Truth about ONKYO-TX-SR605

[bilgirami]

I bought myself an ONKYO TX-SR605 a few weeks ago. I fell for the features it offered for a very reasonable price. But hang on, that is not all that comes in the package. There are a few things all potential buyers should know. There are a few issues that all should be aware of. If you still decide to go ahead and buy it, that’s fine. At least you know what you are buying..
The following info is straight from ONKYO tech support. I have e-mails tha
1. This unit will only drive 8 ohm speakers. According to ONKYO, if you try and drive anything less than 8 ohm, it will damage the unit.
2. The receiver does not support bi-amping. It will damage the unit.
3. Even with 8 ohm speakers, the system runs very warm. You need a ton of space around it. From what I know, heat and electronics don’t go together.

Except for item #2, nothing else was mentioned in the O&M or anywhere else. I am surprised that even CNet did not mention any of this when they reviewed the product and gave it an 8/10.

 

[trnqk7]

I feel your frustration, but-

Isn't 8 ohm nominal a pretty standard rating for most receivers, especially mid-tier like the Onkyo you are referencing?

Again, same comment with bi-amping, not to mention the discussions about the debatable benefits of the practice while using an AVR

Excess heat is a problem, but I have noticed lots of people commenting on the current Onkyo's acting this way (getting very hot) without the units failing.

Did your unit die on you? Or are you just frustrated with what you expected vs. what you got?

 

[bilgirami]

Its more what i thought vs what I got. I wanted to drive my Jamos concert series (6 ohm speakers) with it. Before I bought the unit, I did not find this info anywhere. then when I reviwed the O&M in detail, there is one mentione of bi-aping issue. So I contacted ONKYO, only to find out that not only can you not bi-amp, you also cant drive 6 ohm speakers with it. ONKYO said that it WILL damage the unit. I ended up selling the unit as it is and now will go with Yamaha RX-V 663 that not only drives 6 ohm just fine but also supports bi-amping for 6 ohm speakers and costs only a $100 or so more.

 

[trnqk7]

Onkyo has a pretty decent amp section from everything I've ever heard-I think they were just covering their @$$es. But, the Yamaha, from all accounts, is also a very find unit and you will no doubt be happier with it knowing that it performs as advertised. Congrats!

 

[fmw]

What the manual fails to say is that the unit has a digital processor that is so bad it creates sounds all by itself and runs so hot that a long life for the product will require careful placement or ventilation. The good news is it has great resale value. I was able to recover all but $30 of the purchase price when I dumped it. My suggestion is to take advantage of the great resale value while you can. This unit is strong on features and poor on performance.

 

[jonnythan]

1) The 605 is rated for 6-16 ohm loudspeakers, not only 8.

2) Bi-amping? How did you plan on bi-amping with just a receiver? You can certainly bi-amp your speakers with the 605 and a separate amplifier.

3) All receivers get hot and require lots of ventilation.

 

[Johnd]

1) The 605 is rated for 6-16 ohm loudspeakers, not only 8.

2) Bi-amping? How did you plan on bi-amping with just a receiver? You can certainly bi-amp your speakers with the 605 and a separate amplifier.

3) All receivers get hot and require lots of ventilation.

I think the gist of this thread is that by all accounts, the 605 is not really a worthy receiver. Plenty of bells and whistles, but at a price. It has been repeatedly mentioned here that one ought to look to the 705 or 805 if they are considering the 605. It's really not that much more monet.

So I think the lesson is: know what you're buying before you buy it. Not having it live up to all one's expectations is rarely a valid reason for a return.

 

[ParkerAudio]

I bought myself an ONKYO TX-SR605 a few weeks ago. I fell for the features it offered for a very reasonable price. But hang on, that is not all that comes in the package. There are a few things all potential buyers should know. There are a few issues that all should be aware of. If you still decide to go ahead and buy it, that’s fine. At least you know what you are buying..
The following info is straight from ONKYO tech support. I have e-mails tha
1. This unit will only drive 8 ohm speakers. According to ONKYO, if you try and drive anything less than 8 ohm, it will damage the unit.
2. The receiver does not support bi-amping. It will damage the unit.
3. Even with 8 ohm speakers, the system runs very warm. You need a ton of space around it. From what I know, heat and electronics don’t go together.

Except for item #2, nothing else was mentioned in the O&M or anywhere else. I am surprised that even CNet did not mention any of this when they reviewed the product and gave it an 8/10.

I don't know who you talked to at Onkyo, but you were given some bad information. Did you try to drive 6 ohm speakers and have the built in circuit protection kick? The receiver will definitely drive 6 ohm speakers.
The unit does support bi-amping of the front speakers, however this only gives you a 5.1 setup. Check your manual, all this is in there.
As for the heat, Onkyos are famous for heat, you either need a fan to cool it, or have a lot of space around the receiver.
Don't believe everything you get from tech support, often they are in India, or some other god forsaken country that doesn't even understand what home audio is. This kind of customer service is definitely the fault of Onkyo.

