Home > Consumer Reviews > Onkyo TX-SR507 5.1-Channel A/V Surround Home Theater Receiver (Silver)

Let me start by saying I did tons of research and settled on Onkyo because of the ease of setup, hdmi inputs and price. I initially thought I was going to get the sr606, but decided against it because it's a behemoth, the video upconversion didn't get good reviews, and I'm only going to use 5.1 surround sound. This receiver offers a lot of the same features as the 606 in a much smaller package. I paired it with Definitive Technology Procinema 600 5.1 surround system and it sounds great. Much better than my 10 yr old Sony receiver with sony and bose speakers.

I've never owned a A/V receiver before so I tried to do my homework before I made a purchase. The TX-SR507 has many of the same features as the more expensive models for a fraction of the price (four 1080p capable HDMI inputs and TrueHD/DTS-HD decoding). I pre-ordered and got it for $279.00 with free shipping, so the price was right too. I've paired it up with Energy Take Classics 5.1 (which I paid $379.00 with free shipping). I'm extremely pleased with the results. I use it mostly for gaming with my PS3 and watching Blu-ray movies. The Audyssey Auto Speaker Calibration with the included mic made precise set up a breeze. I doubt that you could find a better A/V receiver for that price.

I purchased this receiver along with the Energy Take Classic system to replace my seven year old Panasonic HTiB. The improvement is remarkable, although I'm sure much of the improvement is due to the new speakers. This receiver has plenty of inputs, supports audio over HDMI, and generates clean sounding audio. Basically this is everything I need. I love that it comes in a relatively compact package.

I know heat is a big issue for receivers in general. This one does not seem to have overheating issues. I've kept it on for several hours and it gets somewhat warm, but not hot to the touch. I have 2-3 inches of clearance on the top and it is pretty open on the sides and back.

I did a lot of research (including Consumer Reports) and settled on this Onkyo as the best compromise between performance and price. I've had it 2 weeks now and am very happy.

The auto setup function works better than a much-more expensive Denon unit I set up for a friend. I used the microphone (included) to measure speaker levels at 3 different locations in the room and the Onkyo did everything else. (It's connected to some older Polk speakers-- they sound so much better through this amp!)

I bought this primarily to process audio from our new BluRay player and the Onkyo does an outstanding job. The sound is better than in most movie theaters! Especially BluRay DTS or HD Master. Wish more movies were recorded in these formats.

We also have our DirecTV HD DVR hooked up to the Onkyo. Audio and video travel through the HDMI Cables, so there's no need to hook up audio separately. Very nice and a feature you will find missing from some more expensive amps.

The amp does get very warm. I put a small fan in the back of the cabinet and that seems to help.

BTW although this is a 5.1 channel amp is DOES support 7.1 if you want the 2 extra rear speakers... you just have to hook it up to your old amp (or any cheap 2-channel amp) and process those 2 channels that way. The 7.1 decoding IS built into this box.

I am not using the "Zone 2" feature but it's very unusual to have that in a receiver in this price range. You can watch a movie in one room while someone else listens to an iPod or FM in another room.

I don't think you can find a better receiver in this price range (and keep an eye on the price-- it's falling!)

This is probably the cheapest, quality receiver that can strip out HDMI audio ( many hdmi receivers don't ). It has plenty of HDMI inputs and is very easy to setup. Something I had trouble finding out is if this would drive 4 ohm speakers. I recently bought some lsi15s on craigslist and they are 4 ohms and are notoriously hard to drive. After wasting some time on audiophile forums they kept trying to convince me that only after I had the double helix flux capacitor extreme amplifier ( only 3,999! ) I would actually "FEEL" the speakers or some other mumbo jumo. I decided to try it out myself.

The onkyo 507 did not disappoint. While I never listen at these absurd levels I stress tested it by cranking up the volume to 50 and playing classical for an hour ( this was loud enough that I had to step out and close the door). It got hot, but sound quality was sustained and it topped out at 50C I think. All onkyos get hot and driving 4 ohm speakers makes them even hotter, but they'll do it and they'll do it well.

Hopefully this helps anyone who is wondering if these will drive 4 ohm speakers even though they're not certified for it.

NOTE: DO NOT PLACE THE RECEIVER IN A CLOSED AREA. Onkyos do get hotter than other brands, make sure you have adequate ventilation.
Also; don't pay attention to watt ratings, an increase from 80 to 100 watts per channel is nothing. Not only are the ratings essentially made up ( see contrast ratings for TV ), but the difference is essentially nothing ( You need 4x the power to have 2x the volume ). What you want is a quality amplifier, and this onkyo is one.