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: Poor Quality Control
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased this item as a Christmas gift for my father. I hooked it up when it arrived and discovered that the S-Video and single analog video input for the cab/sat input did not work. I knew this because I could get the video signal to work by hooking it up to the other inputs in the same manner. Rather disappointed, I contacted Onkyo customer service. They were not very helpful and recommended I contact the dealer. I exchanged the item through Amazon, who were excellent about it as they paid return shipping and shipped another unit very quickly. Knowing the problem I had with the previous unit, I made sure to test all of the inputs on the second one. Unfortunately, the new unit was worse than the original one. Not only did the cab/sat video inputs not work, but neither did the video inputs for the dvd input. The 4th HDMI input also did not work. I returned this unit as well. I would advise anyone who buys this unit to test all of the connections when they get it. I suspect many people probably have defective units but never notice because they never use the defective connection.
I thought I had researched well before buying the unit, and noted that it tended to get very good reviews on amazon. Some more investigation after the fact has led me to believe the Onkyo's quality control has slipped in recent years. As has been noted in several reviews here, these units sometimes have a buzzing sound, and this can sometimes develop over time. These units also run exceptionally hot, and heat is the enemy of electronics. If you get one of these units make sure you can put it somewhere with at a lot (8+ inches) of overhead clearance. I have also found websites that claim Onkyo's high end (which is not this unit) customer service has gotten very bad.
The unit is not all bad though. Here are a few positives:
-Ample connections. You won't find other units with 4 HDMI inputs at this price range. It also has numerous other connections, and will output analog signals over the HDMI output.
-Seeming Playstation 3 compatibility. I have seen reports that the PS3 does not play nice with some receivers, although that does not seem to be the case with this one.
-Intuitive to use. I have some technological ability, but I found the unit intuitive to use and control, including through the on-screen guides. I was also able to teach my father the basics of operation, which was an accomplishment. Some very nice brands, such as Dennon, tend to be overly complicated and suffer in this category.
-Features/price ratio. This unit sells well because it has a lot of features relative to its price, such as video upscaling, decent power, ample connections, all the current surround codecs, and Audessy features. I never tried out the Audessy features, but I have read good things about them.
But, as I've mentioned, there are some cons:
-The biggest con imo is quality. I got two units in a row with defective connections. The units also run very hot, and many have been plagued by a buzzing sound. Onkyo customer service is also questionable.
-The video upscaling is not all that great. This unit only goes to 1080i, and audio/videophiles tend to frown on the Faroudja chips. It won't be long before virtually all video sources are hi-def anyways, and upscaling will not be necessary. If you have a nice TV it might already upscale as well. When I look for my next unit I will try to get one that doesn't touch the video signal at all.
My advice would be to look for a higher quality unit in this price range without the video upscaling, because you probably don't need it, and might not even want it. My advice if you decide to get this unit though is:
1. Buy from a good dealer who will let you return it if need be. I found Amazon's customer service to be good.
2. Check all of the connections when you first get it.
3. Make sure there is ample room around and above the unit for heat dispersion.
Customer Review: The features I wanted at a great price
Summary: 5 Stars
I spent a lot of time looking for all the features I wanted in one A/V receiver. Finally the Onkyo TX-SR606 came out with everything I was looking for. One big selling point was the 4 HDMI inputs. I have a Directv HD DVR, a Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-ray and a Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD player that I wanted hooked up to my Sony 60" KDS-60A3000. The hookup was very simple with the HDMI cables all going through the receiver and only one HDMI to the TV. I also have a Wii hooked up to the receiver via component cables and it is output to the TV through the HDMI even though the instructions to me sounded like I'd have to have it hooked up via Component from receiver to TV also. It works great through the HDMI and the upscaled picture for the Wii is awesome. I also have my computer audio hooked up through the surround sound but don't have the video card yet to hook up the video so that is the only other cable I've hooked to the TV. The only problem I've had with video since running it all through the Onkyo is one lip sync problem with a standard DVD played on the Toshiba HD DVD. The same DVD played with no problem in my Blu-ray player and I've not had any other lip sync problems with any video. Even other standard DVD's played fine on both the Toshiba and Panasonic. I did play with the lip sync settings on the receiver while I was having problems with that one DVD but couldn't get it to totally correct. It improved for a time but would gradually get off sync again. Like I said I've had no other video problems. As for the audio it's been trouble free and great. I'm only using my Bose 5.1 speakers as I have a pretty small room so I really can't comment on the new 7.1 audio but the sound I'm getting is awesome. Crystal clear sound and the auto setup of the speakers with the provided microphone was easy once I got the kids out of the room so the receiver had complete silence to run the setup. We do normally watch our programs and DVD's at at least 50 on the volume and if we turn it up to 70 it blows you out of our small room. Even at 70 the sound it crystal clear. I was surprised how far we had to turn up the receiver to get full sound but it's not a problem for us. I do wonder if it would push enough sound in a large room though. I think with good speakers it would be fine but you'd be turning it up to the top end of the scale. The receiver does get quite warm when on but has not caused any problems. I do have it in a stand with glass doors and only a small cable hole in the back so I'm getting a fan to mount in a hole I'll cut in the back just to move air and help keep it cooler. Like I said it has had no problems but I worry about prolonged use with that amount of heat and no ventilation causing problems in the future. One other surprise when it arrived was the size and weight of the receiver. I didn't read the published size and weight as I was just looking at features and price. When it arrived it required some shelve adjusting in my stand to give it a little breathing room as it's much bigger than any component I've ever had in the stand. Overall for my budget and the features I was looking for I couldn't be more happy with this receiver. I also purchased the Onkyo Ipod dock for my wife's Ipod and the sound is very nice through that but the on-screen readout is quite cheesy as it's just plain white text that looks like it's from the pong era of video. I was hoping it would be color and show the album covers and such. One other thing is the remote. It works awesome to control the two HD players and my satelite and TV. Very nice. So nice that I still haven't programmed my Harmony remote to use on it. I would definitely recommend this receiver to anyone looking for HD features and a great price.Customer Review: Best Bang for the Buck in Next-Gen Home Theater Receivers
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Customer Review: One solution to HDMI buzz
Summary: 4 Stars
Other reviews cover this receiver with excellent detail (setup, sound, etc.) and I agree with most comments. This is a great unit for the money. Many features, easy setup, poor upscaling, great HDMI support.
