Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)
by Onkyo
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List Price: Our Price: $179.99 You Save: $319.01 (64%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Speakers See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)
Customer Review: Great receiver, great value, ONE FATAL HICCUP
Summary: 2 Stars
SEE UPDATE BELOW AND IN "Cons" SECTION
This receiver is excellent. I've had it for about a month now and haven't had a single issue with it. The heat is not as bad as some reviewers would lead you to believe (at least not in my unit) my older higher quality Sony ES system heated up a great deal more, though there is a spot on the back of the receiver that gets pretty warm due to the HDMI switching and the electricity that passes through that subsystem (especially if you leave video passing on for example). That said, you should always give a receiver adequate ventilation to maintain it reliably for longer (mine has about 4" of overhead clearance and I leave the glass doors on our media center open when playing it.
It connects to and interprets our other equipment without any issue (read the manual if you have trouble, there's even a nice quick setup guide that shows basic connections). I have not had a single buzz with any source, but then again I made sure I used good connectors (goldplated banana plugs) to prevent any stray wires to my speakers, and I've grounded all of my equipment well (especially if it has an HDMI or coaxial input to the receiver). This will usually prevent FEEDBACK which can often cause buzzing issues in sensitive electronic equipment.
All that said, here are my pros and cons.
Pros:
-Excellent connectivity for "future-proofing" (with the realization that nothing is future proof these days)
-Excellent power to drive quality speakers (You'll find that Onkyo estimates the 90 W/Ch a LOT more closely than Sony; some "equivalent" Sony receivers with 4 HDMI ins have been found to only drive about 35 W/Ch at full tilt 7.1, look on Cnet reviews before you buy, that said, if you buy some dirt 76 dB/W/m speakers, you can't expect anything to power them well)
-Excellent flexibility for multiple speaker setups over time (Audyssey calibration will help you, and you can even biamp fronts, or have an amped Zone 2)
-Excellent sound honestly from music and movies. Compared to my older ES receiver this Onkyo is awakening the soundtracks in movies and my music collection. I enjoy the brightness (not tinny, just honestly bright) of the sound and the clarity of the bass.
-Excellent decoding options (ALL current DD and DTS standards).
-Audyssey and Audyssey Dynamic EQ are astonishing. The balance and phasing of my speakers has never been better, and I can now listen to unreasonably low volumes at night while still enjoying rich surround and subwoofer effects at that low volume (the Dynamic EQ does that; many think better than the THX equivalent)
Cons:
-UPDATED 2/12/10: HDMI daughter board failure due to extended heat exposure
-Smallish on receiver display, and inability to display on screen volume when passing HDMI vs. other sources (the first I see as Onkyo appropriately saving cost while providing you better sound components)
-No backlight on the remote (not a big deal to me, I use a Harmony 676)
-Video upscaling isn't the best, but then again you won't get the best without paying for a Reon chipset and that'll run you into the $900+ AVRs, most of the issue can be corrected by reducing the sharpness or simply passing your source without upscaling
-Only two component video ins (but with the HDMI increasing in popularity this ought not to be much of an issue going forward)
-Can't rename inputs (again, not a big issue if you can either memorize five things or have a remote like the Harmony that will keep track of it for you AND YOUR WIFE)
All in all, I think Onkyo has done a miraculous job of eliminating unecessary features (smallish display, renaming inputs) to save cost so that they can jampack this AVR with even more functionality and better quality sound options (Audyssey and Audyssey EQ, high actual power, screamingly good sound reproduction, excellent connectivity options, and excellent expandability) at an extraordinarily LOW PRICE.
If you're considering this for a home theater, debate no more. Look at every single *expert* review of the receiver online (there are about 5 now; every last one glowing) and read up on how to prevent issues like buzz and heat before you encounter them (AV Science Forum is an excellent resource).
