Onkyo T-4555S Multi Platform Tuner (Silver) Review

OK, if you need a tuner and you don't want to be caught with your pants down, format-wise, then this is the one you want. AM, FM, RDS, Sirius, XM, and HD-Radio (which I LOVE!), this tuner can do them all! Operation has been flawless, with the added perk of remote control of pretty much every function. It seems well built for the money, as all Onkyo products are, in my experience. Sound quality is very good to my ears, but then again, I don't have a $3000 Magnum Dynalab tuner to compare it to! All in all, a very high value product.

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Onkyo HT-RC160 7.2-Channel A/V Surround Home Theater Receiver Review

I bought the Onkyo HT-RC 160 to replace a Yamaha that I liked very much but did not have HDMI inputs. This receivers 5 HDMI inputs should handle most applications and switches flawlessly between the various inputs. I chose the Onkyo primarily because the current Yamaha remotes are ridiculous - who can really navigate that many tiny buttons? I love that I could re-name the various inputs both on the receiver and on screen; now if only one could re-name the remote labels. One thing I don't like is that after selecting an input, you have to search for the receiver to control it including, turning it off. The receiver button should be in a prominent location. So should the mute button. Another problem is connecting speaker wires to the extremely closely spaced terminals. (Yes, banana plugs would take care of that, but I have not had success connecting the plugs to the speaker wires. Another minor problem occurred with the excellent speaker setup. I have an old surround sound setup. As such, I have two speakers mounted on the wall above the front main speakers, but no speakers on the side wall, and speakers on the back wall. The Onkyo set up did not recognize this until I reconnected the front wall speakers to the side surround terminals. Then the setup was very easy and produced great sound from my mix of speakers. Overall, I am very pleased with the Onkyo HT-RC 160.


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Onkyo TX-SR875S 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver Review

Excellent unit...excellent sound reproduction. The unit has a 1080p upconversion for your Plasma TV. I deem it a great buy, and very feature rich.

I am no amplifier geek, but I can tell you that I have connected a lot of equipment to this unit and it functions very well.

Disadvantages: 1) High heat output. 2) When connecting the video output to the TV, there is a time delay in getting the video signal to the TV when the system turns on. 3) The unit is heavy.

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Onkyo UWL1S Wireless USB Audio Transport (White) Review

It couldn't be easier to set up, just plug and play. Music sounds great and is uncompressed. Makes it so easy to listen to iTunes through your stereo without having to hook anything up. And it's small too so you can take it with you anywhere.

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Onkyo A-9555S Integrated Digital Stereo Amplifier (Silver) Review

See my full review posted at www.audioasylum.com for the complete descrition. Ths amp in my 20k system really shined. Onkyo is to be commended for building an amplifier of this qualit at this price level. I said it in my review. A new classic iis born.

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Onkyo A-5VL A-5VL Integrated Stereo Amplifier Review

Beneath the A-5VL's slim and elegant exterior lies a surprising amount of amplification muscle. You might wonder how Onkyo managed to incorporate the functionality of a pre- and power amp into such a slender integrated package. The key is the A-5VL's extremely energy-efficient design. Because it produces much less heat than a typical amplifier, the A-5VL requires only a small heat sink. This leaves ample space for a range of precision-crafted audiophile-grade parts, such as specially audio-tuned capacitors and thick, low-impedance copper bus plates. The A-5VL employs Onkyo's exclusive VLSC™ technology to ensure a smooth, pulse noise-free signal during conversion from digital to analog. You'll enjoy precise and faithful reproduction of any audio source, whether it's a CD, a tuner, or a turntable. As the A-5VL is also compatible with Onkyo's optional RI (remote interactive) Docks for the iPod, you also have the convenience of controlling playback of your iPod via the amplifier's remote controller.







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Onkyo TX-SR876 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Silver) Review

I've been an Onkyo owner for almost 20 years, and sadly, in a recent move, my original Onkyo receiver from around 1990 got dropped and totally destroyed. Turns out that was good for me, since it gave me the excuse to pick up the 876.

I won't repeat what all the other positive reviewers have said previously other than to summarize: this is an outstanding piece of equipment for audio and video applications at a really great price. That said, as many reviewers have noted, it sure does run hot (as pretty much every high-powered amp or receiver does), so it does pay to add external cooling to the unit if you plan on installing it in an enclosed cabinet. I found that the Antec Low Profile AV Component Cooler for Media PC Home Theater Products works particularly well with Onkyo receivers. My AV components are in a glass-front AV cabinet in full view in the living room, and the housing of the Antec Cooler has a very similar look to Onkyo AV components (all the way down to similar blue LEDs on the front) and fits in perfectly. The Antec unit is only a few inches tall and sits on top of the receiver; it has downward facing inlet ports and rear-facing fan ducts, so it sucks heat right away from the receiver and blows it out the back of the cabinet. Very nice addition.

