Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #580 in Receiver or Amplifier
- Color: Black
- Brand: Onkyo
- Model: TX-NR515
- Dimensions: 6.80" h x
12.90" w x
17.13" l,
20.28 pounds
Features
- Internet Radio and Cloud Music Streaming Service Connectivity w/ control via Onkyo Remote Apps
- MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) and InstaPrevue Technologies
- iPod/iPhone Direct Digital Connection through USB and Firmware Updates via Ethernet and USB
- 7+1 HDMI Inputs that support Video Upscaling to 4K
- New 1080p On Screen Display for easy setup
Onkyo TX-NR515 7.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver(Black)
Product Description
Feature-Loaded Network Receiver Gives You Maximum Value for Your Money. The TX-NR515 receiver checks every box on your home cinema wishlist. In fact, we’ve over-delivered. Our acclaimed WRAT amplifier delivers room-filling sound through 7.2 channels with Dolby® Pro Logic® IIz expansion. Audyssey’s 2EQ, Dynamic Volume®, and Dynamic EQ® systems are standard. A class-leading eight HDMI® inputs handle Dolby® TrueHD and Dolby DTS-HD Master Audio™, the latest games, and 3D movies; the front-panel HDMI Mobile High-Definition Link displays 1080p smartphone content; there are two HDMI outputs for connection of a TV and a movie projector; and Marvell’s Qdeo™ technology upscales video to an astonishing 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels). Want music? There’s home networking for playback of your multi-format PC-based library, and full integration of cloud streaming and internet radio services. You can connect your iPod, iPhone, or flash drive via USB and select tracks with the supplied remote controller. Input selection with InstaPrevue™ technology, overlaid OSD, multi-zone capability, and system control using iPod touch/iPhone and Android phone are all included. With the TX-NR515, the only thing missing is a hefty price tag.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
53 of 54 people found the following review helpful.
By R. Walls
When I started my search for a new receiver (August 2012) to replace an aging Sony (needed HDMI ins and outs!)I was attracted to the Onkyo line of new Network A/V receivers. A look at the specs versus the others and it looked like a winner. When I started reading reviews, I backed off and put my search on hold. They were all 5 star or 1 star. I started back up in October and noticed a different trend in the reviews. If you have not figured it out by now, most new receivers are a cross between a PC and an old amplifier. The more bells and whistles, the better the "computer software" you need (called Firmware). Seems there were issues with a couple of things in the early production. Some bad capacitors, some issues which where blamed on the HDMI card and real buggy firmware. The more I read, the more I figured they had whipped the problems. The firmware has been updated in October and the old firmware might have caused issues with the HDMI display. So two of the three problems might have been fixed. So heck, at this price, why not give it a chance.The first thing you must do when you get this, and there is a big yellow sheet telling you to do this, you must upgrade the firmware. Unfortunately, the Onkyo written instructions were done by someone who did not actually go through the USB process and they left off some steps in how to use the USB method. If you can do the upgrade by wired Ethernet it seems you can save yourself some trouble based on other reviews. If you do it by USB, after you download and unzip the new firmware file to your USB stick you might seem to get stuck following the USB install directions. If so just press the down arrow on the remote. There are several menus you have to navigate and the written instructions failed to mention that! So you don't see the next prompt as listed in the instructions. I wasted about 20 minutes having my wife read and reread the instructions to me as I repeated the steps to figure out what I was not following correctly. It was not me! Heck, I'd knock off a half a star, but considering what you get once you have passed this step, it was no big deal and worth the effort. Looking at some video clips on the net before you do this might save you the confusion I had.I will say I am from the 90's when it comes to stereo/AV equipment so this receiver blew me away. I have cheap speakers, so I can't make any real comparisons on sound, other to say it sounds better than my Sony. Speaker set up was a snap using the microphone. My Sony Flat Screen TV picture actually looks better, but that may just be my imagination. The FM tuner works fine, all my other equipment works fine with the Onkyo. The Onkyo remote has small buttons but works well once you get used to it. The whole system set up was easy to do. I was also able to configure my Harmony remote and pretty much had everything up in running in an evening (included stripping out the old stuff, new wires, new connections, firmware update, Harmony