Introducing Onkyo’s TX-NR1007 and Step-Up Models

Onkyo’s been on a tear lately releasing new AV receivers, and the company is marketing another trio of high-end units. The receivers are filled with capabilities, from eight HDMI inputs to HQV video processing, so let’s take a careful look at exactly what each of these units provides.

Critical features of the Onkyo TX-NR1007 are 9.2 AV receiver, rated at 135 watts per channel, 6 HDMI inputs, dual HDMI outputs, onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, authenticates Dolby Pro Logic IIz and Audyssey DSX surround processing modes, streaming audio from Pandora, Rhapsody, vTuner, and Sirius Internet Radio, DLNA 1.5-compliant, analog video upconversion to 1080p, using Faroudja DCDi Cinema processing, includes THX Loudness Plus and a suite of Audyssey sound processing modes (MultEQ XT, Dynamic EQ, and Dynamic Volume), THX Ultra2 Plus certified

Moreover, the critical step-up features of the Onkyo TX-NR3007 are 9.2 AV receiver, rated at 140 watts per channel, 7 HDMI inputs, including one front panel HDMI input, analog video upconversion, using HQV Reon-VX processing, front panel USB port, Dolby Volume processing

Finally, the critical step-up elements of the Onkyo TX-NR5007 are 9.2 AV receiver, rated at 145 watts per channel, 8 HDMI inputs, including one front panel HDMI input, 2 USB ports (one front panel, one back panel)

There are also some minor connectivity differences between these AV receivers; it’s worth examining the back panel shots in the slideshow to see if there are enough ports to support your home theater.

Overall, these receivers are certainly overkill for the average home theater, since the key elements are incorporated in Onkyo’s cheaper TX-SR607. On the other hand, many of the feature upgrades will please home theater buyers; dual HDMI outputs are terrific for home theaters with a projector and an HDTV, and HQV processing makes a large difference for scaling analog sources. We’re still not fully won over that consolidating streaming audio services in an AV receiver is a good idea–we’d prefer to add a more flexible, exclusive streaming solution, such as a Logitech Squeezebox or Sonos.