Just an aside: I noticed some reviewers docked a few stars from this receiver for the heat issue. Everybody's got their own opinion, but if you're looking for an AVR that delivers 140W to 7 channels and has extremely sophisticated audio and video processing, well, you're going to get something that runs hot, whether it's from Denon, Marantz, Yamaha or whoever. I wish it were cooler myself, but I find it hard to rate this lower just because it obeys the laws of physics and gets a little warm. Therefore: 5 stars. Highly recommended.

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Onkyo TX-SR307 5.1-Channel A/V Surround Home Theater Receiver (Silver) Review

The advantage to this receiver (as well as the 507) is the depth fits most standard cabinets. This was my primary reason for looking at this receiver. I believe Onkyo is a good brand, and this receiver is better than my last, but it suffers in the high end features.

The HDMI passthrough is bunk. It does not look at the audio through the HDMI, which I specifically asked about and was misinformed. NO AUDIO THROUGH HDMI! You must attach a seperate audio in cable, which is not a big deal but for two reasons. 1) this receiver only has two optical inputs and one coaxial audio inputs (so only three surround audio inputs, and no popular product right now using optical, so you really only have two surround inputs) and 2) The inputs are not assignable to the HDMI, so you actually only have one optical input that will work while your HDMI pass through is working. Essentially, if you use HDMI through this unit, you are restricted to one optical audio input and the other is dedicated to "CD" so you can run a separate HDMI cable to your TV, but this defeats the entire purpose of HDMI on the receiver. Not a big deal to me, but may be a deal breaker for you. So, to repeat, and summarize, HDMI INPUTS ON RECEIVER ARE NOT FUNCTIONAL ENOUGH FOR YOU TO EFFECTIVELY USE THEM.

The price is great. $240 for a receiver with two optical audio inputs and an onkyo name? Works for me. This guy will NOT be future proof, and I will have to replace it if I want to have more than two surround sound sources, but that will be years from now, and I am now wise enough to know that IF YOU WANT TO HAVE TRULY GREAT VIDEO/AUDIO, YOU NEED TO BUILD A DEDICATED CLOSET IN YOUR HOUSE BECAUSE NO TELEVISION CABINET FITS MASSIVE HIGH END COMPONENTS, ONLY CONSUMER VERSIONS WITHOUT THE HIGH END FEATURES. I have my television floating on the wall with a tube running in the wall hiding the wires, and I have a beautiful setup, but I can't find components that will fit! I should have had a built-in placed during construction (NEED LOTS OF DEPTH!) or I should have ran the wires to the closet and dedicated it, but then you have the problem of IR-signals...

Also, don't buy this unit for the microphone. It doesn't work at all. Perhaps this is because the instructions ask you to place all the speakers on the floor for calibration, and mine are installed flush in the ceiling and are not coming out. Basically the microphone won't work for high end users. Too bad.

I'd return it, but I can't get anything better for this price, and if I spend more money ALL of the receivers have a larger depth which will NOT fit into any television stand (and believe me... I looked for over a year!)

Great beginning receiver, works well, powers speakers to a reasonably loud volume, high end features are bunk, and you can't use more than two surround sources with this guy. Hope this helps!

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Onkyo DV-SP406S Single Disc DVD Player (Silver) Review

The Onkyo DVD player has really given impressive service so far. We were even able to watch some DVDs that our other, cheaper players could not play. This is an excellent product that is well worth the money it costs. No more $29.99 cheapies for me!

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Onkyo TARW255 Dual well Tape Deck Review

This deck was purchased for a general music classroom. It did not work out of the box but unfortunately was past the 30 day period when it was tested out. One would not expect a basic tape deck to not be able to play or record cassettes, but it appears to be a fairly common problem with a sensor in the unit. We are now trying to deal with a service center in another state and are out money for shipping on a brand new unit. Poor experience with Onkyo.

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Onkyo DV-SP506 1080p Upscaling Super Audio CD/DVD Audio/Video Player - Silver Review

I was on the fence with this player, I narrowed my choices down to this Onkyo and a Pioneer Elite DV-58AV and ended up going with the Onkyo since it was lower cost and new (I could only find refurbished DV-58AV's at the time for $100 more). I'm happy to say I was not disappointed with this player. It passes DSD bitstream over HDMI straight to my Onkyo Receiver (TX-SR706) and the sound is as good as my old Sony DVP-S9000ES for SACD's, passing DSD to a my receiver was key to this though as I found that using it's internal DAC's for SACD wasn't as good as Sony ES SACD player. DVD-Audio also sounds very good when using this unit's internal DAC's using the Analog 5.1 channel out, in this case it did sound better than having it pass over HDMI like the SACD's. I actually bought this to only play SACD's & DVD-Audio primarily, which it does very well (especially at this price) so I was pleasantly surprised when I played a DVD in it, the up-conversion is done very well, it even does a better job of up-converting than my BluRay player (Sony BDP-S500) with standard DVD's. If you're looking for a great up-converting DVD player you can't go wrong, If you want to use this as a SACD player I have to say I was impressed when sending the DSD steam to the receiver, as for DVD-Audio I really don't have another player to compare it to, it sound good, not as good as it does with SACD's but much better than the CD versions of the albums. To sum up, this is a great multi-format player for the price, I think the majority of listeners & movie goers would be impressed with the quality and performance.

