Customer Reviews

Onkyo TX-SR308 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is what Onkyo does best. This thing offers great performance. It is rock solid, no nonsense, just what you need and not much else. What it does, it does very well: decode most everything, and HDMI 1.4!!!

I was surprised how similar this unit was to my old 2006 model Onkyo 5.1 reciever. This model is clearly a new generation of the same line, with many features and design choices being identical. What sets this unit apart from those of yesterday is the connectivity. 3 HDMI 1.4 inputs, full 3D compatibility for down the road, two optical inputs, composite inputs, and more.

What is not so hot are the "frills". I say "frills" because they are not so frilly. The alternate listening modes are mostly useless- just like they were 5 years ago. The on unit display looks very, very dated, and the remote is even worse than before. In fact, the display and listening modes are identical to my old unit. After setup, dont expect to be pressing more than about 4 buttons on the full-sized remote unless you have other Onkyo components- this remote is NOT universal. This unit does support some "control via HDMI" functionality, so depending on your TV you may be able to sync them to some degree and use one remote for most casual functions on both devices. It also does not upconvert lesser video inputs to HDMI, which is nice to have, but nobody really does that very well until you get into the much higher price points anyway.

But who really buys one of these for a remote and boring sound effects? Not me. I bought this for one reason only: Onkyo quality sound. And this unit does not disappoint. Aside from just sounding great, the functional aspects of this unit are absolutely rock solid and do exactly what you would expect from Onkyo. For the money, I dont know how you could beat this unit. You get Onkyo's top notch, no nonsense audio performance and everything that comes along with HDMI 1.4. Auto a/v sync is here as is deep color if your TV and other components support them. You will be ready if 3D really takes off, or if the reasonably priced HDTV's keep getting much better within the next 3-5 years. This budget unit can grow with your home theater as the industry evolves over the next few years, and keep sounding great the whole time- which is big plus considering where we are in the technology cycle. Onkyo really got it right this year with this model at this price point.

I fully recommend this unit to anyone looking for solid 5.1 surround at this price point that they dont want to throw away in 2 years.

Was looking to upgrade my onkyo 6.1 receiver that I purchased 7 years ago. I came across this model at a local electronic store and was blown away by the sound and price.

It will decode DTS-HD Master audio and Dolby True HD. Which is important to me, because I just moved over to blu-ray and wanted the best sound possible for play back. I hooked up my new sony BDP-S570 blu-ray player and put in Avatar as a test movie. I running a HDMI cable to the Onkyo and a HDMI out to the TV. When the movie finally started, I couldn't get DTS-HD Master audio to come on the receiver. After some research you need to make sure your DVD player is not decoding the audio and sending it to your reciver to decode. Once I got this fixed and saw the DTS-HD master audio I was very impressed. My kids stopped what they were doing and came over to HEAR the movie and not just watch like last time.

Again, This Onkyo rec is a Great buy for under $300 and is also future proof for when 3D TV goes main stream in the next year of so.

P.S. Currently run my Cable box, PS3 and Blu-ray player via HDMI and all work very well with sound and picture.

Works great!

However when I got this, the BD/DVD HDMI input port would not pass any Audio or Video. I contacted Onkyo support.

Had to do a factory reset on it... To do that, turn it off. Then hold the power/standby button then hold the VCR input button until it says CLEAR on the receiver. Then turn it back on.

Once I did the factory reset. It worked just fine.

My old Pioneer receiver finally gave up the ghost so it was time for a new AVR, my main requirements were: HDMI switching, inexpensive and a nice remote. I didn't need 7.2 or Audyssey because I only have a 5.1 setup and I like playing with the settings.

I looked at Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer and Onkyo. Man there are a lot of choices today, when I bought my old Pioneer there was only stereo and Dolby Pro Logic. I narrowed it down to the Denon AVR-391 and the Onkyo SR308, the Denon had 4 HDMI(which is nice) but the subwoofer crossover is limited to 80Hz min. The Onkyo won with 40Hz min, on-screen display and a nicer remote(not to mention I got a better price). The front panel is simplistic yet you can control almost everything, I didn't need analog inputs on the front because I use my Blu-ray player for video. The remote is well laid out but it is NOT universal, it will only control Onkyo products. You can rename your HDMI ports and the on-screen display makes setup a snap. The SR308 will switch analog sources but will not upscale via HDMI.

My only gripe, which I couldn't get answered before I bought it, is if HDMI switching would work with the power off....it doesn't. In fact the only way to get a signal passed when the power is off is to turn on TV Control(HDMI CEC), this will allow Pass Thru on a HDMI 1.3+ TV. You can turn on TV Audio which is nice but you have to leave the power on.

Pros:
Onkyo quality
Great sound
Nice remote
Price
HDMI 1.4 with ARC

Cons:
Only 3 HDMI ports
Only 65w per channel

I really like the easy set up, one HDMI cable from the DVD and one from my satellite, one to the TV and presto! That's it. Remote control, not very effective, but I didn't buy this product for the remote control. Listening modes are very easy to change. The settings can be tweeked as well. I hooked up my Polk Audio surround bar 50 and the Klipsh 350, sound is great! Yes you don't get the true surround sound, but very close to it. I really enjoy the Onkyo TXSR308 you get a bang for your buck.