 

[Seth=L]

When I had an Onkyo TX-SR502 I had a fan on it. I was driving some 6 ohm 86 dB/w/m speakers with it and the only issue was heat. With the fan it was fine.

When Onkyo said "it WILL damage the receiver" they where covering themselves. Anytime you ask most any manufacturer if a receiver is safe running 4 ohms they will tell you not to do it. I haven't heard of any manufacturer saying they wouldn't drive 6 ohm speakers, mostly because it's bogus.

With all that said, the RX-V663 is a better candidate IMO. The RX-V663 does have a very nice amplifier section and a list full of features you can drool on. Unlike the Onkyo the Yamaha has preouts to add amplification, just in case your speakers need that extra power. I would not suggest Bi-amping your speakers with the receiver however.

 

[patnshan]

To add another negative, it cannot matrix PLIIx over DD or MPCM making it very undesirable for those with 7.1 systems. I use this feature every single time I watch a movie or HD cable. This is the reason I got the Yami instead and am now glad for even more reasons! Thanks.

Pat

 

[Davidt1]

All receivers make heat, but some make very little while some make a lot. Having put my hands over many receivers on many trips to Fry's, BB and CC, I would say Pioneer makes the coolest running receivers with Denon and Yamaha in the middle and HK and Onkyo the hottest.

 

[Vaughan Odendaa]

This unit is strong on features and poor on performance.

Poor on performance ? All I see on the net are excellent reviews and "amp of the year" awards (it won the EISA award as well as numerous others). Is this receiver not deserving of all the accolades it's received ?

--Regards,

 

[MDS]

To add another negative, it cannot matrix PLIIx over DD or MPCM making it very undesirable for those with 7.1 systems.

PLIIx will work on any 2 channel analog or digital source as well as DD 5.1. I find it very hard to believe that the 605 cannot use PLIIx over DD as that is one of the main purposes of PLIIx and my 502 will do it no problem.

MPCM is already multi channel so there is nothing for PLIIx to do.

 

[Seth=L]

Poor on performance ? All I see on the net are excellent reviews and "amp of the year" awards (it won the EISA award as well as numerous others). Is this receiver not deserving of all the accolades it's received ?

--Regards,

From what I understand, no. It lacks some features and has some silly features omitted, like the mentioned omition of DPLIIx for LPCM. It also pops (some HDMI audio issue), runs hot compared to other receivers, and has some HDMI issues that are less common with other manufacturers. The Yamaha pretty much hits a home run with the RX-V663, which should replace the Onkyo for the bang for buck in that price range.

 

[Seth=L]

MPCM is already multi channel so there is nothing for PLIIx to do.

There is if the System is 7.1 and the LPCM is only 5.1.

 

[fmw]

Poor on performance ? All I see on the net are excellent reviews and "amp of the year" awards (it won the EISA award as well as numerous others). Is this receiver not deserving of all the accolades it's received ?

--Regards,

It is not. It would be if all those features worked well but they don't. Strong on features, weak on performance.

 

[ParkerAudio]

You guys are expecting a lot out of a $350 receiver. The Yamaha is $100 more. Yeah, you might be able to find the Yamaha for less of a difference, but I could probably find the Onkyo cheaper too. Like $294 for the Onkyo and 419 for the Yamaha on a Google search.
I think if you are pushing to spend $350 on a receiver than $100 more would be a deal breaker. I would pay the extra $100, but in this price range would others?

 

[bilgirami]

I got lucky and I was able to sell my ONKYO 605 for the price I had paid. just way too much uncertainity for me driving my 6 ohm/88dB Jamos. I got lucky again and found RX-V663 for 399+20(shipping).
I got the info on Onkyo directly from ONKYO tech support, name doesnt sound like this was someone in india but you never know. The manual I got with my Onkyo clearly said it is not meant for bi-amping. 6Ohm issue was a surprise.

patnshan, can you elaborate a little bit on what DD and MPCM are (I know PCM).

 

[Johnd]

patnshan, can you elaborate a little bit on what DD and MPCM are (I know PCM).

I'll elaborate for Pat. PCM is used interchangeably for MPCM and DD is Dolby Digital, or the DD18 sub.

 

[ParkerAudio]

I got lucky and I was able to sell my ONKYO 605 for the price I had paid. just way too much uncertainity for me driving my 6 ohm/88dB Jamos. I got lucky again and found RX-V663 for 399+20(shipping).
I got the info on Onkyo directly from ONKYO tech support, name doesnt sound like this was someone in india but you never know. The manual I got with my Onkyo clearly said it is not meant for bi-amping. 6Ohm issue was a surprise.

patnshan, can you elaborate a little bit on what DD and MPCM are (I know PCM).

That is strange that your manual said it won't biamp. I am using a 605 for a office radio, and page 21 of the 605 manual talks about biamping, and page 20 talks about using 6 ohm or higher speakers. We are talking about a Onkyo TX-SR605 right?