Of all the receivers we see, the Onkyo TX-NR1008 has one of the most complete set of features. It of course supports 3D TV and Audio Return from a TV over HDMI. Of course it supports playback of all kinds of audio from both network and USB sources, including a wealth of Internet radio stations and the music that you have on your computer network, using the DLNA communication standard.
And of course it supports all the DVD and Blu-ray audio standards you can think of, including Dolby Pro Logic IIz with its front height stereo speakers. But unlike many home theatre receivers, it doesn’t just play lip-service to IIz, making you choose between it (5.1 plus height) and the more common 7.1 formats. It allows you to have a full 9.1 speakers of sound (7.1 plus height) at the same time.
Should you not want to take advantage of this, then you can re-deploy the extra channels to other purposes, such as bi-amping the front speakers or driving speakers in another zone.
And it does all of this extremely well. The power amplifiers are highly rated (so you can give that second or third zone a real hit if you like). The Audyssey automatic setup facilities did their job, providing the correct balance between the various speakers and excellent room EQ as well (you can choose to switch this off if you prefer).
The Faroudja DCDi video conversion circuitry produced a very nice upscaled picture from 576i sources. And the 3D video pass-through was solid.
You get two HDMI outputs, which is always useful in home theatre setups where a projector is in use, so you can have a plasma or LCD also plugged for daily use, and never need to swap plugs.
With excellent sound, high performance from its amplifiers and a complete feature set, the Onkyo TX-NR1008 has everything needed from a home theatre receiver.