I had a cheapo all in one system that had a speaker go out. It provided decent sound (or so I thought) and at first I was just going to replace a speaker but upon finding out that it was more or less a proprietary speaker, decided to start building my first ever home theater system.

The 3 main choices I considered were a soundbar, an in a box 5.1 system, and going with a receiver and then building a system around it. Soundbars are quite good nowadays, but after listening to a bunch in a brick and mortar store I do not think they give you the best audio value per dollar. However if you want a somewhat most compact system (they are wide) and an easy system these should be considered. The receiver here is a pretty substantial piece of equipment; about twice as large as my PS3 and one and half times as large as my cable box. But it fit easily into our TV stand.

On to my experience: first it was very easy to set up and simplified my overall amount of cables. I have a cable box and a PS3. Before I had two HDMI cables going into the TV and then audio out from the TV to the cheapo sound system. Now the HDMI cables both go to the SR-308 and then an additional HDMI to HDMI cable that I bought goes from the receiver to the TV. Using the HDMI out is HIGHLY recommended because this allows your TV to display the settings menu on screen. The set up screen is crucial because the SR-308 does not have auto calibration, its biggest missing feature. But even as a novice the set up was very easy to do. You need to set speaker distances, what speakers are present, dB levels, etc. Very intuitive and a snap with the on-screen menu.

The sound has been lush and gorgeous from cable, from the PS3 and listening to mp3 files and FM radio. I literally did not know the half of what I was missing with great home sound. I find myself in the room more listening to radio and I have listened to my concert Blu-rays and Palladia more as well. The receiver has a number of standard sound mode options and then a bunch that Onkyo created such as orchestra, unplugged, studio-mix, and so on. If interested google the user manual.

I am using budget Sony speakers that ran altogether for the 5.1 around $200. Another option for me would have been this Onkyo system: Onkyo HT-S3300 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver and Speaker Package (Black)From what I can tell the receiver is very similar if not the same exact receiver with a different model name given to it. But if you do not want to buy speakers all at once or want to use your own speakers, this is a great receiver. And, I am pretty positive even with budget Sony speakers they are probably a step up from the ones Onkyo included in that system.

And you can build up your speakers piece by piece. You tell the receiver you only have 2 front speakers for instance and it will split dialogue between them. When/if you add a center channel speaker it then sends a of the vocals through that. When I was using 2 and then 2.1 set-up I quite enjoyed the 'theater' sound mode setting which simulated surround sound. Not good as the real thing I have now but better than any soundbar I heard. Also to note you can hook up two 'B' speakers to use in a different room. If you do this though, your main room outputs in a maximum of 2.1.

VERY happy I did not go with a soundbar or a cheaper all in one system. I have amazing sound and the system is loud enough that I can't imagine anyone needing a more powerful system unless they wanted to intentionally bleed their ears. No distortion at any sound level I have tried, and I can only go up to around 50 out of 80 on the volume level before it is painful. In a 14 by 16 open room I usually have it set in the low 30s, and mid 30s to low 40s if everyone is sitting around watching a movie. Highly recommended purchase to get great sound to go along with ever better TVs for a truly great at home experience. One of my personal top electronic purchases over the past few years.

I used the following speakers and spent (excluding speaker stand and speaker wire) around $400 including the receiver. My system sounds great, almost everything from Blu-ray to sports to sit-coms are a lot more enjoyable, should have done this years ago. Sony SS-B1000 5 1/8-Inch Bookshelf Speakers (Pair), Sony SS-CR3000 Center and Rear Channel Speaker Package, Sony SA-W2500 Performance Line 100 Watt Subwoofer.

Based on the product description for the product I expected the Audio/Video coaxial DVD, Composite WII, etc to be converted through the receiver to allow just one HDMI cable to go to the television. It did covert the audio but not the video.In the detail installation instructions it says it would covert the audio but not covert video composite, coaxial, etc to a single HDMI cable. This information needs to be included in the Product description so consumers can have the correct information on the products capability when considering purchasing. When I discovered the inadequate product capability I returned it through Amazon Returns.Onkyo TX-SR308 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

First off this reviewer is for the receiver/audio/video newbie, like me.

