Customer Reviews

Onkyo TX-SR504S 7.1 Channel A/V Receiver (Silver)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Patrick Miller "SAUROPOD" already said it better but here is another take:

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If you are going to buy a receiver ALWAYS go to the manufacturer web site, click on support and download the owners manual. It will tell you far more than amazon or any web site. I did this with JVC, SONY, YAMAHA and ONKYO.

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Also decide if your real priority is sound or if you really care about video upconversion.

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Video upconversion is really the province

of the DVD player or the TV. I do not think it is important in a receiver.

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Anyway my priority was sound quality. TV is boring to me. The manuals that I downloaded for all the different receivers showed that the ONKYO had much more thorough technical specifications. The others did not, as though they were hiding something. Also very noteworthy, if you take a close look, this bottom line ONKYO has very similar amplifier specs to the top of the line model. It also has the vast majority of the sound processing modes. So this was the choice.

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I was tempted to buy the JVC because it was the only one that had a five band EQ unlike all the others which only had bass and treble. The JVC also has a more attractive and functional remote that can control the sound level of each speaker without using an onscreen menu. The JVC also had a nice feature that allowed USB connections from the computer. JVC would have won if they had a better amp and better speaker connectors on the back - they were the only ones that used the cheap push in clamp connectors.

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Yamaha was also a good deal for around $300 because it had preamp out connections but it too seemed lacking.

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I figured $200 today delivered for this was a good deal and the money I saved I could use to buy one of the new receivers with hdmi 1.3 in about a year when they are relatively debugged.

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Full, rich sound with a thoughtfully-organized rear panel and an impressive roster of DSP modes. Very easy to set up and use. My only complaint: The device can't remember individual channel settings for separate source inputs. For example, I like to watch DVDs with the center channel set at +5 dB, so that dialogue pops more clearly. But for music, I prefer to use a surround mode with the center channel at -5, which increases the field depth to my ears. With this receiver, that's impossible unless I want to get used to changing the settings every time I switch back and forth. Different DSP modes are retained for each source, but the more granular audio and channel settings are system-wide. Not a huge inconvenience, but important to know if you want a high level of control over your listening experience.

I do take an audiophiles opinion very seriously as they do know more than I do about high end audio products. This review may not appeal to the audiophile out there. I am in no way implying that this 504s is better than higher end luxary theatre amplifiers. I do have a small room so I'm sure that is most of the reason for this Onkyo 504s great performance. I found this Onkyo SR504s in a big electronic store and liked the price so much I said "what the heck" and bought it. After figuring out the speaker wire connections I was very down about what the performance would be with this much cheaper Onkyo 504s. Allright! my theatre system was hooked up and ready to go as I heard the hiss on my theatre speakers. "Lets play the engine scene from "Titanic 1997", what I heard from those giant connecting rods chugging up and down to the chatter of Titanics crew. When you hear people talking while watching a dvd it has an amazing hall like sound, like in the theatre. When I heard the talk in Titanic I swear I felt like I was back in the now closed down 70mm screen Astor theatre in Manhatten seeing Titanic. The sound advances over the last 15 years have changed dramatically. The Onkyo 504s is a low end reciever amplifier as far the higher top of the line theatre amps, but beleive me this amplifier has a lot power for 75 watts. The sound as far as the different listening modes is something you find in higher end theatre amplifiers. Onkyo got it right with this 504s amp. Onkyo gave more higher end features in the 504s as far as listening modes and the construction of this amplifier for a nice price. If your looking for a higher end theatre amplifier and have the extra dough, or maybe your an audiophile, you could buy the several thousand dollar Onkyo Home Theater Receiver TX-NR1000], or the thousand or so dollar [[ASIN:B000OBMX0U Onkyo TX-SR805S 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver or those other insanly priced audiophile luxary theatre amplifiers. Dont leave anything on top of the 504s as it does run hot and needs adequate ventilation. I do feel the excess heat this 504s generates could be a desighner flaw, but after listening to the sound of this amp. and feeling the power of this amp, it has to run hot, as the transformer inside needs to generate the wattage to produce the sound and power. The case of the 504s provides plenty of air for proper ventilation, although I do use a small radio vent fan on top of the 504s case for even more ventilation. Overall a nice priced theatre amplifier as the Onkyo 504s is powerful, sounding theatre amplifier. The 504s is a (lower) end affordable theatre amplifier reciever, for its low watt output sounds really full and loud. The Onkyo 504s is a low end theatre amplifier reciever, it is by no means top of the line reciever and I'm sure does'nt hold a candle to the high end amplifiers. For the price it is quite a surprise for what I have spent on it. I have seen and heard high end and high priced theatre amplifiers and only dreamed of one day owning them. The Onkyo 504s gives my theatre system what I like in terms of performance. If you can go out and afford a high priced, high end theatre amplifier reciever by all means go out and buy it, and enjoy the luxary performance it gives you. The Onkyo 504s is nice buy, because I really like the Onkyo 504s perfomance at this nice price. For the price the Onkyo 504s is a nice sounding low end reciever amplifier minus most of the high end features. I have heard high end reciever theatre amplifiers, they are the best sounding if you have the cash, If you don't have the large amount of cash to afford these high end pieces of audio equipment, the low end Onkyo 504s is a nice affordable solution.

