Review of the Onkyo TX-SR606 AV Receiver

The Onkyo 606 is the successor for the hugely popular Onkyo 605, a high definition capable AV receiver that sold in massive numbers throughout the world, and for very good reason. It had the right amount of features, at the right price. But can the Onkyo 606 improve on the very capable Onkyo 605?

Whilst well known and respected amongst serious enthusiasts, Onkyo in the UK was not particularly well known amongst general home cinema buyers. The Onkyo TX-SR605 changed all that and soon the 605 was to achieve legendary status in the home cinema world along with others such as the Denon A1 and the old but seriously good Sony STR-DB940. Whilst not brimming with features, or outstanding sound quality, the Onkyo 605 did everything well, and at a very good price at around £400. Its main selling point was its high definition sound capabilities, and at the time was really the only complete option for fans who wanted an amplifier that could decode HD Sound at this price point.

Main Features

The main selling feature of the Onkyo 606 is the ability to decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master signals giving a good future proof amplifier ready for the addition of a Blu-ray player. It also has the ability to upscale all input signals – connect an HDMI cable from the 606 to your screen, and you can input S-Video from your Sky+ box, HDMI from your Playstation 3, composite from your Freeview box and watch them all at 1080i on your HD Ready screen.
It is also easy to install and comes with Audyssey 2EQ – with this you plug in the supplied microphone to the 606, click a few buttons on the remote control and leave it to set the amp up for you and optimise it for your room. Add to this mix of features an optional iPod dock, bi-amping capabilites, and 140 Watts per channel, and you have a very serious amplifier that has already won five stars from What Hi-Fi magazine.

Features over the Onkyo TX-SR605

There are two main additions that the Onkyo 606 has over the 605:

1. The 606 will upscale any signal to 1080i regardless of connection – the 605 would only upconvert
2. Four HDMI inputs rather than two – this makes users with multiple consoles and DVD/Blu-ray players able to connect them all without constant swapping

Why you should buy the Onkyo 606

The Onkyo 605 was a great sounding amplifier – not quite as refined as others such as the Denon 2308, but for movies it had the edge. The Onkyo 606 is similar – it would be hard to tell if there is any sound quality improvement over the 605 unless you had them next to each other, but the 606 still sounds great. Movie soundtracks are dynamic and punchy, and subtle and quieter scenes are also handled with skill.

Despite this being a mid range amplifier, build quality is up to usual high Onkyo standards, and the remote control has been redesigned and improved since the 605 and is mush easier to use.

Why you should not buy the Onkyo 606

Two channel stereo sound is not the 606’s forte, and whilst still sounding good, 2 channel stereo fans should look elsewhere, or get a stereo amp as well! Although build quality is good, the speaker binding posts are slightly plasticky. Also The looks aren’t to everyones taste, but we rather like it and lets face it, looks aren’t important when you have a av receiver that is this capable.

Summary

At this price point (the Onkyo TX-SR606 retails for about £400) you’ll be hard pressed to beat the quality and feature set. Its easy to see why the 605 sold in such numbers, and its hard to imagine that the 606 will do anything but the same. An awesome amp for an awesome price.

Where to Buy

The TX-SR606 has now been replaced by the Onkyo TX-SR607 but is still available at some retailers.

Also see the review of the Onkyo 507, and the Onkyo 576 on the Home Cinema Buyer website.