This year's crop of Home Cinema amps is by far the best I have ever seen (and I'm old!). At last, the dream marriage of cutting-edge facilities and awesome sound quality is being achieved - and at very affordable prices. As usual, the established manufacturers Denon and Yamaha have strong ranges, but this year, it is the 'new kid on the block', Onkyo, who are currently outselling everything else by a factor of 5 to 1.

How come the well known brands are getting beaten? Well, the first thing to realise is that Onkyo are not in fact a 'new kid on the block' at all, they're actually one of Japan's oldest audio specialists, with a heritage that stretches back over 60 years. The second thing to consider, is that Onkyo were the first manufacturer to run with the new HDMI 1.3 and true HD formats, which gives them a very definite advantage. No other manufacturer seems to be capable of offering as much HDMI 1.3 connectivity for the money. For example, the new Onkyo TX-SR606 has four HDMI inputs, yet costs just £399 - as recently as a year ago, no amp under £1500 had four HDMI inputs! On top of that, every Onkyo amp comes with an amazing specification for its price and the option to buy a superb matching iPod dock. I am no stranger to Onkyo - in fact, I have had Onkyo equipment in my house for the last decade, but even I am suprised by how far ahead they are this year. All I know, is that whichever way you look at it, Onkyo's dramatic entrance into this market-place has got to be a great thing for Home Cinema enthusiasts - you just can't go wrong this year!