Plenty of power, sturdy build, phono input

spring clips, no gold plating

I decided to upgrade from my previous stereo (actually a relatively nice sony pro logic minisystem) which has a broken cd mechanism. I had decided to spend a little more money (or in my case a lot more) on the new stereo. I had my choices down to Onkyo and Denon, but I decided to go with the Onkyo as the local shop had one in stock. I am very pleased with the system. It's 100W per channel is more than enough for my Energy e:XL-15's (in fact I already destroyed one and had it replaced). As is usual for Onkyo the system is built very well and should last a very long time. My only complaints is that Onkyo really skimped on the connectors on the back. Gold plating is nice, but I can live without it, but what really bugged me was the spring clip speaker connectors. The seem to be incapable of holding 16Ga wire. My solution to the problem was to go to Radioshack (yeah yeah, I know) and buy some connectors to solder on to the wire made for just this problem. The connectors are basically thin metal rods with grooves every so often so that the spring clips have something to hold on to. Really I see no reason for anything in the over $100 price range to have these substandard connectors, but at least there is a solution to the problem.
One other thing that I will note... When I was shopping for this thing I noticed that none of the reviews said anything about performance with respect to the types of music I listen to. All I can say is that NIN, Tool, and the Beatles never sounded so good. (I have an unusual crossection of musical tastes)

Sound quality, stereo imaging

Like everyone else, I don't understand the choice of speaker connections, but...

With an ancient pair of DCM shelf speakers, I eventually got around to replacing the old Sony once my HT system was built. It's nice to remember why I bought those speakers in the first place. The TX8511 has a much tighter/sharper bass response than anything else I auditioned. Everything sounds crisp without the brightness that the Onkyo surround receivers produce. One thing I'll mention because no one else has, is the nifty feature labelled STC (for selective tone control, as I recall): this little button amplifies the high (I'd guess 18kHz+) and lows (guessed at 160hz-). On CD tracks with a kickin' mid-range (Joan Jett) and most of my vinyl, this really balances out the sound.
I tried out both the Technics SAEX110 and SEAX140, both of which gave out a muffled sound and made me very much wonder where the 100 watt power rating came from, since neither seemed more powerful and both were less clear than the 40w Sony they were supposed to replace. For kicks, I also borrowed a friend's HK AVR 5 which was better on clarity than the Technics and the Sony, but the stereo imaging wasn't terrific. That's the TX8511's second strong point with me. Little left-right things people added to records (and later CDs) come across much clearer now. The thunder and lightning in Amii Stewart's "Knock on Wood" now makes more sense.
This is a second system in my office/workout area (don't laugh) which shapes up this way:
Sony CDCP515 cd player (Monster Interlink 400 cables)
Sony TCWE 535 tape deck (your basic RCAs)
An archaic JVC direct drive turntable
Running to equally ancient DCM shelf speakers on 16ga MIT cables.
On a final note, I'll add that while the cheap speaker connections are mystifying, I haven't had any trouble with my 16ga cables. If for some reason your cabling doesn't "fit," why not go for some banana plugs? I'd recommend this to anyone who wanted strong stereo sound in a lower price range.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR 390

Great Sound

Staticy volume under some circumstances

I bought the Onkyo to replace my old Yamaha reciever. The sound quality is excellent and I don't regret buying it. I would especially recomend it if you use high bass speakers. It definately has the power. The only problem I've had with it is staticy volume on the input that I hook my computer into. There is a slight humming sound. It doesn't do this on any other input though. Other than that, it is very good quality.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha reciever

Sound per price.

Left channel died after 6 weeks.

Purchased unit from J and R. Unit failed after 6 weeks
of casual use - left channel went out. J and R would
not exchange unit and provided a number for Onkyo
service. No response/answer from Onkyo service number
after trying several times and holding for longer than
20 minutes. It is difficult to give either J and R or
Onkyo high ratings based on my experience.

Similar Products Used:

SONY

Powerful, Styling, Clear Sound, .....

NONE

Onkyo did a great job on designing this receiver. I am very impressed with its 100 watt x 2-channels. Just like everyone else I agree that there should be banana plugs connectors. Anyway when I bought this receiver I decided to team it up with an Onkyo DX-C370 CD player. I had some trouble picking which speakers to get but I ended up getting a set of Bose AM-5 speakers. To connect all of this I got Monster Cable Interlink Reference 2 RCA cables and Navajo White XP speaker cable. The entire system sounds great and the receiver pumps out high current at loud volumes without getting hot.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Yamaha