- Network capability for Internet radio and streaming audio files (MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, FLAC, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, LPCM)
- 135 Watts per channel at 8 Ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC
- 7 HDMI inputs (1 front/6 rear) and 2 outputs; pop-open/close front access panel
- Audyssey DSX and Dolby Pro Logic IIz for new surround channels
- ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) Video Calibration and HDMI video upscaling to 1080p
Product Features |
Product Information
Technical Details
| Brand Name | Onkyo |
| Item Weight | 41 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 17.1 x 17.1 x 7.8 inches |
| Item model number | TX-NR1008 |
Additional Information
| ASIN | B003PGR130 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #80,325 in Electronics (See top 100) |
| Shipping Weight | 50 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) |
| Shipping | Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. |
| Shipping Advisory: | This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply. |
| Date First Available | June 4, 2010 |
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Product Description
From the Manufacturer
The TX-NR1008 is an upper-mid-range A/V powerhouse designed to give you maximum setup flexibility in the home. Its 9.2 speaker channels let you enjoy a multichannel source in your main room, plus powered audio in two other rooms. Or you can use the extra channels to take full advantage of the new surround dimensions of Audyssey DSX™ and Dolby® Pro Logic® IIz. Other processing highlights include DTS-HD Master Audio™ and Dolby® TrueHD for pristine lossless audio on Blu-ray Disc, and HDMI upscaling of all video sources to 1080p with Faroudja DCDi Cinema™. As a network A/V receiver compatible with Windows® 7 and DLNA, the TX-NR1008 lets you stream audio from your PC or from Internet radio channels such as vTuner and SIRIUS. Set up and calibration are easy and accurate, thanks to ISF video calibration, a new overlaid graphical on-screen display, and Audyssey room correction and equalization. Bi-amping capability and a smorgasbord of the latest connections complete what is an outstanding entertainment package.
The seven HDMI 1.4a inputs on the TX-NR1008 let you simultaneously connect high-def sources such as a Blu-ray player, a gaming console, and a cable/satellite tuner. And the two HDMI outputs let you send a pristine signal at the same time to two different high-resolution displays. As the latest version of this connector, HDMI 1.4a adds the exciting possibilities of 3D video and an Audio Return Channel. 3D video is the next big thing in home entertainment, with movie, game, and broadcast content on the increase and 3D-compatible TVs coming to market. The TX-NR1008 also offers the convenience of an Audio Return Channel via HDMI. Audio content received directly by your HDTV’s tuner can be sent “upstream” to your A/V receiver, without the need for a separate S/PDIF audio cable. Windows® 7 Compatible PC Audio and Internet Radio As one of Onkyo’s new breed of receivers that can link directly to the Internet or to your home PC via a local network, the TX-NR1008 takes streaming audio and Internet radio to a whole new level. MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, FLAC, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, and LPCM audio files—whether on your PC or from the Internet—can now be played back through your main system with unprecedented power and fidelity. The TX-NR1008 brings to life a huge array of Internet radio channels from Pandora®, SIRIUS Internet Radio®, vTuner, and more*. As well as being compatible with earlier platforms, the receiver is compatible with Microsoft’s new Windows 7 platform, which includes the DLNA 1.5-specified "Play To" media-streaming feature. Another benefit of having the TX-NR1008 connected to the Internet is that you can then easily update its firmware. Audyssey DSX™ and Dolby® Pro Logic® IIz Surround Sound The TX-NR1008 handles two new surround-sound technologies from Audyssey and Dolby that offer exciting new ways to set up the speakers in your home theater system. Audyssey DSX lets you incorporate "front wide" speakers, in place of the usual surround back speakers, to expand the width of the soundstage. Set up at a recommended 60° off center, these channels help to produce a more realistic soundstage and a more immersive listening experience. Alternatively, Audyssey DSX can reconfigure the TX-NR1008’s surround back channels to deliver "front height" channels. These channels carry ambient, non-directional audio that adds a new vertical dimension to your movies and games. Dolby Pro Logic IIz provides a similar front-height speaker option that likewise works to create a more enveloping home theater experience. THX Select2 Plus certification is specified for rooms where the screen-to-seat viewing distance is 10 to 12 feet and the room volume is around 2000 cubic feet. To achieve THX Select2 Plus certification, the TX-NR1008 had to meet the world’s most demanding standards for home theater audio quality and performance, and play at reference volume levels with minimal distortion. ISF (Image Science Foundation) Video Calibration The TX-NR1008 