Remote viewing
The user interface is unfussy and straightforward to navigate. You can also find your way around things like the network audio menus via the front panel display, so you don't always need the TV on to see what you're doing when just playing music, but a TV obviously gives you a bigger view.
Network audio features include media streaming, internet radio, Napster and Spotify Premium access
Alternatively, the receiver also has an iOS app to work with Apple touchscreen kit, and a recently launched Android app to turn mobiles into glossy touchscreen remotes for menu and sound controls. To its credit, the Android version also plays audio files from the phone over Wi-Fi to the receiver. In conjunction with the Spotify app, it all enhances what you can do with the product.
The latest Android app can stream audio from phones or control the receiver
There’s no DAB radio tuner (unless you attach an external module) or Apple Airplay support but the DLNA media streaming, internet and on-demand features make up for that. There are other ways of hearing Spotify through receivers (via computer) but having it built in saves an awful lot of fuss and improves the bitrate – if you don’t mind shelling out for the premium edition.
Old school remote: compact, versatile and not overly complex
At launch, the Spotify menu lacked its own search feature (you had to use the PC or phone app to find tracks or save playlists) but it was added in a firmware update in early August, as was the AUPEO! customised internet radio service.
Next page: Sonic boon
COMMENTS
In professional audio we call those 'China Watts'
They are often absolute maximum instantaneous power, which is a figure that tells you almost nothing at all about the amplifier.
In this case it looks like it's probably not full china wattage, but peak power.
Amplifiers should also never draw their max. rating because that would usually be clipping, thus trashing the whole system.
I am still amused by the fact that no hifi parts uses professional connectors, and few have any balanced connections.
Optional title!!!
Probably 160W /peak/ to any of the speakers, but obviously not all of them at once.
I'm afraid Billy Bremner beat you to it
Speakers on the ceiling, speakers on the door
Speakers on the dashboard, speakers on the floor
I'm surprised you haven't realised that having a visual cue alters how we interpret sounds. For instance, when a car drives past on screen and goes out of the left edge of the shot, we instinctively expect the sound to proceed from front left to rear left as in real life, the car would now be behind us.
Music alone doesn't have that issue; we expect it to come from a static point, which as an audience is generally in front of us. You're still wrong about the hi-fi world settling for two speakers, though; quadrophonic systems have been around forever, for the same reason as 5.1 and 7.2 sound systems exist in cinemas (and I'm glad you've never heard of 22.2) - immersion. Having speakers in front and behind puts you in the middle of the music.
As for why you want two subwoofers: I believe the explanation is that a bi-directional system generates the bass more evenly, providing a smoother effect. (Of course you can also crank them both up to full power and destroy your enemies, assuming you do not live on a geological fault line.)
I've got the further up, but older, 806. And while I get a Phono stage, it's not that hot. It's just not worth looking for them on A/V amps these days, as they're such minority requirements the money doesn't get thrown at them even when they are present.
You're much better off buying a separate Phono preamp, like the ones from NAD or Pro-Ject, and not worrying about internal phono stages at all.
As for recording, I can't remember the last time I recorded audio, rather than ripped it - the MiniDisc recorder got removed from the hi-fi stack on the last tidy up because it had been so long since it was turned on. But still, it's a pity.
Q Acoustics 2000
I use a Q Acoustics 1000 set with my Onkyo 608, which were What Hi-Fi's best budget buy pretty much until the 2000 series replaced them.
The 2000 series can be bought as a 5.1 pack for around £500 - sub, centre speaker and four satellites. The satellites are small enough to use as rear surround if you fancy 7.1, so you can buy either an extra pair of satellites for around £110 or a pair of the floorstanding speakers (2020 or 2030, I forget which) for ~£160.
