Onkyo TX-SR601 A/V Receiver

Rating:
Summary: Far exceeded my expectations...
Review: After choking up the extra change for the 601 vs. the 501, I have already found uses for the extra features. The OSD is so helpful and convenient, although you have t use S-video or composite for the feature to work because component signal would have to be re-processed.
I wasn't sure if I would ever use the second zone, but I just purchased a set of speakers for my garage-turned-gameroom, so the kids can watch movies or listen to different music than we do inside. As for quality, more inputs and outputs than I could ever imagine using, and the sound is rich and full compared to my Sony receiver.
I have only scratched the surface of what this receiver can do in the 2 weeks that I have owned it. Three of my friends recommended it to me, and I will recommend it to everyone that I know.

Rating:
Summary: Far exceeded my expectations...
Review: After choking up the extra change for the 601 vs. the 501, I have already found uses for the extra features. The OSD is so helpful and convenient, although you have t use S-video or composite for the feature to work because component signal would have to be re-processed.
I wasn't sure if I would ever use the second zone, but I just purchased a set of speakers for my garage-turned-gameroom, so the kids can watch movies or listen to different music than we do inside. As for quality, more inputs and outputs than I could ever imagine using, and the sound is rich and full compared to my Sony receiver.
I have only scratched the surface of what this receiver can do in the 2 weeks that I have owned it. Three of my friends recommended it to me, and I will recommend it to everyone that I know.

Rating:
Summary: Defective Product
Review: After getting two of the same receivers from J/R Music through Amazon, both had the same defective headset jack. The first was an obvious return repackaged; the second was new. I called Onkyo tech support who assured me they'd test it out and get back to me. They never did. After 5 weeks trying to get the product and the absolute lack of support from the manufacturer I would never buy Onkyo again.

Rating:
Summary: best for the price...
Review: First off, let me just go ahead and say it... If you want a better receiver than this, you're going to need to spend nearly 2 times as much money...

Feature-packed and user-friendly, the Onkyo TX-SR601 A/V receiver brings high-end punch to your audio arsenal, with six full-bandwidth channels delivering 85 watts of power each (85 x 6). Add in THX and THX Surround EX certification and decoding for DTS, DTS-ES, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, and Dolby Digital EX formats, and this versatile receiver will fully complement a set of surround speakers to bring out the best in both movies and music.
The exclusive CinemaFILTER feature adjusts the tonal balance of soundtracks mixed for movie theaters, giving you optimal playback from the comfort of your living room. In addition, the receiver employs Onkyo's Wide Range Amplifier Technology (WRAT), which ensures signal accuracy with high-resolution sources such as DVD-Audio and SACD. The included discrete output amplifiers isolate the audio channels to create a purer overall sound, while the 2-channel 192 kHz/24-bit D/A converter combines with the 5-channel 96 kHz/24-bit converter to precisely manage all your digital sources. The receiver even includes a few Internet features, such as Ethernet compatibility and a few Net radio presets, along with a traditional AM/FM tuner with 40 presets.

The rear of the receiver is designed for flexibility, with two audio and five AV inputs, two HDTV-ready component video inputs and one output, five S-video inputs and three outputs, three optical and 1 coaxial digital inputs, and more. The unit is rounded out by its included remote control.



Rating:
Summary: Highest end for the average home user
Review: I just bought this receiver. I've had onkyo receivers for the past 10 years and I have always been pleased with their quality.
I bought this one to power our home theatre system which has 5 speakers capable of delivering 100W each. My Harmon Kardon avr20 receiver is not strong enough to power 5 speakers.

My first reaction was that the sound volume was too low, I had to turn up to 70/100 to hear it. Then I figured out that you can change your speaker levels, awesome feature. So I turned up my front speakers 10dB and instantly I got the result I wanted.

If you have the receiver hooked up to a TV, during the setup, the menu shows on screen, which makes it a lot easier to setup. It also lets you choose to your speaker distance in feet or meters of how far you are from the speakers and the receiver will adjust the speakers to you.

The sound is very crisp, and even when you turn on surround sound, the receiver is delivering plenty of power to all speakers. Not like the average surround sound systems, when you actually enable center speakers, you lose 30% of your volume.

The backside has all the connectors you could ever wish for, it does get a little jammed back there, but once it is all connected, you're set.

The remote is pretty handy, although it is way to big for my taste.

I trust this receiver will last me at least 10 years with superior sound quality. For $350 (amazon.com) and FREE shipping you can not beat the bang for the buck, anywhere. I would be willing to bet on it.

