PLAYBACK 23: Onkyo TX-SR607 A/V Receiver
A (Digital) Fork In The Road
Home Theater/Multichannel Audio
- PLAYBACK 23: Onkyo TX-SR607 A/V Receiver
- PLAYBACK 23: Parasound P7 Multichannel Preamp & Marantz AV8003 A/V Pre-Tuner
Portable/PC Audio
- PLAYBACK 23: Shure SRH840 Professional Monitoring Headphones
- PLAYBACK 23: Ultrasone Edition 8 Headphones
TV / Displays
- PLAYBACK 23: LG 55LH90 LCD HDTV with LED Backlighting
- PLAYBACK 23: Samsung SP-A900B 1080p DLP projector
Two-Channel Audio
Source: Playback
Music Performance:
To see what the Onkyo could do with a really first-rate high-resolution music recording, I put on “Mood Indigo” from the Joe Wilder/Marshal Royal Quintet’s Mostly Ellington [Blueport/NuForce]. One of the most interesting things about this recording is that it is delivered in two formats—a traditional CD and an ambitious DVD disk complete with a 24-bit/96kHz soundtrack. I used the 24/96 DVD for my listening tests.
What impressed me was the way the Onkyo captured the intimate, up-close feel of Royal’s opening sax solo, the melancholy sweetness of Wilder’s answering solo, and—above all—the stunning though very subtly rendered sonic cues that made the recording venue (the Lyceum Theater in San Diego) sound like a real, three dimensional space. Put these factors together and you have a receiver capable of highly involving playback.
While we could quibble over whether the Onkyo’s digital front end sounds as good as would the high quality analog outputs of a good disc player, the fact is that it sounds vivid and intensely alive on this brilliant live recording, producing a sound I think many enthusiasts—even pretty finicky ones—would find highly satisfying.
Bottom Line:
Onkyo’s TX-SR607 represents a fork in the road of AVR development, taking a path that presumes customers will for the most part choose to use digital connections (and specifically HDMI connections) to carry both audio and video signals. Old-school audiophiles (and I proudly admit I am one) will lament Onkyo’s decision to omit multichannel analog inputs, but even so the fact remains that this receiver offers very good sound and some very advanced technologies (including support for Dolby PLIIz) for its modest asking price.
SPECS & PRICING
Onkyo TX-SR607 7.2 channel A/V Receiver
Power output: 7 x 90 Wpc @ 8 ohms
Decoding formats:Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Pro Logic IIz; DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS Surround Sensation, and DTS; DSD bitstreams; multichannel PCM (up to 7.1 channels at up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution)
Video inputs/outputs: Composite video (5 in, 2 out); Component video (2 in, 1 out), HDMI (6 in—1 on front panel, 1 out)
Audio inputs/outputs: Stereo analog (7 in, 3 out—1 as Zone 2 output), 2 subwoofer line-level analog outputs, digital audio (2 optical in, 2 coaxial in), HDMI v1.3a Repeating/Switching (6 in, 1 out), Sirius satellite radio (1), AM/FM/HD Radio tuner (1), headphone output (1)
Other: universal port (1 in), auto calibration mic (1)
Dimensions (HxWxD): 6.94" x 17.125" x 12.94"
Weight: 23.8 pounds
Price: $599
Onkyo U.S.A. Corporation
(201) 785-2600
us.onkyo.com
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Comments
Wow at a price point of $600 or less on the street how can you expect 6 channels of analog input? Who, looking in that price range, would have a significant investment in multichannel media? What low end universal player would have analog outputs that were good enough to make the kind of difference you're talking about. A good Oppo player at $200 provides six analog outs just not great analog outs compared to it's digital . Six sets of interconnects that were good enough to give good sound would add another chunk of $$$ to the set up. When you put a system together at this price range cost matters a lot and multichannel analog doesn't make a lot of sense.
My bigger shock in recent years was discovering that these highly complex and fully functioned receivers were no longer including phono input. I realize that super high-end audiophiles would use a separate phono preamp anyway, but especially with the recent resurgence of vinyl (albeit only 1/2 of 1% of the recorded music market), I would expect almost any receiver to still include a phono input. I know that I won't buy one without a phono preamp.
