Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Pure POWER... WoW, for the Money it's Hard 2Beat. If you can even find one, you won't be disapointed at all. It's a REAL DEAL STEAL under $100.

Strengths:
Great Heat Disapatioin & Raw Power

Weaknesses:
No Banana Speaker Clips

Price Paid:  $100.00 from Fry's

Summary:
2 couple years ago I saw this receiver at Fry's when I was looking to make a new stereo for my room and saw this receiver on sale for $100. I was 13 at the time and didnt know much about audio but I guess I just got lucky and picked this receiver. My first impression was it was a great sounding reciever when it was paired with my Sony floorstanders. (I don't own those anymore =D)

Convenience:
On to the receiver, what I really liked was the value for the money. There were also plenty of inputs for you to hook up your components to. The only negative I have about the connectors is that it only has 1 optical input which isnt too good for me because I like to use this receiver to hook up my other components to.

Features:
This receiver has plenty of extra features. One feature in particular is Dolby Digital/DTS Support which is great for movies. There is also Pro Logic II, which is a feature that a lot of people like, but I do find that its overrated and I don't like it at all. There are also a bunch of other DSP's like Theater, Hall, etc.. but I find them to be a nuisance and aren't very effective. Yet, even with all these extras, I still find STEREO to be my absolute favorite which leaves me to wonder why I didn't get a stereo receiver instead.

Headphone Jack:
Most people don't really review this part of the reciever, but this part is really important to me. I like to use headphones a lot and I had to use this unit's headphone jack for about 8 months. I couldn't use my other sources because the headphone I use (Sennheiser HD580) is 300 OHM's and nearly impossible to drive without an amplifier. The sound quality on the headphone jack isnt too bad. Its more of a "warm" sounding amp thats more on the bass and midrange than the highs. Funny thing though, it had no problem driving the Sennheiser HD580's but it couldn't drive a Grado SR-60 which is only 32 OHMS.

The remote:
The remote is pretty basic, volume control, dsp control, all the goodies. The thing I don't like about it is why they didn't put a Stereo button on the remote and having to make me get up and push stereo on the remote after playing around with the system a lot.

Power:
This receivers power is more on the weak side, it can drive speakers without problems, but it just cant handle loads well like some other higher end receivers or the dedicated amp/preamp combinations.

My Setup:
EMU-0404 Sound card SPDIF Out > Sherwood RD-6108 > Odyssey Epiphony

Strengths:
GREAT Value, Extra features, DPLII, DTS, Fairly easy to use

Weaknesses:
Not very strong amp, some crappy DSP's

Similar Products Used:
Stuff at Fry's

Price Paid:  $80.00 from fatwallet.com

Summary:
This was far and away the cheapest 5.1 reciever I could find. I assumed I was buying complete crap at the time and did not get my hopes up. However, the RD-6108 was a complete suprise. While it is certainly not the same as the $400+ Onkyo my friend purchased, it is more than acceptable for me. I would suggest this reciver for someone who is buying their first surround sound system and wants something nicer than the "system in a box" options. I'm exceedingly pleased with my purchase and have considered buying another for a different room in my home. Had I spent more money on this reciever it would not have been an option, but at $80 each it is entirely reasonable.

Strengths:
All the features necessary for an entry level surround sound system and pleanty of power for small and medium sized rooms. Also it's dirt cheap.

Weaknesses:
It's dirt cheap. Don't expect miracles and you won't be dissapointed. Certainly not as powerful as more expensive recievers. Don't expcect to power giant floor standing towers.

Similar Products Used:
Onkyo and NAD