1. This is a great product. For the price I believe its equivalent to a lot more expensive Sony or Denon boxes.
2. Its not easy to setup, and I don't believe any receivers really are. However the on-screen menus from make life really easy.
3. Read the manual, then read it again...done? Now read it again. This is one product where reading the manual is mandatory.
4. It does not have any input for coax cable/antenna. I used to have an old Comcast box where the only output was coax. I called Comcast and they gave me a newer cablebox with HDMI for free. I also got a bunch of HD channels for free.
5. You need a 5.1 setup to be able to set the audio options correctly. I have a bunch of Polk Speakers Polk Audio RC55i 2-Way In-Wall Speakers (Pair, White). However my Subwoofer was delayed by a few weeks. I tried setting this up with just the 5 speakers and was never quite happy with way it sounded. After the sub arrived I managed to get really good surround sound out of it.
6. In the on screen menu play with the levels...a lot, until you get the sound you really like.
7. This receiver does not have any converter in it. Which apparently means that if your input is RCA, the output to your TV has to be RCA as well etc
8. You'll need lots of cables. Don't buy the expensive Monster ones. Head over to monoprice.com and get everything you need there. I spent about $40 for cables which included in wall speaker, HDMI and RCA cables, cable ties and also enough stuff to connect a dvd player, cable box, mac mini and xbox 360. This also included banana plugs and wall plates for my setup.
9. Remember that to get true surround sound, you need a source that says 5.1 on it. If you have Comcast HD, they have a bunch of programs which have DD 5.1. Switch to one of these to get the right setup. I know this sounds obvious but I kept messing this up.
10. Spend time on speaker cabling. Make sure no strands are exposed/touching. Use electrical tape and good quality plugs to keep it clean. Its very easy to mess this up. One of my rear speakers kept making a hissing sound, this was simply due to a bad plug with exposed strands of wire.
10. I got this unit working with my Logitech Harmony remote which was a breeze to setup. I used the extra buttons on the Harmony to switch between the various listening modes. Goodbye Onkyo remote! I hardly knew thee!
10. Be patient, getting this right for me was really more of an art than science.

The (minor) cons:
The Listening modes in the manual don't correspond to whats displayed on the receiver or what's on the remote. This makes it really hard to understand which mode is the best for a particular setup. However a little bit of googling took care of that problem.
Also, I really wish they had provided banana jacks for all speakers and not just the front ones. I really did not understand why Onkyo did this, I wonder if some audio expert could explain this to me?

For the price, the Onkyo TX-SR308 offers a very high sound quality and functionality that will seldom be found in other A/V receivers of a comparable price. Unlike with many budget A/V receivers, this one has 5.1 INPUT channels as well as output channels, where many comparably priced systems will be advertised as producing 5.1 channel sound when they only have a 5.1 channel output. In other words, the SR308 produces the true 5.1 channel sound its developers advertise as opposed to only receiving a stereo signal and spreading it over your 5.1 speaker system. The difference in sound quality between this receiver and my last is astounding. It also has the latest decoders from both Dolby and DTS, so if you have a Blu-Ray DVD player, you'll get top-notch decoding from this receiver, and high quality sound from any previous encoding method used on the older DVDs.
The receiver is quite adaptable, too; as I have five speakers and no subwoofer (my front left and right speakers have a 12" cone and a pair of smaller tweeters on each), I was able to tell it I have no sub, thereby directing the bass frequencies to my two drivers and saving myself the hassle and expense of updating my speaker system. Its menu system is fairly intuitive; in no time I had set all the neccessary parameters and had myself watching Gladiator, giggling maniacally at how immersive the sound was. You can set the crossover frequencies between the tweeters and the sub if you have any x.1 system, and you can adjust the volumes of the speakers relative to their positioning. On that note, do get an x.1 system if you can afford it; having a subwoofer saves you the trouble of dealing with the phase problems inherent in having multiple bass sources. I would, but money is an issue...
The SR308 does have several HDMI inputs as well as one output, but there is no upscaling or busing all inputs to HDMI, so if you want to use the receiver's video capabilities (which I haven't yet), you'll have to invest in several species of cables to get your various systems all in hi-definition. However, if you're like me, your TV is still where your video outputs all go and your receiver is used strictly for audio. Still, it's only the difference between an extra HDMI cable- which, by the way, can be picked up for a VERY reasonable price at Fry's Electronics- and an extra few component/optical cables. I'm still fairly content with my DVD player using the single-signal video connection and optical cable to the receiver, although in the future I'll probably upgrade its video connection to component, too.
If, however, you have an old record player like I do, you will need to invest in an amplifier; this receiver does not have a phono input and the built-in amplifier that comes with one. I suspect that most current A/V receivers don't. Be that as it may, if you try to play your records without an external amp, you'll get a very quiet signal which takes a lot of volume to be made audible, has very little bass, and produces a gloriously painful amount of high frequencies.
In the end, I give this receiver four stars; unlike many competing receivers, it DECODES 5.1 channel surround as opposed to just playing a stereo signal over 5.1 output channels, and it does it quite well. It has the most current hi-def decoders from both Dolby and DTS, a generous amount of HDMI inputs, is very user-friendly and functional, and, in spite of its lack of analog-to-HDMI upscaling or that built-in amplifier that old-fashioned audiophiles like myself feel the lack of painfully, is far more worth the $230 or so dollars most places ask for it than any of its competition that I've done any research on.

This unit was simple and easy to set up and connect. On screen prompts and menus were simple. I am an audio engineer who just wants something easy to deal with by the time I get home that sounds decent. This does the trick. I do critical listening on a system all day at work that is worth $1000's of dollars more and this one at home with JBL speakers and Sony Blue Ray works just fine for the weekend movies and football. No need to spend anymore than this for the home stuff.