He told me to contact Amazon for a replacement. I just went back to my original order, found the return link and submitted my claim, explaining that I'd already worked with Onkyo support. Not only was a link provided to a pre-paid shipping label, but within an hour I got an email apologizing and another one telling me that a new unit had been sent using 2-day shipping (I haven't even boxed up and returned the old one yet since it was Saturday when I discovered it was broken).

I attempted to return the unit to the service center to have them correct the defects. They refused saying all they were authorized to do was electrically repair the unit. I called Onkyo USA support and last spoke to a Diane who identified herself as the warranty manager.

I've owned the receiver for three months and the surround left back channel just failed and fried my speaker. Found speaker to be open circuit with a meter, smelled burned and insulation on internal wiring is melted. The authorized service center told me that the output transistors had failed and that the amp protection circuit didn't work to save the transistors because the main board had a crack in it which prevented protection from working.

I got this product twice and both the times the shipped product was defective and ONKYO support team confimed that. What a waste of time and money to get these everytime, install only to figue that the audio or the video does not get fed through! Very dissappointing

They said since there is no indication of physical damage to the exterior of the unit or the shipping carton indicative of shipping damage, they couldn't do anything about it. I've filed a complaint with the BBB against Onkyo USA and I'm contemplating one against the repair shop. This is like having a repair shop fix your car and the car works fine except later you find they did the job with bailing wire instead of factory parts.

I posted this in the forum hoping to find a solution but could not. I bought this receiver from Amazon, found the particular problem I describe, figured it was a faulty receiver and returned it to Amazon to get a replacement - the replacement has the same issue, so I'm starting to think it's a "feature". I have my Cable box connected via Component out to the receiver.

My older Sony 5-disc DVD player would not work through the component inputs with the HDMI output. Also, my Wii would not either (ruined the picture). So, I tried hooking them both up through input component and output component to my TV and they still didn't work (again, distorted picture).

Bottom line of my experience is their service, support and warranty people have no interest in making a serious problem right. Up until my problem occurred I really liked the receiver, but once it failed the experience left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Their installation instructions did not work. Onkyo support was unable to help me with an alternate solution, which I managed to find, myself. Audio and Video from the DVD work but only Video from the VCR and I am following their instructions to a "T."

The receiver would pass the video signal to the tv, but not the audio. After 2 phone calls to tech support and hours on the phone, it was determined the receiver was bad, so I exchanged it. The 2nd receiver had the same problem.

The last problem I have encountered, which could be related to us removing the buffer time that caused problems with games, is that every time there is a chapter change when playing a DVD, there is a clicking sound through all the speakers like they are being turned off, then on again very quickly. This is only a minor nuisance but it is there. None of these faults are make or break issues for me, I still love it, but I thought it only fair to make sure people are aware of the issues that they may face with this unit, if for no other reason than to help them avoid hours of troubleshooting during setup.

My RMA was processed very quickly and the return and refund process was totally painless.

The second day of using this unit it started cutting off at random times. Worked wonderfully well while it was working but after it shut down for the 8th time in two days I packed it up and returned it. Onkyo TX-SR605 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

Then I decided to look to see what else what out there around the same price and the Yamaha and Onkyo. I found the Denon AVR-688, so I tried that out since I knew Denon was pretty reputable. Both places had a 30 day return policy so I new I had 3 1/2 weeks on left on the Onkyo to do the comparison.

In practice, the HDMI does not pass the Dolby Digital or DTS reliably. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, so I had to hook them up with Coax and Optical, which then left me with not enough inputs for my CD player and Computer sound. I did complain to the Onkyo people and ended up sending it back and getting another brand new amp, and this one does the same thing.

First is something that could very well be true of all recievers and that is that by default it puts a delay on the signal, this only causes a problem with video games where timing is important, but we spent a long time blaming ourselves before realizing that the unit was causing the problem. We found the option and changed it and that problem went away. Not major but somewhat irritating.

