Onkyo TX-NR609 amplifier with network capability

It's not often we look at hi-fi amplifiers in the pages of Computeractive, but the reason we're reviewing this model from Onkyo is that in addition to the usual home cinema functions (HDMI input and output, surround sound) and the usual sound inputs, it also connects to your home network to play music and radio content stored on computers or online.

It even plays songs using the online music service Spotify.

As with all modern amps (technically it's a receiver because it can pick up radio broadcasts too) the Onkyo TX-NR09 is rather large at 44cm (17in) wide and 17cm (7in) tall. It also has a scary number of buttons on the front and sockets on the rear.

We tested it with Onkyo's UWF-1 wireless adapter (£50), a tiny plug that connects to the amp's front USB socket and lets it connect to a wireless network – otherwise you'll need to use the wired network socket on the rear (a network cable isn't included).

The wireless setup was a bit tricky, partly because you can't use the number keys on the remote control to enter the wireless password and instead must do so by navigating with the arrow keys around an on-screen keyboard. It didn't work the first few times we tried it, but eventually worked fine. The wired internet connection functioned the first time.

The on-screen display was impressive, looked good and was easy to navigate. It only appears when a TV is connected to the amp's HDMI output socket, but it's only really required when setting things up. Otherwise, useful information and menu options appear on the amp's own two-line green front-panel display.

In any case, the TX-NR609 is designed to be a ‘home cinema' receiver, so you are best off plugging all of your devices (Blu-ray player, games console and so on) into its five HDMI input sockets and then using it to switch between them.