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Onkyo HT-S5200 7.1-Channel Home Entertainment Receiver/Speaker Package (with Dock for the iPod®) Silver Review

Just setting up this thing. It is a breeze. No problem setting up, made for people like me (not a sound connoisseur, but listens to a lot of music and have a need for 1080p on my games, videos).

I will use the multi-room controls a lot.

[...]
The sound is really nice, it has an active bass, and the surround works super nice. Watching Star Wars /LoTR and other movies that use sound effects suddenly give the movies more depth and another dimension. Music is super nice, it really handles both deep and high notes really well.

I have yet to get with all the features on it, and will update this review.
I have connected my PS3, with HDMI, and optical sound.
Working on the xbox, and tv sound out to see which is the better. Thinking xbox with the optical and tv with regular sound as I don't watch too much TV...we'll see.

I programmed the remote to control my TV too, and so no need for tons of remotes. I can also (sort of) control the iPod from the remote.

The only thing I would like, would be up-scaling instead of pass-through HDMI, it would make the set-up so much easier, but I have a PS3 that gives full 1080p blu ray, and xbox that upscales DVD's so I felt I did not need it. If the ht-s6200 was out when I bought this, I probably would have opted for it (depending on price..it is announced at $599 now), but amazon only made it available for purchase AFTER I got this. the ht-s5200 had some nice features over the ht-s6100 (game settings, and some other effects), and it is $300 cheaper.

Active base is awesome. Makes for a nice effect whenever something explodes on film :-) The late night settings also works.

TIP: Get your cables on Amazon, they cost a fraction of best buy (I mean comparable HDMI cables are $60 at Best buy and $2 on amazon.

So far, you'd be hard pressed to find a better system in this price range...IMO. I am super happy right now.


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Onkyo HT-S6200 HT-S6200 7.1-Channel Home Entertainment Receiver/Speaker Package with Dock for the iPod Review

Opting for the convenience of packaged home theater doesn¿t mean you have to compromise on quality. With the new HT-S6200 receiver/speaker package, you get advanced A/V processing and amplification with the Onkyo stamp of reliability. The receiver¿s four HDMI¿ 1.3a inputs handle 1080p video as well as high-definition surround-sound codecs by DTS and Dolby. Compatibility with Dolby Pro Logic IIz gives you the option of incorporating front height channels into your home theater set-up. Meanwhile, onboard Audyssey equalization and volume technologies adapt the soundstage to the dimensions of your room and maintain clarity at different loudness levels. A proprietary Universal Port allows single-cable connection of the included Dock for the iPod or an optional Onkyo HD Radio¿ tuner. Low-end frequencies are handled by a 290 W powered subwoofer, while seven finely matched surround-sound speakers ensure that, whatever playback component you hook up, the HT-S6200 will deliver a fully immersive home theater experience.







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Onkyo DV-BD606 Blu-ray Single Disc Player (Black) Review

I am an Onkyo fan from way back. I ordered the BD696 and the TX806. Deliver was prompt. I have a 60" Sony SXRD rear projection TV and JBL speakers, including a pair of 35 year old L100 Studio Monitors.
The picture and sound on the Blu Ray disk of Australia and on standard DVD's was outstanding. Very pleased. I had a friend who is an expert make all the connections and do all of the settings. It was money well spent. I think a proper set-up is critical in order to get maximum performance.

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Onkyo DV-CP706B 6-Disc DVD Player (Black) Review

Purchased for parents who are not tech-savvy (was somewhat of a worry with setting this up), and are huge movie fans. (They like movies so much, they even sleep to them...) I wanted to make sure the DVD changer supported both their new TV (HD) and their old, CRT tube TV. And this certainly fit the bill.

The setup is very easy. (I was able to help with the setup over the phone in minutes.) However, the ease of setup doesn't mean that it is lacking options; there are plenty of options that are available to tweak the sound, the picture, etc. But for just getting the machine playing DVDs (maybe not optimally, but playing nonetheless), it's simple.

When visiting, I was able to see and hear this player in action. It's mostly silent itself, and had a picture/audio quality that was adequate for how it was hooked up - using the composite cables ("RCA cables" - red and white for audio, yellow for video.) When using an HDMI connection, everything really came to life, stepping into the modern world.

