Hi guys,

I havent installed/programmed any domestic equipment for a while but have a question regarding control of AV receivers.

Im looking for a relatively entry level receiver for home but I need to be able to control it through Crestron. 232 or IP. I know most receivers now come with networking capability for streaming etc, and most also include a Control App of some kind. Does this mean that IP control from a 3rd party device should be a given? I'm assuming if it can be controlled from an app, it should be pretty straight forward to control from Crestron.

Im looking at something like an Onkyo TX-NR575 or similar.

Cheers!

Interestingly enough, not always.
In my experience you often start seeing it at the level where you also see video processing (RXA760 in the Yamaha world etc).

Yes, many units support an "App", but the protocol is not always published. Or, in my opinion, the protocol is not very "rich" (lacks features). It is possible that an unpublished protocol is supported by your control system. How much control do you need? ON/OFF/Input/Volume are a given, but the ability to interact with surround modes and parameter adjustments is not always exposed by the protocol.

I'm not familiar with the Onkyo protocols. The Yamaha RX-A protocols are very "rich".

That's a good question. I would like to try out Yamaha. Have not dealt with them since the 90's and prologic days. If someone knows a mid level model that works well with control systems.

Marantz 1508 has IP control....

Yeah I'd be happy with the functions you mentioned. Surround modes would be a bonus. In particular, sub level up and down would be good. Possibly zone 2 controls. Only tech support said basically anythibg in their range that was prefixed TX-NR would support IP control. Guess I'll find out soon enough!

I would do Marantz or Sony. They are bullet proof

+1

Sony AV receivers??? Really?? Would never have even looked at a Sony. Having said that, I use Sony screens and yeah their IP control is pretty robust.

Marantz has always been my go to. Love em. But I think the NR1508 might just be too deep for my cabinet. I have 400mm depth to play with. Marantz is 376mm. It would be tight!!!

I'm not asking for much am I?? Shallow depth, cheap price, Ip control....lol.

Sony ES receivers are very solid...

First, I agree with Fred.

Second, are there actually ANY domestic AV receivers?

[Link: audiocontrol.com]

There is a difference, it must be a Sony ES. I have exclusively moved over to sony ES. The installer features, no frills AVRs are just plain awesome. and the sound they produce is equal to if not better then Marantz. Honestly the features, reliability and CI focused mindset of the design make them a solid winner. Makes all the other brands look like consumer garbage....and yes, this is coming from a Marantz Snob.

unfortunately i do think you are asking for to much. to my knowledge the 1508 is the smallest slimest avr that fits in the space. use slim HDMI cables or right angles to help the space constant. also remember you can save a few MM of depth by taking off the antennas. the power cable is going to be your biggest issue though.

The Marantz units suffer from one flaw with IP control.

If your control system processor is restarted, it will occasionally lose the AVR on the network. I have experienced this with both Crestron and RTI. Powering the AVR on with the OE remote, front panel button or even the app re-establishes that connection and it will hold until the processor gets restarted again.

Nobody at Crestron, RTI, Marantz or several of the Crestron programmers I work with seem to have an answer as to why this happens but it does.

I do not see this behavior with Sony.

Next project or if you have a Marantz at home, try blocking internet access to the AVR.

I did a lot of testing on this at my own home that was experiencing Marantz IP dropouts. I have 2 AVR's.

I noticed that once the AVR's called to Marantz servers looking for firmware updates and 1 was available, it would download/notify you of the update. Even with auto-update turned off.

I don't use any streaming services through the AVR so I blocked Internet access to the Mac address and haven't had one fall off yet, even after processor reboots/power downs.