New update for Onkyo, Pioneer and Integra AV receivers

Premium Audio Company, parent company of the Onkyo, Pioneer and Integra brands, has announced a major update for a wide range of its AV receivers. New features include support for Dirac Live Bass Control on certain models, performance optimizations, and the ability to play Dolby Atmos content directly from Amazon Music and Tidal.

Dirac Live Bass Control calibration

Last March, the company announced that Dirac Live calibration would be compatible with the following AV receivers:

• Onkyo TX-RZ50, Onkyo TX-RZ70 and Onkyo TX-NR7100
• Pioneer VSX-LX305, Pioneer VSX-LX505 and Pioneer VSA-LX805
• Integra DRX-3.4, Integra DRX-5.4 and Integra DRX-8.4

With the purchase of one of these references, the manufacturer offered a license providing access to Dirac Live Room Correction calibration. As a reminder, this technology is one of the most effective for fine-tuning the response curve and reproduction of audio systems by carrying out a series of acoustic measurements. It ensures a significant improvement in the sound experience by taking into account the acoustic characteristics of the listening room (windows, ceiling height, floor materials, presence or absence of furniture in the room), as well as the performance of the speakers and the position of the listener.

Users of the top-of-the-range Onkyo TX-RZ70, Pioneer VSA-LX805 and Integra DRX 8.4 models could go even further, with the directly integrated Dirac Live Bass Control function. The latter optimizes the interaction between subwoofers and speakers. It integrates measurement data and the location of each subwoofer to determine their performance in the room, identify inconsistencies and compensate for discrepancies to ensure even sound distribution. This feature also corrects the temporal alignment of bass relative to the main speakers, ensuring a faithful reproduction of the entire audio spectrum. This tool is now also available on the Onkyo TX-RZ50, Pioneer VSX-LX505 and Integra DRX 5.4 receivers.

Amazon Music HD and Tidal Max

While Integra, Onkyo and Pioneer AV receivers already integrate Amazon Music and Tidal, this update now ensures full support for the Hi-Res format via these platforms. Users can now enjoy music in HD at up to 24-bit/192kHz for the highest listening quality. Better still, Integra, Onkyo and Pioneer receivers are also among the first in the world to natively support Dolby Atmos Music content on these two platforms. As a result, you can now easily select Atmos tracks from your receiver’s mobile app to enjoy three-dimensional sound.

HDMI 2.1a with SBTM function

The latest update for Integra, Onkyo and Pioneer AV receivers introduces a long-awaited feature: Source Based Tone Mapping (SBTM), now supported on HDMI 2.1a inputs. This technology enables the source (Blu-ray player, game console, PC, etc.) to optimize HDR processing in real time according to the specific capabilities of your TV or projector. SBTM thus ensures optimum image quality to get the most out of HDR content, even in the most complex scenarios, such as mixed SDR/HDR displays, for example in game console user interfaces.

How to update your AV receiver

This new firmware update, available since November 28, 2024, is notified directly on the LCD display of your Onkyo or Pioneer receiver if it is connected to the Internet. Without Internet access, you can download the update from each brand’s official website, then install it manually using a USB stick. This is the safest method, as an unstable Internet connection or a network outage won’t disrupt the update. For Integra receivers, the update can be accessed from the configuration menu, then in the firmware update options. Here are the various models concerned and the improvements made:

With this latest update, the Onkyo, Pioneer and Integra brands continue to improve their flagship AV receivers, integrating the latest audio and video technologies. Users are therefore ensured to be satisfied with their equipment for many years to come.