Product Description

As part of the second generation of Onkyo high-definition-capable receivers, the TX-SR606 is at the forefront of affordable home theater. The key is to have the most capable version of HDMI. The TX-SR606 provides high-definition video and audio processing for four source components—another first for Onkyo at this level. From Blu-ray Disc players to gaming consoles and cable/satellite boxes, you have everything in the digital realm covered. Apart from 1080p video, the TX-SR606 can upscale all video signals to 1080i, regardless of the connection, for output via HDMI. Onkyo’s own RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) also gives you inter-operability with the displays and playback components from other leading brands. And with an expanded version of Audyssey’s room correction technology, the TX-SR606 maintains the fullness of surround sound audio quality at low volume levels. The TX-SR606 offers all-round excellence rarely seen at this level.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6712 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Black
• Brand: Onkyo
• Model: TXSR606B
• Dimensions: 6.88" h x 17.13" w x 14.75" l, 24.90 pounds

Features

• Affordable 7.1-channel home theater receiver with full HD integration and video upscaling
• Power output: 90 watts x 7 channels (minimum)
• HDMI v1.3a Repeater (4 inputs, 1 output, 1080P compatible)
• 1080i Upscaling powered by Faroudja DCDi Edge
• TrueHD, DTS-HD Decoding

From the Manufacturer
As part of the second generation of Onkyo high-definition-capable receivers, the TX-SR606 is at the forefront of affordable home theater.The key is to have the most capable version of HDMI.The TX-SR606 provides high-definition video and audio processing for four source components--another first for Onkyo at this level. From Blu-ray Disc players to gaming consoles and cable/satellite boxes, you have everything in the digital realm covered.Apart from 1080p video, the TX-SR606 can upscale all video signals to 1080i, regardless of the connection, for output via HDMI. Onkyo’s own RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) also gives you inter-operability with the displays and playback components from other leading brands.And with an expanded version of Audyssey’s room correction technology, the TX-SR606 maintains the fullness of surround sound audio quality at low volume levels.The TX-SR606 offers all-round excellence rarely seen at this level.

The TX-SR606 is pound-for-pound the best value for an entry-level high-powered home theater hub. View larger

Processing 1080p Video and High-Def Surround Sound via HDMI 1.3a

With the latest HDMI version and advanced A/V processing capabilities, the TX-SR606 is a powerful control center for all highdefinition media, including Blu-ray Disc and HD broadcasts.You can connect up to four components via HDMI to receive and switch compatible sources for a pure digital connection to an HDTV.Also, all multichannel audio--from bit-for-bit streams to standard Dolby Digital--can be digitally transported via HDMI for processing by the TX-SR606.This version of HDMI enables CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), greater bandwidth to deal with higher resolutions, 36-bit Deep Color, and high frame rates.

HDMI Video Upscaling to 1080i and Faroudja DCDi Edge (Directional Correlational Deinterlacing) Technology

The TX-SR606’s HDMI inputs can receive pristine digital video from HDMI-enabled components for a single-cable output to a display device with an HDMI or DVI connection. 1080p video is processed as it is, but all other signals can be upscaled to 1080i via HDMI. Upscaling takes the video resolution to pure HD quality, and it better matches the native resolution of today’s high-definition displays.To further improve performance on high-definition displays, the TX-SR606 features a deinterlacing chip with Faroudja DCDi Edge technology, which effectively eliminates video artifacts.

The Full Range of Next-Generation, High-Definition Surround-Sound Codecs

The TX-SR606 has the decoding technologies--Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio--to enable a lossless, bit-for-bit soundtrack that is identical to that of the studio master. Both codecs are designed for the Blu-ray Disc format.The receiver also handles two "lossy" technologies: Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio. Dolby Digital Plus has been designed for high-definition video delivered via disc media, broadcasts and online content. DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, meanwhile, offers a greater bit rate, a higher sampling rate, and more channels than the core DTS technology.