On a side note (in regards to some negative reviews here) - Amazon.com *is* an authorized seller of Onkyo products (the "refurb" version part - Warehouse Deals or whatever, likely is not.) If there's a problem, I can't see how you wouldn't be covered by either Amazon or Onkyo. I had actually purchased this same unit from another online vendor, and the DVD sounded like it was going through a meat grinder when it was playing. Returned it, bought from Amazon and the new one is working great... bottom line: Onkyo is a very quality and reputable brand, but no brand is going to be perfect 100%.

Would definitely purchase again.

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Onkyo SKW204 Bass Reflex Powered Subwoofer (Black) Review

This subwoofer looks good and sounds great. It goes back deeper than it appears to in the picture. The dials on the back are handy for controlling the volume. Watching movies is so much more fun now with the new sub. I keep mine at about 25% of volume. 50% or higher rattles things in the house!

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Onkyo DV-SP406B Single Disc DVD Player (Black) Review

The Onkyo DVD player has really given impressive service so far. We were even able to watch some DVDs that our other, cheaper players could not play. This is an excellent product that is well worth the money it costs. No more $29.99 cheapies for me!

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Onkyo DS-A3 Universal iPod Dock Review

Same product as the DS-A2 except that it can play video. Sound is good with my Onkyo 606 receiver. Remote layout is confusing and has a very limited range. On-screen display is horrible. It looks like DOS back in the 80's. If your not interested in playing video, save your money and buy the DS-A2.

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Onkyo DX7555 Audiophile Single Disc CD Player Review

This CD player is my first Onkyo equipment. Amazing! The best that i've heard. I'm very impresssioned by the extreme quality of the sound. Congratulations to Onkyo!

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Onkyo M-282 2-Channel Power Amplifier Review

I purchased this amplifier to replace a center channel amplifier in my home theater system. The previous center channel amplifier had been very expensive (>$2500) and had totally failed after only 7 years of service. The M-282 has turned out to be an excellent and inexpensive replacement amplifier. It works exactly as described. I have no audible hum coming from the unit. It is totally quiet. It runs so cool that I can barely feel any warmth on the top of the unit. The auto power feature works beautifully and turns on within 1 sec of an audio signal being sent to the amp. The sound quality of my Aerial Acoustics C3 center channel speaker when powered by the M-282 is indistinguishable from its sound quality when powered by the amplifier costing 10X as much. I am totally pleased iwth the M-282.

Tom

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Onkyo CSV720S Executive Shelf System with Universal DVD Review

I received this as a gift and didn't open the box because I didn't have anywhere to put it until after the 30 days to return to Amazon expired. The CD/DVD drawer on the unit didn't work. I couldn't register the unit with Onkyo (required to get warranty work) because they didn't have a record of the serial number (?). The unit had a date of manufacture of 2005 - it was bought in mid-2007 so this was kind of odd. It was very difficult to get the unit in - the place was over fifty miles away and was open during work hours. Not only was the power unit broken and had to be replaced but the inside of the unit was dirty. There is a good chance I paid a new price for a refurbished unit that was never repaired. The stereo sounds good but now I hope nothing else goes wrong since the warranty expired before I heard it play the first CD.

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Onkyo CS-325 CD Receiver System Review

Pluses;
1. Size, which is the reason I got it, though I wish the heat sink was internal (see below),
2. Price, I found a 'open box' model w/o the speakers,
3. Ability to play MP3 files,
4. Bass & treble control (some don't have either, but see below),
5. Two rear aux. inputs (some don't have any),
6. 40 presets in any combination (AM and/or FM),
7. Full size bananna plugs for speakers (kinda overkill given the audio output, or lack of),
8. Power consumption, less than 25 watts and runs cool since audio is only 12 watts per channel, (but see below),
9. Standard 'F' fitting for external FM antenna. Also included AM 'loop' antenna (some people still do listen to AM).

Minuses;
1. Power hog when in standby. This uses half as much when it's in standby (10 watts),
2. Bass & treble, manual tune & menu are only available through remote. As with too many consumer electronics, you loose the remote you are SOOL,
3. Bass & treble have a very limited & crude stepping range,
4. Manual tuning of stations can only be done from remote. If you don't program any stations and the remote goes south, you have no reception!,
5. Useless "direct" gimmick button on front panel where Menu button should be,
6. External heat sink that could/should of been internal. (There's room for it on either side or above optical drive). This would reduce depth by over three inches. (The heat sink does not get hot at all),
7. Confusing procedure to rename stations and only allows room for 8 digits and/or letters (needs 10 spacs to have frequency and call letters with space between and decimal point),
8. Small remote, buttons could of been laid out better.