I own an Onkyo PRC-885 Controller, their former TOL model, replaced with an essentiall the same unit, with a few new features, and I listen to vinyl all the time, albeit with a separate phono preamp, a ProJect Tube Box, and the setup sounds pretty natural and smooth, with lots of soundstaging and depth.
Mike
VinylGuy
You might want to consider the trade-offs involved in putting a phono pre-amp into a modern AVR. There's a huge amout of digital circuitry in there, and it creates a lot of noise. The extremely low-level signals of a turntable are going to find that a very hostile environment. If you want a machine that performs like the 607 with a built-in phono stage, it's going to cost more for the added components and the shielding necessary, as well as complicating the board layout. Something's got to give for $600, and I really think a crappy phono stage would be no favor to anyone (and would still increase the price unless something else was sacrificed).
Rega, Music Hall, Parasound, Cambridge, and NAD all make nice little phono preamps for $99 - $150; the Cambridge + the 607 = $700, which is still $100 - $150 less than the Denon AVR2310CI (lowest price for a serious AVR with built-in phono I know of).
There are also a number of entry-level turntables with built in pre-amps, including all the USB models I've seen.
Agreed! I searched high and low for a mid-range AVR with phono built in and finally ordered Onkyo's TX SR 706 this week from Amanzon (shipped from TigerDirect for $499!). The 706 may be a model year old, but it offered everything I was looking for in my first receiver since 1985 -- phono input, preouts, not made in China (don't get me started on this one!). And, bonus, it includes the lamented multichannel analog audio mentioned in the review. I'll admit that an outboard phono stage is the way to go, but there is also the point that if these mega-receivers can offer all this new technology and all these connections, surely they can provide a couple more RCA inputs and a modest phono circuit to keep some of us interested in vinyl.
So, If one were to mate this Onkyo with the new Oppo Blu-Ray player, what would be the recommended interconnections between the play, receiver, and flat screen? If you connected all sources via hdmi thru the receiver, would the video quality of blu-ray "suffer" due to weaker processor in the AVR?
That's a good question. I currently have an HDMI cable connected directly from my hd-dvr directly to the tv, then analog two channel sound go to the receiver. I am also wondering if I should upgrade and buy some HDMI cable to go from the hd-dvr to the receiver then back to the TV. Would the TV picture get degraded due to the longer combined cable length and additional connections? I suspect there would be no signal degradation due to the receiver, because it would just shoot the hdmi signal straight through to the TV but take the audio data to process for sound. Does anyone have a take on this?
So back to your question, my best guess is that connecting all sources via hdmi would make sense and I think the blu-ray would not suffer due to the weaker processor in the AVR. The video signal would probably not even go through the receiver but be passed through to the TV. To confirm you should check the hdmi v1.3a specs.
George
Almost all AVRs that receive a 1080p HDMI input will pass it through unaltered, as will the 607 - they can't 'upconvert' it any further, so they just strip away the audio and leave the video alone.
Switching HDMI signals through a separate box like a receiver will not create any video degradation unless there's additional video processing involved; however, there may be some reliability issues that creep in. HDMI can be finicky with multiple connections and long cable runs, but it will probably be no problem for a simple system like you're describing.
Decent HDMI cable from oppo to amp, decent hdmi cable from amp to screen!
Since the oppo will (probably) be better than most amps and tv for upscaling duties, you'll want to configure the oppo to upscale to 1080p, the amp will recieve a 1080p signal, and won't touch it cos' it's already at max ... so you'de be sorted!
I recently purchased the well reviewed Sony SCD5400ES SACD player - for multichannel, the ONLY output is via HDMI - so would this receiver be a great match? It seems like a bargain - I had been considering either the Denon 4310 ($2K) or the Sony STR-DA6400ES ($2.5K). Don't need the power - so is this a great choice?
Been an Onkyo fan for years. New price point today at Fry's Electronics, $499.00 The money you save you could spend elsewhere on Blu-Ray or even a multi channel amp for whole house audio. Gonna recommend to my friends wanting a simple system
FYI. It's currently only $400 at NewEgg with like $10 shipping.