First came Onkyo’s Universal Port—on its TXSR507 and TX-SR607 A/V receivers—for a single-cable connection of accessory devices. Now the accessories themselves are starting to come flying in from Onkyo to fill the port.

The initial two accessories are sure to provide you with musical bliss, and a whopping amount of audio to choose from the next time you’re ready to fire up your A/V receiver—an iPod/iPhone dock, and the other an HD Radio module.

With Onkyo’s UP-A1 dock, you can play and charge your iPod or iPhone as it’s connected to your receiver. Use an Onkyo remote to control the device, whether it’s a Nano, iPod Touch, iPod Classic, iPod mini or iPhone 3G. Plus the dock can support the device’s component video as well as the audio. Look for the UP-A1 in May for $109.

If it’s better-sounding radio that you’re after, you can add the UP-HT1 HD Radio tuner module, which comes in an enclosure that features a Universal Port expansion and a front-panel switch so you can toggle between the tuner and another UP accessory. The HD Radio display functions are sent to the receiver’s front panel and remote, and the tuner will be out in July for $159.

If you don’t have an Onkyo receiver equipped with UP, but still want to add an iPod dock to the version you own, Onkyo has announced its third-gen DS-A3 dock/charger that is controllable with your Onkyo remote. It runs $139. If you have a connected video display it’s a slick way for you to browse through your music collection.

About the Author:
Arlen Schweiger - Managing editor of Electronic House Magazine

Arlen contributes product news items to electronichouse.com along with his role on the print publication. Got a tip? Send it along!