I will be returning the Onkyo this weekend. I do have not have a vested interest in this article but the difference in sound was worth writing.

I don't know if it was drop kicked all the way to my home by UPS, or if it was just defective from the factory? But either way, it didn't work when it arrived. The second unit worked as stated, however I am not happy with the volume of this product.

It has many more video inputs than that, but you only have settings for 5 of them. Beyond that you are allowed 3 more audio only inputs. The fact that you cannot hook up devices to all inputs and make use of them is very annoying and short sighted.

Which I agreed until I tried the Denon. I did all the automatic speaker calibration which worked very well. The sound was ok but not very impressed so I tried tweaking with the sound but did not get much better.

The last problem I have encountered, which could be related to us removing the buffer time that caused problems with games, is that every time there is a chapter change when playing a DVD, there is a clicking sound through all the speakers like they are being turned off, then on again very quickly. This is only a minor nuisance but it is there. None of these faults are make or break issues for me, I still love it, but I thought it only fair to make sure people are aware of the issues that they may face with this unit, if for no other reason than to help them avoid hours of troubleshooting during setup.

In practice, the HDMI does not pass the Dolby Digital or DTS reliably. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, so I had to hook them up with Coax and Optical, which then left me with not enough inputs for my CD player and Computer sound. I did complain to the Onkyo people and ended up sending it back and getting another brand new amp, and this one does the same thing.

I will be returning the Onkyo this weekend. I do have not have a vested interest in this article but the difference in sound was worth writing.

Which I agreed until I tried the Denon. I did all the automatic speaker calibration which worked very well. The sound was ok but not very impressed so I tried tweaking with the sound but did not get much better.

BUT here's the real reason I'm reviewing. With my original unit I could not get audio to work with any of the analog sound inputs. After struggling with the documentation for hours, convinced I was missing some setting, I called Onkyo support.

I am being critical here, but I did prefer the Harmon Kardon that I replaced this with -as far as quality of sound goes, and it makes me wish I returned this unit to Amazon.

Bottom line is sound is good, the features are useless using HDMI. That's why we went to HDMI isn't it ? 1 cord for A&V.

It is necessary to set up an outboard power switch because the Onkyo Standby continues to use power if not totally shut down. Their recommendation is to "remove the plug from the wall." I am keeping the unit in the hopes that as I move to a digital, flat screen, system with surround sound, I will have no further problems.

I am not a high end audiophile, but have a good sense when things just sound right or not, and I can say that this doesn't leave me longing for more. Only using 5.1, so haven't fully utilzed to trueHD/7.1, but not much out there to play that anyway. Good job Onkyo, and good service Amazon.

I am using a 5.1 sound set up, not a 7.1, as very few movies are actually using that format as yet, and I have a "self powered" 500 watt sub. The speakers I am using are Onkyo as well, and I have used them for at least two receivers, so the only thing that changed was the receiver. I will keep it, I may amp it in some external way, but I just don't have the time to research a new unit.

My older Sony 5-disc DVD player would not work through the component inputs with the HDMI output. Also, my Wii would not either (ruined the picture). So, I tried hooking them both up through input component and output component to my TV and they still didn't work (again, distorted picture).

In practice, the HDMI does not pass the Dolby Digital or DTS reliably. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, so I had to hook them up with Coax and Optical, which then left me with not enough inputs for my CD player and Computer sound. I did complain to the Onkyo people and ended up sending it back and getting another brand new amp, and this one does the same thing.

It has many more video inputs than that, but you only have settings for 5 of them. Beyond that you are allowed 3 more audio only inputs. The fact that you cannot hook up devices to all inputs and make use of them is very annoying and short sighted.

BUT here's the real reason I'm reviewing. With my original unit I could not get audio to work with any of the analog sound inputs. After struggling with the documentation for hours, convinced I was missing some setting, I called Onkyo support.

I called tech support again, and actually talked to someone that had a clue. I was told that digital audio inputs could only be output via external speakers, they would not be passed on to the tv.

