Onkyo TX-SR607 - WHF Review

[admin_exported]

Just received my monthly subscription of the WHF magazine; havent had chance to read it thoroughly yet, but as soon as i opened it up I went straight the Onkyo 607 review.

4 stars is the verdict, plenty of muscle and features, but not as agile or involving as class leaders apparently.

Im sure ill be very happy with mine when it arrives ...

 

[Anonymous]

Which was the class leader Andy?

 

[Anonymous]

It's the Yamaha DSP-AX863SE.

 

[Anonymous]

They didnt do a group test; they just carried out a review of the Onkyo on its own. However, it states on the right hand side of the page that you should also consider the Yamaha DSP-AX863SE or the Sony STR-DA2400ES and they both have obviously already been awarded 5 stars previously.

I think Onkyo receivers are focussed more on movies as opposed to music and this is possibly why it has only been awarded 4 stars. The Yamaha and Sony are probably better all rounders, but as I will be only using mine for movies I dont really care.

 

[Anonymous]

I love my Onkyo TX-SR605 and will only ever upgrade it for an 875. Enjoy it.

 

[Anonymous]

ValianTX:I love my Onkyo TX-SR605 and will only ever upgrade it for an 875. Enjoy it.

God! It's certainly a minefield out there.

The Onkyo 607 is a front runner for me, but not sure if it's been improved musically. Did they say anything about that?.

What is it that appeals to you with the 875?

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

When is yours due? Will you write and let us know what you think?

From what I've been reading the Onkyo's may be better for movie/tv sound over cd playback...so as this is what I am interested in, are the Onkyo's the one to go for over the Sony/Yamaha?

 

[mgillespie05]

i had this problem when getting my 906 ,but on the net it got 5stars and in 3 other mags 5 stars and best buy awards one hi fi magazine put the 906 up against poineer 81 a denon and a yam 3009 i think but all in the same class the onk came out best for 2 channel sound over the rest pioneer last ,the onk got outstanding product award for the best sound i woundnt chang mine for anything at present maybe a 908 if one comes out

 

[Anonymous]

Mine is due this week; I will write a post giving my opinion once ive got it set up - although im no expert. Can't wait for it to arrive though.

Well before I ordered mine I did a bit of research and got the opinions of the industries experts; most of them told me that Onkyo's are the receivers to go for when watching movies, they tend to have a bit more aggression which makes them more exciting - but this obviously doesnt make them as suitable with music as the likes of Sony and Yamaha - which tend to be more refined and bright; Onkyo's are a bit harsh with music but the Sony's and Yamaha's make the better all rounder in many peoples opinion.

As I dont care about the music side of things I decided to go for the Onkyo - home cinema is all about the movies imo.

 

[Anonymous]

Andy

I am probably the same as you...not an expert! In fact this will be my first delve into home cinema separates, as I have been running my bluray through my all in one Sony dvd/surround sound system.....it is a scary world with all the choices and all the differing opinions!

I know this may sound like a strange question, but what the heck. When people talk about "music" are you referring to pure Audio (ie cd's mp3's etc.) or does it also include the music soundtrack of movies? I definitely won't ever use my amp for pure Audio only blurays, dvd's, sky hd etc., however I do like watching recording of concerts and other musical recordings...so in this instance is it best to have a better all rounder amp (yamaha/sony/denon)?

What speakers will you be using with your new 607?

Cheers

Paul

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, exactly the same position, this will be my first experience of home cinema seperates (when they arrive); like you, my only experience so far is a panasonic dvd home cinema in a box and ive been told that seperates will be a million times better.

Ive bought the Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1 speaker package together with the Onkyo 607 from Quantum Electronics, got cables and wall brackets thrown in - all for £850.00

The Q Acoustics are supposed to be unbeleivable for the money and apparently make an excellent pairing with most of the mid-range receivers.

With regards to music; I think the Onkyo is still pretty good, but its just not as good as the Yamaha or Sony in some peoples opinion. I assume that they refer to both pure audio and movie soundtracks, but like you, im no expert so im not sure??

All I know is, everyone raved about the Onkyo 606 and I got told it was excellent with movies - The 607 is the replacement model, has more features and can only be even better. Im happy with my purchase and confident ive made a good choice.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers mate

Let me know how it is when it arrives and is up and running.....be good to read a "newbies" reaction and any issues you encounter.

Did you demo these before purchasing?

Rgds

Paul

 

[Anonymous]

Quantum Electronics? Not heard of them....will check them out as that seems like a great price for all that kit. Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

No probs, ill let you know how I get on once set up.

Erm, I didnt to be honest, probably not the best decision, but the 607 is only released this week so obviously there werent any to test; i just trusted the opinion of the experts. I asked plenty of people and as soon as I said id be watching it for movies only they all said the Onkyo 606. I could have bought the onkyo 606 for slightly cheaper but only in silver; the guy at quantum said that he hadnt heard the 607 but it is likely to be at least as good as the 606 (which he said was brilliant) but with more features, so i decided to go for that.

You can go on forever I suppose trying to make a decision because theres so much choice; but like I said, im happy with mine and I reckon I got a pretty good deal.

