Product Description

You'll find very little differentiation between most entry-level home theater receivers: passable performance, negligible processing capabilities and little (if any) versatility. The TX-SR304 5.1-channel home theater receiver doesn't follow that well-trodden path. By giving you the connections to the A/V components on everyone's lips today--HDTVs, digital video recorders, gaming consoles, etc--the TX-SR304 wants to broaden your entertainment possibilities, not limit them to basic DVD and CD playback. Naturally, you'll want the audio quality associated with the Onkyo name. That's why we've included the circuitry and quality parts found in other Onkyo home theater receivers: Optimum Gain Volume Circuitry, 192 kHz/24-bit DACs, a 32-bit DSP chip, and an H.C.P.S. (High Current Power Supply) transformer. Finally, keeping in line with what's really important, the TX-SR304 provides a user-friendly, accessible solution to home entertainment.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10555 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Silver
• Brand: Onkyo
• Model: TXSR304S
• Dimensions: 5.88" h x 17.13" w x 14.50" l, 25.00 pounds

Features

• 75 Watts per Channel Minimum into 8 Ohms, 20 Hz?20 kHz, 0.08%, FTC (2 Channels Driven); 100 Watts per Channel Minimum into 6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.1%, FTC (2 Channels Driven)
• Integrated AM/FM Tuner
• HDTV-capable (50 MHz) component video switching (3 inputs/1 output) / 3 digital inputs (2 optical/1 coaxial) / 4 composite video inputs and 2 outputs / 2 audio inputs and 1 output
• Color-Coded 7.1-Multichannel Inputs (Receive 7.1 Surround Sound from Compatible Blu-ray and HD-DVD Players)

From the Manufacturer
You’ll find very little differentiation between most entry-level home theater receivers: passable performance, negligible processing capabilities and little (if any) versatility. The TX-SR304 5.1-channel home theater receiver doesn’t follow that well-trodden path. By giving you the connections to the A/V components on everyone’s lips today—HDTVs, digital video recorders, gaming consoles, etc—the TX-SR304 wants to broaden your entertainment possibilities, not limit them to basic DVD and CD playback. Naturally, you’ll want the audio quality associated with the Onkyo name. That’s why we’ve included the circuitry and quality parts found in other Onkyo home theater receivers: Optimum Gain Volume Circuitry, 192 kHz/24-bit DACs, a 32-bit DSP chip, and an H.C.P.S. (High Current Power Supply) transformer. Finally, keeping in line with what’s really important, the TX-SR304 provides a user-friendly, accessible solution to home entertainment.

Key technology Features:
192 kHz/24bit AD Converters: Costly, extremely powerful digital-to-analog converters , that not only boast a dynamic range of 120 dB, they process information faster and are virtually resistant to clock jitter, to ensure the best possible performance from DVD-Audio, DVD-Video and audio CD.

CinemaFILTER: The tonal balance of a film soundtrack can be edgy and bright when played back over audio equipment in your home—this is because film soundtracks are designed to be played back in large theaters, using commercial equipment. Onkyo has developed its own solution that restores the correct tonal balance of a movie soundtrack in the smaller environs of your home theater.

Dolby Digital EX / Pro-Logic II: Home theater realism reaches new heights with the creation of Dolby Digital EX. By adding a matrix-encoded surround back channel derived from the existing discrete left and right surround channels, the lack of rear surround in 5.1 channel is eliminated. The result - a fuller 360º experience is created…even from 5.1-channel DVD releases. Best results are obtained when Dolby Digital EX is used with movie soundtracks recorded with Dolby Digital Surround EX. Pro-Logic II is the latest improvement on the original Pro-Logic standard. Pro-Logic II provides a full-range signal to the five main channels, in addition to a subwoofer channel. This creates a realistic surround environment from a two-channel source, such as CD, Tape, FM Radio, etc.