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Onkyo SKSHT750 7.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Black) Review

First impressions! GIGANTIC speakers, did not expect them to be that big! Nice and glossy but somebody who cares for their walls to look nice, you can back off right here.... Because the quality of these speakers isnt really breath taking that you would want to give up the look of your home.

Well, now the real deal with the speaker forget that they are big! They just sound according to your receiver! So I have had Onkyo 506, Sony 820, Onkyo 606. They sounded the best with Onkyo 606.

I cannt really speak much about the quality of any other speakers but these are keepers for what you pay!!
If you are an advanced user, I am sure you had listened to better ones.

I am just convinced for the fact that I paid only 300$ and the quality is just fine!.

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Onkyo DXC390 6 Disc CD Player Review

My Onkyo DXC390 6 Disc CD player was easy to set up - is easy to use - nice to listen to. Even priced right! Looks nice - matches my tuner and they fit well together. Exactly what I was looking for and have had no problems with it (that's unusual for me!).

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Onkyo TX-SR876 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

I've been an Onkyo owner for almost 20 years, and sadly, in a recent move, my original Onkyo receiver from around 1990 got dropped and totally destroyed. Turns out that was good for me, since it gave me the excuse to pick up the 876.

I won't repeat what all the other positive reviewers have said previously other than to summarize: this is an outstanding piece of equipment for audio and video applications at a really great price. That said, as many reviewers have noted, it sure does run hot (as pretty much every high-powered amp or receiver does), so it does pay to add external cooling to the unit if you plan on installing it in an enclosed cabinet. I found that the Antec Low Profile AV Component Cooler for Media PC Home Theater Products works particularly well with Onkyo receivers. My AV components are in a glass-front AV cabinet in full view in the living room, and the housing of the Antec Cooler has a very similar look to Onkyo AV components (all the way down to similar blue LEDs on the front) and fits in perfectly. The Antec unit is only a few inches tall and sits on top of the receiver; it has downward facing inlet ports and rear-facing fan ducts, so it sucks heat right away from the receiver and blows it out the back of the cabinet. Very nice addition.

Just an aside: I noticed some reviewers docked a few stars from this receiver for the heat issue. Everybody's got their own opinion, but if you're looking for an AVR that delivers 140W to 7 channels and has extremely sophisticated audio and video processing, well, you're going to get something that runs hot, whether it's from Denon, Marantz, Yamaha or whoever. I wish it were cooler myself, but I find it hard to rate this lower just because it obeys the laws of physics and gets a little warm. Therefore: 5 stars. Highly recommended.

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Onkyo TX-8555 Stereo Receiver Review

Like many reviewers, I was replacing an old tube receiver, a 30+ year old Realistic. I feared I would never be able to replace that warm, rich tube sound, but this reciever surprised me.

I consider myself a bit of an audiophile, I'm the tyoe who uses 10-12 gauge speaker wire, so I'm picky about my sound. I first set up just speaker A's and then added speaker B's and did not notice a drop in sound quality. I have found that having the voluume set around 35-40 is more than enough for my one bedroom condo. I did try it at 60 and did not notice any distortion in sound. I listen mostly to classical music, and there was no hum during soft passages.

I would have rated it at a five, but there are a few disappointments that have nothing to do with the sound quality. This model seems to cater to the user who is replacing their ancient receivers, so I would have expected some provision for compatibility with older connector tyoes.

One reason I selected this model was that it supported phonographs, but it doesn't support turntables that get their power from the receiver, via 15 volt AC/DC using a pin connector. RadioShack doesn't carry a 15 volt converter and I haven't been able to find one online, so I'm going to have to buy a new turntable.

I have a perfectably good equalizer, but there is no way to connect it to the ONKYO. If ONKYO isn't going to provide an equalizer, then they should provide a means to connect external ones. In order to reproduce the equalizer sound that I was used to, I had to turn the bass and treble knobs almost all the way up. As others have noted. there is no midrange adjustment.

If a tuner wasn't included, I would have had a problem connecting my old tuner. It has a ribbon connector, and there are no provisions for that.

Although I measured carefully and the stated width was the same as my old receiver, this one was 1/8th of an inch too wide to fit into my stereo cabinet. I had to put it on a small table next to the cabinet. At least I won't have to worry about heat buildup!

Overall, I am happy with this receiver. I have only had it a week, so can't attest to it's reliability. Set up was easy except for the above mentioneed limitations. If you have straight forward connections, you will not be disappointed with this model.


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

An up-to-date and excellent receiver

Pros: While it has almost all current features as of 2008-2009, Onkyo TX-NR906 remains faithful to Onkyo's origin - excellent sound reproduction in stereo or surround. I thought the remote control is very functional and practical in all devices I have tried (TV, Blu-Ray player, DVR, old DVD/CD players).

