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High end Onkyo fans in Japan get Integra DTR-70.1, DTR-50.1 and DTR-40.1 receivers
Just in case its home market was feeling a bit jealous over the US release of the TX-NR807 and TX-SR707 AVRs, Onkyo Japan has brought the DTR-70.1, DTR-50.1 and DTR-40.1 receivers to its Integra lineup. The 250-, 230-, and 190-Watt ratings in the PR need some extra salt, as they're "6-Ohm, 1-channel driven" specs. That said, Onkyo receivers haven't been known to run out of gas; we just wish the specs had a little more real-world applicability. On a happier note, the DTR-70.1 and DTR-50.1 feature Reon HQV video processing and ISF calibration, and all three models get Dolby ProLogic IIz and Audyssey DSX surround processing in addition to network streaming capabilities from the "mere" Onkyo line. If you're waiting for the stateside arrival of these AVRs, there's much more info to be teased out of the machine translations below. [Via AkihabaraNews] Read - Onkyo Integra DTR-70.1 Read - Onkyo Integra DTR-50.1 Read - Onkyo Integra DTR-40.1
Onkyo TX-NR807 and TX-SR707 receivers keep the updates rolling
More than a few people have been interested in Onkyo's x07 receiver updates, and now the newness has come to the TX-SR707 and TX-NR807 models. The outgoing TX-SR706 and TX-SR806 models are well-specced to begin with, and thankfully Onkyo didn't mess with that formula. As you can guess from the "NR" designation, the $1,099 TX-NR807 adds in network streaming (including Pandora, Rhapsody, DLNA and Windows 7) to the 135-Watt/channel output. If you can do without the networking and only need 100-Watts, the TX-SR707 will save you a couple hundred bucks. Both models are THX Select2 badged, Faroudja scaling, and let you pick how to use your rear surround outputs by including both Dolby ProLogic IIz and Audyssey DSX processing. Like we said, Onkyo knows how to fill up the spec list, so head past the break for the full PR details.
Engadget goes behind the Dolby logo
With AV software and hardware alike carrying at least one Dolby logo, not to mention the presence of that same branding on big screen cinema, Dolby is truly a household name. If you ask people exactly what Dolby does, however, you're likely to get a pretty fuzzy picture, which isn't too surprising -- the brand is so prevalent in the media space that it's kind of like asking a fish to describe what water feels like. So when Dolby invited us to spend a day with them to talk about their current goings-on in home theater, we just couldn't pass up the opportunity.To get a look behind the familiar logo, we spent a day at Dolby's lab in San Francisco. During our time there we talked about TrueHD, Digital Plus, Dolby Volume, the new Pro Logic IIz, and even got a short peek at some current research efforts. It was a fast run over a lot of ground, for sure!
CNET shoots down the Dolby ProLogic IIz in Onkyo's TX-SR607 receiver
Onkyo's $599 TX-SR607 receiver made its way through CNET's auditioning room, and it sounds to us like it holds up Onkyo's tradition of delivering solid performance at entry-level prices. Even though the receiver got dinged for its big, boxy design (which we like, by the way), additional complaints about the unit running hot strikes us as a bit unfair. Given some breathing room, the Onkyo's audio performance stacked up favorably against a Denon 3808CI. At $599, we wouldn't come down too hard on the video upscaling performance; your display might do a fine job on that task anyways. Ah, but what about that new Dolby ProLogic IIz that's supposed to raise your roof? Well, it didn't seem to work for CNET at all -- on a variety of source material and even with boosted levels fed to the height speakers, the effect fell, well, flat. We'd suggest trying out DPL IIz before jumping into the multi-channel arms race.
Atlantic Technology's 1400 SR-z speakers aim for the high notes
No strangers to switchable bipole/dipole speakers, Atlantic Technology has jumped into the Dolby ProLogic IIz fray with the 1400 SR-z speakers. If the inclusion of a 'z' right in the name isn't enough to tell you that these will work with the Dolby wizardry to make your ceiling disappear, then the compact form factor will at least get you thinking about the idea. The pair of 3.5-inch drivers in each speaker are switchable between bipole and dipole dispersion, however, which should make these a fine choice for just about any surround speaker location. Look for them in the last half of May with an MSRP of $425 per pair, which sounds a little pricey to us for channels that don't need much bandwidth, but imagine what these might do with the overblown "stadium" surround mode on your receiver.
Denon releases AVC-1610 receiver in Japan
Denon released the AVC-1610 receiver to its Japanese customers, and we can only assume it will make its way to other markets soon as the replacement for, of course, the AVR-1609 model. The specs we teased out of the machine translation look pretty good -- the same 75-Watt (130-Watt maximum into 6-Ohms) amplification as the outgoing model, but HDMI inputs have moved up a notch to three, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA and Dolby ProLogic IIz have been added to the surround audio processing support, and analog-to-HDMI video conversion is now onboard as well, which should help clean things up your cabling. Now if Denon would only add preamp outputs to this model, we'd be set. The AVC-1610 is set for mid-May availability in Japan at ¥55,000 ($550), which should give interested shoppers plenty of time to start planning whether to buy a new AVR-1610 or score a deal on last year's AVR-1609.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Onkyo's TX-SR607 receiver stakes out the high ground with Dolby ProLogic IIz
Sure, your 7.1-channel setup does a great job of swarming Maverick, Iceman and Jester's jets all around you, but imagine how much better it would be to get vertical surround effects as well. Pick up an Onkyo TX-SR607 receiver (available next month for $599) and you can find out, thanks to its Dolby ProLogic IIz (DPL IIz) processing. Just put a couple more speakers high and tight above your front channels, hook them up and enjoy. Onkyo is kicking off the DPL IIz craze with the midrange TX-SR607, and will be rolling the feature out across its higher-spec models over the summer. If you're not so interested in more channels, even the more modest TX-SR507 ($399) and TX-SR307 ($299) models have been refreshed with a sprinkling of more HDMI inputs and support for HD audio codecs. Hit that link for the full details.
