Onkyo TX-NR1010 review

There's no questioning its power, it's just that a little more precision is required at times Tested at £2000

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

A beast of a home cinema amplifier: there's no questioning its power, it's just that a little more precision is required at times

Pros

  • +

    Smart and solid build

  • +

    powerful, weighty sound

  • +

    impressive scale

  • +

    exhaustive features

Cons

  • -

    Lacks a little ability with subtle stuff

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

£2000 worth of home cinema amplifier is a pretty ferocious proposition.

These heavyweight slabs of electronics have become ever bigger, ever more powerful and, in recent years especially, ever more packed with features.

Being the brains and brawn behind your surround sound experience remains the key task for this Onkyo TX-NR1010 AV receiver. But take a quick look at the associated logos for all the technology inside and you’ll soon realise quite how much more it can do.

Onkyo TX-NR1010: Tech specs

Perhaps that’s why it needs to be so darn big. It’s a brute, weighing in at 27.5kg. You might want to grab a friend to get it out of the box; and do double check you have space on your AV rack before you shuffle towards it laden with amplifier.

This machine is of course 3D Ready but more headline-grabbing nowadays is the 4K upscaling ability (one for the future for most of us). It is THX Ultra2 Plus certified – the highest THX certification around – and also snaffles Audyssey’s top-of-the-range MultEQ XT32 room calibration and correction technology.

Audyssey DSX and DTS Neo:X processing modes are present, which means this 7.2-channel amplifier supports height and width channels. All Dolby and DTS modes are here too.

Onkyo TX-NR1010

Onkyo TX-NR1010

Onkyo TX-NR1010: Music streaming

Internet connectivity is the other big area of growth and the Onkyo TX-NR1010 is as action-packed as any on this front. There’s Spotify and Last.fm, so you can stream and control your music directly from your amp provided you have premium subscriptions.

DLNA streaming with support for 24-bit/192kHz files is a nice bonus, too, though there’s no sign of Apple AirPlay on any Onkyo cinema receivers. The USB input on the front will work with smartphones and tablets, however – and there is the Onkyo 2 remote control app for those, too.

Onkyo TX-NR1010: Sound quality

We take our pick from the nine HDMI inputs and fire-up the Star Trek Blu-ray. And it’s not long before that familiar Onkyo sound comes slamming out of our speakers.

Move up the price range and Onkyo’s home cinema amps simply get more effortlessly powerful. There’s scale and tension to string-laden soundtracks, masses of weight and power when the ‘warp drive’ kicks in and authority to voices. Keep turning the volume up and, well, you’ll admit defeat before the 1010 does. It’s unflappable.

Onkyo TX-NR1010

Onkyo TX-NR1010

For all this power and scale, the Onkyo is far from a blunt tool. Effects steering is excellent; accurate and rapid. That said, it does lack a little transparency with subtle dynamics – at both ends of the sonic spectrum.

Detail retrieval is impressive but at this level we expect a little more clarity. Without it the NR1010 loses a little punch and precision. This is made more apparent when listening to two-channel music.

Onkyo TX-NR1010: Verdict

You can’t argue with the spec-sheet, nor the ability to fill a room with powerful sound, but when it comes to complete control of fine details, the Onkyo gives a little way to some tough competitors.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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