CONCLUSION

I’ve been reviewing AV amps and receivers for nearly twenty years, and I have to say that – in raw excitement terms – my experiences with the TX-NR3030 rank alongside the first time I sampled the discrete 5.1 of Dolby Digital at home. I certainly look forward to more Dolby Atmos sound-tracked movies, but hope that intelligent use – rather than tiresome ‘sonic ping-pong’ gimmicks – will be made of this worthwhile new technology. 

   The TX-NR3030 also works well with ‘standard’ Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1/7.1 Blu-ray and DVD soundtracks; the Pro-Logic and DSP modes could also enhance two-channel material.  Compared to dedicated two-channel audio (like Roksan K2 BT) there’s a slight loss of transparency and finer musical detail when listening to well-recorded material. But given its complexity, the TX-NR3030 fares very well as a music reproducer – intelligent design, a hefty power supply and the use of decent 32-bit Burr-Brown DACs help here.

ONKYO  TX-NR3030  £2,500

OUTSTANDING - amongst the best 

One of the most exciting surround-sound receivers I’ve yet had the pleasure of using. Onkyo have done it again...

FOR

- Dolby Atmos is a real boon 

  with appropriately-encoded 

  material

- can play just about anything!

- great with movies – much 

  better than expected with 

  music

AGAINST 

- remote takes a while to get 

  used to

- ‘Gaps’ with DLNA playback

Onkyo 

01628 473350

www.uk.onkyo.com/en