The AV Tech Group - Audio / Video Receiver Pick
Details- Details
If you haven’t yet noticed, Surround Sound Receivers aren’t what they used to be. Manufacturers are integrating awesome technology with cool online services that we love to use. Receivers are getting high tech, and among all manufacturers - Onkyo is the AV Technologies Group pick.
Instead of featuring only Surround Sound, an AM / FM tuner, and Satellite Radio, receivers are streaming music from the likes of Pandora, Rhapsody, Slacker, SiriusXM, and Napster. Plus, many models are incorporating the ability to stream content from computers, media servers, and USB’s or hard drives. Basically, we’re getting a whole lot more features in today’s Receivers - yet prices haven’t increased at all – if anything they’ve gotten better when factoring in what you get. Plus the Surround Sound processing technologies have vastly improved, too. If there’s ever a good time to update your Surround Sound Receiver, now is that time for sure.
With so many cool features and technologies in one component, choosing the ‘right receiver’ can be a challenge. Making that choice more difficult is the fact that you can spend $350… or you can spend $2500… or even more – we’re talking about a serious range in price. That said, when I’m specifying a receiver on my jobs I break it down to five installation types – (1) a basic living room or master bedroom surround sound system, (2) entry-level media room, (3) mid-level media room to entry-level home theater, (4) mid -level home theater rooms, and (5) full blown custom theater surround sound. From there it’s pretty easy deciding what is best. Impressively, until we creep into type 5, Onkyo’s current line-up has something that works great for everything.
Therefore, this year’s AV Tech Group – Audio / Video Receiver Pick goes to Onkyo. I can literally cover nearly any type of installation with an Onkyo receiver and every time I do I’m confident in its performance, build quality, and inclusion of features that my clients will love. From small living room systems – to advanced media rooms - to mid-level custom home theaters, there’s an Onkyo receiver that usually fits the bill to pull it off… the right way.
Even Onkyo’s super inexpensive $399 TX-NR509 is loaded with features and technologies that are completely suitable in a basic surround sound system. This is a great pick for a living room with a basic (type 1) 5.1 surround sound system. Not only are we getting all the cool streaming features and iPod / iPhone / iPad control, but we also get the latest in Dolby Sound technologies – True HD, DD Plus, and DTS-HD Master Audio. Then taking it even further, we get Zone 2 pre-outs for adding audio in another room such as outside on the porch. Receivers do not get better at this price!
Step up only $200 more to the TX-NR609 and you get THX Certification, Spotify integration, analog to HDMI Upconversion, 1080p Upscaling, 7.2 Surround Sound and the ability to power a 2nd audio zone without an additional amplifier. This is an excellent pick for either a living room or in a basic (type 2) media room. Or at $899 you get one my favorites, the mid-level TX-NR709 – a 7.2, 110 watts per channel powerhouse with all the bells and whistles. This is a phenomenal receiver that I’ve specified in both type 2 and type 3 installations.
For an even larger (type 4), more advanced media room – or even in some custom home theaters, we have the Onkyo TX-NR1009. With an MSRP of $1499 you’re getting huge performance for an awesome media room. I like to complement this receiver with stepped up speakers, such as the KEF Q Series or similar – talk about a great match for quality sound! The NR1009 picks up where some of Onkyo’s others leave off. We’re talking 135 watts per channel, 9.2 Surround Sound with Front High or Front Wide Processing, an independent block construction that separates the processing from the amps, ISF Certified Calibration Control, HQV Vida VHD1900 Video Processor, and more. These are solid features found in much higher priced options - Onkyo’s price more than suffices what you get with this one.
They don’t stop there. For more advanced systems that demand top performance, Onkyo even offers a line of ‘separates’. The advantage here is that you have one component designed to handle all of the processing and another component (or two, or three, or more) just for amplification. This is the technique we use when we’re using high-end speakers and want to minimize distortion at every level. While we can specify parts that blow Onkyo away, what’s amazing is that Onkyo’s separates actually do compete with some of the much higher priced options from other manufacturers. To keep up here, Onkyo offers a Preamplifier (the PR-SC5508) and an impressive 9 channel Surround Sound Amplifier (the MC5500) that for most people - will do the job just fine. These kick butt, I assure you.
The PR-SC5508is a THX Ultra2 Plus Certified 9.2-Channel Network A/V Preamplifier bad boy. It has front and Rear-Panel USB Input for Memory Devices and iPhone/iPod Models, Audyssey MultEQ XT32, 9.2-Channel Balanced Line-Level XLR Pre Outs (with Front Bi-Amping Capability), 192kHz/32bit Burr-Brown DACs, ISF Certified HDMI 1080p video Upconversion by HQV Reon VX, and the TrueHD/DTS-HD decoding to support the latest Blu-ray technology. Basically, it has everything you need in a preamplifier processor plus the all the great features custom installers desire for the best of AV installations.
Couple Onkyo’s Preamplifier with the PA-MC5500 - 9 Channel amplifier and some Canton speakers… you’ve got quite the home theater system. Soon though, Onkyo will be offering the A-9070 Amplifier which takes it to yet another level. Although the 9070 is a stereo amplifier, it can be also be used as a mono-block solution – one amp per channel with disgustingly low distortion. This type of solution is best suited when everything is higher-end – speakers, speaker wire, acoustics, etc. We’re talking well-built and designed custom theater on this one. I can’t wait to test run this set up.
So the fact is, Onkyo regularly gets my pick. Not necessarily because they’re offering technology that the others are not, but more so because they cover just about the entire Audio / Video Receiver field. Whether you’re shopping for a great entry-level receiver – to a mid-priced higher-end custom home theater solution, they have something that will do the trick. I do occasionally specify other brands, but more often I recommend Onkyo... right now they have the others beat.
If you want to learn more about the streaming features that are included with their receivers, I’ll be posting a write-up next week that really breaks down one of my favorite mid-grade receivers – the Onkyo TX-NR709. It’s an affordable receiver that is priced far lower than most decent TV’s – and it performs very well. Stay tuned.
By Seth Gatewood and AV Technologies Group | Posted Jan. 10, 2012
