Onkyo TX-SR494 (Australian and Asian versions)

Overview

Onkyo TX-SR494 was introduced in 2019. It is equipped with 7 channel amplifier and is capable of 7.1 maximum channel processing.

We evaluated the Receiver and gave 79 overall score out of 100. Our ranking system is based on the amplifier specifications, audio and video features, connectivity, multizone capabilities, radio and many other details.

Amplifier score is based on power ratings, minimum impedance load, power supply, transformer type, total harmonic distortion, damping factor, signal to noise ratio and other small details. Audio score depends on the number of channels, front wide channel support, maximum channel processing, support of audio formats, DAC specifications, room calibration algorithm... Video score is based on HDR, Dolby Vision and video signal passthrough and upscaling, analog to HDMI upconversion. Connectivity score is defined from all wired and wireless inputs and outputs, internet and bluetooth connections, HEOS, SONOS and others. Multizone score depends on the number of zones with their outputs. Radio score is evaluated form digital radio support and analog tuner with its frequency range, signal to noise ratio, harmonic distortion...

Pros and Cons

In this section we present pros and cons of Onkyo TX-SR494.

Amplifier

Onkyo TX-SR494 has 7 channel amplifier and delivers 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven) and also has a stable performance at 4 Ω load.

Video Features

The Receiver has 4K passthrough up to 60p and 4K upscaling. It can bypass HDR10, Dolby Vision.

HDR10

High-dynamic-range (HDR) video has greater dynamic range than standard-dynamic-range (SDR) video with brigter whites and deeper blacks. HDR10 was announced on August 27, 2015, by the Consumer Technology Association and uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 supports up to 1000 nits of brightness and 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors.

Dolby Vision

Dolby Vision is an update to HDR10 by adding dynamic metadata that can be used to more accurately adjust brightness levels up to 10,000 nits maximum brightness on a scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame basis and supports up to 12-bit color depth (4096 shades of RGB) and 8K resolution.

Dolby Atmos and Dolby Surround upmixer

Onkyo TX-SR494 supports Dolby Atmos with its Dolby Surround upmixer. It can be configured upto 5.1.2 channels using internal amplifiers.

Dolby Atmos is the first cinematic audio format in which sounds exist as individual entities, called audio objects. In Dolby Atmos, any sound - the helicopter, a car screeching around a corner, a melodic bird call - can exist as an independent audio object, free of channel restrictions. They can be precisely placed and moved anywhere in your room, including overhead, to flow above and around you in three-dimensional space. Through the use of audio objects, overhead sound, and all the richness, clarity, and power of Dolby sound, Dolby Atmos turns your room into an amazing place for entertainment. You'll feel like you're inside the action, in ways you've never experienced before.

Dolby Atmos for the home represents every sound in the original cinema mix as an audio object. Extensions to the Dolby Audio™ codecs, along with an advanced scalable algorithm, allow Dolby Atmos to be delivered via Blu-ray Disc and streaming media. A spatially-coded substream is added to Dolby TrueHD or Dolby Digital Plus. A Dolby Atmos audio/video receiver (AVR) adapts the cinema experience to your home theater from seven speakers to as many as 34 in 24.1.10 configuration, recreating the original artistic concept. The format supports up to 128 simultaneous independent audio objects in a mix for rich, realistic, and breathtaking sound. It recreates the director's original concept through descriptive metadata to provide customized playback for home theater and delivers sounds above you through overhead speakers, special upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar.

If the content is not mixed in Dolby Atmos then the Dolby surround upmixer will expand the audio to all channels including ceiling speakers. The upmixer has replaced the Dolby Pro Logic II family with improved upmixing algorithms.

DTS:X and Neural:X upmixer

Onkyo TX-SR494 supports DTS:X with its Neural:X upmixer. It can be configured upto 5.1.2 channels using internal amplifiers.