I purchased this receiver to replace a sickly Harman Kardon AVR-100 which had served me well for many years. In my search for a replacement, I was presented with many choices with a never-ending list of features. I was satisfied with my HK receiver, which didn't handle S-video or component video switching (let alone HDMI), so I had to think through all these options on my new choice.

It turns out that my television (purchased last year) has more video inputs than I can shake a stick at, and I would rather not pass video signals through any switches or extra connectors that could only serve to degrade picture quality. So I determined that video switching was not important. But then another detail shows up -- many modern higher-end receivers use on-screen menus to manage their functions. For me, that would mean switching the TV to a separate video input just to tweak my receiver. Not ideal.

The Onkyo TX-SR504 receiver does not have on-screen menus, which works just fine for me. And it doesn't switch HDMI signals either, or up-convert to component video for that matter. But even though it is "lower-end" on the video handling feature list, it is exceptional on the audio side, which is what really matters to me. And over my old HK receiver I'm provided with two more surround channels and several more modern surround decoders.

One nice surprise was the handling of digital audio signals. My television has an optical digital audio output, along with the analog outputs. Unlike my HK receiver, when I set up Video 1 to use optical digital inputs, the receiver automatically drops back to analog if no digital signal is present (digital audio is only present on digital channels). A nice touch which may be common, but the upgrade made my system a bit easier to use.

The last thing I'd like to note is that the power output level of my HK receiver was specified at 40W/ch, and that was always way more than enough for me. I like Harman Kardon's philosophy of providing high-current and fast transient response at lower power levels, rather than quoting a higher level that may be impossible to maintain with very high dynamic-range sources such as movie soundtracks. The power levels quoted by today's receivers should all be taken with a grain of salt, and with some skepticism. The Onkyo is rated at 75W into 7 channels, while my HK was 40W into 5 channels. Yet the HK has a significantly heavier chassis, mostly in the power suppy, and I know that to deliver more power to the speakers means you need to funnel more power through your power transformer.

At the price the Onkyo TX-SR504 was offered at, it was a no-brainer. I am very satisfied with my purchase, and very pleased with the performance of the receiver.

I just bought my second TX-SR504 for my "Daddy's Room" (the first one is still down in the living room). These things are just fantastic. If you're looking into getting a home theater setup, with surround speakers and a new, flat-panel, high-def, big ol' TV, but you're a little daunted by all the choices you've got in components, this receiver is a terrific start.

Don't let the lack of HDMI inputs or outputs discourage you. Component video cables can carry high-def signals just as well (some, including me, would say they do it better) as HDMI. Also, if you're going to use this to drive your speakers, then go with a nice optical audio cable (or a digital audio cable). If you're thinking that component video can't handle 1080p signals, well, that's not true, it's just that most equipment out there only outputs/accepts 1080p through DVI or HDMI. That was a concern for me at first, as I just got a new 1080p TV and (just today) ordered an upconverting DVD player (DENON DVD-1930CI Universal DVD -CD - SACD Audio Video Player). But no one says your video signal MUST go through your receiver; it's really most important for audio. So, I'm just going to connect the DVD player directly to the TV with an HDMI cable (by the way, don't pay monster prices for HDMI or DVI cables -- the beauty of all-digital signals is that they either get there or they don't; there is no degradation) and then also use an optical cable for the audio to the receiver. And with the now ridiculously low price on these, I couldn't find a reason not to buy this one.

