Yet more news from the Onkyo camp. Hot on the heels of the T-4555 future-proofed receiver comes the announcement that seven new receivers will be launched this year, ranging from £200 to £1,400 in price.
Five of the new models will be launched prepped and ready for the next-generation Blu-ray and HD-DVD onslaught and as such are 1080p compatible, featuring HDMI 1.3a inputs/outputs for true High-Definition lossless audio and Audyssey microphone-based auto set-up. The two models available now are the £200 5.1-channel HT-R508 and £250 7.1-channel TX-SR505E, with the £400 TX-SR605 (pictured) due at the end of June the first to feature onboard decoding for HD lossless audio formats Dolby Digital Plus, True HD, DTS-HD and DTS-HD Master Audio.
The following four models are yet to receive a release date, but Onkyo has confirmed that the £600 model will be THX Select 2 certified, while the £800, £1,000 and £1,400 models will be THX Ultra 2 certified with the latter duo housing onboard HQV Reon-VX scaling of all sources up to 1080p.
This will give Onkyo one of the most comprehensive and respected line-ups of AV receivers available anywhere, as it attempts to cover every possible price point with a combination of high-end sonics and future-assured technology. Round of applause for Onkyo then.
