Customer Reviews

Onkyo TX-SR876 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have had this receiver for several weeks now. I was a little leary about purchasing this unit as it was being used in a room that does "double-duty" of being a place where I listen to high-end analog and digital music along with occasional use of a home-theatre. The primary purpose is music reproduction and I was tempted to go with tube-style amps and other gear in support of my vinyl record collection. But since there are always compromises in this area (space, money, etc) I decided to take a chance with this Onkyo. All I can say is WOW. I run 5.1 channels with bi-amplification on the front speakers (my one concession to music versus video). The sound reproduction is excellent. I have done a lot of comparison shopping and looked at a lot of different systems and I would have had to spend over $4-5K on hybrid tube amps to get sound better than this.

In terms of home theater, it is even better. It performs as advertised. Set-up was a breeze and the audessy is a pleasure to use and instantly "balanced" my room. For home theater use, it is incredible. Ground-shaking lows, booming sound when appropriate yet the most subtle sounds (such as dialogue at a low level) is outstanding. Some reviewers complain about it running hot. I have mine outside of any cabinet (top shelf of a component stand) and have run it for hours at 75-80% of max volume with no problems.

My two complaints are: The remote as the buttons are a bit hard to read in dim light (even with the back-lighting) and it only has 3 digital optical inputs. Given I use seperate CD and DVD players, along with a Laser Disc and other digital sources, I had to use the alternate digital cable connects. Not a big deal, I just expected more digital optical inputs.

In summary, if you are looking for a leading-edge video processing unit that has outastanding home-theater characterstics at a low price, then this is definitely it. Throw in the fact that it processes music far beyond the expectations one would have for solid-state receiver (especially at this price point) and you really have a great unit.

If you do decide to buy this, please note the dimensions and weight. This is a large, heavy receiver. And given the heat concerns of other posters, I would make sure it has plenty of "breathing room".

I bought this unit (SR 876 B) having read horror stories of 806 and blue dot issues.
Unit had burr and brown DACs like 805 which was the last bench mark.
Unit arrived in great shape from amazon. Worked excellently for 46 days.
Just past the 30day limit on almost any return policy period the center channel started making a periodic sound. It was mixed in with whatever was being played through the center channel. The sound was pink noise of duration 15-20seconds then repeating every other minute. It was loud enough not to be bearable.

Called onkyo support. They were very unhelpful. They seemed to make it an owner/user error to an amp error. Like robots - they request the customer to reset the unit. Like that will help a bug in the analong section (most likely a failed capacitor).

Unit ran very hot when used.

Onkyo support requested me to call amazon and arrange for a return. Amazon support was very helpful - however was not able to arrange for an replacement. Waiting to see if I can complete a return.

Now the price of the unit has shot up. No choice but too look for another brand.

Shipped from OneCall, packaged nicely. Built very solidly, as all Onkyo AVR's have been that I've purchased. Overall, very happy with the quality. Be aware that in order to use the Powered Zone 2, you must have analog input for the device(s) you wish to listen to. (For example, I want to listen to my AppleTV which has my iTunes library on it outside by the pool. Even though I connected it to the Onkyo 876 via HDMI for the best quality picture and sound in the main living room, I still had to connect the two with standard RCA audio cables as well in order to listen in Zone 2. Not a big deal, but not necessarily intuitive given the huge capabilities of this unit. Don't let it discourage you.)

This receiver is far more complex than my old Onkyo purchased 15 years ago. The features are first rate, the audio is superb (very clean)and while the manual isn't that detailed it is better than some I have seen. The learning curve to dig through the onscreen menus and find the settings is steep but they are all in there. Read the manual carefully.
The difference in audio quality coming from high def DVDs out of my Toshiba A30 and Panasonic BD 35 is astounding. Sound is everywhere now and well balanced. Unless you've heard it you can't explain how good it is.


This big fellow does get warm (not cook an egg hot)though mine is out in the open. Take a look at the power supply and you'll understand why it generates so much heat.