The main reason I'm getting the DVD player referenced above is its SACD capability, and then I realized that I would need something with 5.1 analog audio inputs in order to take advantage of that. I checked the back of this receiver and voila! There the inputs were.

Bottom line: there are better, higher-end, more expensive receivers out there with more inputs, higher wattage ratings, HDMI-switching, what-have-you. But if you just want a great receiver for your entry-level home theater setup, you absolutely cannot beat the value of this one.

One final note: a great thing to pick up to tie all of your components together and make your life easier is a good all-in-one remote. I'm recommending this one: Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote. Trust me, it'll make your digital life a whole lot easier.

I had a Yamaha HTR 5250 for about three years now and it died on me. It was my first and last, I expect a receiver to last more than three years.

After searching around I decided on the Onkyo. I was a little skeptic on the price and it not having a preamp out. I got the receiver in 2 DAYS from Amazon and hooked it right up. ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW. This amp is incredible. My Bose speakers sprang to life and there is plenty of power for the sound too. Music sounded great, then I put a DTS Movie in....I was amazed at how it sounded. The center channel was much clearer on this amp than my old one. I had to tweak my old amp to get a sound I liked. I went through the setup and did not change a thing on the Onkyo.

Here is the icing on the cake, the remote is easy to program and does everything smooth and easy. I had to load my Yamaha up with 4 AAA batteries, this one only takes 2 AA batteries which is nice.

DO not over look this Amp for a home theater!!!!!!

I bought two SR504s to setup for others who wanted good sound and convenient video switching but also didnt want to spend much. So far its working great. From my experience low end Onkyo components have incredible value and the SR504 is no exception. Very good sound for the price. I am usually a fan of Marantz components for their warm sound. The SR504 sounds similar and at times even better because the midrange and bass has a stronger presence. Lots of power too, I can go up to as high as 75% on the volume before I start hearing a bit of distortion. But that is due to the limitations of the speakers, which were leftover from a mini system. Only a few cons I could come up with:

1. No "system power" button on remote. Would be more convenient to just hit one button to turn on all components instead of hitting Receiver - power on, TV - power on etc. Also the universal remote I have from Time Warner wouldnt power on the SR504. I want to say no learning function on the remote either but this is a low end receiver.

2. Receiver runs hot after about an hour. Onkyo does back it up with a two year warranty so Im not really worried.

3. No OSD setup.

In the end, all these are just minor inconveniences. For the price, the SR504 is a steal.

I used Consumer Reports rating to select this unit in addition to online reviews by others. According to CR, the "useability" was rated above average and I do think it is better than my previous Sony - which had 40+ buttons on the front. This has less buttons and is easier to decipher. The remote is also much better than Sony's. It does take a bit to master the sequence of buttons, but I was able to program it to control my Philips DVD and Sony TV & VCR so 1 remote on the couch is great!

Sound it good although I have a very basic set of speakers I plan to upgrade soon. Set up was easy - everything is well labeled. Manual was pretty good too.

I purchased this product to replace a older RCA receiver that was on its last leg. I did not want to spend an excessive amount of money, but wanted a high quality product. I was in disbelief when I saw the price of the Onkyo. However, after purchase and setting up the unit, this receiver cannot be beat. It is a great value and has excellent sound quality. There are a fair amount of connections S-video, component, digital, and composite (No HMDI). At 75 watts/ channel sound quality is excellent and fills a medium size room with no problem. Caveats: no component video conversion, no onscreen setup menu, no zenith DVD codes for the remote. Although not perfect, I highly recommend this unit.

This thing connects to everything I have and then some! Very impressive for Onkyo's "entry level" product. If you are new to the home theater game like I am, start here! And buy the optical audio cables from Amazon...makes this system sound sound awesome!