HDMI technology keeps getting cheaper. The new TX-SR505 by Onkyo is a 7.1 channel home theater receiver with significant upgrades from its previous budget model the TX-SR501.
At 75 Watts through seven discreet channels at 8 ohms Onkyo’s new TX-SR505 avoids diving into the 100 watt per channel rating. It’s significant that most budget receivers by lesser manufacturers obsess over an impressive sounding 100 watts per channel. They dole out that 100 W rating like blocks of government cheese. It’s a sales psychology tactic that appeals to the caveman instinct.
“Ugh, 100 Watts – GOOD!”
It might be construed as ironic to some that watts per channel really says little of an amplifier's power and fidelity. Higher end manufacturers don’t pander to the 100 Watt baseline that afflicts gear aimed at a less educated demographic. Here’s a challenge; find a Sony receiver (non-ES) rated at less than 100 watts per channel and you’ll know what I am talking about.
Onkyo isn’t a high end manufacturer and that’s exactly why I am writing about this unit. It’s aimed at the budget crowd with an MSRP of only $300. This is a receiver with two HDMI inputs and an HDMI out for full HDCP compatibility for your HDTV. It seems like only a year ago you couldn’t touch an HDMI receiver for less than a couple of grand.
It can pass through HD video through it’s HDMI with resolutions up to 1080P. Sorry, upsampling is not included. But it does have one of those fancy new gadgets built in that tunes the receiver’s outputs to your room all by itself. Onkyo calls it Audyssey 2EQ and it really does work wonders for calibrating sound to your home theater room.
The new receiver comes in charcoal grey for that 90s look or the modern ‘retro’ silver face for that 70s feel. But what's going to be the new look of the current decade? One thing’s for sure, a home theater receiver can never look postmodern. That’s because nobody ever had an ironic music listening experience.
