The Onkyo TX-RZ920's power output is not directly comparable to either TX-RZ830 or TX-RZ820 because it's measured at 1kHz rather than from 20Hz to 20kHz like on the TX-RZ830 or TX-RZ820. Nevertheless, it should be said that the TX-RZ920 has a rated power output of 135 Watts per channel (with 8 ohm loads and both channels driven, no more than 0.08 THD, at 1kHz) whereas the Onkyo TX-RZ830 has slightly lower power output rating of 120 Watts per channel (with 8 ohm loads and two channels driven, 20Hz - 20kHz, 0.08% THD). Its predecessor, the TX-RZ820, is rated at 130 Watts per channel during the same set of conditions as the TX-RZ830. If we look into the short-term maximum power output for the front channels (with 8 ohm loads) on the TX-RZ920 vs TX-RZ830 vs TX-RZ820, however, it can be established that with 160 Watts of dynamic power the TX-RZ920 indeed has an advantage over the TX-RZ820's 150 Watts or TX-RZ830's 130 Watts (of dynamic power). Another important distinction between the three Onkyo receivers is that the TX-RZ830 (just like the TX-RZ920) has 9-channel amplification whereas the TX-RZ820 has 7 power amps.
The different number of amp channels on TX-RZ830 / TX-RZ920 vs TX-RZ820 leads to a difference in the supported Dolby Atmos configurations. The former two Onkyo receivers are able to drive up to 5.2.4 or 7.2.2 channel speaker setups on their own, and considering that both the TX-RZ830 and TX-RZ920 have 11.2-channel processing capability (and 11.2-channel pre-outs), they can support 7.2.4 channel Dolby Atmos with an external amplifier. There is a small difference between the TX-RZ830 and TX-RZ920, however, because even though both receivers have 11.2 channel pre-outs for the main room, the Height 2 on the TX-RZ830 is shared with Zone 3 whereas the TX-RZ920 has dedicated pre-outs for both Zone 2 and 3. The TX-RZ820, on the other hand, have only 7.2 channel processing (and 7.2 channel pre-outs, in addition to dedicated pre/line outs for Zone 2 and 3), meaning that you cannot use an external amplifier for the purpose of expanding a Dolby Atmos speaker setup beyond 5.2.2 channel - which is what the TX-RZ820's built-in amplification can support. The three Onkyo receivers also support DTS:X but not Auro-3D, though.
Another difference between the TX-RZ920 on the one hand, and TX-RZ820 and TX-RZ830 on the other, is that an independent block construction for separating analog from digital circuitry is used only by the the TX-RZ920. As a result, this model is less prone to exhibiting interference between analog and digital. In terms of D/A (Digital-to-Analog) conversion, all three Onkyo receivers utilize VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry) instead of conventional analog filters but it needs to be said that the TX-RZ920 and TX-RZ820 feature VLSC on all channels whereas the TX-RZ830 uses VLSC only on the front channels so its ability to remove (rather than only reduce) pulse noise and produce smooth signal is limited to stereo speakers configurations. The TX-RZ920 has a separate transformer for standby (in addition to its custom high current power supply and large custom block capacitors that can also be found in the TX-RZ820 and TX-RZ830). The immediate benefit from having a separate transformer for standby is the lower power consumption in that mode. However, the difference is marginal because the full standby mode power consumption on the TX-RZ920 is 0.1 Watts whereas the TX-RZ830 and TX-RZ820 consume 0.15 Watts in full standby mode.
Unlike the TX-RZ920 which utilizes three different DAC models, the TX-RZ830 and TX-RZ820 don't have dedicated stereo DACs for either the front channels or for Zone 2 and 3, meaning they rely only on the multi-channel AK4458 DACs which have a signal-to-noise ratio of 115dB and THD+N of -107dB. In comparison, the TX-RZ920 uses AK4490 for the front (L/R) channels (with the S/N ratio being 120dB and THD+N: -112dB so there is an improvement over the AK4458 in terms of lowering the distortion and noise for the front channels). The TX-RZ920 also uses the multi-channel AK4458 DAC for the remaining channels. Discrete stereo DACs (AK4388) for Zone 2 and 3 are utilized only by the TX-RZ920. The AK4388 DACs are only 192kHz/24-bit as opposed to 384kHz/32-Bit, however.
FlareConnect, which enables you to wirelessly stream audio from your receiver to FlareConnect-compatible speakers in different rooms, is enabled via firmware update on the TX-RZ920 and TX-RZ820 but it's available out of the box on the TX-RZ830. This receiver also doesn't need an update for DTS Play-Fi whereas the TX-RZ920 and TX-RZ820 do.
The TX-RZ830 and TX-RZ920 allow you to adjust the bass and treble for all channels independently whereas the tone controls on the TX-RZ820 apply only to the front channels. Other than that, there isn't any significant variation in control functions between the three receivers. They have the same remote controller, and the same set of controls on the front panel. Furthermore, all three Onkyo receivers are compatible with the Onkyo Controller app which is available for iOS and Android devices.
The TX-RZ920 has two 12V trigger outputs, albeit only one of them supports control signals of maximum 100mA whereas the other is limited to a maximum of 12V/25mA. When it comes to the TX-RZ820 and TX-RZ830, they only have a single 12V/100mA trigger output. That being said, all three Onkyo receivers have a RC232 port and IR jack, so the external control integration options are similar between the three Onkyo receivers.
Although all three Onkyo receivers have 2 digital optical audio inputs, the number of coaxial inputs is different: the TX-RZ920 has two while the TX-RZ820 and TX-RZ830 have only one. There is only one USB port on either of the three Onkyo receivers, and it's located at the back. Even though a single front HDMI input can be found on either the TX-RZ920, TX-RZ820, or TX-RZ830, the number of rear HDMI inputs is different: the TX-RZ820 and TX-RZ830 have 6 rear HDMI inputs while the TX-RZ920 has 7 rear HDMI inputs. That being said, only 5 of the TX-RZ920's HDMI inputs are HDCP 2.2 compatible, meaning the front, and two of the rear HDMI inputs only support HDCP 1.4 on the TX-RZ920. In contrast, all of the TX-RZ820 and TX-RZ830's HDMI inputs are HDCP 2.2 compatible. The front input, however, in not full-bandwidth, meaning that it's doesn't support 4K@60Hz with 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 chroma subsampling.
There is no difference in the HDMI outputs, however, since each receiver has 2 HDMI outputs. It needs to be said, though, that ARC (Audio Return Channel) is only supported on the Main HDMI output. Furthermore, there is a firmware update available for the TX-RZ920 and TX-RZ830 that adds support for eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) so that Dolby Atmos from your TV's streaming apps can be transferred, even if Dolby TrueHD is used for encoding (provided you TV supports eARC as well). The TX-RZ820, on the other hand, cannot be updated to support eARC, so it cannot pass-though Dolby Atmos from your TV's streaming apps.
Check availability and pricing on Amazon.com for the TX-RZ920, TX-RZ830, and TX-RZ820 (affiliate links; As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
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