Home > Consumer Reviews > Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

Fantastic for the money $$$ does everything you need
TX-SR606 is also has the ability to decode DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby TrueHD soundtracks on Blu-ray Discs and HD-DVDs via its HDMI 1.3a compatible inputs.& the Audyssey 2EQ process only takes 10 minutes to set up your surround sound & trust me the dolby HD audio is well worth it the sound is super ! To make using the subwoofer easier and more precise, there is a built-in adjustable crossover function for the Subwoofer LFE (Low Frequency Effects) pre-out channel.
In addition, the incorporation of Lip-Synch adjustment on the SR606 allows the user to compensate for audio/video time discrepancies that may be encountered from various sources. Only negatives is this baby runs hot !and has a mains cable you can't upgrade easily as it's built in
the model that has is the SR806 and that over $1000

I replaced a 9 year old JVC 5.1 system with this after buying a PS3 to use as a Blu-Ray player. I wanted to take advantage of the new hd audio standards, and was tired of not having enough HDMI inputs on my 52" Samsung 1080P tv. The 4 HDMI inputs and 1 HDMI output work perfectly, switching as needed.

Rundown:

Hookup: Easy, everything is well labeled and there is ample space to work my fat fingers. Read the instructions if you only have 5.1 speakers instead of 7.1, you have to use specific hookups (what I'm saying is don't guess like I did and then wonder why it didn't work... the instructions are very clear if you bother to open them!) :) I have the following inputs hooked up through it right now: FiOS HD/DVR TV Receiver (HDMI), XBOX 360 Elite (HDMI), PS3 (HDMI). Everything feeds out to my TV via HDMI.

Configuration: Simple after you read the instructions. The microphone they provide to "tune" the system, coupled with the on-screen walk through setup system is very nice.

Use: Couldn't be better, they've done a great job of giving you the right buttons and LCD display features/text. My Logitech Harmony 880 remote has the configuration for this receiver in the database, and controls the receiver perfectly.

Audio quality: Amazing, noticeably better than my JVC 5.1 in 5.1 mode, and once I added the other speakers for 7.1 it is fantastic! No more distortion when I crank up the volume in Call of Duty 4 or during a loud movie scene.

Video quality: Everything looks great in 1080p!

Bottom line: For well under $400 shipped, this model competes with some of the much, much more expensive units.

Everything works as advertised. Setup was easy. Only took about 10 minutes for the whole process. Was concerned with HDMI input/output, but worked great. I have DirecTV HD DVR, Panasonic Blu-Ray player, Sony 1080p upconvert dvd, and Canon HDV camcorder connected to the 4 HDMI inputs and all function great. Sound and video are great. Could not be happier with this unit. Would highly recommend.

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.

This is my second Onkyo receiver. My first did component video and audio switching. It is still working perfectly.

BUT...

This one does HDMI switching and is the reason I purchased it. In fact, it has four HDMI inputs and one output to your TV. If you only have one HDMI input on your TV, this receiver is priceless if you want HDMI quality. Speaking of price, it is the best value in HDMI switching today.

I love the fact that I can pass component video through the HDMI output to my TV. The Auddessy microphone is simple to use and calibrates speaker distances and volume levels perfectly.

My only issue is the slow HDMI switching. It takes a few seconds to switch between sources, often resulting in one or two seconds of blue-screen.

Several PS3 owners have stated they hear a buzz through the speakers. I do not. No issues there.

Overall, this is the best receiver I have ever owned.

UPDATE:
I recently discovered that this receiver requires 550 watts of power. No wonder my electricty bill went up!