Customer Ratings & Reviews

Great sound and ease of use. I have my 4K TV, 4K DVD player, turntable, tape deck, DVD recorder and CD player all hooked into it, with a full 7.1 surround sound system. It blows me away with the sound quality and ease of remote use.

I'm very pleased with this receiver. I use it for 7.1 surround as well as regular stereo. It has a phono input for my vintage turntable. I did have some trouble getting zone 2 to work. Online posts had conflicting information as to how and even if it did actually work. It does work. I had to go into Settings >Speaker >Configuration and activate Zone 2. Then, and I think it only works with radio and phono, maybe CD?, you need to press Zone 2 on the front panel and select the source. Same to adjust the volume. After a short time it defaults back to the Zone 1 sound. To turn off Zone 2 press that and then the Off button next to it. Until you go back to Settings you'll lose two of the 7 channels and just have 5.1. This could all be a bit simpler though the manual has all the steps, just not super clear.

Great Value, Great Sound, Slow response time. There is a bit of a lag when changing inputs, and the audio from my PC takes a few seconds to start up. Other than the delay, there aren't any sync problems, the 4k and 7.2 are great. I'd recommend if you don't want to spend $500-$1000 on a higher end model. Onkyo makes good stuff!

So, I wanted an A/V receiver that would support open Bluetooth protocols and this baby (TX-NR686) does it really nicely! Long story short, I had a Yamaha A/V receiver that purported to support BT, but found out after purchasing it that it only supported Yamaha's version of BT. I wanted the ability to connect to my A/V received via BT from my Android phone (LG V30) so I could play the music stored on the phone... bought this baby and problem solved! The amp has many features (haven't even explored them yet) and the audio section sounds very nice to my ears. I'm driving some very old Marantz 3-way cabinets (w/15" woofers) and really don't even need a sub-woofer, along with some Onkyo SKH-410 height speakers (space constraints) and really enjoy the fullness of the sound from this amp... your mileage may vary but if you can find one of these, buy it!

I got this receiver at an amazing clearance price. Bang for buck is excellent! However there are some things that bother me like I noticed no difference in the picture quality of my 4k TV over my 13 year old analog Sony. Also was disappointed that there is no ability for a set of B speakers on any receiver I looked at. The idea of the Zone 2 confuses me. My old receiver I could listen to 5.1 in my living room and push a button and my patio speakers (B) would play simultaneously. That isn't an option with the 686, at least I haven't figured it out. Which brings me to my third problem, no printed owners manual included. You have to go online and print it for yourself or search the internet for solutions to any problems. Overall I am satisfied with the 686. Getting it at the clearance price I'll put up with these little annoyances. The sound quality is a big improvement over the one it replaced. Easy set-up of speakers with included microphone. If you can get it for under 300 dollars like I did, just do it! Great value!

Sounds great, was easy to install and set up. The included microphone takes all the guesswork out of getting it dialed in. Plenty of power, easy to use. I would easily recommend this to anyone looking for a very nice 7.2 receiver.

I am very satisfied with this TV amplifier. We set it up with a new home's 5.1 in ceiling surround speaker setup and could not be happier with the sound. Setup was minimal to get timing and eq right as it has an auto eq mic. Additionally there are a ton of other options for speaker config including Atmos type config and even odd speaker configurations. It handles all of my sources well and seems to pick the sound mode based on show / movie quite well. Right now I have a SheildTV, LG Blueray player, Nintendo Switch all as sources. I plan to add phono sources in the near future as I have come to understand that this sports the preamp stuff necessary for this. Bottom line: this is one robust surround sound amplifier for a reasonable cost.

I am not an expert on stereo components, in fact, the receiver I had previously to this did not have HDMI inputs (see, that long!). What I liked about this was the the setup was easy, included was a poster on the steps, it was straightforward for me to attach all speakers (including surround) and components and the television, then after all that is done, there's an included microphone to calibrate the sound. So far we're impressed, but then again keep in mind that it had been over 15 years since our previous receiver. My only complaints is that there is a lag at times when switching to the receiver from the TV speakers and vice-versa, as well as the picture loading when switching between components.

Caught this open box for less than 200 so I figured I'd give it a try. It had all the stuff ie remote, antennas etc. and not a scratch. I'm new to this game and c19 gave us all a lot more tv time. Setup is easy enough but it entices you to play and tweak, I'm a techie by trade. I have a couple of klipsch r625fa and r51m on it right now. A sub would actually blow the neighbors off their seats. I consider the receiver more mid level than beginner. It will deliver what you require. Special shout out to Best buy curb side service in Glen Burnie,Md. Motivated, never lost their edge for customer service and well organized. Even gave a bag of treats. Hadn't had bubble gum in a while and I'm 56. Thanks Best Buy

This receiver is a great value. Has all the capabilities of receivers twice the price. A couple things to note. Enhanced 4K (Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG) and Deep Color need to be enabled physically on the front panel control and not on the GUI. Also, this receiver is longer in depth than my previous Onkyo receiver by about two inches. I needed to cut a panel from the back of my entertainment center to fit it.

This is the third Onkyo receiver I have purchased over the past 20 years. Each of them are working flawlessly still today. I needed to make the 4K HDCP 2.2 HDMI upgrade. This model does the job delivering great 7.1 output performance. The speaker calibration setup is perfect and simple to run. Atmos, THX, DTS Master audio is stunning especially from uncompressed 4K UHD Blu-ray. Network setup and online firmware upgrading is a new welcome feature.

