Audio Reviews

If you want to get the very best out of your video equipment, definitely upgrade your cable to Monster cables. We couldn't figure out why our picture on our 52" TV looked so inferior, despite having satellite -- turned out to be nothing more than inferior cables that came with the set! Even if you have new equipment, it may come with cheaply made cables. Monster cables are excellent -- worth every penny! I also bought some to connect one VCR to another when copying tapes. If you have older equipment and aren't happy with the quality of the picture, this is an inexpensive fix! You'll be glad you did it!

I agree with Max. Don't use those inferior cables that come with your DVD player. I just bought a DVD player and immediately got these Monster cables to connect between the TV and DVD. Image quality is the best I can get on my 20" TV, really cool.

I use these cables with my DVD player. I didn't want to spend($) or ($) on just cables! Also, I didn't want the crappy cables that came with my DVD player. If you are using the video cables that came with your DVD player, throw them out! Get these. They are sooo much better. Amazon says these are good for VCRs but you have to have a good VCR to appreciate Monsters.

Anyway, if you don't want to spend a ton of money on cables, and want quality, choose these.

I just bought this receiver. I've had onkyo receivers for the past 10 years and I have always been pleased with their quality.
I bought this one to power our home theatre system which has 5 speakers capable of delivering 100W each. My Harmon Kardon avr20 receiver is not strong enough to power 5 speakers.

My first reaction was that the sound volume was too low, I had to turn up to 70/100 to hear it. Then I figured out that you can change your speaker levels, awesome feature. So I turned up my front speakers 10dB and instantly I got the result I wanted.

If you have the receiver hooked up to a TV, during the setup, the menu shows on screen, which makes it a lot easier to setup. It also lets you choose to your speaker distance in feet or meters of how far you are from the speakers and the receiver will adjust the speakers to you.

The sound is very crisp, and even when you turn on surround sound, the receiver is delivering plenty of power to all speakers. Not like the average surround sound systems, when you actually enable center speakers, you lose 30% of your volume.

The backside has all the connectors you could ever wish for, it does get a little jammed back there, but once it is all connected, you're set.

The remote is pretty handy, although it is way to big for my taste.

I trust this receiver will last me at least 10 years with superior sound quality. For $350 (amazon.com) and FREE shipping you can not beat the bang for the buck, anywhere. I would be willing to bet on it.

If you are the home uset that likes to have high quality hi-fi systems, but don't want to spend $1000 on a receiver, this one will blow you away, and you will have money over to buy a really nice pair of speakers. And if you are in to design, this version comes in silver as well.

Thumbs Up! Get it before it is too late.

Well, there is little I can add to Boomer0311's excellent and comprehensive review. I had an older, larger brother to the 601 (the 2002 Onkyo TXDS-797) so when I needed another 6.1 surround for a smaller room I had no hesitation about the 601. It is, as Boomer says, an outstanding value for the price (and you can do a bit better than Boomer if you search - I found it at a couple of places on the web for less than $375, brand new in a sealed carton).

The automatic smart switching of the audio mode depending on the type of input (Dolby, DTS surround or not) is a great feature, and the unit is solid and reliable, driving even speakers of modest efficiency (for example, our set of Encore Energy surrounds) to plenty of volume even for old, semi-deaf ex-rock and rollers like me. This is terrific bang for the buck. I don't think there's anything out there for close to the price that comes close to the 601 in features and quality.

Owning it for nearly a quarter-century (1981 vintage), the Onkyo TX-3000 stereo receiver's great sound and remarkable craftmanship has always impressed me. Even today, it continues to please. Were it not for the need to integrate collected video gear, forgetting not the surround sound factor, I'd have no need for change.

While doing some fairly extensive research on available HT receivers, those street-priced below my purchase ceiling of $400 (with tax), I soon realized that I would have to spend my limit in order to get a high-quality unit with all the wanted trimmings. Yes, I did see those $300 factory refurbished units at eCost, and wanted badly to pull the trigger on occasion, however, I thought if I could only reach a compromise between the asking price at a brick-n-mortar store vs. that of a factory
refurb unit advertised online, I'd be on it like a tick on a dog! Well, it happened!

