Onkyo Now Shipping Four THX Certified A/V Receivers

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From AVRev.com News

Onkyo Now Shipping Four THX Certified A/V Receivers

Onkyo USA announced that it is now shipping all four of its new THX certified AV receivers to dealers. The line, which was first previewed in the spring, incorporates an extensive range of high-end features and new technologies designed to deliver the highest levels of performance available.

"With the recent shipments of the TX-SR705 and TX-NR905, we have filled all the gaps in what may be the most comprehensive line of THX certified AV receivers now available from any manufacturer," said Paul Wasek, the marketing manager of Onkyo USA. "This line offers consumers outstanding value, plus the ability to take their audio and video systems all the way to the far borders of the state of the art."

All four receivers feature HDMI 1.3a compatibility, internal decoding for the latest lossless high-definition audio formats, XM and Sirius Satellite Radio compatibility, and HDMI-based system control integration. Two models, the TX-SR805 and TX-NR905, are the first receivers to include the acclaimed Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX video processing. Other available features include HD Radio reception, USB and Ethernet connectivity, and a formidable suite of multizone/multisource capabilities.

From early design concepts to product rollout, THX and Onkyo worked together to ensure every detail of the receivers were mapped to the THX performance standards. And THX engineers spent countless hours testing and analyzing the receivers for sound quality, usability and interoperability. Each certified receiver includes a number of proprietary THX technologies, designed to compensate for the acoustical errors that occur when movies, music and games are translated from the professional studio to the home environment.

All four receivers are both XM and Sirius satellite radio ready, and feature a comprehensive range of audio and video connections, including HDMI 1.3a switching for three (TX-SR705 and TX-SR805) or four (TX-SR875 and TX-NR905) HDMI sources. The TX-NR905 also features a second HDMI output for even greater flexibility. Each receiver is capable of accommodating single-cable pure-digital audio and video transfer from HDMI sources, including 1080p and Deep-Color capability.

Two of the new models, the Onkyo TX-SR875 and TX-NR905, are the first A/V receivers to include Silicon Optix's acclaimed Reon-VX HQV video processing. This sophisticated IC chip-based technology provides the receivers with current state-of-the-art video scaling and deinterlacing capabilities, including upscaling of all video sources to 1080p for output over the HDMI connection. All video sources are also upconverted to HD output via the units' component video outputs to accommodate video displays lacking an HDMI input.

Additionally, each of Onkyo's new receivers includes the company's RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) communication protocol. This feature allows future integration of many system control functions between compatible components via the HDMI connection, and will also feature compatibility with Toshiba's CE-Link enabled 2007 Regza LCD TV line and Panasonic's EZ-Sync TV line, as well as similar protocols from other manufacturers.

The TX-SR805, TX-SR875 and TX-NR905 receivers all feature a new dual push-pull amplifier configuration, coupled with a three-stage inverted Darlington circuit and top-of-the-line Burr-Brown DACs for outstanding efficiency and high current with very low distortion. On each model, the rear surround amplifier channels can also be reconfigured for bi-amplification of the front L/R channels. On the TX-SR875 and TX-NR905, these two channels can also be reconfigured for bridged operation with the front L/R channels for high power output.

Onkyo's new receivers are also the first models available to feature Neural-THX Surround decoding for broadcasts and gaming. This new surround sound technology allows for broadcast content to be transmitted in a two-channel format, and later decoded for up to 7.1 discrete audio channels, as well as enabling 7.1-channel audio support for many modern video gaming consoles.

For simplified setup, all of these models incorporate Audyssey Multi-EQ room acoustics correction, the most powerful built-in solution available for countering room distortion in dedicated home theaters. This technology uses an included microphone to detect and configure speakers in the room, and then adjusts each channel's level, delay, and crossover settings to best suit the room's acoustics. By incorporating measurements at up to eight points in the listening room, Audyssey Multi-EQ provides both frequency response and time domain corrections throughout the entire listening area, rather than just at a single position.

Additional features on the TX-NR905 include a high-current power supply with a massive toroidal transformer, built-in HD radio reception and a powerful set of networking capabilities for integrated home media systems. The receiver includes an Ethernet port for support of Internet radio and streaming multimedia, as well as additional control and multimedia functions to be announced later in theyear. There is also an included USB port to allow for the addition of USB-based portable audio players, and for the use of USB-based memory devices.

The Onkyo TX-SR705, TX-SR805, TX-SR875, and TX-NR905 are now shipping to dealers with suggested retail prices of $899, $1099, $1699, and $2099 respectively.

Source: AVRev.com News