is equipped with industry-leading ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) video calibration to dramatically improve your home theater by enabling you to adjust the brightness, hue, contrast, saturation, and gamma levels on all video inputs. Transforming your A/V receiver into a video hub, this function ensures that every video source is independently calibrated for your connected high definition display. What’s more, ISF video calibration has been shown to improve energy savings in displays and projectors by up to 50%. HDMI Video Upscaling to 1080p with Faroudja Dcdi Cinema™ When it comes to video processing, Faroudja Dcdi Cinema offers several advantages. This processor can accept any video signal, regardless of the source resolution, and upscale it to 1080p to match the native resolution of your high-definition display. What’s more, Dcdi Cinema effectively removes video artifacts such as jagged edges during the video signal de-interlacing process. You get to enjoy smooth progressive scan video images, even for fast-moving sports and action scenes. PLL (Phase Locked Loop) Jitter-Cleaning Circuit Technology Jitter is an unwanted side-effect of the digital-to-analog conversion process. Caused by fluctuations in the time domain of a digital signal, jitter has a detrimental impact on perceived audio quality. PLL jitter-cleaning circuit technology reduces jitter by comparing the input and output phases of the digital signal and creating an accurate clock waveform. This enhances the precision of digital signal processing and noticeably improves audio quality. Jitter-cleaning technology works both for digital signals input via HDMI and for digital signals converted from analog signals inside the receiver itself. Playback of Different Audio Sources in Up to Three Rooms With Powered Zone 2/3, you can enjoy surround sound entertainment in the main room, while playing back different stereo sources in a second and third zone, each equipped with a pair of speakers. Alternatively, you can use the Zone 2 and Zone 3 pre-outs to send separate, unamplified audio signals to amplifiers (and speakers) in a second and third room. Naturally, you also have the option of distributing the same audio source to two or three zones simultaneously.
The TX-NR1008’s remote controller offers the convenience of controlling a wide range of other devices connected to the receiver. You can select your connected devices from an on-screen list and preprogram your desired settings for each device. The receiver itself can then send these settings automatically to the remote controller. Furthermore, the TX-NR1008 lets you set up macro presets for up to four activity modes, which you can control via mode-key LEDs on the remote controller. A single button-press of "My Movie," for example, can simultaneously turn on the receiver, display, and Blu-ray player to your preprogrammed settings and start playing a disc automatically. Key Features
Onkyo TX-NR1008 9.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver, indoor FM antenna, AM loop antenna, speaker cable labels, speaker setup microphone, instruction manual, quick start guide, remote controller, AA (R6) batteries (2). Technical Specifications
**SIRIUS Satellite Radio requires separate purchase of subscription, compatible tuner, and antenna. |
Product Description
The TX-NR1008 is an upper-mid-range A/V powerhouse designed to give you maximum set-up flexibility in the home. Its 9.2 speaker channels let you enjoy a multichannel source in your main room, plus powered audio in two other rooms. Or you can use the extra channels to take full advantage of the new surround dimensions of Audyssey DSX and Dolby Pro Logic IIz. Other processing highlights include DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD for pristine lossless audio on Blu-ray Disc, and HDMI upscaling of all video sources to 1080p with Faroudja DCDi Cinema. As a network A/V receiver compatible with Windows 7 and DLNA, the TX-NR1008 lets you stream audio from your PC or from internet radio channels such as vTuner and SIRIUS. Set up and calibration are easy and accurate, thanks to ISF video calibration, a new overlaid graphical on-screen display, and Audyssey room correction and equalization. Bi-amping capability and a smorgasbord of the latest connections complete what is an outstanding entertainment package.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 60 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Tame the confusion of audio and video in your home; but with no warranty
October 15, 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase
EDIT: Downgraded from 5 to 2 stars for spectacular warranty service failure on the part of Onkyo. See below.
You know how it is. Take a look at your entertainment area. How many pieces of hardware are sitting there? A TV, a cable box, maybe DirecTV; a CD player, maybe an iPod dock. DVD player? Blu-ray disc player? Old VCR? An Airport Express for AirTunes, perhaps? How about a PS3, an Xbox, a Wii? Apple TV? Slingbox? Hulu player? Mac mini media station? How many speakers you got? 5? 7? 9? Maybe there are speakers elsewhere in the house, and you'd like to be able to watch TV here and listen to music there? Do you like Pandora satellite radio? What about XM HD?
