ONKYO ANNOUNCES SUCCESSOR TO
NO.1 SELLING HOME CINEMA RECEIVER
Next generation TX-SR606 home cinema receiver set to redefine performance and value for money standards at £400 price point
Onkyo’s now legendary TX-SR605 7.1-channel receiver has topped the UK sales charts in its category since it was launched last year. Back in September 2007 it – along with its stablemates the £1000 TX-SR875 and the £250 TX-SR505E - swept the board at the What Hi-Fi Sound And Vision 2007 Awards, winning the magazine’s AV receiver awards in every price category, a feat that has never before been achieved by a single manufacturer.
Time and technology marches on however and Onkyo, fully committed to maintaining its pre-eminent position in the UK home cinema market, is proud to announce the next-generation successor to the TX-SR605… the £400 TX-SR606.
OVERVIEW
· 7 x 140w power output
· Four HDMI v.1.3a inputs/one output
· Built-in 720p/1080i video upscaling and upconversion
· Onboard decoder for Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus and TS-HD
· Bi-amping capability
· Music Optimiser for MP3/AAC tracks
· Audyssey Dynamic EQ
· RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) control system
Better specified and featured the new 7 x 140w TX-SR606 (available from May, in black or silver finishes) won’t cost a penny more than its predecessor… at just £400 Onkyo is confident the TX-SR606 will set new standards for value and performance when it comes to HD Audio/Video-capable receivers.
Equipped with the latest 192kHz/24-bit DACs (digital to analogue converters) for all channels, advanced 32-bit processing and Onkyo’s renowned WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology) the TX-SR606 is purpose-designed to deliver both music and movies with equal aplomb and insight, a key differentiator between this receiver and its competitors.
Let’s start with connectivity. The TX-SR605 had two HDMI (v1.3a) inputs plus one output. The TX-SR606 now boasts four inputs and one output, making it an ideal control centre for those with a host of HDMI sources (the presence of three HD-capable component video inputs as opposed to two on the previous model will help too).
Onboard upscaling
Even more remarkable is the news that the TX-SR606 is equipped with HDMI Video Upscaling, unheard of up until now in a receiver at this price point. While 1080P signals are processed ‘as is’ the built-in upscaler will scale all other signals (component, S-video and composite) up to 720p/1080i resolution for output to a display via HDMI.
To ensure the upscaled video is of the highest possible quality Onkyo has specified a tried and proven Faroudja DCDi (Directional Correlational Deinterlacing) circuit which effectively eliminates video artifacts.
Every HD audio codec is catered for including lossless formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as ‘lossy’ formats such as Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio.
iPod and MP3 friendly
Portable audio enthusiasts will also appreciate Onkyo’s new Music Optimiser technology, designed to enhance higher frequencies in compressed audio signals. MP3/AAC audio compression processes often lose vital SONIC information, something that’s notable when such tracks are replayed on a wide-band home entertainment system, so Music Optimiser attempts to restore the balance (iPod compatibility via optional DS-A1x or DS-A2x docks is, of course, fully supported, as it is on all Onkyo AV receivers).
Much praised for its simplicity the Audyssey 2EQ Room Distortion Correction and speaker set-up system has been retained on this new model but in a new, improved incarnation which benefits from the addition of Audyssey Dynamic EQ. This additional new circuit compensates for the fact that few of us actually listen to music at Reference Audio levels in our own homes. At lower volumes soundtracks can lose bass and voices can sound less authentic so Audyssey Dynamic EQ automatically selects the optimum frequency response and surround-sound levels in order to give the best-balanced performance, whatever the volume level.
To offer an additional route to improving sound quality yet further the TX-SR606 also features a bi-amping capability. This allows the internal amplifiers that normally drive the surround back speakers to be re-assigned, so that they can instead drive the tweeters of main front left/right speakers that have bi-wirable terminals (ie split between mid/bass and treble). The result is audibly superior sonic definition and drive.
Incidentally the receiver retains its Powered Zone 2 + Zone 2 line-out facility, mightily useful for consumers who want to channel music into a second room without investing in additional, expensive multi-room kit.
When it comes to system control convenience the TX-SR606 takes another major step forward with the provision of RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI). This offers integrated system control with certain HDMI-compatible high-definition displays, DVD and hard-disk recorders, and Blu-ray Disc players. With one remote control, you can control certain functions, including Standby,Volume and Direct Change. These receivers can seamlessly integrate with other leading brand-name devices, including those in the Panasonic VIERA Link and Toshiba REGZA LINK ranges, as well as selected Sharp displays.
Last but not least the TX-SR606 will be accompanied by a new, ergonomically designed pre-programmed remote control with mode key LEDs.
PRICE
Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1-channel home cinema receiver - £400
(available in May 08, in either black or silver finishes)
