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,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)
Customer Review: Great Receiver at a Great Price.
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought this receiver to replace a older unit that did not have HDMI inputs.
I thought my older unit sounded great, but after installing this one I couldn't believe how much better my sound was. The installation was very easy compared to my old unit. The on screen menu(you have to have it hooked up via HDMI to your TV to use this feature) was very easy to navigate and use. My older unit had the auto speaker setup that came with a microphone, but was difficult to use properly, but with the on screen menu setup with the Onkyo, the microphone setup was a breeze and it made a huge difference in the surround effects. I saw in some of the reviews that it got a bit warm, but I haven't really noticed a lot of heat, maybe they haven't used a high powered amp before, because they all get pretty warm. The up convert on the HDMI is really outstanding and I couldn't be happier with the result I'm getting. If you hook up a lot of devices to this, then I suggest getting a good remote that will work all the devices so you don't have to have so many remotes to handle, and I suggest the Logitech brand of remotes. They are very easy to setup and you can switch between devices with the push of a single button. I have my computer, my cable box, a xbox, a dvd player, a WII, and a netflix instant view box all hooked up to this receiver and they all work great. And I do it all with only one remote, a logitech Harmony 628 remote. Since the Onkyo receiver has video switching all I have is the One HDMI from the receiver to the TV for video. Just a note, I found this out by reading the Onkyo manual very carefully. To get true HD Surround sound you will have to utilize the digital sound connections and not use the sound that comes from the HDMI cable, although the sound is still digital with the HDMI cable it can not handle the multiple channels that a separate digital sound connector will. And this unit has only four digital connectors for sound two optical and two coaxial. If you looking for a medium priced good sounding and easy to setup receiver, then I don't think you can go wrong with this unit.
Customer Review: This Model Under Investigation - Faulty HDMI Board **UPDATED**
Summary: 3 Stars
**UPDATE** I have now upgraded my rating from 1 to 3 stars as my unit was just successfully repaired under warranty. As much as I like this receiver itself, I cannot rate any higher as Onkyo has just done the minimum here. Here are some considerations:
What if the repair doesn't last?
Mine happened to die two days before the warranty ended. What if died two days after the warranty? Different story.
This should have been treated as a recall - a bulletin issued to us customers before the warranty expired. Looking back at these reveiws - it has been a well known issue for 2 years now! Such a courtesy would have paid Onkyo big dividends in customer loyalty going forward.
These companies tend to underestimate the huge inconvenience placed on the customer. Unhook everything, pack up, transport, entire household lives without for days - if not weeks, pickup, unpack, re-hook everything up (no small task! Some even have to hire someone to do this for them).
Original Review:
Like almost all other recent reviewers here - my HDMI Board also failed...just days before the warranty expired! If you have this model and have noticed your picture not passing through/no onscreen display - or any other HDMI weirdness - get it serviced under warranty because it will die! Remember - this is a two year warranty.
The phone support guy at Onkyo told me this problem is "under investigation". He had me try a system reset - but to no avail. So I just dropped it off at an authorized service depot yesterday - I will update you on my repair.
It appears some reveiwers actually had their unit replaced by Onkyo with a newer model - so we shall see what happens. If a good, successful, longterm repair solution takes place in a timely fashion - or I receive a replacement - I will happily be upgrading this review accordingly.
Other than that - this unit was easy to use and sounded great...it received rave magazine reviews when it was new. I did not experience the heat issues as some apparently have.
Customer Review: Unnecessarily Difficult to Use
Summary: 3 Stars
I'll start by saying that the sound is good, the power adequate, and the setup was not overly complicated. That's why I give it an ok (C+). Every day use, however, is a different thing.
The remote was designed by someone who does not use the receiver, and operations that should be easy are simply baffling. Most importantly, I was excited to have a separate channel for my outside speakers, which Onkyo dubs "Zone 2." Should be easy, don't you think? Well, I have had it set up for about two months, and I'm still not sure exactly how to make it work right. I press a bunch of buttons & eventually I get sound out there.
The remote buttons are not thoughtfully placed, so buttons that one uses frequently are small and hidden among buttons that one never touches. The remote is also organized in a way that makes no sense. Groupings of buttons are non-sensical.