Setup was a breeze. The unit even comes with labels for your speaker cables. The Audessy setup was quick and easy, though I found it was only a good place to start. Had it for two weeks now and found it to be everything I hoped for.

Current system is a Panasonic 50" plasma, Toshiba A30 HD DVD, Panasonic BD 35 Blue Ray, matched Infinity studio monitor speakers (new Aperions on the way).

UPDATE:
Have had this over a month now and confirmed that the 876 was by far the best choice for me. I demoed the Denon 3808, that has a slicker setup menu but far fewer useful features for a lot more money. This receiver I will have for a long time. I looked at the 906 at a local shop and couldn't justify the difference. Even though it's not supposed to be worthwhile now, the THX is a great feature also. In case you are stuck on what to do, you can't go wrong here.

After doing tons of research I decided that this was the best A/V receiver in the $1000 range. I am happy with my decision. I thought I had a good sound system with my Yamaha HTR 520. When I listen to tunes on the 876, I hear things I've never heard before. I get new pleasure listening to my old favorites. The sound is beautifully clear. HQV made me choose this over the 806. It works well, a little bit better at upconverting than my Oppo 981HD DVD player. "Lord of the Rings" DVD really looks like HD. However, it does not do a lot for my SD Dish signal. Other reviewers have commented on the heat. It runs hot, but not so hot that I'm worried.

I've been an Onkyo owner for almost 20 years, and sadly, in a recent move, my original Onkyo receiver from around 1990 got dropped and totally destroyed. Turns out that was good for me, since it gave me the excuse to pick up the 876.

I won't repeat what all the other positive reviewers have said previously other than to summarize: this is an outstanding piece of equipment for audio and video applications at a really great price. That said, as many reviewers have noted, it sure does run hot (as pretty much every high-powered amp or receiver does), so it does pay to add external cooling to the unit if you plan on installing it in an enclosed cabinet. I found that the Antec Low Profile AV Component Cooler for Media PC Home Theater Products works particularly well with Onkyo receivers. My AV components are in a glass-front AV cabinet in full view in the living room, and the housing of the Antec Cooler has a very similar look to Onkyo AV components (all the way down to similar blue LEDs on the front) and fits in perfectly. The Antec unit is only a few inches tall and sits on top of the receiver; it has downward facing inlet ports and rear-facing fan ducts, so it sucks heat right away from the receiver and blows it out the back of the cabinet. Very nice addition.

Just an aside: I noticed some reviewers docked a few stars from this receiver for the heat issue. Everybody's got their own opinion, but if you're looking for an AVR that delivers 140W to 7 channels and has extremely sophisticated audio and video processing, well, you're going to get something that runs hot, whether it's from Denon, Marantz, Yamaha or whoever. I wish it were cooler myself, but I find it hard to rate this lower just because it obeys the laws of physics and gets a little warm. Therefore: 5 stars. Highly recommended.

After much research, I purchased this HDMI-switching Home Theatre Receiver in February, following recommendation from an independent HT consultant. I replaced a complex Kenwood Sovereign system which had proprietary software (and is no longer made) and only component switching.
To my great pleasure, this receiver was a breeze to set up. It has an Audessey self-tuning audio mic set-up, which is amazing, and provides the best 5.1 sound I have yet heard from my audio components (and is capable of 7.1). With 4 HDMI inputs, I can use the receiver to switch a DVD carousel, BlueRay deck, HD cable box and another other HDMI sources effortlessly. The band width is more than adequate to accommodate the highest quality 1080P signals and output them to my Mitsubishi 73" projection set, providing an amazing picture and sound.
The manual - often the weakest part of very capable, complex equipment - was quite good. It took little time to figure out how to configure MY system and had plenty of in-depth detail to allow subsequent tweeking. I would suggest purchasing a Harmony remote (preferably the 880 or better) for routine use. This remote simplifies the use of multiple devices and actions (such as "watch TV" or "watch DVD") and provides a fair amount of control with extremely easy computer-based set-up (which is also Macintosh compatible).
I am planning to add a MacMini as a digital video hub via 802.11N and DVI-to-HDMI through the receiver. That should be even more spectacular (especially with the new Mini's video card). iPod interface is also available.
I would highly recommend this receiver to anyone wishing a truly excellent audio AND video performer at a reasonable price. There are more expensive ones out there, but MY conclusion is that this has the best "bang for the buck" with no compromise. It is almost plug-and-play for anyone having some system experience.