Fully assignable inputs and outputs will allow you to match the most unthinkable combinations of audio & video components. This receiver will support all possible combinations of speakers you come up with and self detect and calibrate them for a perfect experience in your room, in your chair. My 2 HDMI inputs are already taken.

Saved me from hours of fooling around with speaker settings. The manual is tedious and the remote is a little weak but serves it's purpose. I will be getting a Harmony 880 to help the wife and kids with the inputs.

In theory this is a good entry level receiver for that purpose. However, I quickly found out that the receiver didn't quite do what I wanted it to. The component inputs on the receiver were the biggest issue.

Only downside is it only has 2 HDMI inputs. That's alright for most people right now, however as HDMI becomes more standard it would be nice to have more.

If you go on AVSForum.com, you'll find a bunch of people disappointed with non-HDMI inputs and the receiver's inability to upscale (from 480/720 to 1080).

My older Sony 5-disc DVD player would not work through the component inputs with the hdmi output. Also, my Wii would not either (ruined the picture). So, I tried hooking them both up through input component and output component to my TV and they still didn't work (again, distorted picture).

In practice, the hdmi does not pass the Dolby Digital or DTS reliably. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, so I had to hook them up with Coax and Optical, which then left me with not enough inputs for my CD player and Computer sound. I did complain to the Onkyo people and ended up sending it back and getting another brand new amp, and this one does the same thing.

Small gripe, the on screen disply doesn't work with hdmi fed material, only with component fed material. For example, if you change the volume or audio mode, it won't disply that on screen if you are watching an hdmi source, but it will with a component source signal. The automatic setup feature is nifty and seems to do an ok job, but I ended up changing many of the settings it made to tune it in better.

Bottom line is sound is good, the features are useless using hdmi. That's why we went to hdmi isn't it ? 1 cord for A&V.

Amazing features at this price point, however the unit has known hdmi problems that must be addressed. It's not compatible with alot of other products because of the hdmi ver 1.3 and the HDCP and there isn't a solution other then just run a hdmi from DVD to TV and a Fiber optic from DVD to RCVR.

Fully assignable inputs and outputs will allow you to match the most unthinkable combinations of audio & video components. This receiver will support all possible combinations of speakers you come up with and self detect and calibrate them for a perfect experience in your room, in your chair. My 2 hdmi inputs are already taken.

The same issue has occurred in BOTH receivers I've tried which makes me think maybe there's an issue with component to hdmi 720p conversion. Right now I have the component from the cable box hooked up straight to the monitor out instead of through the receiver, and everything is working good. If you can live with this solution, or don't have the same setup I do, it could be a good receiver.

Only downside is it only has 2 hdmi inputs. That's alright for most people right now, however as hdmi becomes more standard it would be nice to have more.

If you go on AVSForum.com, you'll find a bunch of people disappointed with non-hdmi inputs and the receiver's inability to upscale (from 480/720 to 1080).

Only 2 hdmi inputs, not 3 Inputs cannot be renamed (e.g. can't change "CBL/SAT" or "GAME" to "Comcast" or "PS3"

I got this product twice and both the times the shipped product was defective and ONKYO support team confimed that. What a waste of time and money to get these everytime, install only to figue that the audio or the video does not get fed through! Very dissappointing

Their installation instructions did not work. Onkyo support was unable to help me with an alternate solution, which I managed to find, myself. audio and Video from the DVD work but only Video from the VCR and I am following their instructions to a "T."

The receiver would pass the video signal to the tv, but not the audio. After 2 phone calls to tech support and hours on the phone, it was determined the receiver was bad, so I exchanged it. The 2nd receiver had the same problem.

It has many more video inputs than that, but you only have settings for 5 of them. Beyond that you are allowed 3 more audio only inputs. The fact that you cannot hook up devices to all inputs and make use of them is very annoying and short sighted.

BUT here's the real reason I'm reviewing. With my original unit I could not get audio to work with any of the analog sound inputs. After struggling with the documentation for hours, convinced I was missing some setting, I called Onkyo support.

