HD A/V receiver roundup
Those sleek home-theater-in-a-box kits may be fine instruments for casual entertainment, but if you're tired of the lean sounds, it's time you ventured into the realm of component-level equipment. At the forefront of this domain are the feature-packed A/V receivers, an important nerve center behind any modern home theater system that links up all your equipment. These can range from a TV and disc players to multiple loudspeakers and subwoofers.
The current offerings in Asia have upgraded onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, perfect for harnessing studio-grade soundtracks recorded on Blu-ray movie discs. Their HDMI 1.3 video-switching capability is another strong proposition. This not only helps alleviate the HDMI input crunch, but also minimizes the cable clutter behind your display. Lastly, the A/V receivers' THX Plus certification will guarantee ample reserved power for tackling aggressive hi-resolution soundtracks in large rooms.
Click here for a feature comparison table.
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1. |
Onkyo TX-NR906 A/V receiver
CNET Asia rating: 9 out of 10
The good: Solid sound quality; good design; decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio; dual HDMI outputs; onboard USB input; supports Internet radio and network audio streaming; high-quality toroidal power transformer.
The bad: Could be cheaper; could melt an ice cap when it's in full swing.
The bottom line: One of the hardest things we'll ever do will be giving the TX-NR906 back to Onkyo. Movie soundtracks will blow you away if you have a good speaker system, and even music can sound stunning on this big monster.
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2. |
Pioneer VSX-1018AH-S A/V receiver
CNET Asia rating: 7.7 out of 10
The good: Onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding; upconverts analog signals to 1080p over HDMI output with decent quality; auto speaker calibration; control iPod onscreen using USB port.
The bad: Competition offers more HDMI inputs for less money; cluttered remote; old-fashioned text-only onscreen user interface.
The bottom line: The Pioneer VSX-1018AH-S's solid sound and generous feature package make it a great value in the midrange A/V receiver class.
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3. |
Onkyo TX-SR606 A/V receiver
CNET Asia rating: 7.4 out of 10
The good: Four HDMI inputs; onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding; upconverts analog signals to 1080i over HDMI output; excellent automatic speaker calibration; switches as many as six high-definition video sources; improved remote.
The bad: Poor video processing limits utility of HDMI upconversion for analog sources; sounds better on movies than with music; no phono input.
The bottom line: The Onkyo TX-SR606 offers tons of functions for the price, but subpar video processing and improved competition mean it's less of a standout receiver than last year's version.
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4. |
Denon AVR-1909 A/V receiver
CNET Asia rating: 7 out of 10
The good: Three HDMI inputs; onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding; upconverts analog signals to 1080p over HDMI output; automatic speaker calibration; decent video quality on upconverted video signals.
The bad: Terrible remote; difficult setup; competition offers more HDMI inputs for less money; no graphical user interface.
The bottom line: The Denon AVR-1909 sounds great and is fully featured, but isn't the easiest receiver to set up and use.
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5. |
Marantz SR6003 A/V receiver
First take
This midrange receiver packs a competent 700W amplifier plus three HDMI 1.3a inputs and two outputs--meaning you can connect to a projector and flat-panel TV. Furthermore, ease of use appears to be a key factor with its simplified fascia, Audyssey auto audio calibration and onscreen color graphical user interface.
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Tags:
1080p,
TV,
disc,
movie,
video
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