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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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)
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: 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.
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.