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Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver

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By Ken C. Pohlmann December 2007 The question I get asked the most often: "Which speakers should I buy?" My answer is frustratingly subjective: Buy whatever sounds best to you. The second most asked question is: "Which receiver... See more » By Ken C. Pohlmann December 2007 The question I get asked the most often: "Which speakers should I buy?" My answer is frustratingly subjective: Buy whatever sounds best to you. The second most asked question is: "Which receiver should I buy?" My answer is purely objective: It's all about bang for the buck. Research the field, list the features you need now and the features you think you'll need in the future, then find the best deal on the cheapest model that covers your list. Which brings us to Onkyo's TX-SR605 A/V receiver. I have tested numerous Onkyo receivers, and been impressed by their build quality and value. The company seems to have perfected the art of identifying the features that are important, and then creating economical designs around them. Thus I was not surprised when buzz started building for the TX-SR605. It follows that bang/buck business plan, offering 7.1-channel playback, HDMI 1.3a, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio decoding, and is XM and Sirius ready, all in a mid-priced ($600 list, $499 street) box. Not surprisingly, it's a big seller for Onkyo. Another example of finely tuned engineering, or just a product of viral marketing? Inquiring minds wanted to know. Setup Before I start flinging wires around a new receiver, I always take a moment (or several hours) to look over the hardware at hand. It helps to know what you're dealing with. The short list: The TX-SR605 is rated at 90 watts per channel (2 channels driven), performs upconversion to HDMI, provides powered Zone 2 stereo (reducing the main room to 5.1), has Audyssey 2EQ room acoustics correction, is bi-amp connectable (to 5.1) using front L/R and surround-back L/R, has 40 XM/Sirius/AM/FM presets, and sports the usual plethora of processing modes. As noted, it will also decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD lossless digital audio bitstreams on an HDMI input from a compatible HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc player. As with many new receivers, this one lets you add optional satellite radio playback (subscription fees apply). But unlike many receivers (and car makers) that make the choice for you, the TX-SR605 has ports for both XM (with XMHD Surround) and Sirius. Satellite metadata appears in the receiver's front panel display, and you can run playback from the front panel and remote. Unfortunately, HD Radio is not supported. While we're talking about add-ons, I'll give a shout-out for the RI (Remote Interactive) port. This generally unheralded Onkyo feature has long been available for connecting peripherals, but its time has truly come with the iPod boom. Using the optional DS-A2 accessory dock, the RI is an efficient way to integrate an iPod with this receiver. It keeps your iPod charged, routes audio through the system, and displays all iPod track information on your video screen. The 605 has two assignable HDMI 1.3a inputs (the bare minimum in my opinion) and one HDMI output. The 1.3a standard accommodates both uncompressed HD video and uncompressed multichannel audio in all the HD formats including 720p, 1080i and 1080p. Of course, the receiver also sports all the soon-to-be-legacy I/O: three component video, five S-video, and five composite video inputs. There are five digital audio inputs, as well. The receiver upconverts composite and S-video inputs to either HDMI or component video (when the HDMI connection is not engaged). Onboard Faroudja DCDi de-interlacing converts 480i signals to progressive scan. The 605 also features RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI), Onkyo's version of HDMI-CEC (consumer electronics control), a protocol that allows the receiver to send commands to other compatible HDMI-connected components like TVs or disc players. For example, one button could operate system on/standby, and the system could automatically select the correct receiver input and begin playback of source components. Okay, so much for familiarization. It was time to fling some wires. With HDMI, that doesn't take long. I ran an HDMI cable from my DVD recorder to the receiver, and another from the receiver to my DLP display. With 1.3a, digital audio received See less »

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Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver

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