Of course, all your hardware is cutting edge, just bought yesterday, right? No? HDMI, component, S-video, coax analog video, coax digital video - how many formats you got? Your TV - is it 1080p, or 1080i? What about your audio? All digital? Digital optical, digital coax - or do we have some good old RCA jacks? White/Red left/right? Or are we talking about a full surround setup? Maybe you're like me and have a legacy pair of Tannoy bookshelf monitors, coaxial cones, that sound fantastic bi-amped. And maybe that last sentence sounded like the ravings of a lunatic.)
I don't know what you got. And neither do the good folks at Onkyo. So in this one grand box, they have provided doggone near as many solutions as you could possibly need.
For video, it can take 6 HDMI inputs, and send them to one or two outputs, a main (and if desired a sub) output. Upcoding can be disabled; or everything can be auto-upcoded; or you can force everything to upcode to a certain rez. Since my old TV only supports 1080i, I needed the ability to force up and downcoding to that format; the lower-line Onkyos only upcode to 1080p and that wouldn't have worked. There are also about a gazillion other ways to input video into this beast, and you can configure the machine to link any input to any button on your remote. For example, I have my PS3 coded to the 'game' circuit, whereas my DirecTV box is "CBL/SAT". The machine is fully HDMI 1.4a compliant, which means upcoming 3D will work right out of the box; and it supports HDMI audio return, although when you really find out what that is you may not want it.
For audio, it can take 2 optical audio, or 3 digital coaxial audio, or about 1 gazillion RCA-type audio inputs, amplify them, and output them direct to your speakers. If you want a 9.2 super surround setup, with R,L, center, R/L front high,R/L front wide, R/L surround, R/L surround rear, and a powered sub or two: this box gets the job done. However, in that case, there are no amps to spare for zone 2 or zone 3, which means that you'll need a separate power amp to power those separate zones.
If you want powered zones, you have to sacrifice some of your surround speakers. For me, I wanted 5.1 surround with bi-amped front speakers (the tweeters and woofers of the fronts are powered each by a different amp), so I lost powered Zone 2; I still have powered Zone 3. Zone 3 routes to a pair of outdoor speakers on my deck, so I can relax with Pandora Internet jazz (ah, Thelonious my old friend) while my lady is inside watching the cackling buffoons on Project Runway in all their hideous glory.
You do have to hook the machine up to a hub that is gatewayed to your Internet connection, and that has to be a wired connection. I use an Airport Express to bridge my home wireless network to a cat6 cable that connects to the Onkyo; this setup has the added benefit of AirTunes, which, via a mini-phones cable (or 3.5 mm mini optical to TOSLINK, your choice) serves up my iTunes library to the amp, and that process can be controlled from my Mac laptop or iPhone. Wow, it gets technical. Thank goodness the Onkyo menu is clear and easy to read. I will say, make sure the Internet is up, connected, and actively serving to your Onkyo before you power the Onkyo on for the first time; or you will have some difficulty getting connected later (you'll have to go into the Network setup area and 'save' the network settings. The firmware upgrade is highly recommended. It takes 45 minutes; the RHMI setting has to be 'off', and the amp has to be in USB mode for it to work; that was annoying.
Sound fidelity is awesome and the settings are intuitive. I especially appreciate the myriad ways of dealing with power-on loudness; you can make sure you never blow out your speakers, or your eardrums, by navigating the easy to use menu.
One thing I wish I'd known before I bought this unit: the powered Zone 2s and Zone 3s can only accept analog sources. That means that optical audio and coax-digital audio cannot be piped to your zone 2 and zone 3. Luckily, most devices that serve that kind of audio also output analog audio; you can just plug that audio into a separate input and route *that* to Zone 2 or 3 instead. Annoying, but understandable; probably saved Onkyo a few bucks. Internet radio behaves like an analog source for this purpose, and that's a blessing.
The remote, which is backlit and easy to use, can also be programmed as a universal remote, which is handy, although it is IR, not RF, so it will never truly be the Master of All Remotes.
Internet radio on this baby is AWESOME. I can't get over having my own Pandora station outside on my deck; Onkyo also contracted with a company called vTuner that provides about a thousand channels. The Pandora client is full featured, lets you reconfigure and approve/disapprove of music, and even shows the album cover art on screen. Pandora streams to this beast at 128 kbps joint stereo, which is PandoraOne quality - regular Pandora is 64kbps aacPlus joint, which is compressed and tinny - but you don't need to subscribe, and I've yet to hear an ad.
