Summary: Finally a receiver I can totally relate to. Yes I know it has a few years on it but she just blew a brand new Yamaha clean out of the room. Does she have all the latest gadgets ? NO! Does she have tons of power and plays beautifully?Yes!
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Summary: Bought to replace a Sony a/v reciever. I had always had Sony/Tech/Sansui and was a little skeptical about changing. Not to worry..it's been outstanding and came highly recommended. An aboundabce of features. The remote took a little getting use to but is becoming more intuitive. Seems to deliver more power than my previous Sony which was rated 30 wpc higher. Love the different play options. Great looking too with panel having all the controls of the remote. Would like an EQ.
Strengths: Power, looks, flexibility, control.
Weaknesses: Remote took a little getting use to, less intuitive than Sony.
Summary: The Onkyo TX-SR503 replaces a Pioneer that decided to act up on me after only three years. I found the Onkyo at Circiut City as an "open box" item. Considering the price, I checked it for trouble and found nothing obvious. I bought it, took it home, hooked it up and found no obvious problems. Being slightly familiar with Onkyo, I thought that I was buying something a little better. That's pretty much what I got.
The sound quality was much better than the Pioneer. The Onkyo sort of reminded me of some high end audio systems that I've heard in the past. The tuner did its job very well. FM reception was better than I expected. However, most tuner operations must be done at the receiver. The remote only tunes in stations that are programmed into the tuner's station storage. Most set up operations are also best done at the receiver instead of the remote. This receiver could have used a couple of more spare connections for those with lots of sources, but I found that easy to work around. Despite these "weaknesses", this is a very simple receiver to operate. Yet, the sound quality is near excellent. Overall, I am very happy with this receiver. Now let's see how long this one last.
Strengths: Near excellent sound quality. Ease of operation.
Weaknesses: It is best to do most set up and tuner operations at the receiver. The remote operations are somewhat limited. A couple of more connection options would be nice. NONE of these weaknesses are significant.
Summary: I've used this model about 3 months now only to discover that Onkyo has come out with a new model this year,the TX SR 504.However,from what I can tell the basic receiver is the same,only the tuner section is different.So,here goes:this receiver is a good powerful little receiver.I say little because it is listed at 75 wpc.However,although only listed at 75 watts per channel,it supplies full power for any movie watching or cd listening.The sound is clear and full without distortion.The bass sounds crisp and clean and the treble clear and true.Bass and treble can be adjusted to suit ones needs.Surround sound movies sound wonderful played in any of the DTS modes.And,for those of you who watch old classic movies,you can get a surround sound effect with either "all channel stereo" or "all channel mono".This feature also works for those of us who listen to old classic mono recordings that wouldn't ordinarily use the surround speakers.This is a nice plus,in my book when playing cds of classic performances.The remote is nice,in that you can use it to control your cd and dvd players once you enter the approipriate code. I would recommend this receiver for the beginner and enthusiast alike because the sound is wonderful.I have Klipsch speakers and this receiver has no trouble dirving them at any volume.I say enjoy this fine receiver.
Strengths: Good solidly built receiver with plenty of power for it's size (i.e., a nominal 75 watts per channel).Option of banana plugs for speaker cables is great.Multi use remote a plus.
Weaknesses: Difficult to set up for the beginner.I needed someone to help me,and I've done this before.It could be a product of all new stereo equipment,but nothing is ready to use out of the box any more.I for one miss those old days.If using bare wire cable for speaker connection,not much room to work.I recommend using the banana plugs.
Similar Products Used: Various Sony receivers
Various Onkyo amps and receivers
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Summary: Sounds nice after 3 trips and 20 days in dealer repair shop.
One day there is a hiss coming from left rear speaker, even when volume all the way down.
1st trip to shop: they replace a fuse based on Onkyo Service Bulletin. Take it home and noise is still there. Take it back to repair shop.
2nd trip: Repair shop says they cannot reproduce. Take it home. Noise still there.
3rd trip: I had to bring my Bose speaker system to their shop and demonstrate the noise for them. Oh yeah, now I hear it!
Brilliant!
Needed a new transistor on the rear speaker board of unit.
Nice! Unit not even 3 months old and parts are failing?
I am a newbie to stereo components and these are just made for us I guess......
Good Luck but think twice.
Strengths: remote is easy
Weaknesses: remote guide does not contain my cable box listing
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