Onkyo TX-SR806B Receiver

Excellent Receiver

Strengths: Decent 192K/24 Bit DACs; THX Ultra2 plus certification; 5 HDMI v1.3a inputs; Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD decoder; Pass-through PCM or bit stream over HDMI; up-conversion from Component or S-video to HDMI

Weaknesses: No Burr brown DAC like its predecessor 805

Summary: I have owned this unit for two weeks now. I would like to say it is an excellent receiver and reproduces awesome sound! A big difference from what I heard from my old receiver. I tested played a normal CD and a DTS-ES CD. With normal CD and under stereo mode, sound is so balanced and clean and crispy. With DTS-ES CD and under DTS mode, even with 5.1 setup, the surround sound effect from DTS-ES CD was so amazing. I believe the 192K/24 Bit DAC together with THX Ultra2 plus certification played the roll (some compromise for not having Burr Brown DACs). I have not yet got Blu Ray or HD DVD player, but I think that Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD decoder add in a futureproofing for me. 5 HDMI inputs will never be used up. HDMI v1.3a will let PCM pass- through it. If your SACD player has HDMI output, you can use single HDMI cable to link your player with the receiver instead of using 6 cables to link multi-channel inputs (also provided with the receiver). Of cause, HDMI inputs will always let audio bit stream get through.

This receiver seems to have overcame the problem as reported existed in 805 when up converting non-HDMI sources to HDMI. I played Save Private Ryan through two signal channels: 1) DVD player component video output to Sony 46” LCD component video input using 480i and 2) DVD player S-video output to the receive S-video input in 480i, up converted it to 1080P and output through the receiver HDMI to Sony 46” LCD HDMI input. The picture is good with no problem at all in both ways. Picture quality with 1080P signal is a little bit better than that with 480i signal, but not that impressive. Audyssey EQ system is a very helpful tool when you hook up your speaker and adjust your listening zone. This model has smaller size than its predecessor 805, which is good, but this model also removed Burr Brown DACs from its predecessor. I checked the website and it seems that British model 806 carry this Burr Brown DAC while the American model 806 does not. Lacking of Burr Brown DACs in this unit may disappoint some audiophile, but for majority of users, this receiver is an excellent home entertainment component even with 192K/24 Bit DACs.

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Do not buy it for the BTL(bridging) feature

Strengths: Sounds good, 5 HDMI's

Weaknesses: No BTL feature (as advertised on Onkyo's website, feature page), clicking relays & 2 second loss of audio, when program changes audio types, such as cable TV going to & from commercials.

Summary: I've had the 806 for 3 months now. I bought it specifically for the BTL feature, as I am still a big stereo fan & have large, power hungry, front speakers. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the manual for setting the receiver up to run BTL. Next I called Onkyo tech support. They informed me that this is a website error. Only the 876 & 906 have BTL. They said that they plan to remove this error, but that was over 3 weeks ago & it is still there.

Although I like the receiver for it's sound quality & HDMI, I am still very disappointed. I hate buying something only to find out that it doesn't perform as advertised.

Obviously, I could only recommend this receiver if you have bookshelf speakers or if you would be happy with 130 watts to your front speakers.

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Onkyo TX-SR806B Meets/Exceeds Expectations

Strengths: Great sound, plenty of power, many audio options, fairly easy operation.

Weaknesses: Runs hot, Onkyo emphasizes need for plenty of ventilation.

Summary: I am very happy with the Onkyo. I did a lot of research on the A/V receivers, since it would be the heart of the 7.2 theater system I was assembling, to replace/augment a 5.1 system I put together about 15 years ago. I narrowed my choices to the Onkyo, a Yamaha and a Denon. They had many similar features and specs and all fell in the $800-$1000 price range. They all had some good features the others lacked but I ended up picking the Onkyo for the THX feature. I also got a great deal from the on line site I purchased the receiver from. I added a new Blu-ray player, 2 additional surround speakers, DVD/CD/VCR player/recorder, and a 52" LCD TV (and a lot of composite and HDMI cables). The connections (all the components, TV and HD cable boxs) were a challenge and I ended up having the Geek Squad come out to check everything as I could not see spending all that money and not maximizing the quality and features of the system. The Onkyo is superb as command central in addition to having great sound and features. I was blown away by the tremendous improvement in sound and video quality from a system 15 years newer than the one I replaced. I look forward to my next system in 2025 and Onkyo will be the leading contender for the Receiver.

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Onkyo 806 great!

Strengths: Multiple setup options

Weaknesses: Zone 2 output is limited to only analog audio input sources.

Summary: This is a high quality AV receiver which integrates easily into any system. Great power and easy setup. Onkyo quality and construction will provide years of enjoyment.

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