Onkyo reveals budget AV receivers for 2015

The 5.1-channel TX-SR343 (£249, pictured below) is the first rung on Onkyo's home cinema ladder. To reflect its standing, the company claims to have given the amp a simpler design, including a completely revamped rear panel with clearer labelling and illustrations.

There's also built-in Bluetooth for wireless music streaming as well as DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD decoding.

But all eyes (and ears) will be on the forthcoming 7.2-channel TX-NR545 (pictured above), which looks set to go head-to-head with the recently announced Sony STR-DN1060 and Pioneer VSX-930.

The TX-NR545 is the most affordable receiver in Onkyo's range to support Dolby Atmos, and also features Wi-Fi, AirPlay, Bluetooth and Spotify Connnect functionality. You can control the receiver using the supplied remote or via Onkyo's Remote 3 app.

Onkyo TX-SR343

Onkyo TX-SR343

The 'NR545 features high-resolution audio support and will be able to handle not only 24-bit/192kHz content but also DSD files. Elsewhere, Onkyo's AccuEQ system is on board to handle all the necessary speaker calibration.

On the video front, the TX-NR545 supports 4K video at 60Hz. Its HDMI sockets are also HDCP 2.2 enabled, meaning they'll be ready to support the 4K Blu-ray disc format as and when it arrives later this year, and there's a USB input on the back.

The amplifiers are the first fruits of the collaboration between Onkyo and Pioneer, following Onkyo's acquisition of Pioneer's AV division earlier in the year.

MORE: Dolby Atmos: What is it? How can you get it?

Andy Madden

Andy is Deputy Editor of What Hi-Fi? and a consumer electronics journalist with nearly 20 years of experience writing news, reviews and features. Over the years he's also contributed to a number of other outlets, including The Sunday Times, the BBC, Stuff, and BA High Life Magazine. Premium wireless earbuds are his passion but he's also keen on car tech and in-car audio systems and can often be found cruising the countryside testing the latest set-ups. In his spare time Andy is a keen golfer and gamer.