Onkyo TX-SR706 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am an audio/videophile. I know about almost every piece of audio system, TV, IPod, gaming, speakers, cars, etc. on the market. I have followed the advancement of electronic technology for the past 25 years. This is not to impress you, but so you know Bozo the Clown is not writing this review.
OK- I was a Denon fan. I was a Marantz fan. Yamaha makes great stuff and you will most likely be happy with any "new toy" you buy ....but after extensive research I chose the Onkyo.
1. Why did I not go for a Denon? Denon's are great. However, over the past few years their overall quality and feel has declined. Simply put, the premium on their name no longer justifies their price. I own three Denon receivers so I am not slamming them. If your heart is set on a Denon look at the 1909.
2. Why did I not get a Marantz? My new Onkyo replaced my Marantz 5200. Marantz, back in the day made the best stuff (in my opinion). Then they went down hill and resurfaced strong about ten years ago...right about the time Dolby "Digital" technology hit the market. I believe you do not get your bank for your buck until you go over $1000 with Marantz. Marantz just does not have the switching, high quality video AND audio, or inputs at sub $1000.
3. Why did I not buy a Yamaha? Yamaha is a tough competitor to the Onkyo. Yamaha has always made incredible a/v equipment. Sound, video and build quality are amazing. The AVR-663 is awesome, but at a higher price than the Onkyo 706 and two less HDMI inputs it was eliminated day one for me. However, if you must buy a Yamaha- under $1000 the AVR-683 is fantastic. The price is $100's more than the Onkyo...for what? A name? Not enough in my book when your a/v receiver is the least important component in your system (I'll explain more later on that topic).
4. Why the Onkyo?
a. Onkyo has a fantastic name and reputation
b. Build quality and design are terrific.
c. 4 HDMI's!!! This IS huge and WILL BE even more important in the future.
d. 1080p upscaling. This not really important now, but in the next few years, if you have a 1080p TV, you will regret not having this ability. This is the sole reason NOT to get the Onkyo 606. However, if this is not important to you -get the 606 and save your money.
Sound: All I can say is crisp and brilliant. Again, any new receiver you buy will sound great. My ears prefer the Onkyo.
Lastly, for those of you who are not educated on this stuff, here are a few KEY points to remember when you build your system:
1. Speakers are the most important part of your system...PERIOD. Who cares about HDMI, 1080p, watts, etc. if the "ears" of your system sound like crap. Put your money into speakers first.
2. Your TV. DLP will be gone in the next few years. Plasma's are very bright (a good thing), but have glare (they have a piece of glass over the screen). If you have a dark(er) room plasma's are great. LCD's are the best bang for your dollar. Samsung's are the best brand right now. LCD's have more pixels than Plasma's and to most people LCD's look the best.
3. Your receiver. Yes, your a/v receiver is important, BUT it should be the last thing you choose. Again, in my humble opinion, spend those extra dollars on speakers.
In conclusion, if you are in the market to spend less than $1000, the Onkyo TX-SR706 is an easy choice. Everyone has a favorite and this is mine. I love it!!! Happy hunting!

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In the mid-range category, credibility is gained through exceptional performance and a high degree of functionality.There's no better example of this than the THX Select2 Plus Certified TX-SR706 A/V receiver.With a certified amplification design and ability to process full high-definition audio and video, the TX-SR706 marks the boundary between cost effectiveness and high-end functionality.

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Marantz SR7002 Surround Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a bit long but I hope reviewers will benefit by my experiences.
Marantz is a name not found at most popular chain type stores, but it is one worth seeking out. I've had Marantz receivers and amplifiers since the 1970s, and that's not because I didn't consider other brands over that time. After research and demoing other brands, I kept coming back to Marantz. I have a Marantz SR7200 surround receiver that has worked flawless since I got it in 2002. But since I recently upgraded to an HD TV, an HD satellite receiver, and a Blu Ray player, I got the itch to upgrade to an HD surround receiver. The SR7200 was working fine, but doesn't have the latest PLIIx, HDMI inputs and outputs, and some of the other high definition sound and video capabilities. So my research began (and I really planned to try another brand this time). I scoured the internet obsessively (as I always do, and did for my TV and Blu Ray player), reading user reviews and professional reviews, and lab tests. I discovered the SR7002 which got very good marks, but another popular brand kept popping up as the recommended choice. It was just under a grand, so I bit the bullet and purchased the receiver. It had all of the latest bells and whistles and was a very good receiver. But for me, the warmth of the Marantz sound and the user friendly set up and menus was just not there. After a few days of use and adjusting, I returned the receiver, spent an extra $130, and walked out with the Marantz SR7002. Very wise choice for me. The SR7002 has a few less bells and whistles of the previous brand I tried, but it certainly has all of what most folks will need. It has plenty of power for my mid to large living room. The set up and menus are straight forward and very user friendly. Just as a test, I compared the quality of video I get when I run the HDMI video signal from my satellite receiver and Blu Ray player direct to the TV, and when I run the HDMI video signal through the SR7002 first, then to the TV. I cannot tell the difference. There is no loss of video quality running through the receiver first. The beauty of that is less cables to use and easier use of switching between functions. And the sound - excellent. For me, there is a warmth and fullness to the Marantz sound that I don't hear with other receivers. I've read the manual a bit more thoroughly now and have tweaked the system slightly the last few weeks and am even more satisfied. The automatic speaker "calibration" system is very simple to use and balances the speakers wonderfully. It calculates the distances each speaker is away from various sitting positions, adjusts volumes, etc. After that I did go in and made some very minor volume adjustments to suit my taste, particularly the sub and the crossover setting to the sub - everyone's speakers and tastes are different. But it's a great way to establish a solid balanced base to make personal adjustments from. The remote is fine too. It is a learning remote, and I've been able to program it to control my satellite receiver, my Blu Ray player, a DVD recorder, a VHS machine, and my TV. Very nice. I will say that I have since gotten a Harmony One universal remote that, after some experience and program tweaking with it, is excellent, and that is what I use. But I still keep the Marantz remote nearby just in case. I really could have gotten by with the Marantz remote just fine and would have been happy, but the Harmony One has other advanced qualities that are quite nice (but that's another review). So after a ton of research and a try out of a recommended brand, Marantz came through again. I'm totally satisfied. The receiver is the heart of any system; so you need to review, research, and try out for yourself; but in my experiences over the years, Marantz has always been a high quality product, and the SR7002 doesn't disappoint. If you want power and high quality sound, in a user friendly system, for just over a grand, this is it.

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Performance addicted? Just call this Marantz your enabler. With THX Select2 certification and 110 watts of continuous power per channel, the SR7002 receiver opens up the home entertainment horizon for the most demanding yet cost-conscious customers out there.Let's look at video capabilities first. You can connect up to four HDMI equipped sources to the SR7002. Direct the one you want to your display and to the SR7002’s built-in surround sound processor. Unlike earlier HDMI connections, these handle multi-channel sound with ease. Still enjoying non-HDMI sources? Rest easy. The SR7002 comes complete with format conversion lets you watch older videos through the super-convenient HDMI format. And there’s a Second Zone audio/video output, too, so you can enjoy your entertainment throughout your entire home.You’ll also find Dolby Virtual Speaker so you can enjoy an immersive surround experience with the dialog clarity inherent in a discrete center channel configuration with just two speakers.And, speaking of clarity, the SR7002 features Audyssey's remarkable Auto Calibration that examines your entire room to make those other seats just as rewarding as the ones directly in front of your display device's screen. Of course, there’s an infrared input and two DC trigger outputs so you can coordinate your entire system for convenient remote operation.You won’t have any problem fitting all this capability into your home either, thanks to a new, compact chassis that will fit more easily into even the tightest spaces. All this plus a three-year warranty.