Let's not forget Audyssey DSX: it is a little mike that you put at ear height at each listening area (i.e., chair) in your quiet surround sound field, and the machine automatically configures each speaker level and EQ to preset specs. It works really well, and the task is something that took dozens of hours to do by hand in older surround sound setups.
So yeah, this baby tames the confusion, knocks out its opponents (there is nothing else available below the $5K pricepoint that accomplishes everything I mentioned above) and unifies the audio-video title, sort of like Mike Tyson did to the heavyweight championship. I think you gotta be a little bit of an AV geek to set it up, but my lady, who is not all that geeky, instantly understood the remote - it's pretty much nearly one-touch.
EDIT Sep 2011: The machine started flashing its red light one day about 11 months after I bought it, which by the manual suggested it had entered 'protection mode'. I unplugged it, disconnected all connections, and waited a day as the manual suggested, then plugged it back it. It promptly caught fire - I am talking about large orange burst of flame inside the unit. Not safe; plastic was burning. I shipped it to the authorized service center, which cost about $60. 3 weeks later, I received an email with photos of a few hairs inside the unit. I called and was told that the hairs invalidated the warranty, that it would cost $250 up front to receive an estimate for how much it would cost to repair the unit, and that if not, I could pay shipping to receive the defective unit back.
I didn't abuse this unit. I don't have pets who could have gotten hair into the unit. This means, to me, that the Onkyo warranty is a sham. There is no way a few hairs in the unit could have caused a fire hot enough to melt plastic - if the hairs were even really there before I shipped it; I doubt they were. Looking around on the Internet, I found plenty of stories like mine. Onkyo is well known for not honoring its warranty when it ships defective products.
Understand, then, when you buy an Onkyo receiver you are buying a disposable product whose warranty will not be honored; and which, therefore, essentially has no warranty. I have downgraded my rating considerably based on this fact, which I wish I would have known before purchase.
You know how it is. Take a look at your entertainment area. How many pieces of hardware are sitting there? A TV, a cable box, maybe DirecTV; a CD player, maybe an iPod dock. DVD player? Blu-ray disc player? Old VCR? An Airport Express for AirTunes, perhaps? How about a PS3, an Xbox, a Wii? Apple TV? Slingbox? Hulu player? Mac mini media station? How many speakers you got? 5? 7? 9? Maybe there are speakers elsewhere in the house, and you'd like to be able to watch TV here and listen to music there? Do you like Pandora satellite radio? What about XM HD?
Of course, all your hardware is cutting edge, just bought yesterday, right? No? HDMI, component, S-video, coax analog video, coax digital video - how many formats you got? Your TV - is it 1080p, or 1080i? What about your audio? All digital? Digital optical, digital coax - or do we have some good old RCA jacks? White/Red left/right? Or are we talking about a full surround setup? Maybe you're like me and have a legacy pair of Tannoy bookshelf monitors, coaxial cones, that sound fantastic bi-amped. And maybe that last sentence sounded like the ravings of a lunatic.)
I don't know what you got. And neither do the good folks at Onkyo. So in this one grand box, they have provided doggone near as many solutions as you could possibly need.
For video, it can take 6 HDMI inputs, and send them to one or two outputs, a main (and if desired a sub) output. Upcoding can be disabled; or everything can be auto-upcoded; or you can force everything to upcode to a certain rez. Since my old TV only supports 1080i, I needed the ability to force up and downcoding to that format; the lower-line Onkyos only upcode to 1080p and that wouldn't have worked. There are also about a gazillion other ways to input video into this beast, and you can configure the machine to link any input to any button on your remote. For example, I have my PS3 coded to the 'game' circuit, whereas my DirecTV box is "CBL/SAT". The machine is fully HDMI 1.4a compliant, which means upcoming 3D will work right out of the box; and it supports HDMI audio return, although when you really find out what that is you may not want it.
For audio, it can take 2 optical audio, or 3 digital coaxial audio, or about 1 gazillion RCA-type audio inputs, amplify them, and output them direct to your speakers. If you want a 9.2 super surround setup, with R,L, center, R/L front high,R/L front wide, R/L surround, R/L surround rear, and a powered sub or two: this box gets the job done. However, in that case, there are no amps to spare for zone 2 or zone 3, which means that you'll need a separate power amp to power those separate zones.
