Onkyo TX-DS787 Receiver.(Evaluation)

Manufacturer: Onkyo U.S.A. Corporation, 18 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458; 800/229-1687; www.onkyousa.com

Price: $1,049.95

Source: Manufacturer Loan

Reviewer: Howard Ferstler

The Onkyo TX-DS787 (hereafter mostly referred to as the 787) is a straightforward, very modern, cleanly designed, easy-to-set-up, easy-to-operate, attractive, and well-worth-its-price audio-video receiver.

OK, let's get some (but not all) of the more conspicuous movie-video-related details out of the way, before we get involved with its more audio-only related functions. The 787 is THX-Select certified ("Select" is somewhat less rigorous than the more upscale, more costly-to-implement "Ultra" certification), which means it will satisfy certain A/ V performance requirements that will be of interest to those for whom home theater is important. However, at least three of those THX features may still be important to those for whom home theater means little or nothing, and for whom high-quality audio performance means everything.

First, the certification means that every 787 actually will be able deliver its rated 100 watts-per-channel output into 8-ohm loads and 135 wpc into 6-ohm loads. Going beyond the THX mandate, the unit is rated to deliver two-channel dynamic power of up to 210 watts into 4 ohms. To prevent overheating at high output levels, the unit has an internal fan in the back. However, during all the time I ran it in both my main room and in my living room, I never heard the fan in operation. Either it never had to come on to cool things down or else it is a very quiet blower.