A technique used in DTS:X is similar to the one used in Dolby Atmos. Instead of a fixed number of channels, DTS:X defines object locations from the listener in polar coordinates. An a/v receiver then dynamically renders sound according to the current speaker configuration. The speaker layout employed by DTS:X is the sum of Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D. It has standard 7.1 channel base layer, a 5 channel height layer above the base layer on the front and side walls, and 3 rows of speakers on the ceiling.

DTS Neural:X is a new upmixer that can take non DTS:X content and upmix it to the DTS:X speaker layout. It has replaced the DTS Neo family with improved flexibility.

Advanced Music Optimizer

Compressed music enhancement in Onkyo TX-SR494 is done by Onkyo’s Advanced Music Optimizer. While MP3 or AAC files may sound fine through the headphones of your portable digital player, the limitations of these files can be exposed when played back through a quality home entertainment system. This is because a significant amount of high-frequency bit information is lost during the file-compression process. To counter this, Onkyo has designed the Advanced Music Optimizer to compensate for lost bit information and improve the quality of compressed audio signals. This results in a clearer and more expansive sound. Also included in this technology is a loudness correction feature that further improves the audio character of compressed files.

Room Correction

Onkyo TX-SR494 comes with AccuEQ room correction system and includes the calibration microphone.

Connectivity

Onkyo TX-SR494 can also connect to bluetooth devices via built-in bluetooth adapter. It has 4 HDMI inputs and HDCP 2.3 (via future firmware update) copy protection.

Front panel has no inputs.

Specifications

Here we list all the available features and specifications of Onkyo TX-SR494.

BASICS
Brand	Onkyo
Model	TX-SR494
Type	A/V Receiver
Country	Australia and Asia
Release Year	2019

AMPLIFIER
Channels	7.2
Front Wide Channel Support
Dynamic Audio Amplification
Non-Phase Shift Amplifier
VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry)
Optimum Gain Volume Circuitry
THX™ Certification
Continuous 6 Ω Rated
Certified 4 Ω Performance
Discrete Output Stage Circuitry
Independent Block Construction (Amp/Preprocessor)
Bi-amp Capability
BTL (Bridged Transless or Bridging)

AUDIO
Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Engine	32-bit Digital Signal Processing Engines
DAC	AKM
Maximum Channel Processing	7.1
Air Studios Monitor Certification
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
Dolby TrueHD
Dolby Digital Plus
Dolby Surround Upmixer
Dolby Pro Logic
Dolby Digital EX
THX Listening Modes
DTS:X
DTS Neural:X
DTS Virtual:X
DTS Neo
DTS-HD Master Audio
DTS-HD High Resolution Audio
DTS 96/24
DTS Express
DTS-ES
IMAX Enhanced
Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
PCM	2-ch/Multi-ch Input
Music Playback via USB
High Resolution Music Playback via USB and/or Network
DSD via HDMI	2-ch
DSD via USB
DSD to PCM Converter
USB DAC
Jitter Reduction
DTS Dialog Control
Dialog Enhancement
Dialog Normalization
Dialogue Lift
Tone Control	Front L/R Channels
Compressed Music Enhancer	Advanced Music Optimizer
High-resolution Music Enhancer
THX Processing Mode
Audyssey Dynamic EQ
Audyssey Dynamic Volume
Audyssey LFC
Audyssey Sub EQ HT
Audyssey DSX
Phase-Matching Bass Boost
Direct Mode
Pure Audio Mode
Pure Direct Analog Path Mode
Virtual Speakers	T-D (Theater-Dimensional)

CALIBRATION
Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.	AccuEQ

VIDEO
HDR10
HDR10+
BT.2020 color space
Dolby Vision
HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma)
QMS (Quick Media Switching)
ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode)
VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
QFT (Quick Frame transport)
3-D Ready
Video Signal Passthrough	up to 4K/60p (RGB/YCbCr4:4:4)
Video Signal Upscaling	1080p to 4K
Analog To HDMI Upconversion
isf Certified Calibration Control