remote re-programing, etc). There are a couple of buttons/functions on the Onkyo remote that are missing on my old Harmony remote. So on internet radio, as an example, I use them both or just the Onkyo remote, but that's no big deal for me.I took the advise of other reviewers and bought the TP-Link 150 MPS High Gain Wireless USB Adapter to connect to my network. Very easy to install and works great. A little cheaper than the Onkyo one, and it comes with an antenna. Has not dropped any signal so far.The only issue I have run into is the TV display screen saver comes on when I leave the TV on, but go to a non-video function (like CD, FM, Internet radio). When this happens, I use the remote to turn off the TV and then turn it back on and the screen saver is gone. Or just turn off the TV and then turn on Internet radio and the TV and it does not happen. I'm guess it is a firmware thing!!! But again, not a issue for me as it is not unusual for any of my equipment to get out of sync with the rest of the stuff, most often turned off when I want ti turned on. Remember the good old days when you had to walk over to stuff to turn it on or off??I have owned this for two weeks now, so it is too early to judge if it will last the 20 years my Sony did. I honestly doubt it, but we'll see. The unit seems to be as heavy as my old Sony so that gives me hope it is well made.If you have written off this receiver due to the reviews, keep checking back and see if the ratings improve and the problems decrease. I give it two thumbs up. I can now use HDMI from my Roku box, and sound comes from all my HDMI cables instead of RCA cables! So you can see I have moved up to the 21st Century. Not bad for an old geezer.
87 of 93 people found the following review helpful.
By Shawn Gordon
I was running a Pioneer VSX-512K given as a wedding gift to my wife and it recently gave out. In search of a replacement I also wanted to get a unit with updated features and that didn't force me to update my speakers since I love them and see no need to replace them at this point.I'm now running this set-up INPUTS:* PS3 Slim* Direct TV HD box SPEAKERS:* JBL Northridge E30 Front L/R (bi-amped)* JBL ES25CThere are some tweaks that some users may find aggravating to complete or tiresome to test, but that is the nature of the beast. Great sound from existing equipment will always take a bit of time and adjustment to personal taste. I have immensely enjoyed the sound of my new receiver and though I have no problem with Pioneer, I think the new Onkyo is better suited to my needs, tastes, and set-up.TIPS:The feature set of the TX-NR515 is only missing Apple AirPlay, but DLNA is all anyone actually needs. Personal tastes dependent upon the "cult of Apple" may dictate the "need" for AirPlay and the Onkyo option is theOnkyo UBT-1 Bluetooth USB Adapter which allows streaming from an "i" device to the receiver. Perosnally, I applaude Onkyo for removing themselves from the addition of $100 to the price of their units to claim "AirPlay" like other units with fewer audio benefits but greater gimmicky features. Many PCs and Macs can stream the same content via DLNA, so don't feel compelled to buy an Apple TV or the Bluetooth adapter to be compliant with AirPlay - you don't need it - especially since 'i' devices can plug directly into the front USB with the Apple provided cord.Onkyo has a wifi adapter for the networking to stream internet Radio (sort of redundant if you're just using the receiver for games and movies, and don't have a nice PC speaker setup). The wifi adapter has some connectivity issues when near other networked devices so as is suggested on the wifi adapter page, I ordered the TP-Link TL-WN722N 150Mbps High Gain Wireless USB Adapter for use in lieu of the Onkyo mini USB for the high gain antenna and placement flexibility. The WN722 is the same internal hardware found in the Onkyo adapter. I found that per the suggestion of several other users, this is both better in terms of streaming signal strength and cost efficiency (even with a 9' USB extension cable, the price was less than the Onkyo adapter, at the time of writing this).Unless you're an audiophile with high-end speakers (which then, why a TX-NR515 over an 818 or up?) or just can't get your speakers balanced by ear, Audessey2EQ is moot (but appreciated). I found having to tweak the settings after the alleged "auto" set-up, but I did learn a number of things about my set-up in the process and for that, the addition was worth it.PS3 users will notice that the use of "deep color" from the PS3 will cause display issues. Be certain to turn the feature off in the PlayStation system settings, as "deep color" is mandatory 36-bit colors to conform to the standard and the PlayStation outputs 48-bit, optionally - thus the problem and reason for; Onkyo didn't build the receiver to handle the 48-bit depth, only the 36.The TX-NR515 incorporated HDMI 1.4a, which carries Ethernet and audio return. If your TV does not accept audio return, you'll