ONKYO TX-NR709 Owners Thread

[whooshavf]

Apologies - I can't see a dedicated thread for one of these yet. So here goes.

I originally posted my Q in the AV Amplifiers and Receivers section here

http://www.avforums.com/forums/av-a...3-onkyo-tx-nr709-zone-2-speaker-question.html

As I thought it was a speaker switch question - it started as that but then morphed specifically to the 709

So here's my question

Zone 2 stereo speakers will be connected via dedicated Front L/R Wide (as per manual)

Zone 1 7.1 will be connected via dedicated Front L/R, surround L/R, rear surround L/R, centre, sub

It appears that to use zone 2 it needs to be set as on/powered in the menu - so I'm thinking that when I want it I can power it on and power it off when not wanted.

Manual says - Zone 2 - This setup allows 5.1-channel playback in your main room and 2-channel stereo playback in Zone 2, with a different source in each room. This is called Powered Zone 2, as the Zone 2 speakers are powered by the AV receiver.

It's just not clear in the manual if Zone 1 can still be used as 7.1 if the Zone 2 speakers are connected but not on.
or
If I turn Zone 2 powered off - does the amp then think I have Front L/R high

Unpacked it last night and updated firmware - first chance to replace old amp will be tomorrow - so I might have to wait and see.

 

[whooshavf]

I might try - connect and confgure 7.1 with zone 2 not connected, then connect zone 2 (which will presumably get Front wide L/R in zone 2, dining room does not matter) - then switch to zone 2 powered on when I want stuff in zone 2

 

[whooshavf]

So I set it all up with 7.1 in zone 1, zone 2 speakers not connected.
Then connected zone 2 speakers and put FM radio on.
Good news - radio zone 1 in 5.1, radio in zone 2 stereo
Bad news - could not turn off zone 2, could not get 7.1 back in zone 1
Disconnected zone 2 speakers, re-set amp
Back to square 1 will try agin later...

 

[whooshavf]

Still fiddling to get this right - but I think it's not possible without re-setting to the 7.1 speakers and disconnecting the rears
On a better note - both the Netgear WNA1100 and the TP-Link TL-WN722N work for wireless connectivity to a wireless router and can be got for around £12 rather than the Onkyo UWF1 for about £45

 

[kiza]

Does anybody know the codes for Onkyo remote, to use it with Squeezebox Touch and Popcorn Hour devices?

 

[djbarry]

Still fiddling to get this right - but I think it's not possible without re-setting to the 7.1 speakers and disconnecting the rears
On a better note - both the Netgear WNA1100 and the TP-Link TL-WN722N work for wireless connectivity to a wireless router and can be got for around £12 rather than the Onkyo UWF1 for about £45

I have just received my Onkyo 709 and my TL-WN722N adapter. I can connect to the router, but never full connectivity, usually around 60%. I have yet to connect with any internet radio. I can connect via ethernet, and the adapter is working perfectly, giving me a perfect signal to my laptop right by the receiver, so it's not a question of positioning. The usb port is working perfectly otherwise. I'm getting pretty irritated. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

DJB

 

[justgary]

djbarry -

Hmmmm. I posted this yesterday. It looks like we have similar problems. Can you hook your 709 up using an ethernet cable to your router to make sure?

Regards,

- Just Gary

 

[djbarry]

djbarry -

Hmmmm. I posted this yesterday. It looks like we have similar problems. Can you hook your 709 up using an ethernet cable to your router to make sure?

Regards,

- Just Gary

Just,

I've hooked it up via ethernet and it worked as it should. Why oh why am I able to achieve an 85% connection, yet be unable to connect to the Slacker or Pandora server? I'm going to call my ISP tomorrow and see if they have any ideas. The Onkyo "experts" are pretty lame IMHO. By the way, how is one supposed to enter one's e-mail address without a "@"?

 

[justgary]

djbarry -

Use the "shift" button to get the @ sign...

I am able to connect to Pandora, but it is worthless because it stops to buffer all the time. I'm about to try sending audio DLNA with an Ubuntu laptop instead of Winders 7. Since my 709 won't get Pandora properly, I doubt Ubuntu will help. I think it's the 709 network jack.

Regards,

- Just Gary

 

[djbarry]

djbarry -

Use the "shift" button to get the @ sign...

I am able to connect to Pandora, but it is worthless because it stops to buffer all the time. I'm about to try sending audio DLNA with an Ubuntu laptop instead of Winders 7. Since my 709 won't get Pandora properly, I doubt Ubuntu will help. I think it's the 709 network jack.

Regards,

- Just Gary

Is it shift "2", as on a keyboard? I've used the USB jack for a flash drive with MP3's and it worked perfectly.

 

[justgary]

djbarry -

I put in the email address and password while watching the 709 monitor screen on my TV via the HDMI output. I selected "shift" and immediately saw the @ sign. I don't remember where it was. The good news is that you only have to do it once. The 709 will remember after you log in the first time.

I have not tried USB yet, but I'd really like to get the internet feed working properly. I'm really suspecting bad hardware... unfortunately, no one besides you has confirmed that their internet connection actually works, and you seem to have issues with it as well.

Regards,

- Just Gary

 

[whooshavf]

Sorry this may not help - but My internet connection just "worked" with both adapters (not ethernet) I had no problems getting to liveFM or my PC media or internet radio

 

[justgary]

whooshavf -

Thanks for the reply. I'm confused now. What two adapters do you mean? I know you can get a wireless USB "dongle", but what's the other?