Problems with the remote seem like they should be a minor element of the receiver. When I read previous reviews that's what I thought. But I've lived with this receiver for several months now & I still find the remote to be an obstacle to my enjoyment. There are numerous other little things that I cannot figure out. Example: in some modes, like game mode, the volume and stereo information appear in small graphics at the bottom of the tv screen when I change them. This is a good thing. This does not happen, however, in cable/sat mode, where I use the receiver the most. Why can't I get the graphics there too? Maybe I can, but I can't find the instructions for this in the manual. My one final beef is that the remote is line-of sight, instead of radio. I'd like to be able to control the unit from out by the pool, but instead I have to come into the family room, dripping wet, to change the volume or source.
The unit is ok -- it just could be so much better if Onkyo just paid a little more attention. I'm considering one of those programmable easy-to-use remotes -- but if Onkyo just did it right, I wouldn't need to spend a bunch more money.
Customer Review: Superb sound, easy connection, easy controls
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this receiver 2 weeks ago. So far, I absolutely love it. I have connected it to a Panasonic mdp-bd30 blu-ray player and a Samsung LN46A650 46" LCD TV, through HDMI. Setup was very easy, with an HDMI cable comming from my satellite box and another from the Blu-Ray box, and then a single cable going from the receiver to my TV. I set the Blu-Ray player to send the audio information in bitstream to the receiver, and the receiver so far has perfectly played all the audio formats, including Dolby TrueHD, and Dolby Digital 5.1 The sound has been truly amazing, with the Polk 5.1 speaker system I also bought from Amazon. My family and I have watched some high-energy movies, such as "300" and "Apocalypto" and the sound has been truly exhilarating. Even football games have been revolutionary, as the 5.1 separation creates a game-changing experience when compared to watching on a standard TV or even with a two-channel stereo.
Overall, the quality of the sound is stunning. My normal-sized TV room is filled with clear, rich, separated sound. The subwoofer creates nerve-tingling effects, especially in action movies.
Understanding how to configure and set up the receiver was easy. Once the speakers were connected, I used the device's automatic sensor device to balance the speakers and set the equalization. That process took 5 minutes and was perfectly simple to follow, given the excellent on-TV directions that the receiver provides. I am not a techie audiofile, but was able to set up and configure the receiver in about 10 minutes.
I'd recommend buying a Logitech Harmony 550 remote to control all the devices seamlessly from one remote. Even my wife and children can easily control the combination of devices from the single remote.
I originally was going to by the Onkyo 505, but learned that it did not process TrueHD sound, and has only 2 HDMI inputs. The 606 was about $150 more, but it was very much worth spending the extra.
Customer Review: Mixed Feelings
Summary: 3 Stars
I replaced my ten year old Sony 5.1 receiver with the Onkyo 606. The Onkyo cost half as much as the Sony and the sound was much better. The surround sound on my old system was weak. I'm blown away about how much better it is with the Onkyo. I'm still not sure if it is the technology, settings, or improved system setup.
Since my TV doesn't have HDMI connections, I was disspointed that the Onkyo doesn't down-convert HDMI to component. This is a problem for me since all my devices are HDMI or component and there are only two component inputs. In addtion, S-video and composite are not upconverted to component. Because of this, I have to run addtional cables to my TV and can't use the video switching function of the Onkyo as I would like.
The biggest issue I have had so far, and a big part of the reason I gave this a three instead of a four is the quality. The first Onkyo I purchased had a bad board and couldn't display all colors through one of the component connections. Onkyo customer support quickly identified the problem. Amazon was excellent and sent a replacement before they even recieved my return. I was really impressed with the way they managed the return. All shipping was paid for by Amazon. Well, the second receiver has video problems as well, the picture goes in and out with some programs. I verified that it wasn't the satellite reciever. Onkyo customer support wasn't so great this time. They basically blamed it on the Directv receiver even though it works fine when hooked directly to the TV. Amazon initially offered a refund only. However, I explained to them that I feel like I just got a couple of bad systems and would like to try one last one. They agreed and the third one is in the mail. After all the research I did on this, and given how highly recommended it is, I just don't won't to go with another receiver. And you can't beat this price.
In short, I love the receiver but hope the quality is better with my third try.