CONNECTIVITY
MHL Input
FireConnect
FlareConnect
Chromecast Built-In
DTS Play-Fi
Works with Amazon Alexa
Works with SONOS
AirPlay
Apple Product Connection
Remote App
InstaPrevue Input Source Prevue
Ethernet
Ethernet Switch
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth	SBC, AAC
HDBaseT Compatible
Enhanced ARC
HDCP Version	2.3 (via future firmware update)
HDMI Input	4
HDMI Output	1
USB Input
USB DC Out Port
Analog Audio Line Input	3
Analog Audio Line Output
Phono Input
Optical In	1
Optical Out
Coaxial In/Out	1 /
Composite Video Input
Composite Video Output
S-Video Input
S-Video Output
Component Video Input
Component Video Output
PC In
Multi-Channel Input
Analog Pre-Outs	0.2
XLR Inputs
XLR Pre-outs
Front A/V Inputs
Speaker A/B
Headphone Out	6.3 mm

ZONES
Zones	2
Powered Zones	2
Zone 2	Zone B Pre/Line Out
Whole House Mode
RS-232
+12V Trigger Output	0
Remote (IR) Input/Output	0 / 0

MISC
On-Screen Display
GUI Languages	9
Detachable Power Cord
uport
ONKYO-RI System Control
RIHD (Remote Interactive Over HDMI)

RADIO
Analog Tuner	FM/AM with RDS
Presets	40
Digital Radio
Internet Radio
Pandora
Spotify
Tidal
Deezer
Napster
SiriusXM Internet Radio

CONSTRUCTION
Solid Aluminum Front
Speaker Terminals	7
Large Speaker Terminals	2
Color-Coded Speaker Terminals
Transparent High-Grade Speaker Terminals
18mm Pitch High Grade Pre-outs
19mm-Pitch Audio Inputs
Gold plated RCA terminals

POWER
Power Supply	AC 220-240 V, 50/60 Hz
Independent Power Supply
H.C.P.S. (High Current Power Supply)
Toroidal Transformer
Power Consumption	480 W
Standby Power	0.2 W

GENERAL
Dimensions (W x H x D)	435 mm x 160 mm x 328 mm 17-1/8" x 6-5/16" x 12-15/16"
Dimensions of Package (W x H x D)	525 mm x 240 mm x 405 mm 20-11/16" x 9-7/16" x 15-15/16"
Weight	8.2 kg (18.1 lb 10 oz)
Weight of Package	10.5 kg (23.1 lbs)
Warranty	2 Years

SPECS
Maximum Effective Power Output (6 Ω, 1 kHz, 1 channel driven, JEITA)	160 W (10% THD)
Rated Power Output (6 Ω, 1 kHz, 1 channel driven, IEC)	135 W (1% THD)
THD	0.08% (20 Hz - 20 kHz, Half power)
Input Sensitivity and Impedance (Line)	200 mV/47 kΩ (1 kHz, 100 W/8 Ω)
Rated Headphone Power Output	80 mW (32 Ω, 1 kHz, 10% THD)
S/N Ratio (Line, IHF-A)	109 db
Frequency Response (Analog In)	10 Hz - 100 kHz/+1 dB, -3 dB (Direct)
DSD Sampling Rates via HDMI	2.8 MHz
Bluetooth Version	4.2
Bluetooth Frequency	2.4 GHz
USB Terminal	5 V, 1 A
FM Frequency	87.5 MHz - 108.0 MHz
FM 50 dB Quiet Sensitivity (IHF, 1 kHz, 100% MOD.)	Mono: 1.0 µV (11.2 dBf)
AM Frequency	522/530 kHz - 1611/1710 kHz

* - 480i/576i and 480p/576p only
** - 480i/576i only
*** - no 1080p/24 upconversion
**** - 1080p signal is not converted