Onkyo TX-NR708 Networked AV Receiver Preview
Onkyo TX-NR708 Networked A/V Receiver
Summary
- Product Name: TX-NR708 Networked A/V Receiver
- Manufacturer: Onkyo USA
- Review Date: August 09, 2010 02:55
- MSRP: $899
- First Impression: Pretty Cool
- Seven 1080p capable HDMI inputs (V1.4a repeater) including 1 Front
- THX Select2 Plus Certification
- HDMI 1080p video upconversion by Faroudja DCDi cinema
- WRAT technology and discrete amp construction for cleaner sound
- TrueHD/DTS-HD decoding to support the latest Blu-ray technology
- PC Input
- Front-Panel USB Input for Memory Devices and iPhone®/iPod® Models (Enables Display of Album Artwork)
- Optional iPod Dock / HDradio module via U.Port
- 4 DSP Gaming Modes: Rock, Sports, Action, and Role Playing
- Audyssey MultEQ w/ Dynamic EQ & Dynamic Volume
- Power Consumption: 6.3 A
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 17 1/8" x 6 7/8" x 14 15/16" (435 x 175 x 379 mm)
- Weight: 27.6 lbs (12.5 kg)
Newly upgraded to include networked functionality from the preceding TX-SR707, the TX-NR708 is fifth in Onkyo’s refresh to its line up of receivers. The TX-NR708 is a 7.2 channel receiver that features a THX Certified Select 2 Plus amplifier section rated for 110 watts at 8 ohms from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The TX-NR708 sheds some weight compared to the next receiver up the line, the 40 pound TX-NR808, coming in at 27.6 pounds, which appears to be taken out of the smaller chassis and likely the power supply.
Processing on the TX-NR708 is handled by dual 32 bit DSPs with audio decoding running on 24 bit Burr-Brown DACs and video processing with 1080p upscaling is based on Faroudja DCDi Cinema. The TX-NR708 supports all of the latest lossless A/V codecs, Audyssey DSX, Audyssey MultiEQ XT, Dolby PLIIz. Similar to the TX-NR808, it is unclear how exactly PLIIz works on this 7 channel receiver without any way to run dedicated height channels. Inputs and outputs are identical for both digital and analog connections when compared to the TX-NR808, including 7 HDMI 1.4a 3D capable inputs. A front mounted USB port is capable of streaming audio files from flash memory. Network functionality includes support for Internet radio and streaming from a PC, but unlike the TX-NR808, the TX-NR708 is not specifically certified to be compatible with Windows 7, DLNA, Satellite Radio, or the iPod. The multi-zone audio functionality of the TX-NR708 drops zone 3 support and zone 2 remains audio only.
Audioholics hasn't yet done a formal review of this product, but we wanted to get as much information as possible to our readers in order to help them make the best possible purchasing decisions. If possible, we will provide additional info or even a product review at a later date. For more info, visit Onkyo USA.
Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.
Professionally, David engineers building structures. He is also a musician and audio enthusiast. David gives his perspective about loudspeakers and complex audio topics from his mechanical engineering and HAA Certified Level I training.
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