The included remote can function as a universal remote for many HDTVS and movie players

RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) for System Control

Courtesy of HDMI 1.3a, the TX-SR606 offers integrated system control with selected HDMI-compatible high-definition displays, DVD and harddisk recorders, and Blu-ray Disc players.With one remote control, you can control several functions, including Standby,Volume Command and Direct Change. RIHD lets you seamlessly integrate the TX-SR606 with other leading brand-name devices, including those in the Panasonic VIERA Link, Toshiba CE-Link, Sharp AQUOS Link, and Samsung Anynet+ ranges.

Correcting Room Distortion and Loudness with Audyssey 2EQ and Audyssey Dynamic EQ

The TX-SR606 uses Audyssey 2EQ to counter distortion created by walls, furniture, and other objects. This technology detects speaker distance, and then sets levels, delays, and crossovers, while also measuring room acoustics. Compared to one-position room correction systems, Audyssey 2EQ covers a much wider listening area. Moreover, it corrects problems in both frequency response and time domain (where most of the problems lie) across the entire listening area.The results are immediately obvious--a clear, well-balanced and natural sound.

After 2EQ calibration, Audyssey Dynamic EQ solves the problem of deteriorating sound quality at lower volumes. The professionals who create music and movies do so at reference levels much louder than typical home listening levels.When volume is reduced on a standard home theater receiver, the bass disappears, voices change, and the surround soundstage becomes less enveloping. As volume is adjusted on the TX-SR606, however, Dynamic EQ selects the best possible frequency response and surround levels moment-by-moment, resulting in an ideal listening experience at any volume level.

Bi-Amping Capability for High-Impact Movies and Music

The TX-SR606’s surround back speaker channels enhance the ambience and sound effects of movies. They can also be used with the front left and right channels to provide two separate amplification channels for compatible bi-amping speakers (i.e. those with two sets of input terminals). In effect, two separate channels drive the woofer and tweeter of each front speaker. This improves sound quality by maximizing power to the low-/mid- and high-range frequencies, respectively. It also gives you a more powerful, dynamic soundfield for two-channel music and movie sound effects.

SIRIUS Satellite Radio Programming via SiriusConnect Home Tuner Kit*

By using the port on the TX-SR606’s rear, it’s possible to access SIRIUS Satellite Radio. SIRIUS brings access to over 130 digital-quality channels, including 69 channels of 100% commercial-free music, plus exclusive channels of sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather, and data.The TX-SR606 has a SIRIUS jack on its rear that connects to an optional SiriusConnect home tuner kit.

*SIRIUS requires separate purchase of subscription, compatible tuner and antenna.

Music Optimizer to Support Compressed Digital Music Files

While MP3 or AAC files may sound fine on a portable digital player, the limitations of these compressed files can be exposed when played back through a home entertainment system. Onkyo has designed onboard Music Optimizer technology to improve the quality of compressed audio signals. Compressed music loses a substantial amount of bit information at higher frequencies, so the Music Optimizer technology works to overcome this limitation and enhance audio quality.

Customer Reviews

Best Bang for the Buck in Next-Gen Home Theater Receivers
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.

One solution to HDMI buzz
Other reviews cover this receiver with excellent detail (setup, sound, etc.) and I agree with most comments. This is a great unit for the money. Many features, easy setup, poor upscaling, great HDMI support.

Unfortunately I have the HDMI buzz issue mentioned by several reviewers but fortunately I found the cause and one solution.

I had a XBOX 360 connected via HDMI and a Gamecube connected via component. Both output through HDMI to the tv. When I first powered up the SR606 and the XBOX I heard a continuous buzz or hum through the speakers which became louder when the volume increased. This made quiet movies nearly unwatchable as dramatic scenes were dominated by **BUZZZZZZZZZZZ** instead of cinematic tension.

