AV receivers · owner-verdict comparison

Onkyo TX-RZ50 vs Sony STR-AN1000: what real owners say

Real owners rate these about evenly: 61% of 103 Onkyo TX-RZ50 owners recommend it, vs 65% of 79 for the Sony STR-AN1000.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

Onkyo TX-RZ50

61%of 103 owners recommend
61% recommend · 10% neutral · 29% don't
Owners praise
  • Built-in Dirac Live room correction is excellent
  • Big sound improvement after calibration
  • Reliable with no real issues in use
Owners complain about
  • Buggy web interface and calibration software
  • Surround channels have a bass processing bug
Full owner report →

Sony STR-AN1000

65%of 79 owners recommend
65% recommend · 7% neutral · 28% don't
Owners praise
  • Excellent sound quality, often beating pricier rival receivers
  • Impressive, immersive 360 Spatial Sound Mapping
  • Plenty of power and volume to fill a room
Owners complain about
  • Buggy, glitchy firmware that randomly powers on or reboots
  • Hiss, crackling and pops from the speakers
  • eARC, HDMI passthrough and A/V sync problems
Full owner report →

Which should you buy?

Get the Onkyo TX-RZ50 if
  • ✓Enthusiasts who want built-in Dirac Live room correction
  • ✓Owners building large Atmos setups like 7.2.4 or 5.1.4
  • ✓Tinkerers who enjoy fine-tuning their calibration
  • ✓Upgraders from older Audyssey-based receivers
Skip it if
  • Buyers with tight rack space (very tall unit)
  • Those driving many surrounds without an external amp
Get the Sony STR-AN1000 if
  • ✓Home-theater users wanting immersive Atmos and 360 spatial mapping
  • ✓Small to medium rooms not needing huge power
  • ✓Value seekers upgrading from older or entry receivers
  • ✓Owners who prize Sony's room calibration over rivals
Skip it if
  • Two-channel music purists needing real bass management
  • Anyone intolerant of buggy firmware, hiss, or eARC glitches

What Onkyo TX-RZ50 owners say

“1 month of ownership i can confirm this review to be spot on”
— @joescott701 on YouTube
“After dialing in my AVR (Onkyo TX-RZ50) and tweaking their placement, I was relatively blown away by how much fuller, richer, and deeper the sound was.”
— isomorphZeta on Reddit
“Not having two independent subwoofer outputs is definitely a non-small thing this unit gets wrong”
— @grantmoon624 on YouTube

What Sony STR-AN1000 owners say

“Finally, been waiting ages for this”
— @ammankalyan7460 on YouTube
“I have never been more excited for the average consumer”
— @matthewwilson110 on YouTube
“The an1000 has a well documented problem with hiss and crackling with streaming. I experienced this first hand with my unit using airplay even with repeated unit resets. Returned to Best Buy for a similarly priced Yamaha Rx V6A and no problems at all with streaming”
— Odd-Complaint-5291 on Reddit

Onkyo TX-RZ50 vs Sony STR-AN1000: frequently asked questions

Is the Onkyo TX-RZ50 or the Sony STR-AN1000 better?

Real owners rate these about evenly: 61% of 103 Onkyo TX-RZ50 owners recommend it, vs 65% of 79 for the Sony STR-AN1000.

Who should get the Onkyo TX-RZ50?

Owners point the Onkyo TX-RZ50 at enthusiasts who want built-in Dirac Live room correction, and owners building large Atmos setups like 7.2.4 or 5.1.4.

Who should get the Sony STR-AN1000?

Owners point the Sony STR-AN1000 at home-theater users wanting immersive Atmos and 360 spatial mapping, and small to medium rooms not needing huge power.

What do owners complain about?

The most-cited downside of the Onkyo TX-RZ50 is buggy web interface and calibration software. For the Sony STR-AN1000, it's buggy, glitchy firmware that randomly powers on or reboots.