Onkyo TXSR 705 and TXSR 805 AV receivers.(Product/service evaluation)

Manufacturer: Onkyo USA, 18 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458; 201/785-2600; www.us.onkyo.com

Prices: $900 / $1100

Source: Manufacturer Loan

I am not listing all the features, I/O connections, and specifications to save space. The complete rundown is on the Onkyo website, but I do want to take advantage of Onkyo's nifty table for high-end AV receivers, which summarizes the progression of features for Onkyo's product line. A line in the sand is drawn with the TXSR705, which raises the bar to include an Audyssey MultEQ XT room equalizer and HDMI 1.3a inputs with full decoding of Dolby and DTS high resolution signals.

The Audyssey MultEQ XT is the best Audyssey room EQ found in an AV receiver. Other product literature aside, all Audyssey MultEQ XT enabled receivers use the same algorithms and achieve similar results with similarly-calibrated microphones of similar quality.

The HDMI 1.3a inputs improve the versatility of the Onkyo receiver. Using an Oppo universal player with updated software (see Ramblings for more on the software upgrade), I decoded SACD and DVD-A without problems. Note that not all HDMI 1.3a receivers can decode SACD DSD streams. You need to check the on line instruction manual before you make your purchase.

I do not have an HD DVD or Blu-Ray player, so cannot speak to compatibility issues with high-resolution 7.1 Dolby or DTS decoding; nor can I comment about the performance when special features, such as the second audio track, are engaged on a HD disc. Check for reviews of this product in magazines and webzines that emphasize video if high-definition video is on your to-do list for an AV receiver to see if they found compatibility issues.