Let's make the Pioneer VSX-935 versus Onkyo TX-NR787 comparison. According to the results of our review, Pioneer VSX-935 received 7.6 points out of 10 possible, and Onkyo TX-NR787 was rated 8 points. The release date of VSX-935 is 2021, and TX-NR787 is 2018. After comparison, it will become clear that among these two devices, the TX-NR787 is more suitable for the role of the heart of home theater system.
For the built-in amplifier, the devices received different marks - 7 and 8, respectively, on a 10-point scale.
The number of channels is equal to the number of possible connected speakers. The Pioneer VSX-935 supports 7.2-channels sound, but Onkyo TX-NR787 supports a 9.2-channels configuration.
RMS stands for the actual power of the receiver. The higher this value, the louder the sound can be produced. The differences between the models in terms of RMS power are significant - for the TX-NR787 this value is 100/8 W/Ohm, and for the VSX-935 it is 80/8 W/Ohm.
VSX-935 | TX-NR787 | |
---|---|---|
Channels | 7.2 | 9.2 |
Stereo power (RMS), W/Ohm | 80/8, 170/6 | 100/8, 220/6 |
Output impedance, Ohm | 8, 6 | 8, 6 |
Frequency response | 20Hz-20KHz | 10Hz-100KHz |
THD in stereo, % | 0.08 | 0.08 |
The score for audio features is 9 of 10 for both receivers.
Pure Direct mode feeds sound directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Only Onkyo TX-NR787 has Pure Direct mode.
Most receivers now come with a microphone included. It is with the help of this microphone that the auto-calibration system functions, which adjusts the sound of the receiver to the room.
VSX-935 | TX-NR787 | |
---|---|---|
Digital to analog converter (DAC) | 192 KHz/24-bit | AK4458 384 KHz/32-bit |
Bi-amping | ✔ | ✔ |
Pure direct (straight) | ✖ | ✔ |
Auto speaker calibration | MCACC | AccuEQ |
Speaker A/B switching | ✖ | ✖ |
Other audio features | Advanced Sound Retriever, Hi-Res audio | Advanced Music Optimizer, Theater-Dimensional, Hi-Res audio |
The connectivity of competitors in our comparison is equal and was rated 8 out of 10.
Bluetooth connection is now one of the main communication protocols for the receiver's control or even music broadcasting.
VSX-935 | TX-NR787 | |
---|---|---|
Wi-Fi | 2.4/5GHz | 2.4/5GHz |
USB | 2 (USB 2.0) | 1 (USB 2.0) |
Bluetooth | ✔ | ✔ |
Ethernet (RJ45) | 1 | 1 |
DLNA | ✖ | ✖ |
MHL | ✖ | ✖ |
Now music streaming services are gaining more and more popularity. They allow users to listen to millions of songs by subscription.
VSX-935 | TX-NR787 | |
---|---|---|
Apple Music (AirPlay) | AirPlay, AirPlay 2 | AirPlay |
Amazon Music | ✔ | ✔ |
Spotify | ✔ | ✔ |
Other streaming services | Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud | Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, TuneIn Radio |
The presence of many connectors makes the receiver more versatile. But there are also narrowly targeted models, the number of connectors which are limited to a certain area of use. And when choosing their own receiver, users need to consider exactly your goals for using the receiver. For extensive connection, both receivers got 7 points on our 10-point scale.
Pioneer VSX-935 is equipped with 6/2 HDMI inputs and outputs, and Onkyo TX-NR787 has 7/2 HDMI inputs and outputs.
HDMI eARC is the next step in the development of audio return channel technology, which works in conjunction with HDMI 2.1. Using eARC provides the highest sound quality for home audio systems. HDMI eARC is available only on Pioneer VSX-935.
HDMI-CEC helps gadgets attached to your TV to link back and forth with your TV via HDMI ports. It is become possible to control all linked devices with one remote. The TX-NR787 features HDMI CEC.
The HDCP encryption protocol is now mandatory for most media devices. This security technology encrypts digital signals from one product to another. HDCP content-encryption protocol is present on Pioneer VSX-935 in the HDCP 2.3 version, and Onkyo TX-NR787 has the HDCP 2.2 version.