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Onkyo TX-SR507 5.1-Channel A/V Surround Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I did a lot of research (including Consumer Reports) and settled on this Onkyo as the best compromise between performance and price. I've had it 2 weeks now and am very happy.
The auto setup function works better than a much-more expensive Denon unit I set up for a friend. I used the microphone (included) to measure speaker levels at 3 different locations in the room and the Onkyo did everything else. (It's connected to some older Polk speakers-- they sound so much better through this amp!)
I bought this primarily to process audio from our new BluRay player and the Onkyo does an outstanding job. The sound is better than in most movie theaters! Especially BluRay DTS or HD Master. Wish more movies were recorded in these formats.
We also have our DirecTV HD DVR hooked up to the Onkyo. Audio and video travel through the HDMI Cables, so there's no need to hook up audio separately. Very nice and a feature you will find missing from some more expensive amps.
The amp does get very warm. I put a small fan in the back of the cabinet and that seems to help.
BTW although this is a 5.1 channel amp is DOES support 7.1 if you want the 2 extra rear speakers... you just have to hook it up to your old amp (or any cheap 2-channel amp) and process those 2 channels that way. The 7.1 decoding IS built into this box.
I am not using the "Zone 2" feature but it's very unusual to have that in a receiver in this price range. You can watch a movie in one room while someone else listens to an iPod or FM in another room.
I don't think you can find a better receiver in this price range (and keep an eye on the price-- it's falling!)


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If you're looking for a budget-friendly A/V receiver that offers versatile connectivity and compatibility with the latest processing technology, Onkyo's TX-SR507 has you covered. With four HDMI 1.3a inputs, it can accept up to four high-definition sources—from Blu-ray Disc to HD broadcasting to high-def games—and output them to your compatible HDTV. HDMI 1.3a also enables you to enjoy the pristine "lossless" audio of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™, as well as secondary audio on Blu-ray Disc via DTS-HD Express. The TX-SR507 comes with a suite of Audyssey surround-sound technologies to help tailor audio output to the unique dimensions of your entertainment space. Meanwhile, a new universal port makes it easy to incorporate an optional Onkyo Dock for the iPod or Onkyo HD Radio tuner into your system. With all this, plus four high-impact Game Modes and the ability to send different audio to two rooms simultaneously, the TX-SR507 puts a huge amount of entertainment potential at your fingertips.

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Onkyo TX-SR805 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Guess which company managed to get True HD and DTS HD into their next lineup of high end receivers. Onkyo of course!! Cutting edge technology filling your room with beautiful sound.
I received my Onkyo TX-SR805 in the mail yesterday and I couldn't be any more thrilled! The behemoth weighs in at 61 lbs. and you can tell it means business. Daunting as it may look, the setup is a breeze due to the fact that everything you plug into the receiver's many inputs, can be output to the TV through one simple HDMI cable. It upconverts any analog connection you can throw at it whether it's S-video, Component, or simple RCA. If you still have a Hi-Fi VCR or other Standard Definition electronics, I'd suggest investing in at least an S-Video cable for that, or if it does have an RGB Component Cable use that because even though it upconverts RCA it can only do so much for the picture quality. That being said it does upconvert all of these analog signals into 720p, 1080i. It DOESN'T UPCONVERT Composite connections to 1080p. The difference in the upconversion wouldn't be noticeable.
The integrated Faroudja DCDi technology is wonderful! If you thought that your 480p signal was decent before, wait till you see how well this deinterlacing works! Edges have much less noise and things in SD are cleaned up very well through the receiver.
Setup was easy as far as speaker configuration, the Audyssey MultEQ XT auto calibration system runs a speaker measurement set up for up to 8 listening positions in your room! so if you want it to take into account your entire living room seating arrangement, just move the little wired speaker microphone to each listening position and it does all the work.
Unlike some receivers like my recently sold Sony DG800, the receiver's setup menu can be output onto your TV screen. So instead of squinting at the receivers display from across the room, you can see everything right up on the TV screen. However, if you do like to tweak settings while watching TV you can choose not to have it output onto the TV.
If you're actually considering spending around $1000 on a receiver, THIS is the only thing you should be looking at! At the moment, the higher end Denon AVR4306 does just about everything that this Onkyo can do but the Onkyo Receivers are the FIRST receivers to truly decode DTS HD signals, and Dolby True HD! It's absolutely insane all the details that can come out of High Definition Surround Sound! I Recently acquired a Playstation 3 and although I don't plan on converting my DVD collection (500 dvds) to Blu Ray or HD-DVD I did purchase Speed on Blu Ray and I can tell you from what I heard, the future of High Definition Audio is here in this Onkyo TX-SR805! Every detail that they mixed into the movie's original track is encoded into DTS HD. It's literally translated from the original format without any loss of quality. It's ridiculous how amazing it sounds.
You may not hear a huge difference, but when movies start being encoded with this HD Audio, eventually you'll go back to an old DVD and cringe at the sound difference (or at least notice the lack of detail in the audio). If you don't have a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player don't fret, there's still a vast array of audio settings between Dolby Digital, and DTS there's also THX Ultra2 certified settings that blow you away! I currently have my DVD player setup to THX Cinema and watching the Pod Race in Star Wars Episode One: Phantom Menace is something you should check out A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
All the features can be overwhelming and the remote isn't the most intuitive, but when you spend a little time getting used to the buttons you need to push to make things work in harmony, you'll be happy with what you've got. Not to mention the beefy remote that comes with it can learn button functions which I love. For example when I coded in my HD Dishnetwork Box I couldn't get to the On screen TV Guide or my Recorded TV Menu, so I assigned the buttons manually and now the universal remote does everything my Cable DVR Remote does! If only I could code it to my Windows Media Center Remote oh well.
My one and only tiny complaint about this receiver is that it doesn't have HD Radio. It supports XM and Sirius radio but not HD FM Signals (not sure how to explain it but it's CD quality Free Local Radio Stations). The radio itself sounds fine and I don't listen to the radio very often anyways so it's not a big deal to me, but being as future proof as this receiver is, it should have HD radio. (Since I don't have XM, Sirius, or an Ipod I can't comment on the Docking capabilities or the Satellite Radio quality)
Last but not least make sure you have a big heavy duty surge protector, this thing is a power monster, you'll want a surge protector to make sure the receiver is getting a regulated amount of power, when I was setting it up I had all my components on at once and someone decided to turn on the hair dryer and a few fans, and there went the power. So be forewarned if you like 4 components on at once you might blow a fuse. also for $30 a 3 year protection plan is highly recommended just in case something shorts out in the receiver (knock on wood) you can service it for free, and get a replacement if necessary.
These aren't available in the store(ordered mine online at CC) and the sales people don't have much info on the receiver itself since it came out in May(about a month from prior to today) but it's comparable to the TX-SR804 if you want more similar opinions :)