Cons: Onkyo TX-NR906 seems to produce more heat than others even when it is not actively operating, so it can be annoying and concerning to whom are not used to this type of receiver. Keep in mind that, unlike the old days with traditional amplifiers, today's receiver is essentially a mini-PC that performs lots calculations plus amplifying triple number of sound channels.

Other thoughts: I am not sure what happened, I purchased Onkyo TX-NR906 for $1,500 in Dec-2008, but now in April-2009 it is listed as $2,190 almost everywhere. Its supply doesn't seem to be not in shortage, so it should go down as time goes by. Is there something going on that we should know?

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Onkyo DS-A2X Remote Interactive iPod Dock Review

I bought this ipod doc to use with my Onkyo 8511 receiver. The design of the docking station is attractive, works well and easily accomidates different ipods. Setup was easy. Sound quality is excellent. The on screen display, although not hi-resolution graphics, is perfectly serviceable and a nice addition to the usual ipod dock, allowing the user to select songs easily from anywhere in a large room. The Onkyo DS-A2X works exactly as advertised.

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Onkyo TX-8255 Stereo Receiver Review

I purchased this receiver and it was deliverd in three days.Very easy to hook up and plays great.I would definitely recommend this stereo to anyone who wants a good system, but doesn't want to pay big bucks.

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Onkyo HT-S5200 7.1-Channel Home Entertainment Receiver/Speaker Package (with Dock for the iPod®) Black Review

Just setting up this thing. It is a breeze. No problem setting up, made for people like me (not a sound connoisseur, but listens to a lot of music and have a need for 1080p on my games, videos).

I will use the multi-room controls a lot.

[...]
The sound is really nice, it has an active bass, and the surround works super nice. Watching Star Wars /LoTR and other movies that use sound effects suddenly give the movies more depth and another dimension. Music is super nice, it really handles both deep and high notes really well.

I have yet to get with all the features on it, and will update this review.
I have connected my PS3, with HDMI, and optical sound.
Working on the xbox, and tv sound out to see which is the better. Thinking xbox with the optical and tv with regular sound as I don't watch too much TV...we'll see.

I programmed the remote to control my TV too, and so no need for tons of remotes. I can also (sort of) control the iPod from the remote.

The only thing I would like, would be up-scaling instead of pass-through HDMI, it would make the set-up so much easier, but I have a PS3 that gives full 1080p blu ray, and xbox that upscales DVD's so I felt I did not need it. If the ht-s6200 was out when I bought this, I probably would have opted for it (depending on price..it is announced at $599 now), but amazon only made it available for purchase AFTER I got this. the ht-s5200 had some nice features over the ht-s6100 (game settings, and some other effects), and it is $300 cheaper.

Active base is awesome. Makes for a nice effect whenever something explodes on film :-) The late night settings also works.

TIP: Get your cables on Amazon, they cost a fraction of best buy (I mean comparable HDMI cables are $60 at Best buy and $2 on amazon.

So far, you'd be hard pressed to find a better system in this price range...IMO. I am super happy right now.


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Onkyo HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package Review

I'm not an audiophile but a decent judge of quality and decided after a lot of research to buy this system. The only change I recommend is larger speaker wire and a higer quality sub woofer cable as the ones that come with it are crappy.

The system was everything I had hoped for and gets lots of wows from everyone that experiences it.

One "small" detail is the size of the surround speakers may make it difficult for some on the placement. I have a dedicated room for watching movies/gaming and mounted them on the walls.

Strongly recommended. Don't panic when the box shows up destroyed, just about everyone's does. The interior packaging is pretty robust and I didn't have any damage to the pieces.

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Onkyo TX-SR806 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

The Onkyo TX-SR806S is an upgrade from a 5 year old Panasonic SA-HE200. HDMI connectivity was the number one priority for me. And it is silver - matches some of the equipment in my rack. I was also very happy to pay under $600 for this item! I am running all audio through the 806, and all video with the exception of the PC. I have a very difficult room - hardwood floors, with pocket doors behind me and on the left side of the living room. The speaker calibration worked wonders in smoothing out the sound in the room. I am hearing more from my speakers now - it's very subtle and the improvement is noticeable.