If you want powered zones, you have to sacrifice some of your surround speakers. For me, I wanted 5.1 surround with bi-amped front speakers (the tweeters and woofers of the fronts are powered each by a different amp), so I lost powered Zone 2; I still have powered Zone 3. Zone 3 routes to a pair of outdoor speakers on my deck, so I can relax with Pandora Internet jazz (ah, Thelonious my old friend) while my lady is inside watching the cackling buffoons on Project Runway in all their hideous glory.
You do have to hook the machine up to a hub that is gatewayed to your Internet connection, and that has to be a wired connection. I use an Airport Express to bridge my home wireless network to a cat6 cable that connects to the Onkyo; this setup has the added benefit of AirTunes, which, via a mini-phones cable (or 3.5 mm mini optical to TOSLINK, your choice) serves up my iTunes library to the amp, and that process can be controlled from my Mac laptop or iPhone. Wow, it gets technical. Thank goodness the Onkyo menu is clear and easy to read. I will say, make sure the Internet is up, connected, and actively serving to your Onkyo before you power the Onkyo on for the first time; or you will have some difficulty getting connected later (you'll have to go into the Network setup area and 'save' the network settings. The firmware upgrade is highly recommended. It takes 45 minutes; the RHMI setting has to be 'off', and the amp has to be in USB mode for it to work; that was annoying.
Sound fidelity is awesome and the settings are intuitive. I especially appreciate the myriad ways of dealing with power-on loudness; you can make sure you never blow out your speakers, or your eardrums, by navigating the easy to use menu.
One thing I wish I'd known before I bought this unit: the powered Zone 2s and Zone 3s can only accept analog sources. That means that optical audio and coax-digital audio cannot be piped to your zone 2 and zone 3. Luckily, most devices that serve that kind of audio also output analog audio; you can just plug that audio into a separate input and route *that* to Zone 2 or 3 instead. Annoying, but understandable; probably saved Onkyo a few bucks. Internet radio behaves like an analog source for this purpose, and that's a blessing.
The remote, which is backlit and easy to use, can also be programmed as a universal remote, which is handy, although it is IR, not RF, so it will never truly be the Master of All Remotes.
Internet radio on this baby is AWESOME. I can't get over having my own Pandora station outside on my deck; Onkyo also contracted with a company called vTuner that provides about a thousand channels. The Pandora client is full featured, lets you reconfigure and approve/disapprove of music, and even shows the album cover art on screen. Pandora streams to this beast at 128 kbps joint stereo, which is PandoraOne quality - regular Pandora is 64kbps aacPlus joint, which is compressed and tinny - but you don't need to subscribe, and I've yet to hear an ad.
Let's not forget Audyssey DSX: it is a little mike that you put at ear height at each listening area (i.e., chair) in your quiet surround sound field, and the machine automatically configures each speaker level and EQ to preset specs. It works really well, and the task is something that took dozens of hours to do by hand in older surround sound setups.
So yeah, this baby tames the confusion, knocks out its opponents (there is nothing else available below the $5K pricepoint that accomplishes everything I mentioned above) and unifies the audio-video title, sort of like Mike Tyson did to the heavyweight championship. I think you gotta be a little bit of an AV geek to set it up, but my lady, who is not all that geeky, instantly understood the remote - it's pretty much nearly one-touch.
EDIT Sep 2011: The machine started flashing its red light one day about 11 months after I bought it, which by the manual suggested it had entered 'protection mode'. I unplugged it, disconnected all connections, and waited a day as the manual suggested, then plugged it back it. It promptly caught fire - I am talking about large orange burst of flame inside the unit. Not safe; plastic was burning. I shipped it to the authorized service center, which cost about $60. 3 weeks later, I received an email with photos of a few hairs inside the unit. I called and was told that the hairs invalidated the warranty, that it would cost $250 up front to receive an estimate for how much it would cost to repair the unit, and that if not, I could pay shipping to receive the defective unit back.
I didn't abuse this unit. I don't have pets who could have gotten hair into the unit. This means, to me, that the Onkyo warranty is a sham. There is no way a few hairs in the unit could have caused a fire hot enough to melt plastic - if the hairs were even really there before I shipped it; I doubt they were. Looking around on the Internet, I found plenty of stories like mine. Onkyo is well known for not honoring its warranty when it ships defective products.
