New Products

It seems that every few weeks Onkyo rolls out another round of upgrades and apps for their AVR line, but today the company announced four new receivers for 2012: two 5.1 models (the $299 TX-NR313 and $499 414), and two 7.2 models (the $599 TX-NR515 and $699 616). The THX Select2 Plus-certified 616 should be available in April; the other three will hit retailer shelves sometime in March.

These are entry-level models, but they incorporate an impressive number of the cool new features we saw showcased by Onkyo a couple of months back at CES - like InstaPrevue (which lets you preview the content coming in on your various HDMI inputs in onscreen windows) and MHL connectivity (for playing back audio up to 7.1 and video up to 1080p from the latest generation phones and mobile devices).

InstaPrevue is available on the 616, 515, and 414; MHL on the upper-rang 515 and 616. All of the new Onkyos include USB ports for file playback from connected drives and iOS devices.

All save the basic 313 model are "Network Receivers" in Onkyo's nomenclature, meaning (naturally) you can connect them to your home network via Ethernet or an optional Wi-Fi adapter (a Bluetooth adapter is on the way later this year as well, though no date is set). The Network models can also stream from Spotify and the MP3tunes cloud storage, play internet radio, and access content on your NAS devices. 

You'll find plenty of digital and analog connectivity around back on all four models (even the 313 has 4 HDMI inputs; the 616 ups the tally to 7); in addition, all models support 3D and decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio, while the 515 and 616 Dolby® Pro Logic® IIz (and the 616 adds Audyssey DSX and DEQ2 room correction).

Given the price points, bang for the buck seems a given, so look out for these come springtime.