April 18, 2011
Onkyo TX-NR808
Meet Onkyo’s midrange powerhouse. The TX-NR808 earns its prestigious THX® Select2 Plus™ certification by blending the latest connectivity and processing technology with Onkyo’s renowned amplification prowess. As a network-capable receiver, the TX-NR808 is your gateway to streaming audio from your PC or Internet radio. Other connection highlights include seven HDMI® 1.4a inputs with 3D and Audio Return Channel capability; 7.1-multichannel analog inputs for legacy components; a Universal port for Onkyo peripherals; a USB port for iPod® models and flash memory devices; and an analog RGB video input for your PC. Employing two advanced 32-bit DSP chips and low-jitter 24-bit Burr-Brown DACs, the TX-NR808 effortlessly handles your audio-processing needs. Whether it’s lossless Dolby and DTs formats on Blu-ray Disc, or new-dimension surround formats from Audyssey and Dolby, your audio signals retain every lifelike nuance. All things considered, the TX-NR808 is a serious challenger for the middleweight crown.
HDMI® 1.4a Support for 3D Video and Audio Return
The seven HDMI 1.4a inputs on the TX-NR808 let you simultaneously connect high-def sources such as a Blu-ray player, a gaming console, and a cable/satellite tuner. A single output then sends a pristine signal to your connected high-resolution display. As the latest version of this connector, HDMI 1.4a adds the exciting possibilities of 3D video and an Audio Return Channel. 3D video is the next big thing in home entertainment, with movie, game, and broadcast content on the increase and 3D-compatible TVs coming to market. The TX-NR808 also offers the convenience of an Audio Return Channel via HDMI. Audio content received directly by your HDTV’s tuner can be sent “upstream” to your A/V receiver, without the need for a separate S/PDIF audio cable.
Windows® 7 Compatible PC Audio and Internet Radio
As one of Onkyo’s new breed of receivers that can link directly to the Internet or to your home PC via a local network, the TX-NR808 takes streaming audio and Internet radio to a whole new level. MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, FLAC, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, and LPCM audio files—whether on your PC or from the Internet—can now be played back through your main system with unprecedented power and fidelity. The TX-NR808 brings to life a huge array of Internet radio channels from Pandora®, SIRIUS Internet Radio®, vTuner, and more*. As well as being compatible with earlier platforms, the receiver is compatible with Microsoft’s new Windows 7 platform, which includes the DLNA 1.5-specified “Play To” media-streaming feature. Another benefit of having the TX-NR808 connected to the Internet is that you can then easily update its firmware.
Audyssey DSX™ and Dolby® Pro Logic® IIz Surround Sound
The TX-NR808 handles two new surround-sound technologies from Audyssey and Dolby that offer exciting new ways to set up the speakers in your home theater system. Audyssey DSX lets you incorporate “front wide” speakers, in place of the usual surround back speakers, to expand the width of the soundstage. Set up at a recommended 60° off center, these channels help to produce a more realistic soundstage and a more immersive listening experience. Alternatively, Audyssey DSX can reconfigure the TX-NR808’s surround back channels to deliver “front height” channels. These channels carry ambient, non-directional audio that adds a new vertical dimension to your movies and games. Dolby Pro Logic IIz provides a similar front height speaker option that likewise works to create a more enveloping home theater experience.
THX® Select2 Plus™ Certified
THX Select2 Plus certification is specified for rooms where the screen-to-seat viewing distance is 10 to 12 feet and the room volume is around 2000 cubic feet. To achieve THX Select2 Plus certification, the TX-NR808 had to meet the world’s most demanding standards for home theater audio quality and performance, and play at reference volume levels with minimal distortion
HDMI Video Upscaling to 1080p with Faroudja Dcdi Cinema™
When it comes to video processing, Faroudja Dcdi Cinema offers several advantages. This processor can accept any video signal, regardless of the source resolution, and upscale it to 1080p to match the native resolution of your high-definition display. What’s more, Dcdi Cinema effectively removes video artifacts such as jagged edges during the video signal deinterlacing process. You get to enjoy smooth progressive scan video images, even for fast-moving sports and action scenes.
PLL (Phase Locked Loop) Jitter-Cleaning Circuit Technology
Jitter is an unwanted side-effect of the digital-to-analog conversion process. Caused by fluctuations in the time domain of a digital signal, jitter has a detrimental impact on perceived audio quality. PLL jitter-cleaning circuit technology reduces jitter by comparing the input and output phases of the digital signal and creating an accurate clock waveform. This enhances the precision of digital signal processing and noticeably improves audio quality. Jitter-cleaning technology works both for digital signals input via HDMI and for digital signals converted from analog signals inside the receiver itself.
Playback of Different Audio Sources in Up to Three Rooms
With Powered Zone 2, you can enjoy surround sound entertainment in the main room, while playing back a different stereo source in a second zone equipped with a pair of speakers. Alternatively, you can use the Zone 2 and Zone 3 pre-outs to send separate, unamplified audio signals to amplifiers (and speakers) in a second and third room. Naturally, you also have the option of distributing the same audio source to two or three zones simultaneously.
RI Remote with On-Screen Setup and 4 Presets
The TX-NR808’s remote controller offers the convenience of controlling a wide range of other devices connected to the receiver. You can select your connected devices from an on-screen list and preprogram your desired settings for each device. The receiver itself can then send these settings automatically to the remote controller. Furthermore, the TX-NR808 lets you set up macro presets for up to four activity modes, which you can control via mode-key LEDs on the remote controller. A single button-press of “My Movie,” for example, can simultaneously turn on the receiver, display, and Blu-ray player to your preprogrammed settings and start playing a disc automatically.
Read more about the Onkyo TX-NR808 7.2-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver (Black)