UPDATE 2/12/10: There is a common and all too frequent problem cropping up with this receiver model. The HDMI daughter board is immediately above one of the more energetic heat exchanges on the main board. This effectively bakes the entire time the 606 is on or active (if you leave the power control feature turned on these components remain active in standby cooking it faster). This has led to a *SLEW* of folks with HDMI failures after approximately 1 year of active use (including me sadly). This failure begins as smearing of the top of the screen on 1080i signals (which will eventually turn the whole screen white unless the input is changed to a lower resolution and then back or the power is cycled), then wholesale failure of passing 1080i signals, then 720p signals, and so on down the line until no signal is processed at all. Sadly, Onkyo has opted to fix these issues one at a time under warranty or pay out of pocket by the end consumer, and their authorized shops are few and seemingly overtaxed. For verification of all of these claims as well as more information on issues and repair shops, visit the owners thread on AVScienceForum's website.
I can no longer in good conscience recommend purchasing this product. I am changing my rating to 2 stars if Amazon allows it (from 5 previously). It's a great AVR, with an awfully fatal flaw.
Customer Review: Unexpected Surprises from Onkyo!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this receiver.
I bought it to replace an older receiver that did not have enough video inputs to handle all of the equipment I wanted to connect, so I had to use a 4 into 1 video switch box. Also, for Surround Sound, It could only do Dolby Pro Logic Enhanced. It had no support for anything digital, but it did have 6 discreet analog inputs for a standalone Dolby Digital processor which I don't have, and considered eBay'ing before I decided to just get a real receiver.
The Onkyo receiver has ALMOST enough video inputs for me to connect everything I have to it. I have a DVD player, Dish Network Receiver, a Linux video player, a VCR, a PS2, and a Wii that connects through the TV back to the receiver. That's 6 video sources. The Onkyo surprised me by allowing me to assign one of the Component video inputs to the CD or Tape input! That allowed me to turn an audio only input into a full A/V input. It brings this receiver's actual switchable A/V device count to SEVEN, so long as at least two of those are HD connections.
I've had my Cambridge SoundWorks speaker system for over 10 years. I've had it hooked up to a number of different receivers, and I've gotten used to what it sounds like. I hooked it all up to this Onkyo, and ran the automatic speaker setup routine. When I put in a DVD (into the same DVD player I've been using for months), and listened to it, It literally brought a tear to my eye. I had no idea my speakers were capable of sounding as good as they do now. The Audyssey system configured the level settings and several equalizer points to reshape what my speakers put out and now it's just incredible. I've never noticed my subwoofer before like I do now.
Interestingly, when I first did the setup, I didn't connect the center speaker correctly. When Audyssey couldn't hear it, it assumed I didn't have one and automatically setup my left and right speakers to create a phantom center channel. Wow.
I wanted to mention, since one previous reviewer says "manual controls of the levels would be nice" - you DO have the ability to manually fine tune or adjust the levels in the setup menu. You just can't adjust the equalizer settings without turning off Audyssey.
Another surprise I wasn't expecting is the Zone 2 system! if you're only going to use 5.1 speakers, you should know that this receiver sports a "Zone 2" that allows you to connect an extra set of speakers to use the extra two amplified channels. Sure, my previous receiver had a A and B speaker system, but what surprised me about the Onkyo is that Zone 2 can play a different input source! My wife is listening to her favorite radio station in her office while I watch a movie in 5.1 in the den, all from the same receiver. Amazing!
I will admit, I will miss the environmental DSP sounds like stadium mode and rock concert mode that my old receiver had, but I will also admit I hardly EVER used any of them. That's probably why they aren't a feature on new receivers. Instead, it has "Listening Modes" that are all about trying to squeeze every little bit of surround sound detail out of whatever kind of signal the receiver receives.