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Onkyo TX-SR607 7.2-Channel A/V Surround Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)My previous receiver was a 9 year old Sherwood. It was a little above a low end unit. It started buzzing and I decided it was time for a replacement. I have 2 nice Wharfdale floor speakers, a nice center, decent rear surrounds and 2 really decent sub woofers.
I read extensive reviews on several brands and decided that I would purchas Onkyo. I went to Fry's looking for the 606 model. They were sold out and just received the 607. I purchased the 607.
I wanted something HDMI based that allowed audio through the HDMI cables. The thing was a snap to set up. Make sure to run an HDMI cable to your TV from the receiver so that you can do on screen programming.
As I said, I have 2 sub woofers and the 607 has two output RCA jacks to enable 2 subs. No more RCA splitters. I fired the thing up and was shocked at the sound quality. The thing sparkles and the lows are clean and deep. I adjusted the individual speaker levels with a Radio Shack db meter on an easy to use Onkyo menu. I did not use the calibration system built into the receiver. A few trips through the menus and you have them mastered. The menu system is REALLY SIMPLE.
Unless you have some REALLY expensive speakers, this is the unit for you. Great sound quality, simple setup and easy menus make this a good choice for the novice or mid range home theater enthusiast.
I highly recommend the unit.

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The TX-SR607 raises the bar once again in the competitive world of mid-range home theater. With HDMI 1.3a inputs for up to six components, it's ready to handle all your high-definition video and audio needs. Whether it's a Blu-ray Disc player, a cable or satellite box, or a gaming console, your video signals will be traveling first class. Lower-resolution analog video signals, meanwhile, can be upscaled to 1080i and fine-tuned by Faroudja DCDi Edge™. HDMI version 1.3a also transports the master-quality HD audio formats, DTS-HD Master Audio™ and Dolby TrueHD. The very latest Dolby technology, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, enhances the spatial sensation

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Onkyo HT-RC180 7.2-Channel A/V Surround Home Network Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've owned a lot of electronics, all makes and many models. I had not upgraded my core system for many years, and knew it was time for a change. I'm a fan of Onkyo (I have another Onkyo AV receiver in the living room) and was looking for one with network connection and more power. Man does this deliver. The quality, feel and look is all top-quality. This may be a 7.1 system, but it powers 10 speakers, two subs, and three different zones/rooms! That's 11 speakers plus two subs (13 total.) Remember that Frasier episode from a few years ago where he purchased a new soundsystem, and his living room looked like a speaker Stonehenge. Seemed farfetched at the time - but now it's clearly possible. If you use full sized speakers you would have a draw-dropping first impression. As it is, I have 11 speakers and one sub, varying sizes and makes - that's impressive enough.
The sound? Wow. I played Aero by Jean Michelle Jarre - a 5.1 audio DVD. It knocked my socks off. The audio resolution and depth were amazing. The receiver also has numerous listening modes - so many it takes over two pages in the manual to list them. Different Dolby modes, THX and many more. There's a diagram on the front panel that displays the speakers that will be used by each mode. As you change them, the speaker display changes - pretty simple. Want only two speakers? Four? Eleven? Simple.
So here's my experience, from unpacking to turn-on.
Packaging: Extra-heavy duty. Double-thick box, form fit foam. The box will take a lot of abuse in shipping. See my included photos.
Unpacking: Typical anti-static and foam wrap, tape and scratch protection. Heavy unit - will take two people to unpack unless you are comfortable moving heavy weight.
Installation: I find it easier to make a temporary platform at around the same height as the shelf the unit will sit on - I've always done this. In this case, two storage boxes put it at about the perfect height. This way I can attach all cables and simply slide the unit in place. When we're talking this many wires it's a big help. The RC180 includes a manual (thick!), quick start (handy!) and a sheet of decals to mark your speaker cables. At first I thought - "yes, like I'll need these!" Man did they come in handy! The labels were a real timesaver. Again, see the photos.
My BluRay player uses a network connection, and so does this unit. I had a single network cable in the room, so had to add a hub to split the connection. I can't use wireless in the home - it's an older building, lath/plaster/steel mesh. It works like a Faraday cage, and kills signals. The RC1800 uses a wired connection anyway, as does my BluRay player. If you already have a wired connection in the room, keep in mind you may need a hub to add more outlets.
It took around an hour to hook everything up, from unpacking to sliding the unit in place.
BEFORE I put the unit in place, I ran the speaker test. This allows you to verify correct placement. Again, it came in handy. I had the upper left front and upper right front speaker connections swapped (there are SEVEN speakers in front - Two Upper front, Two front, Two wide front, and one center!) Fixed that, then slid the unit in place.
Turned it on again, verified all the AV connections. You can customize pretty much all the connections. For example, I have my DVD set to use component in 1 and digital audio coax in 2. My VCR (yes, I still have a VCR) uses the VCR input, and I have the TV set to use optical in 2. This allows a lot of customization and personalization. Next I named all the inputs, so the display shows whatever text I want.
Then I ran the Audyssey setup. I love this system. My other Onkyo uses it as well, and it's great. The RC180 uses a more advanced version. It tests the standard three listening positions, and has an additional optional three positions for more fine tuning. I only needed three. This took around 15 minutes to run. It tests every speaker, including the subwoofer, then writes the data.
Next I customized the remote control. It's a universal remote with some cool options. There are programmable shortcut buttons (my music, my movies, etc.) as well as the standard controls for all your devices. It's interactive - you follow on-screen prompts (it uses your TV for the display.) Basically you enter the first three letters of your make, perform a search and select the make from an amazingly comprehensive list. You also select the category of the device - VCR, DVD, etc. You then go through a train and error selection process of codes. You're instructed step by step. My DVD took three tries for the correct codes. The BlyRay and VCR did it in one. After you are finished with that, you can program the shortcut buttons (My Movies, etc.) With one button press it will turn on selected devices, press play, etc.) Works perfectly. I press MyMovie and the TV turns on, the Onkyo turns on, the BluRay turns on and plays.
My only gripe is the net connectivity - the remote control takes a lot of getting used to, as the functions for net use are counterintuitive. The unit has built in support for several web based radio services. One of the included services, vTuner, is free. The others require a subscription (Sirus, Pandora, Rhapsody.) The instructions for vTuner setup were problematical. You're instructed to go to a URL and use the unit's MAC address to register. vRadio won't accept the MAC address - they want a unit ID. The vRadio instructions for finding the unit ID are not even close. Basically the Unit ID and Mac address are the same thing, but vTuner won't take it. Still fighting that. You can use vTuner without it, but you won't have favorites, playlists, etc.
Update: Figured it out. They do indeed want the MAC address - however, without any spaces, dashes, colons. Just the letters and numbers as one long string. Find the MAC address under the network setup - ignore the instructions from vTuner.
Streaming from your computer? The RC180 automatically detects the computers on your network with media servers running. I have three PC's running Windows media player - it found all three of them. I'll add more details on in-house media streaming in the future - I need some more hands-on to make an honest evaluation. My main PC is based on Windows 7. The instructions for connecting to the media player are for Media Player 11 (Vista / XP), not Windows 7. Windows 7 uses Media Player 12 - so you need to use the DLNA instructions, not the Windows Media Player instructions. One big mistake I made was attempting to connect to my computer before allowing access to the Onkyo. This stuck the Onkyo in a loop while it kept trying to connect. Eventually it gave up and I was able to get it all to work. You really need to create playlists to make it easy to use.
From what I see so far, I can't use my iTunes library. The Onkyo requires DLNA compliance, and iTunes is not - that's why you can't use iTunes with many devices over a network, including the PS3.
Followup: I can't stress how important a great center speaker is. I had an anemic speaker with a 4" woofer. It was basically a spare JBL studio speaker - great quality, but it was rated at 50 watts. I replaced it with a BIC center speaker that has two 6" woofers and a large horn - and handles 175 watts ( BIC America DV-62CLRS 6-Inch 2-Way Center Channel Speaker ). Wow! What a difference. With the old speaker, the Onkyo would not go past 70% volume - the Audyssey setup detected that feeble little speaker and limited the maximum output. Really annoying, since the rest of the speakers were pretty decent, but any more volume and that speaker would have been so much scrap. The center is mainly used for voice, but don't overlook it! Now I can crank to 100%!
More followup: It detects and streams audio from my Iomega StorCenter Pro ix4-200d 2 NAS (A network storage devide.)