Regards,

- Just Gary

 

[whooshavf]

Still fiddling to get this right - but I think it's not possible without re-setting to the 7.1 speakers and disconnecting the rears
On a better note - both the Netgear WNA1100 and the TP-Link TL-WN722N work for wireless connectivity to a wireless router and can be got for around £12 rather than the Onkyo UWF1 for about £45

Justgary as per post quoted above

 

[justgary]

whooshavf -

Forgive me. Thanks. It's possible that one of those would bypass my wired ethernet problem, so I may look around for one of those. I'll post back if I have anything new to update.

Regards,

- Just Gary

 

[whooshavf]

Sounds more like an ISP, firewall or connectivity issue. Ethernet should be quicker and more reliable than wireless

 

[justgary]

whooshavf -

I definitely think it is a connectivity issue, and I'm pretty certain by now that the issue is inside the 709. I have cable internet with no issues among the six computers on my network right now. I can go to Pandora and listen to a song almost instantly on this laptop, but the 709 takes a while to connect to the site and then stops playing very often to reload the buffer. Everything works great except the 709.

I would much rather use wired ethernet than wireless, but if I can fix the problem with a USB dongle, it sure beats unstacking the unit and sending it off to Onkyo for several weeks.

I tried an old Linksys USB wireless dongle, but the 709 didn't recognize it.

Regards,

- Just Gary

 

[djbarry]

Sounds more like an ISP, firewall or connectivity issue. Ethernet should be quicker and more reliable than wireless

All true. But it can be done. After spending the better part of 90 minutes on the phone with an ISP guy, I finally got connected. It was a configuration issue. Contact your ISP and good luck.

 

[whooshavf]

An ethernet cabled connection wil ALWAYS be faster and more reliable than a wireless connection - honest!
very odd

 

[justgary]

OK, I have a solution. After about an hour on the phone with Onkyo support (which was mostly a confessional debugging on my part; telling someone about it leads you through more steps to find the problem, even if the other person doesn't even say anything useful), we both pointed at each other until I got out a 10/100 switch and put it between the Onkyo and my router. Son of a gun, it works great!

Apparently the Onkyo network card doesn't do a very good job of negotiating with my old wireless router, and barely got a connection. It negotiates fine with the switch, though, and the switch negotiates with the router.

A thanks to Onkyo support for listening and suggesting a few things, and to those of you who responded that your machines actually work on the net. I am now extremely pleased with this product.

Regards,

- Just Gary

 

[scandermore]

Hi!

I was considering buying a NR709, but I have some doubts about the zone2, which are very important, as I want to use it a lot.

- I have read that Zone2 only can be selected with digital sources, but does this means also that if you have a digital input in zone1 you can not output the SAME audio to zone2? I was thinking that maybe this would mean that you can not select digital for Zone1 and another one digital for Zone2, but I expected to be able to output the same in both zones!

(If in the first point the answer is that you can not output ANY digital in Zone2, independently of what selection do you have in Zone1):
- To be able to listen to Audio CDs from my DVD player in Zone2, I think a solution could be to connect the DVD player with HDMI and analog outputs to the receiver, but... when I select DVD what source will select? Digital? Analog? Digital for Zone1 and analog for Zone2?

any one can help me figure out how does it work?

I think the NR709 is a GREAT device, but as I've read in the posts, the Zone system is very bad managed. Why I can't listen digital inputs in Zone2? Why I can't have configured 7.1 in zone1 and Zone2 also? (it could play 5.1 only when zone2 is active, and play 7.1 when zone2 is off)

Thank you

aLeX

 

[whooshavf]

That's my beef too - my old Pioneer VSX D811 allowed me to play the same stuff in two rooms - albeit only in stereo - but at least I could get suitable music in the dining room or on the patio
I can't do that on my 709 without a lot of reconfiguration and re-connecting inbetween
Zone 2 is only analogue sources - so you would need a phono type connection from your source, or the radio!
If you turn zone 2 on you drop to 5.1 in zone 1 and it appears you can only get 7.1 back by disconnecting your zone 2 speakers and then re-setting it all up.

 

[scandermore]

I don't care about 7.1, because I only want 5.1, tough it's a bad thing you have to reconfigure all to be able to use 7.1.

But... can't you listen to digital in zone2, even if you are listening to it in zone1? I don't understand why. Because you CAN listen to NET or USB in zone2, I think.

And if you listen to analog in zone2, can you listen the same in zone1, and have this same source as digital? I am planning to connect a BluRay player and use it also to listen Audio CDs, so I'll have to connect the HDMI and phono out...

aLeX

 

[whooshavf]

from manual
Connecting Your Zone 2 Speakers Directly
to the AV receiver
This setup allows 5.1-channel playback in your main room
and 2-channel stereo playback in Zone 2, with a different
source in each room. This is called Powered Zone 2, as the
Zone 2 speakers are powered by the AV receiver

Only analog input sources are output from the ZONE 2 LINE
OUT L/R jacks and FRONT WIDE/ZONE 2 L/R terminals.
Digital input sources are not output. If no sound is heard when
an input source is selected, verify that the source is connected to
an analog input.

 

[scandermore]

from manual
Connecting Your Zone 2 Speakers Directly
to the AV receiver
This setup allows 5.1-channel playback in your main room
and 2-channel stereo playback in Zone 2, with a different
source in each room.

Only analog input sources are output from the ZONE 2 LINE
OUT L/R jacks and FRONT WIDE/ZONE 2 L/R terminals.
Digital input sources are not output. If no sound is heard when
an input source is selected, verify that the source is connected to
an analog input.

Yes, I've read the manual, but as it says that ONLY ANALOG INPUT SOURCES are output, and NET and USB are not analog and they can be output to zone2, I was "hoping" that something else was missing. For example, it says that if you select AUX as source for zone1 and you select zone2 to have the same source as zone1, zone2 will not output any sound. Why the manual specifies AUX source, if theoretically this should happen with all digitial sources? That's the reason why I am asking, because sometimes the manual is unclear...

thanx

aLeX