I called Onkyo support in New Jersey and they quickly brushed me off with a flat recommendation of "return the unit to the retailer" with no diagnostic advice. I followed this direction and predictably, the new unit suffered the same ailment. The buzz continued.

All of my audio/video gear is connected to a single, ungrounded, electrical outlet (building was built in 1915). After a bit of Internet searching I found an article which discussed "common impedance coupling" whereby many high draw devices (such as a plasma TV, A/V receiver, and XBOX 360) which are connected to a common electrical run will produce a voltage drop and potentially introduce noise. I am not an expert in electricity but this lead me to investigate the way the components were connected to the SR606, rather than the SR606 itself.

I found that the XBOX 360 was responsible for the buzz. With the XBOX disconnected from the wall outlet, the buzz stopped even when all other components were connected and turned on. Thinking that the metal HDMI connection could be carrying the noise to the SR606 I connected the XBOX HDMI directly to the tv and connected the XBOX sound to the SR606 via a TOSLINK optical cable in order to remove any conductive connections between the SR606 and XBOX. This removed the buzz!

As a test I re-connected the XBOX HDMI to the SR606, kept the TOSLINK connection, and disabled the HDMI sound input for the XBOX on the SR606. This let the sound only come from the optical connection but retained the metal link between the SR606 and the XBOX. The buzz was much quieter but remained.

The last test was with the Gamecube which draws about 40 watts to the XBOX's 175. Although it connected via component, it output via the HDMI so I thought that if the buzz was related to the HDMI output on the SR606 I would hear it when using the Gamecube. I hear no buzz when using the Gamecube. Unfortunately do not have another device to test buzzing with HDMI input but it seems to me that the buzz was related to the following:

1) Using a single, ungrounded electrical circuit for all devices.
2) Connecting the XBOX 360 (which consumes a large amount of electricity) to the SR606 via a conductive connection.

I imagine that if I had independent outlets, homerun back to the breaker box I could separate the SR606 and the XBOX and correct the buzz. Unfortunately I spent all my cash on A/V gear so electrical work will have to wait. However, if you have better wiring in your house (or low draw A/V equipment) I imagine that your SR606 will be buzz free even when using HDMI connections.

Feature-PACKED for the price!
It wasn't until I purchased a Blu-ray player (Sony PS3) and Epson Cinelite 1080P projector when I realized I needed to purchase a new receiver. I was looking for something I could connect all my game consoles (PS3, XBox360, Wii), my Mac Pro, and my Karaoke system.

I first bought the lower-model Onkyo TX-SR506 (then later returned... keep reading to find out why), thinking it had all the inputs I needed and HDMI output for my requirements. Since this review is for the TX-SR606, I won't go into too much detail on the features of the TX-SR506. However, since I'm sure some of you will be comparing the SR506 to the SR606, I will quickly tell you what the TX-SR506 LACKS that may help you determine whether or not these missing features are necessary for your application. The SR506's HDMI ports are video pass-through only, meaning it does not carry Audio signals with it. Next, the SR506 will only output video to the same medium as the video signal it receives so if you have equipment using different types of connections, it has to use that same type of connection as an output from the receiver (e.g. component video input can only be displayed using the component video output, composite in to composite out, hdmi in to hdmi out, etc...). No coversion of video inputs to another type of output will be performed. So expect to have multiple cables output to your LCD/plasma/TV/projector's video inputs. Finally, only 4 total video devices can be plugged into the SR506 at any given time... yes, I know the photo of the SR506 shows an abundance of inputs but you can only program one input type (HDMI, component, S-Video, or composite) for each of the four video inputs (DVD, CBL/SAT, AUX, VCR/DVR).

