Onkyo TX-SR308

Onkyo TX-SR308 review

The key to Onkyo's success is simple: its receivers are packed with the latest features and sound great, yet somehow its prices stay competitive. So it comes as no surprise to find the company, once again, applying this crowd-pleasing approach to the budget arena. The TX-SR308 is a 3D-ready 5.1-channel receiver, offering a claimed 100W per channel and decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Sockets are predictably thin on the ground, but at least there are three HDMI v1.4 inputs for your hi-def sources, all of which are primed and ready for 3D and the Audio Return Channel feature. They're backed up by three digital audio inputs and four sets of analogue inputs. Meanwhile, Onkyo's Universal Port lets you connect optional peripherals such as an iPod dock or DAB tuner. Only the front speakers get binding posts, though; the other channels must suffer the ignominy of springclip terminals, which isn't great if your cables are particularly fat. Black beauty From the front, the look is of Onkyo's signature black, covered in lights and buttons. It's tasteful and nicely laid out, although there are no sockets besides a line input for MP3 players.