Hi-Fi: Onkyo TX-NR807 Home Theatre Reciever – Review

I’ve had the pleasure of trialling a few Onkyo home theatre receivers for Tone. The lower spec (and best selling) TX-SR607 wowed me back in issue #77, while the TX-SR806 unleashed hell (or heaven, to be more precise) in my HT room way back in issue 75.

The TX-NR807 is the direct replacement for the 806, and although the earlier model was an impressive beast, a few missing features prevented it from being the perfect receiver in its price range.
Chief among these was the lack of Ethernet connectivity for internet radio and streaming audio from a PC or Mac. The bigwigs at Onkyo obviously read Tone, since the feature is included on the 807.
The 807′s DLNA certification means compatibility with plenty of media servers and accompanying HT equipment via Ethernet, and although there is no USB port, you’ll still be able to upgrade the firmware via the Ethernet connection.

It’s impossible to list the myriad features within the space of a one-page review, but suffice to say the TX-NR807 is fabulously equipped with just about everything that opens and shuts, HT receiver-wise. I’d have liked a second HDMI output to run a projector and panel display at the same time, but second party switching devices are available over the counter these days for reasonable money.

Setting up the Onkyo in my system was a doddle and calibration was a breeze with Onkyo’s excellent Audyssey microphone calibration system.

And once set up, the big 807 produced impressive sound quality in my room with every disc played: DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks from discs such as I Am Legend and Blade Runner combined subtlety and micro-detail with crunching impact and dynamics.

The final scene of Blade Runner is set on a rooftop in pouring rain; the accuracy of the Onkyo’s audio reproduction had my partner peering through the curtains at the washing line to make sure the sheets weren’t drenched. It’s not easy to pull the wool over her eyes, but there was definitely a sense of realism that lesser receivers only hint at.

The 807 was impressive as a standard HT receiver, but what of its DLNA streaming abilities?

I had no problems pointing the 807 at my network, and once connected I had my entire iTunes library at my disposal (though, incidentally, not those files encoded using the Apple lossless format, which is not supported). Although the sound quality didn’t quite match my Squeezebox Duet/DacMagic, it was certainly good enough to be considered hi-fi. I cruised through dozens of internet radio stations – one in Iceland being particularly interesting, even though I couldn’t understand a word.

So it’s two thumbs up for the new TX-NR807. It is a fabulous home theatre receiver and at the asking price should be considered a comparative bargain.

GARY PEARCE

Onkyo TX-NR807 Home Theatre Receiver – Tech Specs

POWER: 180w x 7 (6 ohms) WRAT Amplification
AUDIO DECODING: THX Select2 Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Express, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Pro Logic IIz
SUPPORTED AUDIO FILE TYPES: MP3,  FLAC, Ogg Vorbis,
AAC, WMA Lossless
OTHER FEATURES:
- 192/24 bit Burr-Brown
D/A Converters
- Audyssey microphone calibration
- Faroudja DCDi Cinema Technology
- HDMI x 6 in/1 out
- Digital video converter
(up to 1080i HDMI) using Faroudja DCDi
- Internet radio connectivity
- Bi-amping capability
- Dual subwoofer pre-outs
- Powered zone 2 & zone 3
for playback of sources in
other rooms
DIMENSIONS: 435 x 198.5 x 435.5mm (W/H/D)
WEIGHT: 23kg

Pros

• Great sound quality and connectivity

Cons

• No second HDMI output – how ’bout it, Onkyo?

Verdict

Onkyo’s new TX-NR807 is brooding smartbomb of an HT receiver, and well worth the asking price

CONTACT

www.avalon.co.nz

This article is from Tone issue 81. Click here to check it out.