Have known about Onkyo for years and this receiver does not disappoint. Listening to this now via Airplay 2. You can use a physical remote or iOS app store remote and both work identical. Nice clean power and sound delivered to each channel, using 7 and then a sub. A recognizable and sizable upgrade from my original Dolby Prologic receiver from 20+ years ago. Out of the box, it supports Airplay, however, you can update via ethernet/wireless and it will natively support Airplay 2. For the money, especially on sale, this is an easy BUY if you are looking for a new receiver.

Love the receiver. Beware it is bulky but definitely worth it. Sound quality is great and I paired it with Klipsch speakers which my wife loves. Connection was a breeze and I love the Bluetooth functionality.

Needed to upgrade my receiver, Having a Samsung UHD 4K 2016 model tv,previously I was using a Sony STR-DA3400ES Home theater, but it doesn't support 4k.I stream a lot of 4k movies through my Invidea Shield but had to use an optical cable to receive audio through the tv to the amp.I couldn't benefit what my streaming device could offer, like Dolby Atmos and dts x and other audio sources. So I started to research Home theater receivers and came across the Onkyo tx-nr686, had a lot of good reviews and stumbled on an open box at B.B. and it was in excellent condition, picked it up for $300. Bought it home and unboxed it,everything was there and in excellent condition, except for one thing, no owners manual, so I download it and went from there. The real fall back on my setting up the unit is my 4ktv. There are 4 hdmi ouputs on the tv,but the #1 hdmi supports UHD color that supports the dynamic range of colors and the #3 hdmi supports arc for the receiver, so what do I do... I went through a series of set ups going through the arc way and having the dynamic range of colors, I could of used an optical cable for the audio but didn't want to go that route, having all these audio settings on the amp I would have been limited on what I could use for audio settings. Getting a decent handshake through arc with a Samsung to an Onkyo receiver is sketchy at best. Everything runs fine through arc but the tv doesn't power off,it may be in standby mode, but all in all I'm very satisfied with the receiver, now I have to upgrade my tv that supports Dolby Vision but I do have Dolby Atmos and the sound is phenomenal. There are a few hidden features on the Onkyo tx-nr686 amp that I've learned and they are not in the owners manual. #1. When you purchase the amp it's set on standard hdmi output, for it to upscale your blue ray discs you need to go to your front panel on your amp and hold down the BD/DVD button and hit your standby button this will change the settings from standard to Enhanced,this will upscale to 4k display. #2. Hold down the STRM/BOX on the front panel and hit standby as well this will enable your deep color enhancer. #3. If you want to factory reset the amp hold down the CABLE/SAT and standby as well this will reset it. All in all I'm very satisfied with this amp,for the price and set up its really worth it, cant beat it..

I wanted to update my home theater receiver as my Sony was over 10 yrs old. I had set a budget of around 500 dollars for my replacement. Name brand was not that important as I have had Denon, Yamaha, Sony,and Onkyo etc and have not had any problems with any of them other than they became outdated. I had seen on a review somewhere else where a person had bought a Denon receiver for around 1000 dollars and had returned it and bought this one instead. For the price I bought two, one for the bedroom and one for the living room. The one downstairs is set up in a 7.2 configuration and the one in the bedroom is set up in a 5.1 configuration. My wife and I have been blown away by the sound quality whether you are watching a movie or listening to music. We are extremely happy with our purchases.

I install receivers for a living (not for Best Buy) So at 2 a week for 16 years it's been conservatively 1,760 receivers. ( some weeks I've installed more than 2 ) This is the coolest, highest value receiver I've installed to date. It has some legacy inputs for those customers that need them. Wii any one? The sound is fantastic. The app is the sexiest built in app I've ever used in a receiver. I can't speak for this receivers replacement as it lacks the legacy inputs but this model is wonderful.

Bought it on sale for secondary system. Good power and sound for this purpose. Easy interface with TV. Plays USB music well at highest bit rates. Menu and remote control not the most intuitive, but better than some others.

Very clean sound, has blue tooth and THX well worth the money don't need to pay 600 or 1000 for a receiver. This gets the job done and then some. Paid 250.00 worth every penny...

I cannot speak to all the features this offers, or the particularities of its sound. I bought this when my previous receiver bit the dust, and this has not disappointed. I'm currently using a 5.1 setup, and now I can expand if I want. On a practical level, this satisfies my needs, and then some. Setup was simple (your mileage may vary), and I have had little issue when dealing with my smart tv and the many, many devices connected to this receiver. There are many factors to consider when buying a receiver, and I encourage you to research what might be best for you. As a beginner to mid-level receiver, this one is hard to beat.

I bought this Onkyo TX-NR686 receiver to replace an aging Sony receiver I had owned for over 10 years. The set up on the new receiver was fairly easy. The sound quality is very good but the volume has to be turned up fairly high to hear it well. 50% on the new receiver is about the same as 30 % on old Sony receiver. For some reason in the last week or so the TX-NR686 recever has started switching sound fields and inputs on its own for no apparent reason. Kind of annoying to say the least. Still trying to trouble shoot the cause for these actions. Like the bluetooth and wifi capabilities quite well.