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Onkyo, one of the world’s leading hi-fi and home cinema component/system manufacturers, has announced that its critically acclaimed 2.1-channel Universal DVD Receiver, the DR-S501, is now available at a groundbreaking £250, the most affordable product of its kind.
Only available in black it’s designed to offer a convenient, easy to accommodate yet comprehensive home entertainment solution.
At the new low price we think it makes a singularly compelling proposition – consumers are free to partner it with speakers of their choice.
The HDMI-equipped DR-S501 uses the very same cutting edge AV technologies employed in Onkyo’s multi-award winning 2007 range of home cinema receivers – widely acknowledged to the best in their class - but married to an integrated DVD player that will read any DVD, CD, SACD and DVD-Audio disc, with WMA/JPEG/DivX disc compatibility thrown into the bargain.
In addition to a healthy 2 x 50w per channel the DR-S501 also offers video upscaling to 720p/1080i, playback of DivX format encoded movies as well as full iPod playback compatibility via Onkyo’s range of optional dedicated iPod docks . Factor in an HDMI output (and a HDMI pass-through input), Component Video out, optical/coaxial digital audio inputs and you’ve got an exceedingly flexible AV hub on your hands.
A top quality 192kHz/24-bit audio DAC (digital to analogue converter) ensures high levels of sonic fidelity while a 108MHz/14-bit video DAC ensures pristine, judder and noise-free moving images.
The DR-S501 can also be purchased with a 2.1-channel Onkyo speaker system, designed to replay 5.1-channel audio soundtracks via just two (wall-mountable) magnetically-shielded satellite speakers and a 100W subwoofer.
To create a virtual surround sound effect audio signals are processed by Onkyo’s well-respected Theater Dimensional DSP circuit. While it’s no substitute for a full multi-channel system the feeling of enhanced spaciousness that it generates is very attractive and eminently listenable.
What makes the Onkyo DR-S501 significantly different to the many so-called ‘lifestyle’ products is the absolute focus on delivering top quality hi-fi and AV performance, not to mention keen pricing that makes many of its competitors look, well, absurdly overpriced.
Last but definitely not least, power consumption in standby mode is a very eco-friendly 0.4w.
PRICES
DR-S501 2.1 channel Universal DVD receiver (black) - £250
LS-V501 (DR-S501 plus HTP-501 2.1-channel speaker package, black) - £400
OPTIONS
Equipped with Onkyo’s well-established RI (Remote Interactive) control system, the LV-S501 is fully iPod compatible via the (optional) purchase of a DS-A2X or DS-A1X dock. Both docks offer excellent sound quality, compatibility with all iPods that have a dockable base and charging capability. The DS-A2X also comes with a dedicated remote control (you can control either dock from the LV-S501’s remote) plus onscreen display of iPod song/track/album info when used with the LV-S501.
PRICES
DS-A2X iPod Dock - £60
DS-A1X iPod Dock - £40
19-08-2008, 4:38 PM
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