Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) by Onkyo
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List Price: Buy Used: from $179.99 (click here) Category: Speakers See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)
Digital camera Review: Buzzes like a fridge....
Summary: 3 Stars
Well not exactly like a fridge, more like two or three fridges.
This receiver is powerful and decodes everything under the sun. The sound coming out of this receiver is great and very clean. I've never bought an A/V receiver before and was a bit nervous about setting it up, but I set this up very easily with almost no learning curve. The Audyssey speaker set-up is very easy and gives great results.
The first problem with the receiver is that it runs very hot. Too hot to touch. I think this is by design and from what I've read these receivers do not have overheating issues, but you have to be careful where you put it. Forget about having a closed cabinet. Also, the thing runs very hot in a cabinet with an open front but with a closed back. Basically you need this behemoth out in the open if you want to be sure you don't start a small fire. The thing is huge, about half the size of a coffee table, and I don't like having it out, especially when I have a cabinet with all my other devices.
The second problem with the receiver is the deal-breaker however. If you have a PS3, the receiver causes a terribly annoying buzzing at mid to high volumes. Basically any volume 25+ causes the buzz. The buzz is incredibly loud and comes out the speakers. From what I've read Onkyo apparently fixed this issue and came out with the Onkyo TX-SR606B. This is what I ordered from J&R, and assuming they sent me the 606B, the receiver still buzzes.
Overall, I would recommend the receiver if you don't have a PS3. If you do, then I don't know-it's up to you. I expect to be completely satisfied with a $500 dollar electronic device, so I'm sending it back. And I never send things back.
Something to keep in mind is that although the receiver decodes TrueHD and DTS-HD, if you have a PS3 it's not even needed. The PS3 decodes these formats itself and sends the uncompressed PCM data to the receiver. The receiver doesn't handle any of the decoding. I expect my PS3 to be my Bluray/DVD player for many years, so in the end I may not even need all the features of the SR606 and can just go with a non-buzzing receiver that doesn't have a tendency to heat my apartment in August.
Digital camera Review: Buzzing with HDMI
Summary: 4 Stars
Happy with the feature set but there is a persistent problem with a buzzing sound coming from the speakers when connected to an HDMI input source with the Audyssey Equalizer on. Occurs with two different inputs (XBox 360 and PS3). An internet search revealed that this is a fairly common problem, however, Onkyo does not seem willing to acknowledge it. Will probably consider a Denon or Yamaha for my next purchage.Digital camera Review: Christmas Gift
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazon makes it so easy to do Christmas Shopping for the hard to get person. (who this was for) The wish list is great!
Digital camera Review: Completely satisfied.
Summary: 5 Stars
Met all of my home theater needs. I've been using the receiver for approximately 1 year and have not had any problems.Digital camera Review: Component video detection gives out after some time
Summary: 2 Stars
This was a pretty good receiver at a decent price when I bought it. The remote design is terrible, however. It constantly ends up in the wrong mode because the buttons that switch it into the mode for controlling a TV are right in the middle of the buttons for switching inputs, and way too easy to push by accident (which results in the remote no longer controlling the receiver.) Also, the mute button, which is the ONE button you might need to find in a hurry if the phone rings are someone talks to you, is almost impossible to find - it's hidden amongst a bunch of identical, tiny buttons. You have to wonder if the people who designed the remote ever actually used it, or if they simply bought a pre-designed remote from some nameless manufacturer and threw a logo and some labels on the buttons.
Worse, after about a year, the receiver has become increasingly poor at correctly detecting video inputs other than HDMI, such as component inputs. In particular, this affects my Xbox, which does not have an HDMI output. At first, it would occasionally have trouble, but now it pretty much won't talk to my Xbox about 95% of the time. Of course, this is almost two years after I bought it, so the warranty is up. If you search around the web, you'll find this is an exceedingly common problem with this model. It probably means this is the last time I'll buy an Onkyo receiver - my last receiver lasted almost 10 years in comparison.