RI (Remote Interactive): With Onkyo’s exclusive RI (Remote Interactive) system capability, you can integrate and operate all compatible components through a single remote control. What’s more, RI capability enables you to simply connect the iPod® to your receiver through Onkyo’s RI Dock for the iPod (DS-A1). Your iPod effectively becomes another Onkyo component from which you can relish a fuller sound that just can’t be experienced through headphones. RI capability will also give you remote operability of your iPod for hands-off control over your digital music.

WRAT (Wide Range Amp Technology): Imagine turning up the volume and filling your entertainment room with noise-free, impressively powerful, true-to-life sound. That's the benefit of Wide Range Amplifier Technology. Originally developed for our most expensive high-end amplifiers to handle the sonic demands of today's digital age, you'll now find WRAT even in our lowest-priced A/V receivers. The WRAT family of technologies includes a broader frequency range with lower noise entering the signal path – perfectly suited for new high resolution DVD-Audio and SACD formats.

Customer Reviews

Onkyo TX-SR304S 5.1 Channel Receiver
I was looking for a low-cost receiver with surround sound capability for a vacation home. I have never purchased any components from Onkyo before, but a friend of mine more familiar with audio components recommended it. The price was very reasonable, especially after Amazon recently reduced the price to just over $140.

The receiver was shipped from J&R Music World. The packaging was good, and everything arrived in good shape. The directions weren't great, but having set up 5.1 systems before, this was not a tremendous hurdle. Once the unit was turned on, though, the actual setup of the speakers and other features was much simpler and much more effective than the unit I have in my primary home. It was really a snap to get the speakers configured and balanced.

The sound quality is excellent. I don't have a sub-woofer hooked up yet, but the compensation by the unit is excellent, and the sound quality is still top notch. It does not have many of the bells and whistles of other units, and it is just a 5.1 system, but if you're looking for a basic unit that provides all of the necessities, good sound quality, and ease of installation, this unit would be an excellent choice.

Buy this Receiver!
A great price on a really nice 5.1 surround receiver. My biggest concern was the power rating. I was worried it wouldn't fill my theater room with sound. That concern ended the moment all 5.1 speakers were connected. Immediately my wife turned to me and said, "Can you turn it down?"

Onkyo is a quality company that rates its wattage at full bandwidth and that's why it appears to be a little low on power in the specifications. Many other manufacturers rate their wattage at only a fraction of the bandwidth, thus making them look more powerful than they really are.

This receiver does DTS and Dolby sound and will automatically choose the superior DTS sound if both are available. If it doesn't detect any surround, it will automatically choose a surround emulation. I watched a football game broadcast in stereo, and the receiver split the sounds perfectly into 5.1 surround, even placing the crowd noise in the two rear speakers!

I can't say enough about this receiver. It has plenty of input and output connections - more than the average person will need, and all at an outstanding price.

This is quality at a bargain price.

Could be better
It's not a bad receiver, sound quality is decent, it has enough connectors, but I've compared this receiver with Yamaha HTR-5930 (which you could get for the same price as Onkyo) and here's where Onkyo loses:

1. The biggest disappointment: I've connected subwoofer to the unit and could hear humming noise coming from it. Yamaha is dead quiet unless, of course, music is playing.

2. Yamaha is more powerful (110 vs. 65)

3. Sound from Yamaha is more "natural". This may be something that you won't like if you prefer a lot of high frequency tones, but for me it worked better.

4. Inputs are named 'DVD', 'Video 1', 'Video 2', etc in Onkyo. In Yamaha they have 'DVD', 'Cable', 'VCR', 'Aux' - it is much easier to remember what you need to switch to. On top of that you can customize Yamaha's input names, which makes it even easier.

5. Yamaha's remote works very well as universal remote. My favorite feature: when you press a button to switch receiver's input to DVD, for example, remote also switches into DVD mode, so you can immediately press 'Play' on the remote and your DVD will start playing. Press 'VCR' button and receiver starts playing sound from VCR and remote controls VCR as well. Very convenient.

6. Onkyo's appearance is somewhat dated, finish gives impression of a cheap product (again, I am comparing with Yamaha here), screen looks like it came from 80-s.

7. In terms of size, Onkyo is about 1.5 times deeper then Yamaha (width and height are the same).

I went with Yamaha.