Excellent sound quality, nice looking, built like a rock (except for some cheap knobs), great power and enough inputs. Also, heat problems are non-existant with this machine. I ran it for extened periods and you can hardly tell that it is on.

Doesn't accept very large speaker wire if you are not hooking up to the main binding posts.

I have owned a few receivers in my day, some more expensive, some not, and I have to say that this one produces one of the clearest signals in my opnion. I discovered sounds in my CD's that I didn't know existed before.
It is also very easy to operate for the most part. I am having a bit of troulbe with some things such as getting the receiver to link the volume of the main and remote main speakers. It is annoying to have to adjust volume twice each time you want to make a tweak. Then again, I guess that most people don't run two sets of main speakers.
As I said before, there is ample power in this receiver. I am running four speakers rated at 150 watts each and it doesn't give me any grief no matter what the volume.
If you are like me, an audiophile trapped in a poor man's body this is a great receiver for you.

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Sony STR-AV920

I have the Onkyo 525 for over 2 1/2 years. (I paid considerably less than the $700 mentioned by a previous poster)
The Onkyo 525 sounds great -- especially for the mid-range and bass region. Warm, supple are the appropriate words for describing the sound Onkyo 525 produces. It does a great job for either Stereo mode or Dolby Pro Logic mode.

Ergonomically the 525 needs some improvement -- the controls for the tuner are hard to use, and there is no Up/Down tuning controls on the remote control.

The Onkyo 525 has been discontinued for quite some time now. Onkyo, like almost all consumer A/V manufacturers, is doing annual product replacements. It is using x#x format for its receiver line. I know the TX-SV535 (discontinued too) is virtually identical to the 525.

Great sound and modest price. A solid 4-star.

My ONKYO unit is absolutely one of the greatest I have ever heard.

Great features and power, clean sound. I couldn't believe my
friend was willing to part for $100. I lucked out.

None

Great features, and a steal if you can find a used one.
Lots of power and good channel separation. I'm using Definitive Technology speakers - and the combination is
awesome...

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX-840, Technics (junk)

Very solid sound to the system. Very easy to listen to, not to much base, not too high, just enough of all the frequency ranges to really give you a clean sound.

Very affordable compared to more than a few receivers on the market today.

For not having any digital inputs at all, the reproduction is more than accurate enough for even the more advanced listener. I don't really have any reason to change to digital.

It is too wide to fit in most stereo cabinets.

Remote is too clutered with buttons.

The only bit of advice I would give is to make sure you are useing a quality speaker on it. The Radio Shack ones just don't do it justice.

Overall I would say you've got to hear it to beleive it.

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Digital sony, pioneer and technics receivers. I would not use one of then again, not after hearing how clean the Onkyo can be for a little more then the same price.

Nice, clean sound. Versatile

No S-video

For the price can't complain. you can't go wrong with onkyo

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Sherwood, marantz

Massive heat sinks, little distortion, Capable reomtoe, multi-sourse

no 5.1

Great pc, have used for 5 years, and still operates as new.

Great clarity, robust build

None in it's class

I have owned this receiver for 5 years now. It has given me great service. This is still my primary receiver. It's true - it will beat more expensive models hands down. Even though I upgrade, this will still be my pick in it's class.

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Sony

It still works.

Two cheap made plastic knobs broke out of their cheap plastic mountings very easily.

Very average sound designed to never offend, it will sound pretty much the same no matter what the recording quality of the source, the quality of input components, or the speakers. Meant to sound very average to please the average listener, a prudent marketing ploy. I owned a Pioneer receiver back before the surround sound days that had D'Arsonval power meters, the two FM tuning meters that showed you exactly when you had the best signal, no presets, just small sliding markers for stations under the wide dial. But it had a huge toroidal transformer and two soda can size power suppply caps. It could make woofers pop with tight, powerful, crisp 100% lifelike transients and the sound was incredible throughout the spectrum. When I would play the laserdisc of The Right Stuff, the jet engines and the rocket blasts sounded like you were there from the 18 Hz rumble to the high pitched jet engine whine. Power bandwidth was 2 - 100,000 Hz. Now you get power supply caps the size of your pinkie finger and a cheap little trasformer - but they are DISCRETE (2 cent) components so they must be good, right? And this stuff comes from companies like Onkyo and Denon that have better marketing departments than engineering departments. After all, making money is way more important than making good equipment. It's more profitable to sell hype and illusions. If you want to see if a receiver is good open it up and look inside. And don't judge by weight. They put big heavy heat sinks and then say "WOW, man, it's heavy it must be powerful!" What garbage. Sound quality has taken giant steps backwards for the average guy, you have to spend $20,000 for a decent sytem these days. I think I will design and build my own amplifiers in the near future. Maybe I'll sell you some at a reasonable price so you can have the one thing the marketing people don't want you to have - great sound that you will be happy with for years. Did I mention that I'm an electrical engineer? Just like Dilbert.

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NAD, Adcom, Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood, Luxman.