Now enter the TX-SR606, full of the features that the TX-SR506 lacks! Both the SR506 and SR606 do an impressive job in ease of setup and sound output quality but that's pretty much where the similarities end. The FOUR HDMI inputs (yes, an impressive FOUR inputs over the SR506's TWO) of the TX-SR606 also carries digital audio signals. This keeps the optical/TOSLink/digital-coax digital audio inputs free for devices you may have that do not have HDMI audio -- another major flaw I found with the TX-SR506 when I had it (since it didn't carry audio through HDMI, I had to resort to using up both optical audio inputs for my PS3 and XBox 360 and had none left for the optical audio output from my Mac Pro and my Karaoke system).

Next must have feature about the SR606 is that all non-HD video inputs (going into the component, s-video, or composite inputs) are automatically upconverted so you can view everything using the HDMI output. The upconversion of these non-HD devices is upconverted to 1080i. 1080P upconversion would have been nicer but look at the affordable price on this unit! If you really need the 1080P upconversion, consider the Onkyo TX-SR706 model -- which will set you back another $200+ but is THX-Certified. And quite honestly, when you take a 480i/480p signal and upconvert it, you won't see too much of a difference between upconverting it to 1080i or 1080P (alright I know that statement is open for the screen size vs. viewing distance debate but remember your source signal is 480i/480p to begin with). Even if the upconversion feature isn't really a necessary feature for the size of your screen, the fact it processes and converts non-HDMI video inputs to be displayed with the HDMI output means you only need one cable going to your LCD/plasma/TV/projector and you can keep the TV on just one of its input modes (no more switching from Input1 to Input2 to Input3 when going from DVD to game console to Tivo/DVR).

With the SR606, you can customize all the video source inputs and audio source inputs to suit just about any setup needs you may have. For example, I have the video and audio for my PS3 and XBox 360 going into the HDMI input ports on this receiver (this unit has an impressive 4 HDMI 1.3a input ports) so I set up the receiver so that it knows to process video and audio signals for my first two devices through the HDMI port. My Mac Pro's secondary video (primary video is plugged into my 30" computer LCD screen) is plugged into the 3rd HDMI input on the SR606 receiver using a DVI-to-HDMI cable to provide full 1080P output and the audio is plugged into the SR606's optical/TOSLink digital audio input. I then have it programmed in the receiver so that it knows to process video from the HDMI3 input and audio from the optical1 input for the third device. Finally, the video for my Wii is plugged in to the component 1 input and my Karaoke machine is plugged in to the component 2 input while audio for the Wii is plugged into the standard 2-channel RCA-style input and optical 2 input for the Karaoke machine. Again, you can mix and match your audio and video any way you like and just tell the SR606 how you have it set up. It's very flexible. And the Wii and Karaoke gets upconverted to 1080i through the HDMI output while the PS3, XBox 360, and Mac Pro maintains its 1080P resolution via the HDMI inputs.

Since it's upconverting the video signal from your non-HDMI video devices (component, s-video, composite), you will see the volume level on your screen when adjusting volume for these devices. This leads me to the only gripe I really have about the SR606. If your device uses one of the HDMI video inputs, the receiver will not display the volume level on your tv/lcd/plasma/projector so you'll have to just look at the LCD display on the receiver itself for that information. This, however, does not warrant any deductions in my rating for this feature-filled receiver.

Another thing worth mentioning about this receiver (that you may have already gathered from reading the product's technical details section here on Amazon) is that it has a TrueHD and DTS-HD decoder for the ultimate in 7.1 HD surround sound quality offered in many of today's Blu-ray movies! Isn't Blu-ray one of the reasons you're looking at this receiver in the first place? :) Impressive feature to have in a receiver at this price point! Now is the price difference between the TX-SR506 and this TX-SR606 really starting to look more and more worth your while!? Go ahead and close that TX-SR506 product window/tab now and add this TX-SR606 to your shopping cart. You won't regret it.

Overall, at its attractive price point and the rich-list of features it offers, the Onkyo TX-SR606 easily deserves the full 5 stars! Check out my other reviews and you'll see that I don't just easily give out five stars to stuff I own!