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The THXSelect2 Plus Certified HT-RC180 combines the latest home-theater functionality with home-network capability to create a compelling mid-range centerpiece. A rear-side Ethernet port enables the HT-RC180 either to receive and output audio tracks playing on your PC, or to bypass your PC and directly stream internet radio stations such as Rhapsody and Pandora. The HT-RC180 provides five HDMI1.3a inputs to handle a range of high-definition video and audio sources. HDMI compatibility also enables the receiver to upscale any video input to 1080p via Faroudja DCDi Cinema. This 110 W-rated receiver also features Audyssey DSXand DolbyPro LogicIIz, two new surround-sound formats that expand the spatial dimensionality of games and movies. On top of all this, you also have Audyssey room-correction and equalization technologies working to create a well-balanced soundstage, no matter the volume level or the shape of your room. Among the other highlights of the HT-RC180 are a customizable remote controller and a proprietary Universal Port that enables single-cable connection of peripheral audio devices.

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Elite VSX-31 A/V Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)Incredibly highly functional receiver for a great price. I originally was looking at the VSX-30 but then after I learned you can play iPod to Zone 2 I went with this one. A couple of words of caution, which is why this receiver gets four instead of five stars:
- I upgraded my existing receiver because I needed more HDMI inputs and wanted to have a second zone, i.e., I wanted to install patio speakers. I also bought Apple TV and really wanted to stream via Apple TV to my patio speakers. The manual says the VSX-31 allows for iPod output to Zone 2 and so I incorrectly thought this meant I could take a digital source, i.e., an HDMI input, to Zone 2. Wrong. This receiver does not output digital signals (except for iPod and Internet Radio) to Zone 2. The manual isn't quite clear on this. In the receiver's defense, using the supplied cable for the iPod/iPhone works fine and is an upgrade over the VSX-30. I have not tried Pandora thru my iPhone yet.
- Activating the receiver for Zone 2 is not nearly as intuitive as it should be. The manual is not clear whatsoever, only through trial/error did I get it to work. Basically, the manual tells you to select Zone 2 in the speaker setup menu of which there are five options for speaker setup (Zone 2 is one of the options). What it DOESN'T tell you is select Zone 2 AND THEN EXIT THE SPEAKER SETUP. There isn't anything that shows you a summary of the speakers you selected so there's no way to check it.
- The receiver is definitely more deep than advertised. My cabinet has a total depth of around 15.5-16". After you connect all the HDMI cables and the power cord you quickly learn that you need a little more. Make sure the depth of your cabinet is at least 17", preferably 18". We had to cut a hole in the back of ours to make it fit and be able to close the door.
- I use a Harmony One Remote. When I set up the VSX-31, I plugged my Directv HDMI cable into HDMI 1. I then set my remote such that when I hit Watch TV it set the receiver to HDMI 1. However, what I kept finding was everything worked fine very briefly and then the receiver for some unknown reason would automatically switch to TV/SAT (instead of staying on HDMI 1). Hitting Help on the remote fixed that but I didn't want to hit Help every time I turned on the TV, so I assigned TV/SAT to HDMI 1.
Nitpicks, perhaps. There's many, many good features of this receiver and the price ($400) was right. I wish it would have been more clear on true Zone 2 capabilities and setup.

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Onkyo TX-NR808 7.2-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought the ONKYO TX-NR808 to replace my aging 10 year old Lexicon DC-2 pre-amp and Carver Professional amps. The Onkyo powering Miller and Kreisel THX 750 5.1 speaker system.
I figured that after 10 years I could use a audio update even though the Lexicon is still a amazing piece of equipment but I didn't want to spend $6500 this time around.
I wanted a receiver that had all of the newer DTS and Dolby surround formats and could power the 4 ohm M&K speakers (8 vs 4 ohm setting in the setup menus).
It sounds great I love the video switching and the great on screen display of settings.
I have a Netgear 9150 Digital entertainer Elite hooked to it with only one HDMI cable. Being able to use the HDMI really cleans up the cabling since it can also send the audio over the same cable. Same thing goes for my HD cable box, HDMI no seperate audio cable needed.
I haven't had any problems with the Ethernet not connecting, even though I did let it update via the internet. The streaming off connected networked computer is nice also, without any problems. Pandora works flawlessly.
For the price and features it cannot be beat.
Also Amazon has it for the lowest price.
UPDATE: 07-02-11
Still no problems. I now have a HTPC hooked up running WMC and Boxee.
Awesome product for the money.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Onkyo TX-NR808 7.2-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver (Black)

Meet Onkyo's mid-range powerhouse. The TX-NR808 earns its prestigious THX Select2 Plus certification by blending the latest connectivity and processing technology with Onkyo's renowned amplification prowess. As a network-capable receiver, the TX-NR808 is your gateway to streaming audio from your PC or internet radio. Other connection highlights include seven HDMI 1.4a inputs with 3D and Audio Return Channel capability; 7.1-multichannel analog inputs for legacy components; a Universal port for Onkyo peripherals; a USB port for iPod models and flash memory devices; and an analog RGB video input for your PC. Employing two advanced 32-bit DSP chips and low-jitter 24-bit Burr-Brown DACs, the TX-NR808 effortlessly handles your audio-processing needs. Whether it's lossless Dolby and DTS formats on Blu-ray Disc, or new-dimension surround formats from Audyssey and Dolby, your audio signals retain every lifelike nuance.All things considered, the TX-NR808 is a serious challenger for the middleweight crown.