Understand, then, when you buy an Onkyo receiver you are buying a disposable product whose warranty will not be honored; and which, therefore, essentially has no warranty. I have downgraded my rating considerably based on this fact, which I wish I would have known before purchase.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By green field
Amazon Verified Purchase
The unit is treasure trove of features, but there's one open issue over an HDCP error when the two HDMI outputs are both active. This problem only occurs with the cable box, not Blueray or other video sources, so it may be an issue with the Comcast/Motorola STB, as some generation Motorola STBs have been known to fail through any receiver repeater, let alone two.
Since Onkyo's tech support is so obtuse, it's hard to conclude if it's their problem or not. Their answers tend have the binary range of "not our problem" to "replace the unit" without any real interest in diagnostics. They admit that they only have a Direct TV Cbl/Sat STB, and don't know how it behaves with anything else.
Apart from that, the performance is fantastic. The fidelity is beautiful and there's support for just about every audio codec. The non XT version of Audyssey MultiEQ and Select2 vs Ultra THX are mainly a factor for rooms larger than 2000 cubic feet that need very granular tuning of speaker arrays. The provided Audyssey features are powerful, and easy to set up. I especially appreciate the Dynamic volume, which has already contained numerous blaring commercials. It's also useful to know this has full support for 1.4a, also called high speed HDMI. The single possible shortcoming of this model compared to substantially costlier ones may be its Faroudja vs the Reon upscaler, but that's only important for content that isn't already high def, since their deinterlacing from 1080i to 1080p should be the same. Beyond that, the audio return channel is a bonus if you want to get audio from an OTA tuner, just using HDMI instead of an extra audio cable, and remote over HDMI will be handy for later components that support it.
The internet features are also comprehensive. There's such a range of them however that there's no direct access to each, not even on the OSD, so they must be stepped through on the display. An enhancement in the OSD for direct access would be useful. They conveniently offer a free vTuner account, along with easy access to other free services like Pandora, and access to pay services like Rhapsody, Sirius, Napster and others along with DLNA support for local music storage. For those with iPads, the oRemote app can directly access more than the OSD using WiFi, (though its interface could use some contextual awareness). There's also a less comprehensive app that runs on the iPhone called OnkoTron that can at least handle remote zones without an IR repeater.
It's likely that the HDCP problem is on the STB side, (Motorola DCH-3416), but I'll only confirm that because Amazon has been so cooperative with a replacement unit that I'll try shortly. Hopefully Onkyo will eventually find it more cost effective to train support staff than refurbish returns, (though I'll probably be able to confirm this without having to open Amazon's replacement).
It was a close call between this model and the Yamaha RX-867. The Denon 3311 and Marantz 7005 models are attractive too, though more expensive, (but their absence of controls on their chassis, requiring the remote to access some central functions, doesn't appeal to me). Aside from my dual HDMI issue, this qualifies as one of the most complete, high fidelity media managers available. The higher cost alternatives only slightly improve the quality of some components, but can barely provide a feature the 1008 doesn't have, at its more than ample performance. It seems that, while Onkyo may have spared some expense on their customer support, they've invested wisely enough in their engineering to make a surprisingly high level of performance relatively affordable.
Since Onkyo's tech support is so obtuse, it's hard to conclude if it's their problem or not. Their answers tend have the binary range of "not our problem" to "replace the unit" without any real interest in diagnostics. They admit that they only have a Direct TV Cbl/Sat STB, and don't know how it behaves with anything else.
Apart from that, the performance is fantastic. The fidelity is beautiful and there's support for just about every audio codec. The non XT version of Audyssey MultiEQ and Select2 vs Ultra THX are mainly a factor for rooms larger than 2000 cubic feet that need very granular tuning of speaker arrays. The provided Audyssey features are powerful, and easy to set up. I especially appreciate the Dynamic volume, which has already contained numerous blaring commercials. It's also useful to know this has full support for 1.4a, also called high speed HDMI. The single possible shortcoming of this model compared to substantially costlier ones may be its Faroudja vs the Reon upscaler, but that's only important for content that isn't already high def, since their deinterlacing from 1080i to 1080p should be the same. Beyond that, the audio return channel is a bonus if you want to get audio from an OTA tuner, just using HDMI instead of an extra audio cable, and remote over HDMI will be handy for later components that support it.
