Onkyo TX-SR308 review

The SR308 is remarkably cheap for an AV receiver, particularly for a model that can decode the full set of audio formats used by Blu-ray discs, including Dolby TrueHD.

There are a few areas where the SR308’s entry-level specifications may prove frustrating. With no automatic calibration function, it’s down to you to adjust the levels of speakers to match the room layout.

The three HDMI inputs are enough for a Blu-ray player, Sky or Virgin box and a games console, but add a digital camera or camcorder and you’ll have to scrabble around the back swapping cables. The scarcity of front-mounted sockets is another potential frustration. There’s a minijack input to connect an MP3 player’s headphone output, but no video inputs.

We didn’t expect to find zone 2 speaker outputs at this price, though. If you’re prepared to sort out the necessary cabling, this is a great way to pipe music into a second room. The main and zone 2 speakers can be used simultaneously, although they can’t have different sources. The front panel includes buttons to toggle each zone on and off, plus eight more for selecting the source, along with treble and bass tone controls. The on-screen display looks smart and is easy to follow, and while the remote control is less easy on the eye, it does the job.

With 100 Watts per channel, this is one of the lower-rated amplifiers, but it had no problem creating a sizeable racket in our tests. Best of all, the amplifier demonstrated a small but significant improvement in sound quality compared to competing budget models from other manufacturers. There was a heightened sense of smoothness and depth, particularly in music-listening tests.

As long as three HDMI inputs and 5.1 surround is enough, there seems little point in spending more when the SR308 is so capable. Its sublime audio quality is the icing on the cake.