Connected devices:
JBL E20's - Front
JBL EC25 - Center
Velodyne DPS-12 - Sub
JBL E10's - Surrounds
Paradigm Atoms - Surround Backs
Toshiba HD XA2 HD DVD
Sony DHG-HDD 250 HD DVR
Sony RDR-GX300 DVD Recorder
Dish Network 501 DVR
HP Digital Entertainment Center de100c
Sony VCR
Terk HDTV I antenna
Home Theater PC with LG combo Blu-Ray/HD DVD Drive
Technics SL 1500 Mk2 Turntable
Mitsubishi WD-Y65 65" DLP RPTV

Pros:
Build quality - it's built like a tank
Ability to assign inputs and rename them, extremely flexible.
5 HDMI inputs
Ease of speaker calibration with Audyssey MultEQ
Decoding of Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio
Audio quality - The sound is very clear, detailed and clean - even at low listening levels thanks to THX Loudness Plus
Phono Input - vinyl sounds fantastic through the Onkyo.
FM Tuner - Very sensitive, picks up weaker stations much better than my previous receiver

Cons:
It is big. Sticks out of the back of my a/v rack.
No switched outlet on the rear of the receiver.
TV has to be on to listen to a cd in the HD DVD player. HDMI authentication issue. I use the Sony DVD player instead.
Runs a little warm, but not too hot. Placed a modified pc case fan on top of the hottest part of the case. Also placed some Audio-Technica audio insulators (AT 605) under the feet of the 806 to allow air to pass through. Temps dropped from 56C to 41C. Cool to the touch now.
HDMI switching lag - some delay when changing inputs. Audio lag of about 5 seconds when in FF, Skip, RW modes with the DVR.
Occasional clicking when changing audio formats - drives my dog nuts.
Although you probably won't use it, the volume knob feels really cheap.
No backlit remote. Not a deal breaker. Using a Harmony 880 remote.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the performance of the Onkyo TX-SR806.


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Onkyo HT-S7100 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package Review

Overall, I would rate this system as fair, and would not recommend it. Although it's got many nice features (like the I Pod attachment) the sound quality lacks volume and impact. For low volume background music, it's acceptable. But for action movies like I like to watch, it's very weak.
The subwoofer emits a constant hum, whether it's on or off. I need to return it for repair.
Also, the receiver puts out an amazing amount of heat, which I suspect wastes a lot of electricity. The Yamaha, Sony, Pioneer, Rotel and Scott receivers I've previously owned never wasted energy like this one.
The owner's manual is clearly written and helpful, but the receiver is complicated. To get max volume, for example, make sure to maximize the speaker levels in the Setup menu, and increase output to +12 in IntelliVolume for all inputs.
The remote isn't lit, and kind of pain because you have to hit "Receiver" everytime you use it.
I originally wanted to purchase the 9100 THX model, but it was out of stock everywhere- until this week! I wish I'd waited.


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Onkyo HT-S6100 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package Review

I had a miniscule HT system before this one, well thats what it feels like now. I did a lot of research before buying this. Options were Sony and Onkyo. Turns out, this is the closest you can get to pro systems with this money though a little pricier than Sony.
1st of all, the packaging is "HUGE"(i wished to make it in bold letters). About 4 and half feet tall, 90lbs. Its just plain huge. Anyways, going past the packaging, the moment i connected all my speakers, set it up and gave it a shot with a Max Payne BD, it just blew me away. If set up properly it really feels like sitting in a theater. However the setup process was not all that smooth sailing. The wires are long, but not long enough to properly conceal it. You definitely need to buy wires if you have a big living room like i do. There is plus point here though. The wires are color coded. So its fairly simple to understand which one goes where. The other problem while setting up was the wire connectors behind the reciever is a major design flaw as per me. half the time the hole where the wire should go in is on the blind spot or obsturcted by other connectors. But, hey, you have to do it only once. Big deal if it takes a little extra time. Trust me its totally worth it.
About the hardware. I absolutely love the fact that it comes with a setup speaker and a iPod dock. That should save you about a hundred bucks or so. However it should have come with speaker stands like 7100. The speakers are big but thats because Onkyo doesnt want to let you down with substandard sound quality. There is one thing i totally loved about it is the center speaker comes with a stand of its own. Nice touch there.
About the sound, the depth, clarity and the punch is really mind blowing. As I mentioned with proper setup it feels like sitting in a theater. All the speakers are 8 ohm speaks and the subwoofer output can resonate through you house. Turn up the bass and you may hear a few glasswares resonating in the kitchen.
If you ask me if it is a wise buy, yes it is, totally. You wont repent a penny spent.

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

This is my third Onkyo receiver, and I really have had no complaints about any them. The one I replaced with this receiver gave me over ten years of service.

I decided to upgrade because this receiver brings me into the digital age. This unit sports four HDMI inputs and an HDMI output for the TV. Now I can pipe the A/V from the cable box DVR to the receiver and from the receiver to the HDTV while staying in the digital domain the entire path.

When I first hooked up the unit, I hooked it to a standard definition TV via component video inputs/outputs (there are two component inputs and one output). The resulting picture was much better than with the S-video I used on the previous unit. - I was surprised with the picture improvement. This receiver also supports 7.1 channel surround allowing me the use of two surround back channels. I find that the surround sound quality is definitely improved over the previous unit. I attribute this to the extra back surround channels, the multitude of listening modes, the THX certification, and the Audyssey MultEQ automatic speaker setup.

