Saturday 3 May 2008

Switching Sony for Onkyo!

A few weeks ago I was perusing the What Hi-Fi? forums to ascertain whether or not the Onkyo TX-SR605 was still available and if there were any bargains to be had?

At a mouthwatering £399, the TX-SR605 garnered What Hi-Fi's most coveted Product of the Year 2007 award, and I sorely needed to replace my ageing Sony STR-DB910 A/V receiver, that had served me well for 8 years; a testament to the build quality of Sony's QS brand. Coincidentally Onkyo announced its 2008 product line, which includes the TX-SR605's replacement! The TX-SR606 at £399!

The TX-SR606 builds on the award-winning success of its sibling and, unsurprisingly, Onkyo's latest marvel has received 5 stars in What Hi-Fi's online review. That's 5 stars with caveats! The Onkyo TX-SR606 isn't the most attractive, nor musical, multichannel receiver on the market. That said, it would be most churlish not to look beyond its functional exterior, especially as the Onkyo TX-SR606 boasts features only reserved for multichannel receivers priced £1000 or higher:

Onkyo TX-SR606 specifications

Power 7x140w
Surround Modes Dolby Digital/EX/Plus/TrueHD/Pro-Logic IIx; DTS-ES/96 24/HD/Master Audio/Neo:6; LPCM; stereo
Tuner FM RDS/AM, 40 presets
Auto set-up yes
Room EQ yes
Video upconversion yes
Video scaling 720p/1080i
HDMI 1.3a yes
HD audio via HDMI yes
Learning remote no
Multiroom 2 Zone
Network capable no

Audio inputs
HDMI 4
Coaxial digital 2
Optical digital 2
Analogue audio 5
Phono no
Multichannel analogue input 8ch

Video inputs
HDMI 4
Component 2
S-Video 4
Composite 4

Audio outputs
HDMI 1
Coaxial digital no
Optical digital no
Analogue audio 2
Preouts subwoofer

Video outputs
HDMI 1
Component 1
S-Video 1
Composite 1

Dimensions (wxhxd) 43.5x17.5x37.5cm
Weight 11.4kg

Due to overwhelming consumer demand there's a waiting list for the Onkyo TX-SR606! I've paid a deposit, at a local Onkyo stockist, and will await delivery, which is expected at the end of May. I'll post a review soon thereafter.

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