Initially, I had a problem with the receiver refusing to use any of its "Listening Modes". It seemed that no matter what source I gave it (except HDMI), it would run in "Direct" mode, playing just stereo. The solution turned out to be simple - go into hardware setup and turn off the audio output to the TV over HDMI. Once I turned that off, the whole system woke up and sang :)
I guess one complaint I have is that for some reason, the on-screen display, which is only displayed on a TV connected via HDMI is not displayed when the source is HDMI. Composite sources show volume and other information on screen, such as when changing listening mode. But my DVD player and Sat receiver seem to override that display, and I don't know why. Perhaps it's another setting I just haven't found yet. I hope so :P
I have no complains about the thing running hot. If it is hot, I haven't noticed. I also have no humming noises to complain about. Amazon got it into my hands rather quickly and I have no complaints about shipping.
All in all, I think my FAVORITE feature is the fact that no matter how I connect a video device to this receiver, it sends the picture to the TV over the HDMI cable. I'm not using the "upscale to 1080i" feature, but it's still very nice to not have to connect a composite, an SVideo, a set of component AND HDMI cables to the TV when it really only needs one link. My other devices make enough of a mess already '
Customer Review: HDMI board bugs and warranty issues, but happy ending
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a high structure buyer and did a lot of research before buying
the Onkyo TX606B Home Theater receiver. The unit was to replace my
Harmon Kardon AVR30, which I have had almost 20 years.
***(BE SURE TO READ COMPLETE REVIEW-SEE UPDATES BELOW!)***
While I like many of the features of the unit, I have now completely
lost confidence in Onkyo. For about the first eight months, I had
no issues and then I began to experience signal problems while attempting to play CD's and DVD's from my Blu Ray disc player. It
went from about 20% to 100% failure over a two to three month period.
Since I had a 24 month factory warranty and did not want to unplug my
system for repair during the holidays and then for a house guest(s),
I delayed the repair because I still was able to watch cable HD TV.
With about 6 months left on the warranty, I just returned the unit to hhgrgg for factory service. They said it would take 4 to 6 weeks, which was no big surprise.
Onkyo, on the other hand, offered a 2 year extended warranty if purchased during the original Standard Limited Warranty period.
Yesterday, I contacted Onkyo to buy the extra two years and was flatly turned down, saying the warranty is not available because this model is
no longer current.
Their web site product page showed it should still be available:
[...]
Extended Warranty
Onkyo's Extended Warranty Plan protects you against unexpected repair costs to give you the peace of mind you deserve!
One time fee - The one low fee you pay when you purchase a plan is the only fee you will have to pay to receive all the benefits of an extended warranty...no hidden fees or deductibles!
Extends the original manufacturer's warranty by 2 years. (excludes speakers)
Must be purchased during the term of the Standard Limited Warranty that accompanied the Product at the time of initial purchase
Product must be purchased from an Authorized Onkyo dealer and proof of purchase is required.
THE BOTTOM LINE...BE VERY CAREFUL BEFORE DOING BUSINESS WITH ONKYO.
THEY MISREPRESENTED THE AVAILABILITY OF THEIR EXTENDED WARRANTY AND
ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH THEIR HDMI BOARDS.
*UPDATE #1- 06/22/10*
After contacting Senior Management, Onkyo has become very proactive
in resolving my problem. I asked hhgregg to allow me to pick up the
receiver and have sent it to Onkyo's NJ Repair Facility. I have been
given priority status and anticipate the most updated HDMI board fix
and fast service. Additionally, they have agreed to provide some help
on the warranty issue. I can candidly say that if the unit is returned
as promised with a long term HDMI board fix, I am quite satisfied and
cannot ask anything more from Onkyo because Senior Staff made a sincere
effort to make things right. Once this all comes together, I will be
editing this review to four (4) stars, because they have earned it.
****UPDATE #2- 07/21/10**** NOW A FOUR STAR REVIEW****
On 07/15/10, the unit arrived home from Onkyo's NJ repair facility.
They replaced 4 #374721044T capacitors and 4 #3981G1017R2 capacitors.
