I recently purchased a new Samsung LN55B650 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color from Amazon.com to replace the old tube television set in our family room, which only supported 720p. When I replaced the TV I also wanted a new receiver that would support two zones and offer HDMI inputs/outputs. I previously had a Denon receiver, which was lacking enough inputs, so I had to purchase a separate switch for the gaming consoles. My plan with the new receiver was to get rid of the switch. Mission accomplished!
Here's a quick recap of what I like, dislike and am neutral on regarding this receiver.
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PROS
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+ Price: Try to find another receiver with this many options and such high quality for this low of a price.
+ AV Inputs: Lots of options here. You can have upto 5 video inputs, which can all be HDMI (v1.3A). You can also use upto 2 component inputs (analog HD) and upto 5 non-HD inputs via an S-video or standard analog video cable. I found the 5 inputs with varying options enough to hook up the three major gaming consoles, a TIVO and a cable box. If you have a separate DVD player you would need a switch, but I am using my gaming consoles to watch movies.
+ Digital Audio: You can have up to three components connected using digital audio via component or optical, which is more than your average receiver.
+ Customization/Tweaking: If you love tweaking than this a great receiver to own. The On-Screen Display (OSD) allows you to customize a ton of options like: input labels, sound delay to synchronize video with speech, customize video (e.g. screen format, resolution, etc.) and audio (e.g. sound eq mode) options by input (great feature), audio tuning options that help you make sure you have your speakers hooked up correctly and a plethora of other options that will have you tweaking for your optimal configuration.
+ Sound Quality: I really notice the difference on my surround sound setup with this receiver over my old receiver partly due to the fact that I have more digital input options, which gives me true surround sound as opposed to the simulation that many other receivers offer. Don't forget that your surround sound has equal parts speakers, amplifier, location and receiver. However, I do feel that given that everything else is setup correctly, this receiver adds the icing on the cake.
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NEUTRAL
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= Audio Inputs: You have enough inputs here to hook more than enough audio only devices, which is three. That was more than enough for me, since I only hooked up an iPod. However, the additional inputs allow you to expand your system. You also have a separate channel for a tuner to pick-up AM/FM, which is standard. The receiver is also iPod and Satellite Radio (Sirius/XM) ready, which means it will integrate with those products when you purchase separate components for the integration.
= Dolby Digital 7.1: While I like having the ability to support 7.1, I only have a 5.1 setup and the human ear doesn't always distinguish the difference between 5.1 and 7.1. Then again most decent receivers released in the past few years support 7.1.
= Runs Slightly Hot: I would not say that this receiver gets very hot, but I could see an issue if this were in an enclosed cabinet. At that point you might want to think about getting a small fan to keep the unit cool. I notice it runs a bit hotter than my older receiver. Not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning.
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CONS
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- XBOX 360 Compatibility: I should mention this because I became frustrated when hooking up my XBOX 360 and could not get the video to come through to the TV. I have the video output from the receiver to the TV set to use HDMI. However, my XBOX 360 is one of the earlier models without HDMI, so I have to hook it up to the receiver using a component cable, which is still HD, but just analog. I ended up realizing that with a 1080p video resolution selected for the XBOX 360 no video would get transferred to my TV. Something with the upscaling from the analog 1080p to the digital 1080p gets lost and I got no video on my TV. If I set my XBOX 360 to 720p the video would come through fine. I ended up just splitting the video directly to my TV and having only the audio go through the receiver, since I wanted 1080p. It's not a huge deal now, but at the time it was frustrating and it's worth noting for any XBOX 360 owners without an HDMI output.
- No Power Adapter Inputs: My older receiver offered two AC power inputs, which was nice when hooking up your various components. I was disappointed to not see that offered on this receiver, but I'm really picking at straws now.
Overall this is still my best pick without going over $1,000 for an HD receiver with multi-zone support, HDMI Inputs/Outputs, a ton of input options, great quality, tons of tweaking options and a few minor issues.Get more detail about Onkyo TX-SR806 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black).