VSX-935 | TX-NR787 | |
---|---|---|
HDMI input/output | 6/2 | 7/2 |
HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) | ✔ | ✔ |
HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) | ✔ | ✖ |
HDMI CEC | ✖ | ✔ |
Digital content protection (HDCP) | HDCP 2.3 | HDCP 2.2 |
Subwoofer output (LFE) | 2 | 2 |
Headphone output | 1 x 6.3 | 1 x 6.3 |
Optical digital input | 1 | 2 |
Coaxial digital input | 1 | 1 |
Composite input | 0 | 2 |
Component input/output | 0 | 2/0 |
Phono (MM) input | ✔ | ✔ |
Front panel connectors | USB, phones, setup mic, AUX | HDMI, phones, setup mic, AUX |
Multi channel preamp output | ✔ | ✖ |
The AV receiver is the heart of the home theater. And in this case, support for all current video formats ensures the best user experience, so it is very important to consider this when choosing a device. Video features of the VSX-935 were rated 8 out of 10 against the 7 for the TX-NR787.
With the 4K pass-through feature, the AV receiver sends "native" 4K signals to a 4K TV from a video source without any processing. The VSX-935 works with the 4K/120Hz video, and the TX-NR787 has the 4K/60Hz.
The AV receiver passes "native" 8K signals from a video source to 8K TV without any encoding, with the 8k pass-through features. The 8K path-through is available only on Pioneer VSX-935.
Most of the AV receivers have a video scaling function, it is the process of reformatting the video signal to a higher resolution without losing the quality of the image. Upscaling the video signal resolution is possible only with Pioneer VSX-935.
VSX-935 | TX-NR787 | |
---|---|---|
HDR (High Dynamic Range) | HDR10+ | HDR10 |
4K signal pass-through | 4K/120Hz | 4K/60Hz |
8K signal pass-through | 8K/60Hz | ✖ |
HDMI signal pass-through | ✔ | ✔ |
3D signal pass-through | ✖ | ✔ |
HDMI pass-through in standby mode | ✔ | ✔ |
Video conversion | ✖ | ✖ |
Analog to HDMI scaling | ✖ | ✖ |
HDMI to HDMI scaling | ✔ | ✖ |
Dolby Vision | ✔ | ✔ |
Other video features | DeepColor, x.v.Color, HLG, BT.2020, LipSync | BT.2020, HLG |
In terms of evaluating additional features, the VSX-935 got 9 points, but the TX-NR787 has 8.
VSX-935 | TX-NR787 | |
---|---|---|
Voice control | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI | Google Assistant |
App control | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android |
Display | colour OSD | fluorescent |
Tuner | AM, FM | AM, FM |
Sleep timer | ✔ | ✔ |
Auto power off | ✔ | ✖ |
ECO mode | ✖ | ✖ |
Graphical user interface (GUI) | ✔ | ✔ |
Setup assistant | ✔ | ✔ |
Firmware update | network, USB | network, USB |
Other additional features | App Control, Sonos Connect control | has not |
As the center of a home media system, each multichannel receiver has an additional set of terminals for connecting the second set of speakers to create additional audio space in Zone 2 or even Zone 3 where audio can have the separate source.
VSX-935 | TX-NR787 | |
---|---|---|
Multi-room zones | 2 | 3 |
Zone audio output | speaker | speaker, preout |
Zone HDMI output | ✔ | ✖ |
Multi-room control | Pioneer Control App | Onkyo Controller app, FlareConnect |
RS-232 | 0 | 1 |
Remote control input/output (IR) | 0/0 | 1/0 |
DC trigger output (12V) | 0 | 1 |
For the ability to create multichannel surround sound, each of the receivers received 7 points out of 10.
VSX-935 | TX-NR787 | |
---|---|---|
Dolby Atmos | ✔ | ✔ |
Dolby TrueHD | ✔ | ✔ |
Dolby Surround | ✔ | ✖ |
Dolby (other) | Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization | Dolby Digital Plus |
DTS:X | ✔ | ✔ |
DTS HD Master | ✔ | ✔ |
DTS Virtual:X | ✔ | ✖ |
DTS Neural:X | ✔ | ✔ |
DTS (other) | DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS-EXPRESS | DTS-ES, DTS-HD, DTS-EXPRESS |
Auro-3D | ✖ | ✖ |
IMAX Enhanced | ✖ | ✖ |
Multichannel stereo | ✖ | ✖ |