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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
62 of 65 people found the following review helpful.
Great Sounding and Functional Receiver
By Dagger
Bought this receiver and matched it up with a pair of Paradigm Atoms w/ Auralex speaker platforms. This was for a bedroom set-up and the unit and speakers sit on a 2x dresser. I was expecting an average sound and got much more.
Pros:
1. Plays FLAC via a NTFS USB Powered Hard Drive. The hard drive I use is 640 GB. It reads the Hard Drive relatively quickly (15 sec) and scrolls through the folders very quickly.
2. Adding the receiver to the network is easy - just enter your WEP - done. You can stream WMP and with the program Jamcast you can stream Spotify, MOG, etc via DLNA. Has Pandora, MyRhapsody and some other programs already installed on the receiver. Entering your username and password for those services using a dial is probably the most painstaking effort for setting it up.
3. Most important - it sounds GREAT. I was worried about having a lean sound with Atoms and Onkyo. However, it's actually quite warm. It could be that it's in a carpeted bedroom, but whatever works. The sound optimizer for playing MP3s works well overall in smoothing out the clipping MP3s have especially in those low kb bit rates from Pandora, etc. There's only so much that can be done on low bit rate streaming.
Cons:
There are several, but minor and wouldn't change my mind from recommending it. None of these issues are related to the sound, but just convenience.
1. No subwoofer cut-off capability. I don't feel my set-up needs a subwoofer, but if it's important to you.
2. No backlighting on the control.
3. Hard Drive doesn't shut off when the receiver is off. You'll have to unplug from USB when you are done.
4. The Android App really doesn't do much except change the volume and change the input. It does play songs off the Android, but with all the other options, don't really see a need for it. Would be nice to link Spotify, MOG, etc to the Onkyo via Android App.
5. On Pure Audio, would like the display to come back on when changing folders, input, stations, etc. Have to scroll through the sound options (5 total) to get back to pure audio after changing an option.
Other than that, to reiterate I was really impressed by the sound, esp ~$600 set-up. I have a dedicated listening room with a Squeezebox, DAC, SACD, room treatments, turntable, etc. Although this Onkyo + Atom combo doesn't beat out the dedicated listening room set-up, for computer audio it comes really close.
46 of 48 people found the following review helpful.
Just what I was looking for!
By D. Matheny
I recently built a workshop in my backyard and wired it up with a network connection and stereo speakers while I was at it. The whole time I just assumed that good networked stereo receivers would be easy to come by for not much money - but it turns out I was wrong.
After a fairly extensive search, I finally came across this little bad boy. I've never owned an Onkyo product before, but I do know they have a good reputation - so I went ahead and pulled the trigger.
Just so you know, my main usage includes listening to AM & FM as well as networked radio stations and music from my local music collection that's already on my network.
After having said all that, here are the things I like about the Onkyo TX-8050:
1) The sound is excellent! I have it hooked up to a pair of Polk OWM5 speakers and they sound very good. Just what I was looking for in my workshop.
2) The Internet radio options are very good. With the vTuner, I can tune all of the radio stations I typically listen to, and they sound better than the AM or FM broadcasts. It's easy to organize network radio stations into named categories and the station names themselves can also be renamed. Overall, it's extremely easy to keep everything organized and easy to look up.
3) Configuring this receiver to play music off my network was simple. It's simply a matter of turning on media sharing on the PC where the music files are loaded and then scrolling down to that PC in the DLNA menu. I am sharing my music from a Windows 7 system. The hard drive and USB options are great - but I prefer using the network so I don't have a bunch of USB dongles hanging off the front of the receiver...
4) There are options to tune in just about any Internet music source you can think of, including: SiriusXM Internet Radio, Pandora, Rhapsody, Slacker, Mediafly, Napster, and Last.fm. Those are in addition to the vTuner option I already mentioned that lets you tune in radio stations that are also streaming over the Internet.
5) The favorites menu can be configured over the network. If you don't feel like scrolling from character to character, manually renaming everything - just load up the TX-8050 in an Internet browser and you can do all the renaming and configuring from there. This also lets you set URLs for manually streaming radio stations that haven't been added to the vTuner service. The way to do this is to get the IP address from the setup menu (such as 192.168.1.100), and then type it into your web browser like: "http://192.168.1.100".
6) Did I mention that the sound is excellent?!