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Onkyo TX-SR608 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Unlike a lot of CEs, Onkyo may have indavertantly cannibalized its own model lineup by pushing so much featureset into an entry level receiver that it might deter buyers from their higher end models. I recently did a thorough comparison of the Pioneer VSX-1020 and Denon AVR-791 and the Onkyo nudged out the Pioneer due to its beefier amp section and OSD capabilities. That said, I must caution users that its value is marred by what appears to be a bug with its ability to pass through HDMI video signals unmolested, even in "Through" modes. This bug manifests itself in two ways: 1. 24 bit sources (like cable hdtv) are upconverted to 30 bit when output on a display; AND 2. for some inexplicable reason, 1080p 24fps sources stutter intermittently as if a frame is dropped. The latter might be more noticeable to plasma owners whereas 120hz and 240hz LCDs might compensate for the frame stuttering with their interpolation software (ie the soap opera effect).
With that caveat, the Onkyo is a terrific performer offering strong power (power consumption is up from the 607 to a very grown up 756 watts), terrific flexibility (four speaker terminals can be assigned to wide, height or zone 2). The Denon is limited to merely 7 speaker terminals and the Pioneer has only a pair of assignable terminals. The Audyssey auto-callibration (2EQ) is a notch behind Denon, but the inclusion of Audyssey DSX (for wide arrangements) is a feature that the Denon does not offer. While it lacks the USB terminal for Ipod playback of the Pioneer and the Denon, it does offer a computer input which might resolve the HDMI handshake nightmare many face with htpcs.
Onkyo rather smartly included a fan atop of the receiver, which is silent and all but eliminates the historical Onkyo toaster oven effect.
I really enjoy this receiver, but found the HDMI video molestation issues to quite problematic and what mar an otherwise incredible buy. Hopefully Onkyo can issue a firmware update.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Onkyo TX-SR608 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

Sure, we call it an "entry-level" A/V receiver. But when you witness the full potential of the TX-SR608, you'll know the level you're entering is far beyond the ordinary. For a start, you get six of the latest HDMI 1.4 inputs for simple hook-up of all your high-def sources. HDMI 1.4 also brings compatibility with the new 3D video format, as well as an Audio Return Channel from your display back to the receiver. Complementing HDMI on the input front, you have an analog RGB video input for connecting your PC, and a Universal Port for Onkyo peripherals. All video sources, regardless of resolution, can be upscaled to big and beautiful 1080p via HDMI and Faroudja DCDi Cinema. Audio processing incorporates quality Burr-Brown DACs, lossless Dolby and DTS codecs, and the expanded surround formats of Audyssey DSX and Dolby Pro Logic IIz. Three-stage inverted Darlington circuitry and jitter cleaning technology work to ensure extremely precise and faithful amplification. In recognition of the TX-SR608's outstanding A/V prowess, it has been awarded THX Select2 Plus Certification.

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Onkyo TX-NR906 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Simply amazing! I must say, this has to be one of the most sophisticated pieces of electronic equipment that I've ever owned. I don't even know where to begin. Did I mention this thing is amazing?
I was running a Bose Lifestyle 48 prior to this, but when I finally decided to make the most of HDMI connections, I shelved the Bose and stepped up to the ONKYO. What a breath of fresh air! There are so many features of the TX-NR906 that I like. Starting with the remote control--I'm sure it's common practice nowadays for receiver remotes to be fairly smart, but this guy is really bright. I've managed to teach it all the commands from my three main remote controls (TV, BD & CD Players), more or less, just by pointing the controllers at each other and clicking. I'm referring to commands that aren't usually part of a universal controller's arsenal. The large number of connection choices are really coming in handy, as well. I'm maxing out the HDMI inputs and have one of the two outputs connected to my TV. There's a ton of digital audio options as well. The front panel offers a number of connection choices, including a USB port for playing MP3s.
Another aspect of this receiver that I really like is the fact that this system not only sounds phenomenal when playing movies, but sounds equally as incredible playing CDs or listening to music from my PC. With previous systems it always seemed like one was better than the other, but with the TX-NR906, I really feels like I'm getting audiophile quality sound from all components. Oh yeah, did I mention? HD FM radio sounds phenomenal! I don't have XM or Sirius yet, but that's on the short list of near term upgrades. There's an antennae connection for both.
This receiver is the hub of my home theater. Putting things in perspective, my setup includes a Samsung LN46A750 46-Inch 1080p DLNA LCD HDTV with RED Touch of Color, Panasonic DMP-BD30K 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player, a Sony 5-Disc Carousel CD Player, Dell XPS Pentium D 3.0 GHz/3.0 GB RAM/VisionTek Radeon HD4850 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express Graphics Card, Playstation 3 80GB, Motorola digital cable box/DVR , and Aperion Audio's Intimus 5T Hybrid HD speaker system. All this, combined with the TX-NR906, really sounds and looks incredible. I'm utilizing HDMI for video on all components. I'm also supplementing the digital cable box's audio with a coaxial cable. Similarly, I'm augmenting the BD Player's audio by connecting audio cables via the multichannel jacks.
I bought the TX-NR906 in October 2008 and so far, I haven't found anything I dislike. The only minor thing I will point out is with the remote control. When you are teaching it commands from your other remotes, you might have to try it a couple of times. At first, I thought that some of the commands weren't going to be able to be taught, but I stuck with it and eventually was able to teach it all commands. No big deal, just don't give up if it doesn't work right away.
Whether you're watching HD TV, listening to your favorite music, watching the latest release on Blu-Ray, or playing the hottest shooter on your PC or PS3--if you have the money, this receiver is the perfect addition to any home theater.

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Multi-dimensional, superbly crafted, and loaded with impressive specs, the TX-NR906 A/V home network receiver is a true champion for the age.With seemingly endless abilities-including HQV Reon-VX video processing, dual high-def HDMI outputs,Audyssey room correction technologies, and multi-room audio and video distribution-the TX-NR906 leaves no base uncovered. Built around an isolated power block and pre-processing unit, this network receiver reveals the full potential of virtually any media.This includes any internet- or computer-based sources accessed via its network apparatus (which incorporates a new vTuner interface and Certified for Windows Vista® status). It's also equipped with CD-quality HD Radio, Satellite and Internet Radio, and XM HD Surround sound capability.The TX-NR906 is the first receiver of its kind to include ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) video calibration, further enhancing its groundbreaking pedigree.

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Pioneer VSX-D906S Home Theater Audio/Video Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)The use of all the power generated by this machine was amazing. I think the design concept is lacking. The shape of the machine could have been more "modern". I think the performance of this particular receiver is second to none. THis is why I gave it four stars.

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dolby digital/prologic/3-channel logic modes, DSP - 4 modes, GUI, CD titler/play capability for up to 100cd's, 30 radio station call letter memory, AM/FM stereo w/30 station presets, 500 watt stereo amp,multi room outputs, smart remote w/preset codes/learning capability (TV/DVD/CD/DSS)