Ordered this receiver on Monday and it was delivered Tuesday with Free shipping. Within 2 hours everything was set up. List of equipment:
1. Samsung 50" 720P Plasma
2. PS3
3. Directv HR21 PVR
4. Panasonic 1080P Upscaling DVD recorder
5. Infinity front and rear speakers, JBL rear surround speakers, Klipsch
subwoofer.
The Audyssey speaker set up was spot on and very easy. I measured speaker distances and they were an exact match.
All devices connected with HDMI cables through the Onkyo receiver. All video sources looked spectacular through the Onkyo. Directv, PS3 and DVD recorder all were great. In fact the DVD recorder video looked slightly better through the Onkyo.
Audio was detailed and crystal clear from all sources. Blu-ray audio was a discernable improvement over DVD audio. No audio problems with Directv PVR.
Overall very impressed with video and audio with Onkyo TX-SR876. Compares quite favorably with much more expensive equipment I use in another room. Last, the 4 HDMI inputs save me from buying a new TV because mine only has two.

I started w/ the Onkyo 706, which sounded ok.. but a minor problem w/ the supplied mic forced a returned and decided to take the plunge and get a Denon AV 989. Having owned previous Denon products, this unit was as expected. Within the week, had a small problem w. the unit and had to rma. I talked myself into the Onkyo 876 for the audio, and HQV video chip. Audio is great, and the remote fantastic. The video wasn't as good as the Toshiba XDE I also bought, and otherwise would give it 5 stars. It does run warm, and heavy..... but so far, s good

------ 1 month update ------------

Cant fault the sound quality.

1 of my primary factors for buying this model was the up scaling capability of the HQV chip. Using a Sony DVPNS601HP,Panasonic DVD-S97S, and a Toshiba XDE i tried various combination of letting the Onkyo do the up scaling or the upscaling dvd player.

In the end, the Toshiba performed best for dvd players. The Onkyo is better then the upscaling on my Tivo XL HD, but that to be expected.

Although the HQV chip in this model didn't meet my high expectations, the sound quality far surpassed every expectation.


Love the remote, and it's functionality.

I finally won the war with my spouse to replace my old A/V receiver.
What is it with women and the whole: "We already have one and it works fine"?

Anyway, I can't believe I waited so long to upgrade. Wow...this unit is first class. The sound coming out of this machine is out of this world. Basically after researching for months...I opted for this model as the best combination of quality components for the price. Plus it is consistently well rated no mater the websites you look at!

I was surprised upon reading that a few people said the unit stopped working properly after sometime. I suspect that their setup does not allow for the TX-SR876 to be sufficiently and properly ventilated as it does get hot. Of course it is expected given the amount of power that this unit packs. If you keep it in a small enclosed space and allow it to heat up too much...you're asking for problems. I learned this the hard way with one of my first A/V receivers. Keep it well ventilated and this unit will keep your ears wanting more!!!
Very pleased!!!

UPDATE
I still love it. However, after running it non-stop for an extended period of time I started to worry about potential heat issues. Therefore I researched online and bought the CabCool 1201 Lite Single 120mm Fan Cooler Kit for Cabinet / Home Theater. I didn't do the whole set up of screwing into the back of my entertainment cabinet but rather simply laid the fan on top of the unit and it has kept it nice and cool.

I highly recommended this receiver and the fan as an added assurance as it should keep the TX-SR876 working well for years to come...