplifies your room's entertainment setup. Components plug into labelled ports while your TV connects via one easy-to-conceal HDMI cable. Hook up your speakers as shown by a friendly diagram next to the numbered speaker terminals. Setup takes moments, enjoyment is limitless.

Smooth & Easy Bluetooth® Streaming: Whatever audio is playing on your phone, tablet, or PC app can be streamed to the TX-SR494 with Bluetooth wireless technology. Once the receiver has paired with and remembered your device, it will start playback automatically whenever it detects an incoming Bluetooth audio stream.

Decompress with Advanced Music Optimizer™: When an audio file is squeezed into a small container (such as MP3), high-frequency data is lost. This can affect sound quality. Onkyo's Advanced Music Optimizer DSP listening mode reconstructs the missing bit data. Playback quality is greatly improved, while you enjoy the same convenient file sizes. This mode also optimizes Bluetooth streaming playback quality.

USB Power For Streaming Dongles: A USB port on the rear panel powers any media streaming stick plugged into an adjacent HDMI input - great if you don't have enough power-points.

About Onkyo

Takeshi Godai established Onkyo in 1946 with the intention of addressing what he felt was a lack of satisfactory Japanese-made dynamic speakers. The word "onkyo" means "sound acoustics" in Japanese.

Through the years that followed Onkyo became expert at many types of AV products including a crystal cartridge, meticulously crafted speakers (including the first plastic speaker cones in Japan), desktop transistor radios and even televisions. In 1958 Onkyo was among the first to introduce separate components rather than the all-in-one furniture style systems that had been so popular up until then. Portable transistor radios followed in 1961 & medical equipment in 1963. In the 70's the Integra line of electronics was established which has been amazingly successful over the years. Turntables followed and then Onkyo released the world's first high-speed dual-recording cassette deck in 1981 followed by some of the first CD Players a couple of years later. 1992 saw the release of the world's first 6 disc carousel type CD player (just so you know who to blame) which became a big trend in the 90's. This is also the decade home theatre happened and Onkyo immediately became one of the prominent players with the world's first THX 5.1 channel AV Receiver with Dolby Digital.

Since then, Onkyo has continued to be at the forefront of Audio Visual technology, bringing high class audio and vision into thousands of homes in Australia and across the globe.

Our Take On The Onkyo TX-SR494

If you're putting together a system on a budget, the Onkyo TX-SR494 is a great choice for a sweet surround sound experience without shelling out a whole lot of cash. Despite being a relatively inexpensive model, the '494 supports both 4K and HDR-encoded content. You can even set up a 7.2-channel Dolby Atmos system and hear sound effects from all over your room.

This receiver can power up to seven speakers at the same time. Use all seven channels in a 5.1.2 Atmos or DTS:X™ system. Or go with a more modest 5.1 surround sound setup and repurpose the extra two channels for music in a second room. The '494 lets you play a single source through Zone A, Zone B, or in both zones at once.

At 80 watts per channel, the '494 pairs nicely with most bookshelf, in-wall, and in-ceiling speakers. It's a great choice if you're powering a surround sound system in a small-to-medium-sized room. There's a lot to like about the Onkyo TX-SR494 4K Home Theatre Receiver especially at the very reasonable price.

Main Features & Specifications

• Design: Surround Sound Home Theatre Receiver with Dolby Atmos
• 7-Channel Amplifier
• 80 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08% THD, with 2 channels driven
• Dolby® and DTS® surround sound decoding
  • Dolby Atmos processing for use with in-ceiling or "height" speakers for more enveloping surround sound
  • DTS:X™ for an immersive, 3-dimensional soundstage
• AccuEQ automatic speaker calibration optimizes your system's sound for your room (microphone included)
• Built-In Bluetooth for wireless music streaming from a compatible phone, tablet, or computer
• Powered stereo audio output for Zone B
  • Using Zone B allows 5.2-channel playback in your main room

Audio Performance

• High-Current Amplifier Design
• 32-bit/384kHz digital-to-analogue converter for clear sound from digital sources
• Music Optimizer function enhances the sound quality of compressed music files and Bluetooth streams
• Bi-Amp capability with compatible front speakers by reassigning surround back channels

Connections

• HDMI audio/video switching: 4 in, 1 out (ARC)
  • HDCP 2.2 technology ensures compatibility with 4K Ultra HD sources and TVs (HDCP 2.3-compatible with free future firmware update)
  • HDR-compatible for extended picture contrast and brightness with compatible 4K TVs and HDR-encoded content
• Supports HDR10, Dolby Vision™ & HLG
• Digital Audio Inputs: 1 Optical & 1 Coaxial
• 3 Analogue stereo audio inputs
• Zone B stereo line-level outputs
• Preamp Outputs for 2 powered subwoofers
• Rear-Panel USB port for powering an external device (does not support music playback)
• Outputs for 7 speakers (Front L/R, Centre, Surround L/R, Height L/R)
• Full-Sized front-panel headphone jack

General

• 4K/60p & 3D video pass-through
• HDMI standby pass-through allows access to all HDMI connected devices without having to power on the receiver
• Handheld Remote Control included
• Supplied Accessories: Indoor FM antenna, AM loop antenna, Speaker setup microphone, Quick Start Guide, Remote Control, 2 x AAA Batteries
• AM/FM Tuner with 40 presets
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 435 x 160 x 328mm
• Weight: 8.2kg
• Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years

Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.