Although, for the most part, everything is working great - I do have a few minor complaints:
1) The AM/FM reception is mediocre at best. This would be a bigger deal if my stations weren't available for Internet streaming.
2) The favorites menu is kind of cool - but the standard organization is so good that it just adds clutter in my case. It would be better if manually entered stations could just be integrated into the vTuner categories instead.
3) The network startup time is fairly long. Forget just hitting the switch and getting networked tunes in a few seconds. In my case, it takes close to a minute - and that's over a hard-wired network.
4) Setting this up was a piece of cake for me, but I wonder if someone without any networking skills would fair as well. In other words, this probably wouldn't make a great gift for dear old grandma who's just looking to listen to the radio...
Overall, this receiver is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something with better sound than a SqueezeBox; yet with at least the same number of networking options - and the Onkyo TX-8050 pulled that combination off nicely.
I would highly recommend this if you're a techie person who wants great sound combined with all the networked music options you could want.
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent Product (but not perfect)
By Zeek the Geek
This review was written after two weeks of ownership, and updated after 7 months.
Do I like it? Yes! Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes!
PROS:
- very good sound quality
- solid design and construction, audio section in particular
- DLNA and Web enabled, including Apple and Android Apps (!)
- USB port for playing from an iPod, HDD, or other MSC player
- subwoofer output (see details)
- Zone 2 output (pre-amp level only)
- firmware updates via USB or internet
CONS:
- subwoofer output does not mute when using headphones (dumb!)
- occasional DLNA lockups and web station dropout.
- the front panel button text is hard to read, but still better than most other brands.
- runs hot even at idle (no sound).
- plays WAV files from my old WD NAS just fine, but can't play the same files from my new myDitto NAS.
I needed a modestly priced stereo receiver for my office and found quite a few candidates on the web including models by Sony, Sherwood, and Onkyo. A few intriguing brand X products showed up also, but the user reviews were poor enough to scare me off. Even the Sony and Sherwood models had their hate mail, so I zeroed in on the Onkyo models. Funny that I should buy Onkyo again because I chose an Onkyo model for our 7.1 home theater system a couple of years ago.
The Onkyo TX-8050 was twice what I was planning to pay, but the networking caught my eye. With that feature I can listen to internet radio and music from my NAS without turning on my PC. Some reviewers had problems with that feature, but reading between the lines I felt they may not have been very experienced with the technology, so I ordered it from Amazon.
The advanced features are pretty significant for a stereo receiver; here is an overview:
- Seven web audio services including Pandora, Last, Slacker, and Spotify. You enter your username and password only once into the receiver directly, or via PC browser.
- 40 available memories to store favorite web stations, set locally or via PC web browser.
- DNLA sees all LAN media servers, in my case a WIN 7 PC, Twonky and NAS media server.
- USB port plays any MSC device, including large HHD (one connection on front panel only)
- FM presets can be named (but only by extensive remote control gymnastics).
Everything works pretty much as promised. The browser setup and Favorites interface is great. It is so much better than character entry from the remote control (slow). The Android app setup for my Asus tablet was easy, and works very well. The GUI looks great on my Android cell phone, but on a 10" tablet it is huge, vertical only, and low resolution. But again, a very intuitive interface, much better than the Android apps for my Roku or WD media players.
Other specs of interest: composite video switching (not much use these days), 80W/CH, headphone jack, phono input(!), 2 coaxial and 2 optical digital inputs. I connected my PC's SPDIF output to one of these, and DVD output to another. The D/A section of the receiver is likely to be much better than the built-in sound cards of most PCs.
There are various Listening Modes including a Music Optimizer to "enhance the sound quality of compressed music files". Be careful not to leave this on when listening to uncompressed files!
Is it perfect? Hardly.
- As with every single media player I have ever used, the player firmware is quirky. But at least this one is reliable enough to enjoy regularly.
- Menu structure could be improved, and you don't always get what you expected. For example, depending on the internet source, you may have to press Enter two or three times to "dig deeper" into the URL (this is not a delay issue, only related to the particular web site).
- The NET and USB menus are as good as can be expected for on 2-line display, but can be time consuming when browsing.
- I have yet to make the M3U Playlists on my media server work. The first selection plays correctly, and then seems to wander off course almost randomly.
- The subwoofer output is not processed in any way except volume; there is no bass management, EQ, etc. What's even worse is that it stays ON even when headphones are being used, even when neither speaker is selected. This is something they should be able to fix in the next firmware update, if and when it comes (none as of Dec 2012).