Regards

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

Does it mention anything about problems with multi-channel PCM over HDMI? My 507 (got it Friday) has virtually no bass on PCM soundtracks or when feeding it multi-channel PCM from the PS3. Other codecs are fine when bitstreamed though. I compared the PCM and TrueHD tracks on Spider-Men 3 and 300 and the TrueHD had way more bass. It's like the 507 wasn't bass managing multi-channel PCM. I have around twenty BDs with PCM soundtracks, some of which only have PCM (such as Hellboy) so this is not an acceptable state of affairs. I've never heard of a faulty amp selectively losing bass on one format and not others, so there's someting odd going on. Would be interested to know if it affects the other models.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Andy

Did you get your kit yet? Let me know how it is....

Cheers

Paul

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew from Quantum Electronics called me up yesterday; He said he'll be sending them out today (friday) and I should receive it all on Monday. I was a bit gutted as I was hoping they'd come today which would have enabled me to get set up over the weekend; but not to worry. As soon as im sorted ill let you know.

I did originally order the Q Acoustic speakers in black but they still dont have them in stock so he gave me the option of either waiting for another month or going for a different colour .... I obviously went for the Cherry!

Thanks

Andy

 

[Frank Harvey]

It's worth looking at the Monitor Audio Vector 5.1 system as an alternative to the Q Acoustics.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Paul,

Ive finally got my kit setup and ive got to say that it sounds superb; I know everyone would think that I would say this regardless, but I can honestly say that it really does.

Ive tested it out with a couple of blu-ray movies (The Day After Tomorrow and Cars); it sounds really powerful and isnt very subtle; the subwoofer just makes the room shake - it sounds brilliant, although I dont think my next door neighbour would agree. The front speakers are loud and crisp and the overall package produces are really powerful performance - It sounds awesome.

Also, I have to say that it was all pretty straightforward to set up; I thought I would have struggled considering it was the first time id ever set one up (other than my old Panasonic home cinema in a box), but it I found it quite fun. I must also say that it completely blows a home cinema in a box system away; it is a million times better.

The Receiver looks the dogs watsits in my opinion, has a quality feel to it and this is proved by the way it performs. Im very happy with it and would definately reccomend it to anyone; everytime I test it out i just cant stop grinning.

Lastly, I have nothing but praise for the top quality customer service I received from Quantum Electronics - I would reccomend them to anyone.

Cheers

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

That's great Andy.

Does it get very hot?

Still contemplating getting one.

 

[Anonymous]

Im not sure to be honest; I will keep an eye on it and get back to you.

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Yep, have to agree with a few people on this site that Onkyo's latest Mid-Range £500 Amp has got a very strange and in-consistent review from WHF this year....(Just take a look at the User Comments on the review to see why more than just a couple of people are bemused by it..!!)

The 607 certainly doesn't deserve a first line negative comment such as 'Not the most agile amp at this kind of money' to start it's cause... A lot of readers might well not bother reading on after that opening! And those that don't will certainly be missing out on a great feature packed unit with sound that more than holds its own against it's rivals...

Having owned this unit for just over a couple of weeks now I am finding very little to criticise about it... At the end of the day the 607 was designed and marketed to be a Home Cinema Amplifier at a very reasonable price bracket of £499...and at that price compared to its competitors...(Many of which have still yet to surface this year) you will probably not find a more feature packed mid-range amp for that sort of money!

As for the sound itself, I have run the amp through a few BD's since owning it (all very impressive), but the highlight for me thus far was watching T2 Skynet Edition via my Pana BD60 last night... I was simply blown away watching and listening to this great action packed movie in DTS HD Master Audio for the very first time... 'Dialogue' was clear and the action sequences and movie score as crisp and meaty as I've ever heard.... Arnie's shotgun in the back corridors of the galleria is quite something to be heard through the 607.. 10/10

Not only does the 607 handle HD movie tracks impressively but also Gaming via either your PS3 or XBOX 360 are a real delight... Have played around with the various GAME MODE sound fields while playing FIFA 09 on the PS3 (Sport Mode) and Dead Space on the 360 (Acton Mode) Again, the 607 oozes charisma in this dept in my opinion it completely changes the gaming experience if you haven't been used to Digital or Pro Logic Surround Sound from your games... The smallest sounding intricacies bought to the forefront of your speakers, sounds you never thought were there before until you attached your games console to the 607 and let it work it's magic...

If I'm honest the 607 is by no means perfect... The On-screen menu's are nothing to write home about when you compare them to their rivals like SONY's fancy X-Bar menu format.. But again it's not the bee all and end all. The new PLIIz sound format is certainly getting a few people intrigued around the Home Cinema forums, and I think it's great for Onkyo to show the world that they've not only included this new format on this amp but also that the customers pocket hasn't suffered as a result of it's inclusion, as with the extra HDMI ports (6 in total). Am pretty sure if SONY did something similar they would easily slap another £200 for the additional features included with the 607!

So my conclusion for this amp is as follows based on my own experiences and looking at what else is out there currently (this years models) for the same price... Comparing it to amps which came out last year and were originally in the £800 price bracket but later reduced, I think is a little unfair....

Value For Money 5/5

Ease Of Use/OS Menus 4/5

Features 5/5

Sound 5/5

Overall : 5/5

 

[Anonymous]

YES it gets hot quickly

 

[Anonymous]

really really hot...

 

[Anonymous]

niko_quebec:really really hot...

Really? How have you got it set up? Is there plenty of ventillation?