In the world of audiovisual technology, the receiver sits at the head of the proverbial table. Yes, we need televisions, speakers, transmission devices and video game consoles, but without a powerful AV receiver to connect everything, our audiovisual experience would be half of what we expected.
Knowing this, Onkyo has loaded its 2018 flagship receiver, the TX-NR787, with a really amazing technology, which includes support Dolby Atmos and DTS: X, Dolby Surround and DTS Neural: X up-mixing, HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), HDR10 and Dolby Vision support and three audio zones.
According to its specifications, its basic configuration is a receiver of 9.2 channels but it supports an Atmos 5.1.4 configuration with a massive 220 watts per channel. It has seven HDMI ports at 4K / 60, plus step for HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, BT.2020 and HDCP 2.2. It comes with Chromecast built-in, but from the factory it supports DTS Play-Fi, AirPlay, Amazon Music, Spotify, TIDAL, Deezer, Pandora and TuneIn, in addition to 32-bit DSP.
New this year is AccuEQ Advance, a new premium multipoint room acoustic calibration system that eliminates standing waves that use three locations in the room to balance sound.
Taking into account all the contents of Onkyo, its price is surprising: it is only $ 799 (around £ 589, AU $ 1,059).
AVR and speakers in front of sound bars
One of the biggest attacks against AVR in the last decade has been the popularization of the sound bar, which offers a fast and easy way to improve the audio quality without having to deal with separate speaker cables or audio cabinets.
And, for a given audience, that's absolutely fine.
But if you're looking for a bigger sound, multiple HDMI support and rising scaling, you'll need an AV receiver. (Although, admittedly, it may not be as complete as the TX-NR787 when you first started)