- If you intend to use the Zone 2 feature, be aware that volume changes can be made on the remote only, not from the front panel volume control. Inconvenient but workable.
- There is only one "input" selector to enter the internet mode (NET). Three selectors should have been provided: one for DNLA, one for web services, and a third for Favorites.
Onkyo should be credited for introducing a networked media (audio) player in a stereo receiver. It has all the features you'd ever want in a stereo unit, and then some. And thankfully, the design has no major faults that will cause you to hate the product later.
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Editorial Reviews
From the Manufacturer
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Classic Stereo Audio with Network Functionality | |
 | Onkyo's hi-fi revolution gathers pace with the TX-8050. This finely sculpted stereo receiver delivers two channels of audio precision to entertainment spaces where you don't need advanced video processing or multichannel audio. Gold plated, analog A/V inputs that ensure outstanding performance are augmented by digital audio inputs, Universal Port for Onkyo peripherals and a front USB input for direct digital connection of iPod®/iPhone®. The receiver's network capability, meanwhile, lets you stream internet radio or play audio from a PC or network audio storage device. Behind the smart aluminum façade lies a massive transformer and large capacitors that provide clean amplification power, which includes Onkyo's exclusive WRAT, and helps push performance well beyond the norm. |
Onkyo network A/V receivers give you access to more internet radio stations than any other brand...period. | ||
Streaming your choice of internet radio through your TX-8050 receiver gives you unsurpassed sound quality and access to a virtually infinite selection of world class music. Enjoy your own personal concert from anywhere in the world... right in your own living room. All Onkyo network receivers are also compatible with Microsoft’s Windows® 7 platform, which includes the DLNA 1.5-specified “Play To” media-streaming feature so you can easily stream music store on PCs connected to your home network. This internet connectivity has the added benefit of making firmware updates simpler than ever. |
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Onkyo's Remote Apps: Seamless, Intuitive Control | ||
  | The Onkyo Remote App for iPod touch/iPhone and the Onkyo Remote App for Android both provide an intuitive way to operate Onkyo network A/V receivers. At your fingertips, you have the ability to control input sources, adjust settings, and enjoy your content more seamlessly than ever. The app for Android even allows you to stream music directly from your Android device. The two Remote Apps are available separately as free downloads. |
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Take Your Stereo Wireless | |
Onkyo's UWF-1 Wireless LAN adaptor removes unwanted cables. This small, optional unit is worth way more than its tiny price. Connect the UWF-1 to the USB port on any compatible 2011 Onkyo network receiver, and bring your music through your wireless router into your Onkyo system. Now internet radio and audio files stored on your PC can be played back with the superior fidelity of your main Onkyo system — with no cable clutter. A sensible and inexpensive solution. |  |
Made for iPod/iPhone | |
Simply connect your iPod/iPhone via Front-Panel USB Port of the TX-NR8050 and play audio files stored on your iPod/iPhone or a USB flash drive. As the audio signals are transported in digital form, rather than analog, there is much less chance for signal degradation. The TX-8050 also incorporates Onkyo's exclusive Advanced Music Optimizer to compensate for lost bit information and improve the quality of compressed audio signals. End result: your music sounds cleaner and more faithful to the original. |  |
Send Stereo to the Next Room: Zone 2 | ||
 | Zone 2 pre-outs on the TX-8050 allow you to send a stereo audio signal to a second room equipped with an amplifier and a pair of speakers. You can either enjoy the same source in both rooms, or play a different source in Zone 2. | |
Spin Those Records | |
 | Phono Input- We know there are those who have retained a love for vinyl. And we respect this most noble of devotions. Therefore, we still make the Phono Input that allows you to use your record player to spin those albums and hear them with pristine Onkyo sound quality. Because, after all, it's all about Sound. |
Specification
Number of Channels | 2 |
Power | 80W/Ch (8Ω, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.08% THD) |
Network Capable | Yes |
Made for iPod/iPhone (Direct USB input) | Front |
Multiroom | Zone 2 Pre-outs |
Subwoofer Pre-out | Yes |
Phono Input | Yes |
Composite Video I/O | 4 in / 2 out |
Digital Audio Input | 2 Optical & 2 Coaxial |
Analog Audio I/O | 6 in / 2 out |
AM/FM Presets | 40 |
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