With the bulk of research behind me, there were a handful of receivers I felt commanded my respect, while still sitting at or below my $400 ceiling. Honestly, I did pay additional consideration to the Denon and Onkyo units. In alpha-order, the receivers were:

Denon AVR-1804
Harman Kardon AVR-230
Onkyo TX-SR601
Yamaha RX-V740

I'd finally decided "research over", I'd make my purchase before the weekend. A visit to a local Tweeter store turned-up a $100-off ($399 to $299) sale on Denon's AVR-1604. A very nice unit, but feature-wise, a grade lower than I wanted. Could I possibly get the manager to drop the price of Denon's AVR-1804 from $499 to $399? Not today. Next stop, Best Buy. It was at Best Buy that I realized why my research was so important. OK, where to next? Let's try Circuit City (again). I remembered them having all the receivers on my list, except the Denon brand. Once there, I
immediately saw that they'd dropped the price on a new Onkyo TX-SR601 from $499 to $449. Hey, now we're getting warm! Nosing around a bit more, I noticed that they had two OPEN-BOX 601s for $429 each. That's when I went for broke! I prompted the sales clerk to tell his manager of my $400 drive-out offer on one of the OPEN-BOX 601s. Trying to steal a bit of whispered cross-talk between the two, I could not gather enough information to conclude if Yes or No. After about 5-minutes, the manager exited while the sales clerk pounded away on his POS register. A few moments more passed when the sales clerk finally asked me if $395 drive-out would be OK? Well..... I suppose.....

Heck Yea! Bring it out to the car, NOW!

Also, of the two OPEN-BOX 601s there, I got to pick the one I wanted! The one I picked just happened to be one that was put on the floor the previous day. It looked like it had just been unboxed, and not a finger-print on it! Of course, I had to take it naked (no box), but it came with every available
accessory and a full 2-year factory warranty. Keep the box and give me my $75-$80 savings!

MY TAKE ON ONKYO RECEIVERS IN GENERAL:

Well-known is Onkyo's long-sustained reputation for building affordable, high-quality receivers. To many, Onkyo receivers seem to have a purer sound over that of the competing brands. Reason? Well, I believe it's primarily the fact that Onkyo integrates superior low-noise, high-current amplifiers into
their receiver lineup. Whether driven at a whisper, or cranked to rated limits, Onkyo amps are up to the task. Even while driving a set of 4-ohm speakers (a real challenge for many receivers because the amps are driven harder), an Onkyo will kick-it-out effortlessly!

Delivering on that purer sound, an Onkyo tends to run hotter than most (Harman Kardon integrates a highly-regarded heat-generating amp set into their receiver lineup as well). Because of this, when compared to other receiver brands, Onkyo recommends nearly 4-5 additional inches of clearance above the receiver chassis. In summary, the Onkyo's upside is a clean sounding unit with power to spare, while the downside is unusual heat generation and the resulting additional real-estate required for proper dissipation.

MY TAKE ON THE TX-SR601:

While I could list many features I like about the 601, some would be superfluous in that those features are pretty-much the norm for receivers in this class. Instead, on the upside, I'll list those qualities I believe unique. The 601 does have some downside also, and I'll list whatever those items are as well.
All in all, though, the good far out-weighs the bad.

Upside:

- Subwoofer crossover can be adjusted from a low-end of 60Hz to
a high-end of 150Hz.
- Zone 2 line out (can simultaneously play differing source
material to two different locations).
- IntelliVolume feature allows switching of sources to arrive at
same or user adjusted volume levels.
- Ability to efficiently drive 4-ohm speakers.
- High-current amps provide additional headroom above power
rating.
- Color-coded rear panel layout sports I/O connections aplenty,
comfortably spaced apart.
- Long-standing reputation for reliability.

