Onkyo TX-8160 Review

People buy various types of gadgets for availing entertainment nowadays and AV receivers are among the most widely poached appliances worldwide. Onkyo is among the popular AV receiver manufacturing companies and the brand has several popular models in its portfolio. Onkyo AV receivers are liked for their long feature lists and all round performance. The company also updates its product range periodically to cater to the needs of different types of users. One capable contender from its stable is the TX 8160. It packs in enough punch in it’s small body to satisfy a large chunk of entertainment seeking buyers. If you are not a die-hard fan of surround sound systems, this capable two-channel stereo receiver will fit your bill rather well.

 

Onkyo TX-8160 Network Stereo Receiver – Review
Onkyo TX-8160 Receiver – View in Amazon

 

Design: Stylish and elegant

The Onkyo TX 8160 network stereo receiver is sleek looking and it will fit in your bedroom beside the HDTV and other appliances easily. The glossy black body is elegant looking. There are quite a few controls at the front of the device. The rear section is where you will find most of the ports. At the front, you will find the master volume, power button, knobs for controlling bass, treble and balance. A lone USB port is also at the front side of the device. The black and green display looks sleek.

The remote of the Onkyo 8160 is very large and people with small sized palms may find it somewhat hard to use, as it is. It has a numeric pad and plenty of other buttons to control the features. The remote has white body and black colored buttons are on it. If you are disheartened by the huge remote control, it is possible to download the easy to use Onkyo Remote Control App which supports Android and iOS based devices.

Connectivity: almost spot-on

Most Onkyo AV receivers fare well on connectivity fronts and this one is no exception. You get six analog stereo inputs along with one analog stereo line outputs. For Vinyl record fans, there is a dedicated phono input. You also get a couple of digital coaxial and digital optical audio inputs. They, however accept dual channel PCM- and there is no support for DTS or Dolby Digital setups.  A headphone jack is there at the front, and you also get terminals for left and right speakers.

The Onkyo TX-8160 network stereo receiver also has, a Zone 2 line output to send both analog and digital sources to another external amplifier located in another room. You cannot use Bluetooth sources and internet streaming at the same time in two zones. You get AM/FM tuner for listening to popular radio stations.

Features: Quite a Handful

  • Wireless connectivity- While you can very well plug-in a USB drive at the USB port at front and play back audio files, that is not the only option. The Onkyo 8160 offers oodles of wireless connectivity options. It has inbuilt support for WiFi and Bluetooth technologies. This essentially means you can use your Smartphone, tablet or laptop to stream songs wirelessly to the receiver and lay back without hassles. Apple fanboys will love the inbuilt support for Apple AirPlay technology. It is also DLNA-certified.
  • Web streaming support- Internet based streaming services are hugely popular with a lot of people nowadays. They prefer streaming music and video from those online streaming services on their PC and Smartphone a lot. With the Onkyo 8160 it is simple. It includes support for some of the popular web streaming services. It has support for services like Pandora, Spotify as well as SiriusXM Internet Radio. You can use these services using the Onkyo Remote app.
  • Instant radio preset- The receiver supports 40 radio stations and you can select 4 of them as presets. This is ideal when you love to listen to internet radio stations. You may also use any of these radio preset buttons to wake up the device if it is in standby mode.
  • Distortion free output- If listening to music without any distortion in quality is a priority for you, then you will be happy with the performance of the Onkyo 8160. It is equipped with the Asahi Kasei AK4452 DAC converter which is capable of decoding audio streams of varying origins and creates crystal clear output.
  • 2 Zone music output-The Onkyo TX-8160 network stereo receiver lets you playback audio files or music in 2 zones at the same time. A 2mnd speaker set can be kept in another room. Same source can be played back at two places simultaneously. You may also play a different music in 2nd zone.

Performance: Lives up to the Expectation

Before you can compare the performance and output of Onkyo TX-8160 network stereo receiver with other rival models in the market, remember it is a stereo receiver. There are no dedicated video connections and it cannot be used for enjoying Blu-ray Disc or 4K HDR video content, etc. It is meant for audio listening in stereo setup. With that kept in mind, it is hard to find fault with the output. Bass and midranges are rendered clearly. The built-in amplification works as desired and the company’s WRAT or WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology is amazingly good.

Other Factors to Consider

The Onkyo TX-8160 network stereo receiver comes with 2 year warranty. Power consumption in standby mode is merely 0.1 watts. The company bundles in 2 AA batteries for the remote in the box, which is nice. The device weight is around 9 kgs.

Onkyo TX-8160Specifications

Specs

ONKYO TX-8160Specifications
Wide Range Amplifier TechnologyYES
Satellite Radio ReadyYES
Wi-Fi ConnectivityYES
Network Ready
YES
Network Functions SupportedServices Included
TuneIn Radio, Pandora®, Slacker™,SiriusXM Internet Radio®, Spotify, and Deezer
On-Screen DisplayNO
Remote Control TypeFull-Function RI
Station Presets40

Dimensions

ONKYO TX-8160Dimensions
Weight8.3 kg
Width x Height x Depth (Inches)17.13 x 5.88 x 12.94
Warranty Parts & Labor2 Years

 

BUY ONKYO TX-8160 FROM AMAZON

 

Inputs/Outputs

ONKYO TX-8160Inputs/Outputs
Number of Audio Inputs7
Phone Inputs1
Preamp Outputs1.5
Digital Inputs4
Digital Outputs0
Headphone JackYES

Tuner Section

ONKYO TX-8160Tuner Section
Tuning Frequency Range (FM)87.5 MHz-107.9 MHz
Tuning Frequency Range (AM)530 kHz-1,710 kHz
FM / AM Preset Memory40 Stations

Amplifier Section

ONKYO TX-8160Amplifier Section
Power Watts/Ch (8 Ohms 20-20kHz, 2 Channels Driven, FTC)80, 0.08% THD
Power Watts/Ch (6 Ohms 1kHz, 1 Channel Driven, FTC)110, 0.1% THD
Dynamic Power19W (3 Ohms, Front), 170W (4 Ohms, Front), 110W (8 Ohms, Front)
THD + Noise0.08% (20hz-20kHz, Half Power)
Frequency Response10Hz-100kHz(+ 1 dB, -3 dB), (Direct/Prue Audio Mode)
S/N Ratio106 dB (IHF-A, Line In, Speaker Out), 80 dB (IHF-A, Phono In, Speaker Out)
Phono Overload (1 kHz)70 mV (MM, 1 kHz, 0.5%)

General

ONKYO TX-8160General Info
Power SupplyAC 120 V, 60Hz
Power Consumption27 Amperes
Standby Power Consumption0.15 Watts
No Sound Power Consumption50 Watts
Network Standby Power Consumption2.9 Watts

 

Onkyo TX-8160 Receiver
Onkyo TX-8160 Receiver – View in Amazon

Summing it up

Overall, Onkyo 8160 comes across as a feature packed network stereo receiver that does what it is meant to do fairly well. The feature list is quite impressive and it is ideal for wireless setup lovers. The remote is a tad too big, but you can also use your Smartphone as remote through wifi. Apple device users can enjoy using airplay. The output is impressive, but you have to remember this is a stereo receiver and no surround sound setup is available. If you still feel hesitant about it, read online Onkyo TX-8160 Review to learn more.

 

Author

Comments are closed.