The internet features are also comprehensive. There's such a range of them however that there's no direct access to each, not even on the OSD, so they must be stepped through on the display. An enhancement in the OSD for direct access would be useful. They conveniently offer a free vTuner account, along with easy access to other free services like Pandora, and access to pay services like Rhapsody, Sirius, Napster and others along with DLNA support for local music storage. For those with iPads, the oRemote app can directly access more than the OSD using WiFi, (though its interface could use some contextual awareness). There's also a less comprehensive app that runs on the iPhone called OnkoTron that can at least handle remote zones without an IR repeater.
It's likely that the HDCP problem is on the STB side, (Motorola DCH-3416), but I'll only confirm that because Amazon has been so cooperative with a replacement unit that I'll try shortly. Hopefully Onkyo will eventually find it more cost effective to train support staff than refurbish returns, (though I'll probably be able to confirm this without having to open Amazon's replacement).
It was a close call between this model and the Yamaha RX-867. The Denon 3311 and Marantz 7005 models are attractive too, though more expensive, (but their absence of controls on their chassis, requiring the remote to access some central functions, doesn't appeal to me). Aside from my dual HDMI issue, this qualifies as one of the most complete, high fidelity media managers available. The higher cost alternatives only slightly improve the quality of some components, but can barely provide a feature the 1008 doesn't have, at its more than ample performance. It seems that, while Onkyo may have spared some expense on their customer support, they've invested wisely enough in their engineering to make a surprisingly high level of performance relatively affordable.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By cram
Amazon Verified Purchase
straight to the point. My beloved kenwood receiver of 10 years got too old and couldn't keep up. I kept the kenwood speakers and I thought they wouldn't be able to sound as good but they came a live. the onkyo sounds great, the setup was a breeze. The on scrren display made it even easier. My setup is with 5 speakers and I had to buy a powered sub klipch. I also used the one of the zones for the backyard rockspeaker which sounds incrdible. When I'm outside I play the internet radio and make watering and cutong grass a fun job. Love that I had all this hdmi inputs. The remote controls everything I have coneccted except for the game console. I really don't have any negative things to say. It was well worth the price. Let's just say eveything I wanted to do it does for me. Hope this help you make your mind about buying it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
A major problem a year
I bought my 1008 in march of 2011. once it was al set up it worked fantastic and i couldn't have been happier. Read more
Published 6 months ago by bluebeema
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful!
I've owned this reciever for almost a year now, and except for the remote problem this receiver has been great. Onkyo service has been great and the repair was quick. Read more
Published 15 months ago by not now, I'm busy
1.0 out of 5 stars
Good sound but lack conectivity in iRadio
I recieved it on 06/26/2011 but rapidly I discovered problems with iRadio and Pandora. In the front display of the receiver only kept showing [ iRadio Buferring 100% ].
Published 17 months ago by JCPS
1.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing but problems.
I purchased the TX-NR1008 Onkyo receiver about seven months ago on Amazon. After two months the receiver started turning on and off continuously, so the warranty covered getting it... Read more
Published 18 months ago by J. Dean
1.0 out of 5 stars
stay away
Loved it until the problems started. Like many others I have a unit that cycles thruogh all audio setups, the remote doesn't work, I have to unplug it to turn it off. Read more
Published 18 months ago by jess1983
1.0 out of 5 stars
Unhappy with receiver
I purchased an Onkyo receiver in April, 2011. I also purchased an extended warranty and now in August I needed warranty repair service. Read more
Published 19 months ago by MinnesotaMomma
1.0 out of 5 stars
Great Receiver - but not dependable
I purchased this receiver in February, 2011 as an upgrade to my older Onkyo. I was very impressed with the sound and operational abilities of this receiver: it exceeded all my... Read more
Published 20 months ago by E. T. Hildebrand
2.0 out of 5 stars
Onkyo Customer No-service...
The product works great - for about 6 months. Then expect to be without the unit for 6-8 weeks (possibly more) for the "no-service" center to diagnos and repair problem, only to... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mark D. Eystad
1.0 out of 5 stars
BIG Problem!
January 2011 we purchased the NR1008 after reading many reviews. Unfortunately, the other one star review is correct. The unit froze and will not turn off. Read more
Published 22 months ago by OM's Mom
1.0 out of 5 stars
I loved it until...it went flaky
I bought this a few months ago on Amazon. I've been using it as a switch for all of my HDMI sources (haven't used any Non-HDMI) and I use both HDMI outs (to two TVs in adjacent... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Seymour