Downside:

- Unusual heat generation from receiver amps prompts additional
clearance requirement.
- Remote control requires multiple key presses when switching
sources; no back-lighting.
- No video conversion to component level (conversion is
Composite -> S-Video only).

** NOTE ON VIDEO CONVERSTION:
I've researched HT receivers in this price-class from A-Z, and
found none that will convert video to the component level.
That said, this feature is very desireable because it's use
would keep most cable-bulk away from the TV. Said differently,
one would not be required to compromise aesthetics (cable-
bulk) to gain component-level video quality from desired
source(s).

[Conclusion]:

After a full month of ownership, I can heartily recommend Onkyo's TX-SR601. From the hours put-in researching all possible candidates, I can say without reserve that IT IS the best HT receiver available today under $500 MSRP.

This is an excellent product, with very smooth action and easy to use. I am completely satisfied with my purchase. I had considered more expensive turntables for my 27-inch TV but relied on reviews of this product from previous purchasers. I agree with everything they said. You will be pleased with the Sanus TV27 turntable.

I did a little research before buying and found a lot of expensive TV stand/turntables and others that looked cheap and unattractive. I'm very pleased with this one - it is very good quality construction, turns smoothly, never feels rickety or unstable, and blends perfectly with the black TV.

I recently purchased this product. I am very pleased with it. The turntable fits perfectly under my 27 inch TV and turns so easily.It fits so well that it looks like part of my TV. Anyone who might be thinking about purchasing a turntable would not be unhappy with this purchase. It is a great product.

This is an excellent product, with very smooth action and easy to use. I am completely satisfied with my purchase. I had considered more expensive turntables for my 27-inch TV but relied on reviews of this product from previous purchasers. I agree with everything they said. You will be pleased with the Sanus TV27 turntable.

I did a little research before buying and found a lot of expensive TV stand/turntables and others that looked cheap and unattractive. I'm very pleased with this one - it is very good quality construction, turns smoothly, never feels rickety or unstable, and blends perfectly with the black TV.

I recently purchased this product. I am very pleased with it. The turntable fits perfectly under my 27 inch TV and turns so easily.It fits so well that it looks like part of my TV. Anyone who might be thinking about purchasing a turntable would not be unhappy with this purchase. It is a great product.

This is an excellent product, with very smooth action and easy to use. I am completely satisfied with my purchase. I had considered more expensive turntables for my 27-inch TV but relied on reviews of this product from previous purchasers. I agree with everything they said. You will be pleased with the Sanus TV27 turntable.

I did a little research before buying and found a lot of expensive TV stand/turntables and others that looked cheap and unattractive. I'm very pleased with this one - it is very good quality construction, turns smoothly, never feels rickety or unstable, and blends perfectly with the black TV.

I recently purchased this product. I am very pleased with it. The turntable fits perfectly under my 27 inch TV and turns so easily.It fits so well that it looks like part of my TV. Anyone who might be thinking about purchasing a turntable would not be unhappy with this purchase. It is a great product.

You will not regret your buy. Outstanding value for the price & it's 600 watts. Have all the decoder you can think off.Very easy to set-up. Clear direction manual.<br /> <br /> I have a Sony also. But really can't differentiate with this one.

I just got the SDAT1000 set up and watched a couple of DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 movies on it. Both formats sounded pretty much the same, although the DTS encoding seemed a tad bit louder (you can search for religious debates of Dolby vs. DTS elsewhere on the Net). It is truly an awesome value, especially at the sale price combined with the free shipping special! Since I can only agree with the other reviewers, I will add some detail that they may have left out. It has a digital coax input for the DIGITAL 1 input channel, and an optical Toslink input for the DIGITAL 2 input channel. The other 3 analog inputs are standard stereo RCA connectors. You will need to buy your own audio cables for these connections, since none are supplied. All speaker wires are supplied and are nicely color-coded for easy setup. The rear surround speaker wires look like they can easily reach up to 25' from the receiver (I haven't measured it though). The only disappointment at all was not being able to set up my DISH Network's universal remote to operate this receiver, but I am not going to complain much with this kind of value.

