Cheap Onkyo TX-SR806 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)


The Onkyo TX-SR806S is an upgrade from a 5 year old Panasonic SA-HE200. HDMI connectivity was the number one priority for me. And it is silver - matches some of the equipment in my rack. I was also very happy to pay under $600 for this item! I am running all audio through the 806, and all video with the exception of the PC. I have a very difficult room - hardwood floors, with pocket doors behind me and on the left side of the living room. The speaker calibration worked wonders in smoothing out the sound in the room. I am hearing more from my speakers now - it's very subtle and the improvement is noticeable.

Connected devices:
JBL E20's - Front
JBL EC25 - Center
Velodyne DPS-12 - Sub
JBL E10's - Surrounds
Paradigm Atoms - Surround Backs
Toshiba HD XA2 HD DVD
Sony DHG-HDD 250 HD DVR
Sony RDR-GX300 DVD Recorder
Dish Network 501 DVR
HP Digital Entertainment Center de100c
Sony VCR
Terk HDTV I antenna
Home Theater PC with LG combo Blu-Ray/HD DVD Drive
Technics SL 1500 Mk2 Turntable
Mitsubishi WD-Y65 65" DLP RPTV

Pros:
Build quality - it's built like a tank
Ability to assign inputs and rename them, extremely flexible.
5 HDMI inputs
Ease of speaker calibration with Audyssey MultEQ
Decoding of Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio
Audio quality - The sound is very clear, detailed and clean - even at low listening levels thanks to THX Loudness Plus
Phono Input - vinyl sounds fantastic through the Onkyo.
FM Tuner - Very sensitive, picks up weaker stations much better than my previous receiver

Cons:
It is big. Sticks out of the back of my a/v rack.
No switched outlet on the rear of the receiver.
TV has to be on to listen to a cd in the HD DVD player. HDMI authentication issue. I use the Sony DVD player instead.
Runs a little warm, but not too hot. Placed a modified pc case fan on top of the hottest part of the case. Also placed some Audio-Technica audio insulators (AT 605) under the feet of the 806 to allow air to pass through. Temps dropped from 56C to 41C. Cool to the touch now.
HDMI switching lag - some delay when changing inputs. Audio lag of about 5 seconds when in FF, Skip, RW modes with the DVR.
Occasional clicking when changing audio formats - drives my dog nuts.
Although you probably won't use it, the volume knob feels really cheap.
No backlit remote. Not a deal breaker. Using a Harmony 880 remote.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the performance of the Onkyo TX-SR806.
Get more detail about Onkyo TX-SR806 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black).

0 comments:

Post a Comment