have to use the TV line out to feed back to the receiver. I would suggest optical out. The PS3 uses HDMI 1.3b-1.4 depending on the model. I suggest the purchase of 1.4a compliant HDMI cables (I got 3 and 6 foot blue rigger) to ensure cable fidelity and signal compliance between legacy devices.The Onkyo remote app is not the most comprehensive or robust app for user but it was intentionally kept simple and straightforward. Additionally, it is a free app. Personal choice was "O-Remote" because I can run through every option and set-up for my receiver from my iPhone or iPad, easily and effectively. For the price of an additional $5, I prefer "o-remote" on the grounds of flexibility and control.If I had to buy this again, I would... but if the Onkyo has the same build quality as my old Pioneer, my kids will be in college by then and a TX-NR515 will have gone the way of the Dodo.****UPDATE****As an aside, I've no idea why, nor do I much care why - but the network updating feature generally results in no joy across many features. The best method of firmware update is USB. It takes less time, and there are fewer reported errors. After updating, I suggest turning network notification "off." From past experience as a computer tech, when older computers used to have BIOS updates, or for the more modern person, game hardware updates - can result in undesired results. Best bet, sit on the update for two weeks - wait and see if people report issues. If so, wait for resolution before updating. If not, update via USB.Second, apparently HDMI cables are fragile. For some reason, after an update one of my three cooked. It may or may not have been the receiver, but the fact is the cable died. Be prepared to, at times, switch a cable out if there's undesirable result like loss of picture through HDMI out main.Many reports of failing HDMI Main Out can be found on the web. I can't speak for everyone, but after being hit with the same "issue," I discovered a workaround: Order of operation. I turn on my receiver first, then my TV. Because my TV switches resolution, frequency, and "mode" which accepting input, it seems to reset and adjust to what the receiver is attempting to hand out.****UPDATE 2****Onkyo has released a USB only firmware update that resolves the HDMI handshake issue. I have updated my 515 and for the past couple of months not run into a single handshake issue and my device performs as expected. Any potential buyers do not need to worry their device will be faulty or that the fix will brick the unit. Just remember that USB updates are better than OTA updates.
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful.
By Grant
There is a major flaw with this receiver and the TX-NR616. After long periods of standby (overnight) the receiver will fail to deliver the HDMI video to your monitor or TV. The only way to get your picture back is to unplug the unit and plug it back in. Onkyo is aware of the issue and have been trying to resolve it for months to no avail. I purchased one without knowing and experienced these issues. I returned it back to Amazon. Thank goodness their returns are extremely easy. I encourage you to Google "TX-NR515 - Monitor out issues (no picture)" which will link you to Onkyo's support forum where you will be able to read 19, yes 19 pages of people having this same issue. The price point is very tempting, but this defect makes this receiver useless.***UPDATE 2/17/13***I didn't mention this before, but I am an installer. For the features there really isn't another receiver in this price point that competes. After experiencing the issues above I exchanged the receiver for another one. This time it worked perfectly. I did NOT update the firmware. It was working fine out of the box and didn't want to take a chance on firmware. Since my last update I did another install using the TX-NR515. I was a little apprehensive, but for the client's budget and needs this receiver fit the bill. Guess what... more issues. This time the receiver intermittently fails to power on via IR. You have to physically press the power button. Experienced this issue right out of the box. I have done the most current firmware update via USB and still have the same issue. It's a shame that you can read posts on the Onkyo forum about this issue from over a year ago and no solution. I will be exchanging this unit for another and hope I luck out like I did previously. It does look like the HDMI handshake issues have been resolved (hopefully). I have read that you can turn on network standby to remedy the remote issue, but it draws more power. This might have to be an option after the replacement unit comes in. I would prefer for the unit to run correctly and not have to use workarounds. Buying this receiver is really a gamble, but it's good to have a return option with Amazon. When this thing works correctly, it's awesome. Unfortunately I don't think I want to continue to stake my reputation on this receiver.
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