After setup, the unit has performed perfectly. Additionally, I further
attest that Senior Management at Onkyo, USA, continued to deal with me
directly and were very professional. While it may have been better if
these models were recalled, maybe not all had the defective Toshiba capacitors. Either way, my unit is now repaired and I am very happy.
Also, I have a letter of confirmation regarding our mutually agreed
and fair solution to the extended warranty issue.
PLEASE DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE WHO SAY ONKYO HAS POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.
IF YOU CONTACT SENIOR STAFF IN PARTS AND SERVICE, YOU WILL NOT BE
IGNORED AND I AM CONFIDENT YOUR ISSUE WILL BE RESOLVED AMICABLY. MY
FIRST EMAIL TO MANAGEMENT WAS ANSWERED WITHIN JUST TWO HOURS.
Customer Review: My experience with the Onkyo TX-SR606
Summary: 5 Stars
I have the Onkyo TX-SR606 set to 5.1 mode playing through an old (and discontinued) set of four Boston Acoustics Micro 90 speakers, a BA Micro 90c center speaker, and a BA sub-woofer. Connected to the Onkyo HDMI inputs are a Panasonic DMP-BD55 1080p Blu-Ray player, a DirecTV HD DVR tuner, and via RCA jacks, an Apple Airport Express for playing Internet radio broadcast from my computer. For video, I have the HDMI output sent to a 46 inch Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ85U 1080p Plasma HDTV.
Before moving the Onkyo to it's final location, I unpacked the unit, and did a quick connect to the speakers, just to be sure that I didn't get one of the units that others on this site report has a hum. No hum, only perfect silence. I then ran speaker wires through the walls, mounted and connected the speakers and all audio and video components.
Setting up the Onkyo was very straight forward. (Running 16 gauge speaker wire for the back speakers through wall and the ceiling is a totally different story.) The labels on the back of the Onkyo are easy to understand and seem logically placed. There are very few options that need to be done with the remote, but those that needed adjusting were easily set.
Upon powering the unit for the first time, it's necessary to balance the speakers. I followed the recommended automated process, using the microphone that's included with the receiver. Set-up was a breeze. Within 15 minutes, the system was perfectly balanced (for my taste). The unit automatically adjusted the treble/bass/mid tones based on the speakers that are connected, and adjusted the gain of each set of speakers based on their placement in the room and the room's acoustics. Although there are options for refining all balance and tone settings, I didn't feel the need to do anything beyond the automatic set-up.
For my first experience, I decided to watch and listen to the Blu-Ray version of The Dark Knight. While this disk is visually stunning, the sound produced though this receiver is out-of-this-world! My home video watching/listening experience was forever changed. The highs, the lows, the mid-range sounds blew me away! Ironman was next, followed by the new Blu-Ray version of Sweeny Todd. The sound from this receiver is better than most theaters, the HD picture (passed through the receiver) is perfect, and the popcorn is a lot cheaper. One of these disks is Digital Dolby, and the other two are Dolby TrueHD. All are equally stunning to hear!
Next, I turned on the DirecTV player. The Digital Dolby sound played perfectly, and the video pass-through worked as it should. I experienced no sync problems between sound and video. The resolution of DirecTV, at this point, is only 1080i, so the picture is not as sharp and crisp as the Blu-ray player's 1080p resolution, but the sound is excellent. DirecTV promises 1080p resolution shortly.
Finally, I switched the Onkyo to the Apple Airport input (I used the CD inputs), logged on to AOL Radio with my iMac and broadcast music wirelessly to the Airport using Airfoil. WOW! Even the sound from the Airport is better than I imagined possible. All 5.1 speakers respond, providing some incredible music. Rock on Garth!