Unfortunately I have the HDMI buzz issue mentioned by several reviewers but fortunately I found the cause and one solution.
I had a XBOX 360 connected via HDMI and a Gamecube connected via component. Both output through HDMI to the tv. When I first powered up the SR606 and the XBOX I heard a continuous buzz or hum through the speakers which became louder when the volume increased. This made quiet movies nearly unwatchable as dramatic scenes were dominated by instead of cinematic tension.
I called Onkyo support in New Jersey and they quickly brushed me off with a flat recommendation of "return the unit to the retailer" with no diagnostic advice. I followed this direction and predictably, the new unit suffered the same ailment. The buzz continued.
All of my audio/video gear is connected to a single, ungrounded, electrical outlet (building was built in 1915). After a bit of Internet searching I found an article which discussed "common impedance coupling" whereby many high draw devices (such as a plasma TV, A/V receiver, and XBOX 360) which are connected to a common electrical run will produce a voltage drop and potentially introduce noise. I am not an expert in electricity but this lead me to investigate the way the components were connected to the SR606, rather than the SR606 itself.
I found that the XBOX 360 was responsible for the buzz. With the XBOX disconnected from the wall outlet, the buzz stopped even when all other components were connected and turned on. Thinking that the metal HDMI connection could be carrying the noise to the SR606 I connected the XBOX HDMI directly to the tv and connected the XBOX sound to the SR606 via a TOSLINK optical cable in order to remove any conductive connections between the SR606 and XBOX. This removed the buzz!
As a test I re-connected the XBOX HDMI to the SR606, kept the TOSLINK connection, and disabled the HDMI sound input for the XBOX on the SR606. This let the sound only come from the optical connection but retained the metal link between the SR606 and the XBOX. The buzz was much quieter but remained.
The last test was with the Gamecube which draws about 40 watts to the XBOX's 175. Although it connected via component, it output via the HDMI so I thought that if the buzz was related to the HDMI output on the SR606 I would hear it when using the Gamecube. I hear no buzz when using the Gamecube. Unfortunately do not have another device to test buzzing with HDMI input but it seems to me that the buzz was related to the following:
1) Using a single, ungrounded electrical circuit for all devices.
2) Connecting the XBOX 360 (which consumes a large amount of electricity) to the SR606 via a conductive connection.
I imagine that if I had independent outlets, homerun back to the breaker box I could separate the SR606 and the XBOX and correct the buzz. Unfortunately I spent all my cash on A/V gear so electrical work will have to wait. However, if you have better wiring in your house (or low draw A/V equipment) I imagine that your SR606 will be buzz free even when using HDMI connections.
Customer Review: The features that work are in line with the price
Summary: 2 Stars
So we bought this in oct 2008.
Pros: It is nice enough. It was easy enough to set up once you figure out the menu structure. Sound presets are nice and the video was nice enough. UPscaling seemed to work though this was our first reciever for hd so we had nothing to directly compare.
CONS: There are issues with the quality of the product. These issues are worsened by the ridiculous customer support. After doing extensive searches of the internet to find out about our issues, I have realized that many people have many issues and some of them were the same as myself
The big one is some sort of problem with the component inputs.
Issue 1 - for a long time our comcast cable box only had component output for use with HD. So that was fine, I just set up the box as componenet in for the onkyo box. I had my PS3 as an HDMI1. I used Digital (optical) cabling for the sound from both devices. This worked fine for a few months. After a few months an issue developed. If the tv/reciever/cable box was on for a few hours, a sampling issue would start where the top 5 percent of the tv was recieving incorrect signal. Kind of like the striping. The only thing that would fix it would be to switch from one input to another on the reciever. Was not fixed by restarting the tv or the cable box and this issue never came up with the playstation. So basically, through many other iterations of changing cables, changing inputs, etc etc, I narrowed it down. Fine. I wasn't going to send it out for repair for something that can be resolved with switching inputs for a second
Issue 2 - After 18 months (a bit is a threshold it seems from other reviews) The cable box/reciever combo would not produce a picture on the tv in the morning. In the beginning of this issue, I could just leave the whole system on for a few minutes, and then after it had warmed up, I could turn off the whole system and turn it back on and the picture would be there. Through this whole thing, I never had an issue with the ps3 hdmi connection. Finally, one morning it would not get a cable picture at all. I tested many things going through the component input that the cable was using and they did not get a picture through.
My solution - I got a new box from comcast that used HDMI. Fixed all my picture issues. Except this. The reciever menus do not show up on screen for devices that are using HDMI input for some reason. I have read the manual and I would sware that it says the exact opposite of this but I may just be misunderstanding. At any rate, that is a pain because my components are not in my living room. They are in another room so adjustments to the menus no requires two people or guessing from the other room. It works. It annoys me.
My recommendation - Other devices probably can't be any worse. The positives of price and simplicity don't make it any better than any other device. And if you need service you have to mail it out. And if you call the helpdesk, then welcome to customer support out sourcing with the ridiculous scripting ("first we will need to reset your device....."). And you will be asked to reset your device as the solution to all your issues.