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Pioneer VSX-1120-K 7.1 Home Theater Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)Despite the rather disappointing announcement of their departure from the Plasma arena and the de facto departure from in-house blu ray players, Pioneer appears to have made a bold move into the highly competitive mid-range receiver market. Denon and Onkyo have released fiercely competitive models in the $700 price-range that couple either excellent video processing, streamed media, and ample connectivity. My recent review of the Denon AVR891 confirmed their continued competitive product line, but I did lament it lacked some of the swiss army knife approach sometimes imperfectly utilized by Onkyo (the 891 lacks internet-streaming, surround wide processing, and basic rear-panel connectivity). That said, Denon's use of the ABT chipset (begun last year with the ABT-2010 and continued this year with the ABT-2015) was my preferred AVR video processing (I performed it over Reon XV, Farjouda chips, and lower spec'd ABT chips).
Having owned the 1120's successor both in elite (21) and no-elite (9040) form, I was always impressed by their power, sonic quality, and design. That said, they lacked what had rapidly become basic featureset in 2009 (wide or height presence configuration, only four hdmi inputs, and only analogue video processing). The 1120's little brother the VSX-1020 established a reasonably high bar for the 1120 to hurdle in bringing internet radio, iphone control, six hdmi, and wide/height processing in a tidy package widely available under $500. That said, the 1020 was a very compotent and efficient entry-level receiver, but lacked some of the longer legs for bigger rooms or thirsty speakers. Enter the 1120.
The 1120 shares the same deep chassis of the 9140 and Elite 21. At over 17" deep, it is almost four inches deeper and four pounds heavier than the 1020. It's also over two inches deeper and four and a half pounds heavier than the Denon 891. The design is conservative and almost identical to last year's 9040 with a front fascia that is masculine and angular. Beneath the pop-out front input cover are a USB port for Iphone and Ipod playback, an HDMI port and the setup microphone input. The HDMI input is a nice touch for camcorders and other temporary connected inputs (Onkyo offers similar with 708 while Denon has six rear-mounted HDMI inputs).
The rear panel is also similar to last year's 9040, but four more speaker binding posts have been added for height and wide processing (Pioneer uses MCACC wide since the auto-callibration software is not done via Audyssey DSX). Importantly, the Pioneer has 9.1 pre-outs for those looking to use an external amplifier. Unfortunately, this connectivity has been removed from the Denon AVR2311 and 891 that are natural competitors of the 1120 by price alone.
The remote is very similar to the 1020 in layout, but it is backlit and contains XM and Zone 3. While Pioneer's remote is not as easily identified with small, similar buttons compared to the Denon, it is learning and back-lit, which is a step ahead of the 891/2311/991/3311. Onyko offers a learning remote in the TX NR708, but is not fully backlit.
Setting up the receiver with MCACC is quick and easy, but each MCACC setting measures the white noise and reverb from speakers from only a single memory point whereas Audyssey MultiEQ in the Denon incorporates multiple locations' measurements. This might have an impact on callibration depending on the layout of one's room. That said, I find both tend have a significant impact on accuracy and each have their tweaking benefits.
Once I had setup my 5.1 plus heights layout, I was very impressed with the 1120. While it appears to share a lot of the same audio section with the 9040, it seems to have a wider soundstage, which might have something to do with the presence speakers (I was previously passively bi-amping the height speakers with the 9040). After listening to a variety of blu rays and SACDs from my Oppo, I was nothing but amazed by the power and quality of the sound. Please keep in mind I am of the school that callibrated mid and entry level receivers tend to offer about the same quality audio with incremental differences - speakers (and power to push them) have the biggest impact on quality. That said, this is a very capable receiver that keeps putting me in trouble with my wife to turn it down!
The 1120 really shines in video processing with the Marvell Qdeo chip that offers very similar deinterlacing proficiency to the ABT-2015, but shines with multiple noise reduction settings. On my 54" panasonic plasma, I have found that video processing via the 1120's noise reduction settings does help clean up noisy 1080i hd programing. That said, its benefit is incremental, and like all video processors, is not magical in its ability to render standard definition sources as blu ray quality. The video processing settings are applicable per input, which is ideal considering most people should only use it for cable boxes and not bdps.
While this receiver does have a few noticeable shortcomings (lack of on screen display and pandora streaming), it is an incredible package at its current street price floating between $600 and $700. Its rare ability to not molest hdmi video and apply meaningful noise reduction is excellent. Its power, flexibility, and connectivity is excellent, though I would like to see 7.1 MCH inputs. All in all, it's a very competitive offering and highly recommended.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Pioneer VSX-1120-K 7.1 Home Theater Receiver

Key Features are I20 Watts x 7 – (20Hz – 20kHz @ 8 ohm w/ .08%THD) It has a 7 Channel Direct Energy Configurable Amplifier with Surround Back. Dolby Pro-logic IIz or B Speaker, THX Select 2 Plus Certified, Dolby True-HD / DTS-HD Master Audio, Advanced MCACC with 9 Band EQ , PQLS – Multi-Channel, Auto Level Control – Multi-Channel, Sound Retriever AIR – Multi- channel . It has a Internet Radio. It supports iPod Digital USB / USB Memory Audio, HDMI 1.4(6 In / 2 out), 3-D and Audio return Channel, Dual HDMI Output, front HDMi In Marvell I080p Video Scaler. Analog to HDMi Video Conversion. It has HDMI to HDMI 1080p Scaling. Component Video (2 in / 1 out). Full Color GUI. It has PC Control with Multi-Zone A/V Pre-out.9.1 Channel Pre-outs, RS-232 & Detacheable Power andLearning Remote Control

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Denon AVR-2809CI 7.1-Channel Multizone Home Theater Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)Hi,
I had this receiver (Denon AVR-2809CI) for 2 weeks before I returned it. The sound is great and the remote is awesome. The video passed through perfectly fine as well. There was a problem though. It took a week researching on what could be the problem and it looks like others are having this problem as well.
If you have a Sony flat panel LCD that starts with the letters KDL (ex. KDL-52XBR4, KDL-Z4100, KDL-W3000) then you will have picture and sound dropouts. They will last for 3 seconds then picture and sound will restore. It'll happen anywhere between one to five times an hour and can get quite annoying.
I've spoke to Denon and there is no cure (firmware) or settings that can fix this problem with Sony LCD TVs. Those with rear projection Sony LCDs should be fine.

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A/V Surround Receiver featuring Dolby Tru HD, dts HD Master Audio and 1080p HD Video enhances your level of video and audio performances.