the sharp sd-at1000 is by far one of the best home theater out there for its price(i got mine for 199). it has 600 watts or total power and can decode everything, dts, dolby digital, pro logic and pro logic 2. its also utilizes sharp's 1 bit technology which converts analog signals into digital, while its ultra-high speed sampling rate captures detailed, high frequency sounds that could never before be experienced. it also has 2 digital and 3 line inputs and a nice design. this system also doubbles as a am/fm radio with magnetically shielded front speakers. my only complaint is it does not have a dvd play but for the price i really wasn't expecting one. later models such as the sd-at 3000 and 4000 dv do contain dvd players but for a much higher price. i'd recommend this system to anyone, just buy a good dvd player and you're good to go.

This is a great multi format player. So far I've been playing a lot of DVD-R's with excellent results. I was having a lot of problems with my previous JVC player.

Fantastic Video, excellent audio, heavy feature set, and looks great...but that's not why I bought it.

In the past, if you wanted max format compatibility, you had to sacrifice video quality. Sure, you can stick a slice of pizza in a Sony DVP-NS725P and it will play a Little Caesars commercial, but the video quality is horrendous. I searched high and low looking for a player that can read a wide range of formats, including DVD +R, without having to sacrifice quality...and just when I was about to give up, someone turned on a Grail shaped beacon.

Enter the Pioneer DV-563A. I dropped in every +R that I have and it played them flawlessly. No skipping, no laser chirping. It even played disks on lower quality media that were burned right to the edge. Absolutely awesome.

By the way, the specs do not advertise +R and I am using a recorder that supports bit setting so your mileage may vary.

I wonder why there isn't more interest in this player that has the unique ability to play both of the new formats. I bought mine for my mid level surround system and couldn't be more pleased.
I don't know it may compare with the $$$ players, but I find
the aural experience of SACD and DVD-A very nice for this price.

Pro's
-Large-enough room to fit my head phones in
-Sturdy-the case is very sturdy in construction, i'm confident my player is safe in there.
-Pockets-Large enough to fit my accessories and enough pockets to keep everything in order.
-Elastic straps-perfect for keeping my player and accessories secured so they aren't fumbling around.
-Looks-the sleek black look is in my opinion very cool.

Cons
-Large-Although i staed this as a pro, this can also be a con. its quite large as i stated, but in my opinion that good, but it can be bad for other.

overall-
great for keeping rio's and other MP3 players safe from getting banged up.

Being the typical music-loving teenager, I have a Rio500 and I take it everywhere. This case helps a lot for carrying around the player, headphones, memory cards, and other acessories. A lot better than letting it loose in my backpack and getting all beat up, and having to dig around for it all the time. It also keeps everything organized, nice for packing to go on a road trip or vacation.

a great case that is big enough to hold your earphones and some mp3 discs. if you have a diamond rio 600 you should get this case

How can a low-priced amp possibly sound this good. This is the best kept audio secret of all time. I have mine connected to a SACD player through a ASL passive (tube)pre-amp. I turn the volume control on the SI all the way up and adjust volume with the pre. The sound that comes out of my high-efficency Horn Shoppe Horns is nothing short of amazing. Wide soundstage, incredible imaging and totally no audible noise. I own two and I'm looking for a third to hot-rod. Caution: If you are going to use in a home stereo rig, the speakers should have an efficiency of 90 or better to get the sound levels you'll want. Amazing!

I had some nice Polk speakers gathering dust, and had read good things about this little amp. It's all true - 8 AA batteries never sounded so good! I'm looking to add a AC/DC 12 volt power supply; I've read about people using a 13.8v controlled PSU for the extra power, but those appear to cost more than the amp did!

This cheap-o hunk of plastic sounds better than my $900 single-ended tube amp. No joke.