If you are the home uset that likes to have high quality hi-fi systems, but don't want to spend $1000 on a receiver, this one will blow you away, and you will have money over to buy a really nice pair of speakers. And if you are in to design, this version comes in silver as well.

Thumbs Up! Get it before it is too late.

Rating:
Summary: Currently best HT receiver under $500 MSRP
Review: Owning it for nearly a quarter-century (1981 vintage), the Onkyo TX-3000 stereo receiver's great sound and remarkable craftmanship has always impressed me. Even today, it continues to please. Were it not for the need to integrate collected video gear, forgetting not the surround sound factor, I'd have no need for change.

While doing some fairly extensive research on available HT receivers, those street-priced below my purchase ceiling of $400 (with tax), I soon realized that I would have to spend my limit in order to get a high-quality unit with all the wanted trimmings. Yes, I did see those $300 factory refurbished units at eCost, and wanted badly to pull the trigger on occasion, however, I thought if I could only reach a compromise between the asking price at a brick-n-mortar store vs. that of a factory
refurb unit advertised online, I'd be on it like a tick on a dog! Well, it happened!

With the bulk of research behind me, there were a handful of receivers I felt commanded my respect, while still sitting at or below my $400 ceiling. Honestly, I did pay additional consideration to the Denon and Onkyo units. In alpha-order, the receivers were:

Denon AVR-1804
Harman Kardon AVR-230
Onkyo TX-SR601
Yamaha RX-V740

I'd finally decided "research over", I'd make my purchase before the weekend. A visit to a local Tweeter store turned-up a $100-off ($399 to $299) sale on Denon's AVR-1604. A very nice unit, but feature-wise, a grade lower than I wanted. Could I possibly get the manager to drop the price of Denon's AVR-1804 from $499 to $399? Not today. Next stop, Best Buy. It was at Best Buy that I realized why my research was so important. OK, where to next? Let's try Circuit City (again). I remembered them having all the receivers on my list, except the Denon brand. Once there, I
immediately saw that they'd dropped the price on a new Onkyo TX-SR601 from $499 to $449. Hey, now we're getting warm! Nosing around a bit more, I noticed that they had two OPEN-BOX 601s for $429 each. That's when I went for broke! I prompted the sales clerk to tell his manager of my $400 drive-out offer on one of the OPEN-BOX 601s. Trying to steal a bit of whispered cross-talk between the two, I could not gather enough information to conclude if Yes or No. After about 5-minutes, the manager exited while the sales clerk pounded away on his POS register. A few moments more passed when the sales clerk finally asked me if $395 drive-out would be OK? Well..... I suppose.....

Heck Yea! Bring it out to the car, NOW!

Also, of the two OPEN-BOX 601s there, I got to pick the one I wanted! The one I picked just happened to be one that was put on the floor the previous day. It looked like it had just been unboxed, and not a finger-print on it! Of course, I had to take it naked (no box), but it came with every available
accessory and a full 2-year factory warranty. Keep the box and give me my $75-$80 savings!

MY TAKE ON ONKYO RECEIVERS IN GENERAL:

Well-known is Onkyo's long-sustained reputation for building affordable, high-quality receivers. To many, Onkyo receivers seem to have a purer sound over that of the competing brands. Reason? Well, I believe it's primarily the fact that Onkyo integrates superior low-noise, high-current amplifiers into
their receiver lineup. Whether driven at a whisper, or cranked to rated limits, Onkyo amps are up to the task. Even while driving a set of 4-ohm speakers (a real challenge for many receivers because the amps are driven harder), an Onkyo will kick-it-out effortlessly!

Delivering on that purer sound, an Onkyo tends to run hotter than most (Harman Kardon integrates a highly-regarded heat-generating amp set into their receiver lineup as well). Because of this, when compared to other receiver brands, Onkyo recommends nearly 4-5 additional inches of clearance above the receiver chassis. In summary, the Onkyo's upside is a clean sounding unit with power to spare, while the downside is unusual heat generation and the resulting additional real-estate required for proper dissipation.

MY TAKE ON THE TX-SR601:

While I could list many features I like about the 601, some would be superfluous in that those features are pretty-much the norm for receivers in this class. Instead, on the upside, I'll list those qualities I believe unique. The 601 does have some downside also, and I'll list whatever those items are as well.
All in all, though, the good far out-weighs the bad.

Upside:

- Subwoofer crossover can be adjusted from a low-end of 60Hz to
a high-end of 150Hz.
- Zone 2 line out (can simultaneously play differing source
material to two different locations).
- IntelliVolume feature allows switching of sources to arrive at
same or user adjusted volume levels.
- Ability to efficiently drive 4-ohm speakers.
- High-current amps provide additional headroom above power
rating.
- Color-coded rear panel layout sports I/O connections aplenty,
comfortably spaced apart.
- Long-standing reputation for reliability.