Briefly, the Audyssey system did a good job of setting up the speakers. It automatically calculates speaker distance, performs equalization on each speaker, sets the high pass cutoff frequency (if necessary for small speakers, my small back surrounds were set to 150Hz for example), sets the level, and did I say it does this all automatically! I double checked the SPL settings via a Radio Shack sound pressure meter and the levels were all very close. I did increase the LFE channel 1.5 dB, however. Also, Audyssey said my subwoofer was thirty feet away. This was the only error. My subwoofers are built into my left and right front speakers which are about nine feet from the listening position. I simply changed this value via the menus.

I also want to mention the large number of listening modes. There is a slew of Dolby, DTS and THX listening modes in addition to a number of DSP modes. Check the online manual to see just how many there are on the Onyko website.

This unit comes with a 119 page manual covering all aspects of the receiver, and believe me, there are many.

Overall, I am well pleased with this receiver. Excuse me now; I have a movie I want to watch.


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

Onkyo TX-SR507 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver

Overall I was very exited for this new receiver. -it was priced affordably and $150 less than the $500 Onkyo TX-SR606 that I thought I was going to have to buy unitl this beaut hit the market. I didn't need the 7.1 Surround that comes with the SR606. If your after a bar none receiver that has Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD and only require 5.1 surround then I don't think you can find a better buy out there. It may seem contradictory to require HD sound and not have at least 6.1 surround but for me I was upgrading from two decent sized 3-way bookshelf speakers to my first 5.1 surround sound system so I didn't see the pnt in getting too crazy.

It powers my Polk RM85 Home theater system wonderfully along with the PSW111 Woofer. Used some Banana Plugs from Monoprice and was set.

I didn't need an outrageous amount of watts because I don't get crazy loud with my Home theater, although this receiver can get too loud if I wanted it to.

The only CON I have found is when using the B speakers; i.e. Zone 2. It's awesome to be watching cable inside and listening to music off my iPod outside on our patio (Zone 2) but that's also the flaw. Zone 2 only sends music sources; i.e. radio, cd, aux. It does not play the cable audio. This was a huge set back for me because I was excited to be able to have college football on in the house on the 5.1 surround while also playing it out on the patio for those weekends spent constantly running around the house. Additionally we have a Sanus swinging mount so that we can angle the tv out from our fire place in to direct view with our hot tub that is out on the patio. I was really looking forward to watching Conan from the hot tub while playing the audio from Zone 2 but that `s not how Zone 2 works, unfortunately. Furthermore, when Zone 2 is in use you lose the rear speakers for the 5.1 surround and only have the front 3 speakers playing. So the idea of someone being able to watch a movie in one room while someone else is listening to music in another is somewhat deceiving because the person watching the movie would only be getting the front three channels and woofer...that's hardly watching a movie in my book as you lose the entire surround that this receiver is built to do. Essentially your rear speakers become your Zone 2 speakers if that makes sense?

Anywho, I rate this receiver 3.5 stars (I'll be generous and round up) because for the money it can't be beat, but it so lost 1.5 stars with the wackiness Zone 2 causes and the limited sources that can only be played through Zone 2. If you don't have intentions on utilizing Zone 2 then I would give this baby 5 stars.


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

Unpacked this baby last night and found hook up and setup to be straightforward. Replacing an aging Pioneer VSX-21, which I never quite got used to. Love the Audessy 2Eq funtionality on this unit. I used the automated speaker set-up which was very simple (my daughter was tickled by the test tones it sends out). Also had the issue with the subwoofer being over-amped but easy to remedy. I haven't tried the unit without the auto-volume or auto-eq funtion, so can't compare that yet. CNET review was really down on it, but so far I liked being able to hear everything without blasting my wife out of the house!

Someone mentioned that it does not have HDMI pass-through but this is incorrrect. It does. You have to flip the switch in the setup menu, but it is there. The upscaling for non-HD tv leaves something to be desired but otherwise I think it actually improved my HD viewing from my FIOS box.

My only negative so far if you can call it that was no XM interface, only Sirius. With the merger I'm hoping that won't be a big issue, but that is really not a major negative at all for me. Would have prefered that it had HD-Radio unit built in rather than HD-ready but again, don't listen to the radio that much. The remote could be better. I too hate having to push the receiver button, but once I get the universal programmed it'll go in the drawer with all the others.

I was down to this model vs. the Denon 1909, but after reading all the stories of how difficult it was to set up and the extra $71 off at checkout, this choice is really a no brainer. I have not run into any of the humming or running hot issues that so many have claimed on other Onkyo units. I'm starting to think this is a myth. I used to sell stereo equipment and I got more Denon's returned on me than any other brand. One even caught fire in the showroom. Never had any trouble with the Onkyo's.

No other receiver in this price range can come close to this value.

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