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Denon AVR5308CI Home Theater Receiver NEWEST VERSION Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a Home Theater enthusiast and have owned this wonderful receiver from Denon for almost three years now. It is feature packed and is the centerpiece of our stunning home theater. You can view an online video on Youtube, entitled The Silver Screen. You may be asking why I am writing a review for a receiver that has been on the market for over three years. Well, In my title of this review i stated that this receiver is future proof, it truly is. Denon will be offering an update/upgrade for this receiver in October 2011. The upgrade will include a combination firmware and hardware upgrade that will be performed at authorized Denon service centers. The upgrade will include a hardware upgrade to the unit and will enable 3D capability. They are also upgrading the Audyssey Multi XT to Audyssey Multi XT32 including Audyssey Pro, which is the latest and greatest room correction software from Audyssey Laboratories. Also included in this upgrade will be Dolby PLZll and Audyssey DSX. So, with the forthcoming upgrade/update in October, the Denon AVR 5308CIA Receiver will be state of the art once again. Denon is supporting customers that purchased their flagship receiver and Pre/Pro by providing this upgrade. That to me, is future proof. You can read about the upcoming upgrade on Denon's website.
I have owned a slew of AV receivers over the last two and a half decades and didn't really get enthused until the newest generation of high definition receivers hit the market. By newest, I mean 1080P video and Lossless audio tracks encoded on Blu Ray Disc. A virtual quantum leap in cinema home entertainment that I had been waiting for for about 25 years. Home theater has always been fun. It started for us in 1985 when we bought our first high end television and hifi VCR. The TV was a Sony 25 inch XBR. This was the Holy Grail of televisions and we picked up a Hifi Stereo VCR from JVC. The first feature we watched on that set up was Pink Floyd's amazing feature film, The Wall. What a feast for the eyes and ears. I wish they would hurry up and release it on Blu Ray already. Around 1989 the first generation of surround sound receivers hit the market and I had to have one. Early surround sound was not that great. I mean there was no center channel and you only got two discreet surround channels but, it was progress. A couple of years later Dolby introduced Pro Logic surround with a dedicated voice center channel. Laserdisc was introduced by Pioneer. These rather large 12 inch silver discs never quite caught on.
It started getting expensive to keep up with the pace of advancements in Home Theater technology. Mid nineties, Dolby Surround and DTS surround along with the introduction of DVD, put home theater on the map for mainstream American consumers. The biggest advancement here was full frequency surround channels. DVD meant no more rewinding tapes and the picture was digital and much smoother. At this time period circa 1997, I didn't have a home theater set up and had become a high end addict. Two channels, separate pre amp and amp, tubes and a snobby vinyl enthusiast was I. Decided to delve into home theater again and placed a call to my dealer and ordered separates from Parasound, Marantz and Snell. Had fun with this for a few months and then lost interest again. It wasn't until flat screen displays and Blu Ray Disc hit the market in 2007 that I got the home theater itch again.
My 5308 arrived from Fedex in April of 2008 and Wow! What a beautiful looking receiver and built like a tank. I really appreciated the way they laid out the speaker lugs on either side in a vertical arrangement. No struggle at all to hook up 7 channels of speaker wire. These are very high quality lugs as well. Denon really had a thoughtful and well designed piece of solid audio gear here and I am not easily impressed. 6 HDMI inputs and 2 outputs. Ehernet hook up for firmware upgrade and networking features. You can connect to your home network and listen to saved music stored in your network, view videos and even listen to internet radio. There are two USB inputs for flash drives. A slew of legacy inputs that could probably accommodate every ancillary AV component I have ever owned. The remote was another story, kind of hard to setup with the GUI but, eventually after a few months navigating the remote and GUI it has become an effortless task and I can operate the remote with my eyes closed. A lot of owners really hate this remote and Denon could have done better. Many owners have opted for Universal remotes, the most popular being from Logitechs amazing line of programmable remotes.
Much has been written about the wonderful HQV Realta video processor built into the 5308. Denon has a stand alone version of this processor that the sells for 2k. The Realta will scale all video sources to 1080P. It's a wonderful processor that has received raves in the AV press. Another thoughtful inclusion is a great sounding MM phono stage for vinyl junkies and I happen to be one. Add to that, HD radio, Sirius/XM input, Ipod input, and on and on and on. Honestly, the 5308 has more features packed into it than any other receiver currently on the market.
My original set up with the 5308 consisted of Gallo Nucleus Reference Front, Left and Center speakers. The surrounds were a pair of dipole surrounds from our friends up in Canada, Totem Lynks. Totem is a high end speaker company with a line of very highly regarded speakers. For LFE I added a Sunfire True Signature sub woofer with a whopping 2700 watt built in amplifier. The Sunfire literally shook the foundation of our house. Cabling is a combination of HDMI and speaker cable from Monoprice. Monoprice offers a slew of AV wire and devices and really nifty networking components and rock bottom prices. The best value and selection of HDMI cable and as far as I'm concerned they have the competition beat. My sub woofer cable is from another specialty cable maker called Blue Jeans cable. The best sounding sub woofer cable I have heard and is value priced. Blu Ray playback is from the Denon DVD2500 BTCI Blu Ray Transport. They don't make this player any more but, you can find them slightly used and at a great discount from Audiogon and a few other online sellers. I've seen this piece as low as $250 on Audiogon. I paid a whopping $1000. for mine. It had just been released and was very hard to find one. I bought one from a local retailer at full price. No regrets and I still use it today. The 2500 is a disc transport only and the video and audio processing the raw bitstream signal is sent to the receiver and all processing tasks are performed by the 5308. I've got a Directv HR21 DVR and a Roku internet streaming box for streaming Netflix videos and a few other internet providers such as Vimeo and Amazon to name just a couple. There are many different streaming devices available in the market place. The Roku is very popular and their flagship HD XR can be had for $100, which is a great value. My Turntable is a Linn Basik with a Linn Akito tonearm and a pretty nice sounding Linn MM cartridge and stylus. Display is a Sony KDL52XBR4 52 inch flat panel 1080P.
After connecting the speaker system I peformed the Audessey Multi XT automated room correction with the supplied microphone. I suggest using a camera tripod for this operation. You can get an inexpensive one at camera retailers or a big box store like Best Buy. The Audessey Multi XT Allows for calibration of up to 8 seating positions, you must do a minimum of 3. I recommend doing all 8 as you will have a better sounding result. The room must be silent for this set up or the calibration will fail to have an optimum result. Make sure that there is nothing blocking the path from your speakers to the microphone as this will skew the result. Make sure the microphone as at the exact height to where the seated persons ear would be. Once you complete the calibration you can store and save the information.
Finally on to the review. Turn everything on and lets check out the video. Directv HR21 TBS broadcast of Law and Order. Scaling a 1080i signal and converting it to 1080P, In a word, WOW!. The XBR4 is an amazing display on it's own. With the Realta processor set to full function and this displays already amazing picture quality is even more refined, with deeper blacks and a much smoother picture with an incredible amount of depth. It was as if the performers on the set were in the room with me. Motion is smooth but, not artificial looking, the picture had a stunning film like quality. Blu Ray disc playback is where the 5308 really shines. Picture quality is absolutely beautiful. Lossless audio tracks from Dolby True Hd and DTS HD Master Audio are breathtaking. Twenty five years and finally digital audio is on a par with the finest of analog sound that in my opinion has never before been attainable. I could finally listen to digital playback and get the naturalness that until now, I could only attain from vinyl playback through very expensive tube audio gear. The sound was enveloping, transparent and open. Orchestral music soundtracks were full bodied with front to back depth. I could pick out instruments that had their own space within the sound scape. Events occurring on the screen correlated perfectly and the speakers worked magically in a coherent manner creating an auditory illusion that events on the screen were actually occurring within the boundaries of the theater. My favorite film to perform demos is Master And Commander Far Side of the World. Those cannon shots literally knock people of my couch, they sound so darn real. The result of this is that you the viewer feel as though you are right there and the events that are occurring are really happening in the theater. Finally, I can enjoy at home, what until now, was only possible at the best movie houses.
I have about 15...Read more›

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Reference, Next generationA/V Multi Source/Zone, Network Streaming Receiver. THX Ultra Certified this all new receiver from Denon is the top of the line in terms of best of class technology.Setting the reference standard for sound and video quality, the AVR-5308CI is packed with all of the latest technologies for the ultimate home theater experience. Featuring THX Ultra2 certification, the AVR-5308CI features Denon's legendary D.D.S.C.-HD surround sound decoding, employing no less than 3 high speed DSP processors, along with precision Burr-Brown DACs in differential mode on all output channels (12). Able to decode the latest high definition audio formats, such as Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio via the latest HDMI v1.3a specification. Video sources, regardless of resolution or format, are upconverted to high definition via the top-performing Realta HQV video processor, all the way up to 1080p. The versatile multi-zone functions include independent high definition and standard definition outputs. A host of digital media connectivity features includes network audio and photo streaming, via Ethernet and built-in Wi-Fi, along with internet radio stations, built-in HD radio, and XM satellite-ready capability.