Downside:

- Unusual heat generation from receiver amps prompts additional
clearance requirement.
- Remote control requires multiple key presses when switching
sources; no back-lighting.
- No video conversion to component level (conversion is
Composite -> S-Video only).

** NOTE ON VIDEO CONVERSTION:
I've researched HT receivers in this price-class from A-Z, and
found none that will convert video to the component level.
That said, this feature is very desireable because it's use
would keep most cable-bulk away from the TV. Said differently,
one would not be required to compromise aesthetics (cable-
bulk) to gain component-level video quality from desired
source(s).

[Conclusion]:

After a full month of ownership, I can heartily recommend Onkyo's TX-SR601. From the hours put-in researching all possible candidates, I can say without reserve that IT IS the best HT receiver available today under $500 MSRP.

Rating:
Summary: Receiver is great; instructions and remote are awful
Review: The quality of sound is exceptional for the price, and it has nearly all the features one could ask for. Unfortunately, the instruction manual is a only slightly better than useless. If you are planning to count on the instructions to explain anything to you, then don't waste your money on this receiver - if you aren't able to connect it and make it work through your own knowledge alone, then you will never be able to because the instructions won't help any.

The remote works as a universal remote, theoretically able to control other components such as a TV, VCR, or DVD player. After a little fussing and custom programming I managed to get most of these things working, though it was very awkward. Then all of a sudden the remote control won't talk to the TV - every time I send a command to the TV the remote control switches itself to Receiver mode and sends a command to the receiver. It is currently impossible for me to change channels on the TV via remote control. I have searched on the Onkyo site for a solution to this problem without success. I sent an email requesting help and received no reply whatsoever.

In short, the product is exceptional, and the customer support is inexcusably awful. I will certainly never buy another Onkyo product.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad for the money, but...
Review: Well, Onkyo's power ratings are, like that of many mid- and low-end receivers, optimistic. This one claims to be 85 wpc but the reality would be closer to about 60-65 with all channels driven. Not that it lacks power, for most people's uses.

I've had mine for about 10 days now, will probably return it only because I just happen to be rather picky about my music and movies only make up about 40% of my listening, and those are mainly dramas, foreign/art/cult films not the Hollywood blockbuster action flicks that really utilize the 6 channel sound. For about an extra $100-200 I've found a Marantz receiver to be better for music, though it doesn't have as many sound-shaping features as the Onkyo.

The Onkyo's myriad sound-tweaking features are especially handy if you don't have truly excellent speakers (by which I mean the $500 range for bookshelves, $1000 for towers) or an ideal listening environment, like myself. For instance, on the Onkyo if I listen to jazz or classical it's quite adequate but then to play some Led Zeppelin it can get downright screechy at high volumes (-10 and up)...unless I fiddle with the settings and modify the signal in accordance with my equipment and room.

Now of course there are receivers which require almost no tweaking and sound awesome with just about any kind of music but then you're talking about at least double or triple this Onkyo's price range plus you'll need speakers in that same stratosphere to keep up with such a super receiver.

So in summary I guess I'd consider this Onkyo to be the equivalent of a Toyota Camry: not quite the power and finesse of say a BMW or Acura TL but plenty more than adequate for most people's needs, and excellent cost:benefit ratio. In addition, the Onkyo boasts a very user-friendly and intuitive interface and setup, and the remote control was much easier to learn than I thought. And if you mainly listen to movies rather than music, this thing is just about as good as you could ask for---blows away the under $400 competition effortlessly!

Rating:
Summary: Listen to Boomer
Review: Well, there is little I can add to Boomer0311's excellent and comprehensive review. I had an older, larger brother to the 601 (the 2002 Onkyo TXDS-797) so when I needed another 6.1 surround for a smaller room I had no hesitation about the 601. It is, as Boomer says, an outstanding value for the price (and you can do a bit better than Boomer if you search - I found it at a couple of places on the web for less than $375, brand new in a sealed carton).

The automatic smart switching of the audio mode depending on the type of input (Dolby, DTS surround or not) is a great feature, and the unit is solid and reliable, driving even speakers of modest efficiency (for example, our set of Encore Energy surrounds) to plenty of volume even for old, semi-deaf ex-rock and rollers like me. This is terrific bang for the buck. I don't think there's anything out there for close to the price that comes close to the 601 in features and quality.