Upper Saddle River, N.J. — Two new TX-series networked A/V receivers from Onkyo include the company’s first receiver that supports HDMI 2.0 connections and HDCP 2.2 copy protection.
Both are also the company’s first with HDMI connections that support 4K video with 60Hz frame rates and first to support the 21:9 widescreen format.
With the launch, the company is also lowering the opening price point for TX-series AVRs with built-in Bluetooth and built-in Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n to a suggested $499 from $599.
The two receivers — both networked — are the $499-suggested 5.2-channel TX-NR535 and $699 7.2-channel TX-NR636, which features HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2. They become available in March and April, respectively.
Compared with their predecessors, Onkyo is also adding double-DSD playback and gapless playback of downloaded music, a new room-correction technology called AccuEQ, and compressed-music optimizer support for stereo Bluetooth. The step-up NR636 also adds a phono input.
Both new models support 4K/60Hz passthrough via HDMI, a feature that Onkyo said would be especially appreciated by PC gamers playing 4K/60Hz games.
The $699 TX-NR636 adds 4K up-scaling and HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2 digital rights management on one of its six rear HDMI inputs. HDCP 2.2 will be adopted for future premium 4K studio releases, 4K streaming via internet service providers, and future 4K terrestrial and satellite broadcasts, Onkyo said. Such copy-protected content will either be unplayable or converted to standard definition when passed through non-HDCP 2.2-compliant AVR, the company said.
Both new models feature built-in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and DLNA 1.5 networking, DSD and 5.6MHz double-DSD decoding, 192kHz/24-bit FLAC and WAV playback and 96/24 ALAC playback. Their built-in Internet radio and streaming services are TuneIn Radio, Pandora, Slacker, SiriusXM Internet Radio, Spotify and Aupeo.
In the Onkyo AVRs, DLNA 1.5 enables streaming of downloaded music from networked computers and NAS devices and iOS and Android mobile devices equipped with Onkyo’s free remote app. The app also locates and streams tracks stored on a DLNA-equipped computer or NAS drive. The app also streams tracks from Spotify, Deezer, Aupeo and TuneIn from within the app.
Via a firmware upgrade later the year, the AVRs will support Spotify Connect, enabling subscribers to stream Spotify to the receiver via Wi-Fi directly from the Spotify app.
With Onkyo’s proprietary AccuEQ calibration, both models tailor surround sound playback to a room’s acoustics and speaker complements. AccuEQ replaces Audyssey’s MultEQ room correction.
Both models also feature USB input supporting most lossless-audio formats stored on flash-memory devices. Both come with onscreen menus overlaid via HDMI, enabling adjustments to be made without interrupting video playback.
On the TX-NR636, audio processing power has been upgraded from one to two 32-bit DSP engines.
The $499 TX-NR535 features six rear 4K/60 Hz-capable HDMI inputs and one output with ability to pass 4K/60 Hz content through to a compatible display.
The $699 TX-NR636 also features six rear HDMI inputs but adds two HDMI outputs and one MHL-enabled front HDMI input. On the TX-NR636, 4K/60Hz video is supported on rear HDMI inputs one through four, on the front HDMI input one through four, and on both HDMI outputs. HDCP 2.2 is supported on HDMI input three and on the main HDMI out.
The NR636 also adds MM phono stage for a turntable and a dedicated powered-zone two terminals for multiroom audio. Users can also assign the surround back channels to bi-amp their front left-right speakers.
The $699 model also features Dolby Pro Logic IIz 7.1-channel up-mixing and 4K and 1080p up-scaling via Qdeo up-scaling technology.
The company is carrying over its $279-suggested TX-SR313.