Through the Onkyo remote control, I set the receiver's version of Panasonic's VIERA HDMI component control to ON, which allows me to use the Panasonic remote to turn on/off the TV or Blu-Ray player and the Onkyo automatically turns on/off and sets itself to the correct input. Volume on the receiver is also controlled through the Panasonic remote. I almost never use the Onkyo remote since all components can be controlled through the Panasonic remote. I keep the Onkyo remote around because the receiver does not automatically switch to the CD input (RCA jacks) when I use the Airport so I have to set that input and adjust the volume using the Onkyo remote.
The Onkyo TX-SR606 produces the finest sound I've ever heard in a home unit. It is capable of playing all of the current sound formats, is easy to set up and easy to control, and with 4 HDMI inputs, there's space for future expansion.
Now, I think I'll go make a martini and watch AND LISTEN TO another movie!
Customer Review: Great receiver for price; humming issue easily solved with HDMI cable
Summary: 5 Stars
Pros:
Fantastic sound
Controlls all my devices (Dish network box, PS3, Wii)
Nightmode (once my PS3 was in bitstream)
Easy setup
4 HDMI ports
Cons:
Slows down the channel changing from my cable box
popping sound when a PS3 game is starting up
607 is out, which means this one is out of date
I purchased this receiver based on the reviews, and the fact that it had a lot more for the money than other receivers. I know that the 607 is here, but I didn't really need 6 HDMI inputs or 7.2 since my current system is a 5.1 system already. I replaced a Sony theater in a box system with this new receiver, and 4 Polk 8" in-ceiling speakers. I have to say this system sounds pretty awesome compared to the old Sony setup I had. I was particularly impressed with the surround sound which sounded great! Overall this has been a good purchase, but there are a couple of things that everyone should know!
First off the hum sound that many people were complaining about here, I had the same problem when I first turned on the system I could hear a really faint hum. When I let the 606 do it's auto calibration, the hum got a lot worse! I found that I could reduce it by changing the equalizer back to off from the "Audyssey" that the automatic setup did. I found that the hum was coming from the sub, and not any of the surround speakers. I then searched about and found a page talking about cable boxes causing a hum in the subwoofer, and so I disconnected my cable box (Component with composite cables for sound), the humming went away. I also read that a ground loop isolator can fix the humming problem, which was my next option if the HDMI cable hadn't worked, but I didn't purchase one to test either. You can find those here on Amazon for fairly cheap.
I solved the hum on my system by changing the cable box to HDMI and not Component/Composite setup that I had at first!
I also have a PS3, which some people complained caused this hum issue, but I didn't have a hum problem from the PS3 mine is connected via HDMI.
Other things I really like about this receiver, is that I am able to use this remote to control all the equipment for the most part. The TV really only gets turned on and off now since everything goes through the 606, I don't have to switch inputs on the TV any more. The cable box I have also could use the Onkyo remote, but I can't pause live tv, or rewind etc. on the DVR part of my cable box. This isn't a big deal to me, as long as I can change the channel and set up future recordings which I can do.
The sound was pretty easy to set up, and the auto calibrate did a pretty good job after I was able to eliminate the hum issue.
Night mode is also a pretty cool feature. Basically it just reduces the low sound effects so that it doesn't rumble the entire house when a movie is being played loudly. The only thing I didn't know is that it would only work with Dolby Digital formats when I first bought it. This was irritating when I first was trying to figure out how to get it in to night mode with my PS3 which was putting out audio in PCM format. Since it seems the PCM format doesn't support Dolby Surround sound. When I changed the audio output to bitstream, I could then use the night mode. Anyway since I have a small child that sleeps in the next room over from my main setup, it is a very nice feature to have.
The bad parts about the 606: changing channels on my DVR is slower now that it goes through the receiver, and since it was already slow with Dish network, that is kind of irritating. Also the PS3 seems to change sound schemes a lot when it starts a game, which is preceded by an audible pop on the receiver for each one. This is irritating when a game is starting up, but I haven't had a problem once all the startup screens are out of the way.
Overall I would give the 606 a 4 and 1/2 star review but leaning more towards 5 so I went with that. I have been very pleased with the 606.