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Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'll start by saying I'm not an Audiophile. I just wanted a decent mid-range receiver that does all the latest lossless audio formats and has 7.1 channels so it's ready to take advantage of BluRay as that format evolves. So my primary focus is on a system that plays audio for movies and video games as it's primary function. Currently I have this receiver setup in a 5.1 configuration since that's the type of receiver it replaced. I have more speakers on order to expand it out but to be honest, right now if you're building a home theater from scratch, you only need 5.1 . The 7.1 specs aren't really supported yet and DVDs and Playstation/Xbox are all 5.1, so if you're starting from scratch save some money and setup for 5.1 first and expand as support grows.
I used the automated speaker calibration feature to setup all the channels. This is where you place the provided mic at ear level at three different listener positions. The receiver then sends out tones which will drive you and your dog nuts for about 15 minutes while the entire process goes on. Once it was done however, I was/am very pleased with the results.
I've heard some people ask about humming, i can detect no humming. I have some WiFi equipment close by which is 2.5 ghz and so far have not heard any humming. Some other people have said the Receiver runs hot to which I would ask those people, is this your first receiver? They do run hot ! This one runs no hotter than the old one i replaced from a different manufacturer so as far as I'm concerned, the heat issue is normal. I have it in a small component rack that's enclosed on the sides and back with a door on the front, it's got maybe half an inch space around the sides and 2 inches of space on top and so far everything is good.
The back has tons of inputs, but the primary reason I waited for the 606 over the previous model is the number of HDMI ports, the next generation audio/video cable which is a requirement for full resolution BluRay playback. They're rev 1.3a to support all the latest audio formats as well (none of which are currently supported by the discs themselves yet though). The receiver will pass through a 1080p signal from a BluRay or other high def video source. If you feed it a standard def 480i video source, it will upscale it to 1080i or 720p. It does a decent job but i would say upscaling isn't the receivers strong point, it does an acceptable job though. But lets face it, Onkyo doesn't build TV's, their bread and butter isn't video, it's audio.
I'm pleased with the performance and the styling of the receiver, it's just very basic and sleek. No built in graphical user interface and all that other nonsense that receivers 3x this price but no more times the performance come equipped with. This receiver for a mid end system for movies and video games just really can't be matched in terms of performance per dollar spent.
I have matched this receiver with some Polk Audio speakers. Specifically i have a Polk CSi3 center channel and six Polk RTi4 bookshelf speakers (all of which you can find at great prices here on Amazon where I ordered them from) and I am very very happy with the results. The Polk speakers like the Onkyo 606 receiver are over achievers for their price point, so they match together extremely well.
The only thing I have left to say is buy it, I wouldn't hesitate recommending this receiver to anyone looking for a solid movie/video game home theater experience.

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As part of the second generation of Onkyo high-definition-capable receivers, the TX-SR606 is at the forefront of affordable home theater. The key is to have the most capable version of HDMI. The TX-SR606 provides high-definition video and audio processing for four source components—another first for Onkyo at this level. From Blu-ray Disc players to gaming consoles and cable/satellite boxes, you have everything in the digital realm covered. Apart from 1080p video, the TX-SR606 can upscale all video signals to 1080i, regardless of the connection, for output via HDMI. Onkyo's own RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) also gives you inter-operability with the displays and playback components from other leading brands. And with an expanded version of Audyssey's room correction technology, the TX-SR606 maintains the fullness of surround sound audio quality at low volume levels. The TX-SR606 offers all-round excellence rarely seen at this level.

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Marantz SR6003 Audio Video Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had the 6003 for over a month now and it has totally impressed me. All I want to do is throw in all my hddvd's, blu-rays and sacd's in order to hear the amazing sound they produce with this receiver. Dolby TrueHD, DTS Master, and any of the uncompressed audio sound frickin' spectacular. I did some switching between these and compressed and it is amazing how open and engulfing the sound of the lossless codecs are compared to the legacy formats.
Music has never sounded better through my Energy Reference Connoisseur 50's either. Marantz has this nailed. The sound is incredibly smooth from the deepest bottom end to the very top of the crispest highs. I was listening to a master recording of Muddy Waters on gold cd and it was spectacular. It's almost as if the sound was beyond the speakers to the point where they were non-existent and all that was left was the music. Even my brother was impressed and this coming from a guy who runs an Ayre cd player, McIntosh pre-amp, Bryston amp and Veritas speakers. He said, and I quote, "It's amazing how far receivers have come". He went on to mention that this is probably part of a trickle down effect from Marantz's Reference Series audio line as he mentioned they have been getting some praise from the audiophile sector.
So if anyone is looking for what in my opinion is the best sounding receiver in this price range (or even several hundred above), I would have to say this is it. It SEVERELY outperforms my outgoing Denon 3805, and put to shame the Pioneer Elite sc-05 for sound quality according to my ears. No doubt the Best Bang for the buck.


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Denon AVR1610 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver with 1080p HDMI Connectivity Review

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(More customer reviews)Based on a sub-$400 budget, I focused on this and the Yamaha 465. In researching it, a toss-up really emerged and the decision was made in talking to a very knowledgeable guy at Crutchfield. Having set it up last night and having played with it the better part of today, I am very content with my purchase. I fired up some Blu Ray's with both PCM and DTS-MA/ True HD and was very pleased with the upgrade over standard DD/DTS. The soundstage was just bigger. The opening scene from my kids favorite movie, Cars, was no longer weak. The opening race scene was clear and appropriately loud. The bump on my stars comes from the fact that the manual is awful. I gave up on it early on and went with the trial and error approach with the on-screen menu, which is more than adequate, but you need to have a basic tech sense in order to take that route. On another set-up note, the microphone setup is well done and made a big difference in the sound generated from my SS speakers, before versus after.

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The Denon AVR-1610 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver - Performance, technology and affordability are the hallmarks of the AVR-1610. A powerful 5 channel x 75W amplifier section delivers detail and dynamics to music and movie soundtracks. It's equipped with 1080p compatible HDMI 1.3a Repeating technology, delivering both audio and video to your HDTV with single HDMI cable. This HDMI connectivity supports the latest generation surround sound formats available on Blu-ray disc, including Dolby TrueHD and DD+, dts-HD and dts-HR. Also included is Dolby Laboratories new Pro Logic IIz Matrix decoding featuring front height effects channels that expands front soundstage. The AVR1610 boast a number of Audyssey technologies. Advanced Audyssey MultEQ analyzes a speaker systems interaction with room acoustics, and then delivers custom tailored correction processing to optimize clarity and tonal balance throughout the listening space. Audyssey Dynamic Volume is an automatic volume-leveling system that tracks audio dynamics to eliminate the irritating volume swings between TV shows and commercials. Audyssey Dynamic EQ is also on board to ensure rich bass and smooth tonal balance at low volume listening levels. In addition to enhanced HDMI 1.3 repeating (3 in, 1 out), the AVR1610 features component video switching (2 in, 1 out), analog to HDMI conversion (480i to 480p) and seven analog inputs. A front-panel audio/video input allows quick and easy connection of camcorders and game systems. System setup is simplified by a new, enhanced icon-based on-screen display that is delivered over HDMI. System expansion is available with optional accessories. For media networking, use the optional ASD-3N and ASD-3W. For iPod connectivity, use the ASD-3N/3W, as well as the ASD-11. When connecting iPod and other MP3 players, the AVR-1610 features Denon's exclusive Compressed Audio Restorer to improve sound quality and dynamics.

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