Brand New Onkyo Line-Up For March

Onkyo has revealed some of it's brand new AV receivers for 2012. There's no big change in the styling, but Onkyo have packed some impressive features in under the hood all 4 receivers.


First of these new features is that every receiver in the range now features an on screen menu system, even the entry-level TX-SR313. This is a great move, using the front screen for set-up and menus could always be a little fiddly and not so user friendly, Onkyo have certainly set a standard here which should be adopted by other manufacturers.

On the TX-NR414 and above the on screen GUI also includes the InstaPrevue technology we mentioned towards the end of last year. This provides live picture in picture thumbnails of HDMI sources right on screen to make input selection easier. A world first and a great idea which we may well see more widespread adoption of as other companies catch up.

All networked receivers (TX-NR414 upwards) can be controlled via an app on Android or iOS which is ideal for Zone2 control. If you have an Android device then you can stream music directly from your phone or pad. No current support for AirPlay is a minor down side for Apple users although a DLNA app could be used in it's place however.

Network enabled receivers can also stream music from local network devices, Internet radio, Spotify and Last.fm. The new addition of the MP3tunes "cloud locker" to these receivers means you can also access your own MP3 library though this service. Onkyo have also made it easier to embrace their networked receivers, recognising that not everyone is able to use an Ethernet cable all the NR range feature a USB port to accommodate their UWF-1 wireless adapter. Both the TX-NR515 and TX-NR616 sport a rear USB port so that the front one is still accessible for use with iPods etc when using the wi-fi adapter. There is also a UBT-1 Bluetooth adapter planned for release later in the year.

None of these new receivers skimps on connectivity, with the TX-NR616 sporting a total of 8 HDMI inputs and twin outputs, 7.2 capable with a powered zone 2 and zone 3 line out. Onkyo have certainly upped the game here with their innovative effort to redefine entry level receivers. Here's a feature overview for the new models: