Sign in to join JD Roberts's fan club.
Onkyo Internet Radio Receivers Customize Your Listening
Internet radio has been around for a while, however it's historically been delivered by personal computers and laptops. Many current home theater receivers incorporate a ethernet connection to access internet radio stations directly. Onkyo, a respected manufacturer in home theater receivers, offers almost a dozen units having an web connection with prices covering the range from low-end to high-end.
What's Internet Radio (IR) About?
Starting more than a decade ago websites started streaming audio to personal computers. Regular on-air radio stations recognized the convenience of online broadcasting and began streaming their regular programming. Some IR websites became more like broadcast networks, supplying a variety of audio channels to pick from.
There are now a number of leading internet radio websites to choose from. One of the most well-liked sites is Pandora. It stands apart from the crowd through automatically creating custom selections for you. Once you have chosen a particular artist, Pandora will create a "channel" for you personally showcasing that performer plus others having a matching style. If you agree to having advertisements there's no charge; otherwise there is a modest once a month fee. Napster, Rhapsody, and some additional services are a bit like on-demand downloading. You receive unrestricted access to exactly the music you would like to hear, although only with a regular monthly fee. Another site, SiriusXM, offers their programming (sports, talk, news, and music) over the web and through satellite radio. It's without advertising for a month-to-month fee. Fees to get these different services are relatively reasonable, and range from $10 to $20 each month.
It's wonderful to listen while working away at your PC, but better still to enjoy it on your high-quality home theater equipment. This once meant having a personal computer permanently connected up to the sound system or maybe plugging and unplugging your laptop. With an analog link, your pc's electronics often limited your audio quality. Digital connections steer clear of this, and recent personal computers frequently incorporate an HDMI port. Even so, you still must connect your laptop or devote a desktop computer.
Onkyo Products using Internet Radio
These days quite a few A/V receivers have a network interface built-in, so a desktop or laptop computer just isn't required. For instance, Onkyo provides nearly a dozen internet-ready receivers. These range from the TX-NR509 to the TX-NR5007, having costs spanning from approximately $300 to nearly $3,000. The quality of the incomming electronic digital sound stream is of course the same, however higher priced units deliver higher power, more features, and even higher audio quality.
The performance for the dollars is the TX-NR609, near the low end of the price range. This product provides 7.2 channels of surround-sound at as much as 100 watts per channel. Offering wonderful audio and numerous features, this product provides the high quality you'd expect in considerably more pricey receivers. It's “Audessy” audio processing includes computerized equalization. It is able to switch up to 6 HDMI video channels plus upgrades any source to high-resolution with noise reduction and edge enhancement. So it is especially well suited to home theaters.
Onkyo recievers including the 609 also perform audio processing that can actually improve the quality of MP3s and other compressed audio inputs. So you're going to get better sound, even over and above the better speakers and amplifiers. Firmware delivers compatibility with Napster, Pandora, Rhapsody, SiriusXM, Slacker as well as a few more. You can even command online sites such as Pandora using a hand-held remote and the on-screen-display graphical user interface. Nearly all of the various Onkyo "NR" products have this capability.
If you happen to be tired of mass-market on-air radio stations, internet radio can be a delightful breath of fresh air. No longer restricted to personal computers and expensive home audio systems, it's now widely available and quite affordable.
Visit the author's website for his Onkyo TX-NR609 review. You'll also find specifications for other Onkyo Receivers.
Article submitted Wednesday, July 20, 2011 & read 217 times.
Leave your comments through Blogz:
160-1-0-0-9-ADSO
Copyright © 2012 IcoLogic, Inc.