Small gripe, the on screen disply doesn't work with HDMI fed material, only with component fed material. For example, if you change the volume or audio mode, it won't disply that on screen if you are watching an HDMI source, but it will with a component source signal. The automatic setup feature is nifty and seems to do an ok job, but I ended up changing many of the settings it made to tune it in better.

I called tech support again, and actually talked to someone that had a clue. I was told that digital audio inputs could only be output via external speakers, they would not be passed on to the tv.

Fully assignable inputs and outputs will allow you to match the most unthinkable combinations of audio & video components. This receiver will support all possible combinations of speakers you come up with and self detect and calibrate them for a perfect experience in your room, in your chair. My 2 HDMI inputs are already taken.

audio sometimes lags when wathing OTA (antenna) transmissions which are fed to the reciever directly from the tv. This probably happens because the the video is not passed through the reciever along with the audio. audio/video synch is spot-on when both audio and video signals (cable box, dvd player, vcr, etc) are passed through the reciever.

3) Mac Mini - HDMI in (DVI to HDMI cable) to HDMI out -- still using RCA for audio here, but will upgrade to a mini toslink to sp/dif cable soon. I wish there was some way to get the audio on the HDMI cable, but if it's possible, I haven't figured out how to do it yet.

The last problem I have encountered, which could be related to us removing the buffer time that caused problems with games, is that every time there is a chapter change when playing a DVD, there is a clicking sound through all the speakers like they are being turned off, then on again very quickly. This is only a minor nuisance but it is there. None of these faults are make or break issues for me, I still love it, but I thought it only fair to make sure people are aware of the issues that they may face with this unit, if for no other reason than to help them avoid hours of troubleshooting during setup.

I called tech support again, and actually talked to someone that had a clue. I was told that digital audio inputs could only be output via external speakers, they would not be passed on to the tv.

Fully assignable inputs and outputs will allow you to match the most unthinkable combinations of audio & video components. This receiver will support all possible combinations of speakers you come up with and self detect and calibrate them for a perfect experience in your room, in your chair. My 2 HDMI inputs are already taken.

but yes, So i ended up hookin the xbox directly to the HDTV instead. It's not a huge problem since i have the optical cable hooked up from the xbox to the receiver soo i can still hear it thru the speakers .. but again my only complaint is that it takes away from the clarity of the xbox video...

More advanced (more control points) implementation of the "Audyssey" speaker calibration software, and pre-amp outputs in case you wish to do further signal processing or drive self-powered speakers. Those features may be worth it to some, but I don't find them necessary.

I am using a 5.1 sound set up, not a 7.1, as very few movies are actually using that format as yet, and I have a "self powered" 500 watt sub. The speakers I am using are Onkyo as well, and I have used them for at least two receivers, so the only thing that changed was the receiver. I will keep it, I may amp it in some external way, but I just don't have the time to research a new unit.

Pros: Onkyo's uncompromizing sound quality; versatility (assignable audio & video inputs and outputs); full HDMI 1.3 passthrough (including audio); 2 HDMI inputs, 1 out; speakers self calibration with included microphone. Cons: Only 2 HDMI inputs; heat dissipation when stacked. Remote design.

That big Star Ship right in the beginning of Star Wars III blew them out. It was random though. I still have some speakers of the same vintage and size that still work so I'm attributing it to age of the speaker cones and dryness in my living room.

Also, when I set the speakers using the provided microphone and internal program, it set the surround speakers too weak for my tastes and put too much through the center channel. I easily reset them to suite me.

Still the imaging and blending of the sound is not as good as my Yamaha. That is a surprise to me and perhaps I don't yet have it tweeked in, but the Yamaha made me forget where the speakers were; with the Onkyo it seems like I can hear each speaker and exactly where it is in the room.

I got this product twice and both the times the shipped product was defective and ONKYO support team confimed that. What a waste of time and money to get these everytime, install only to figue that the audio or the video does not get fed through! Very dissappointing

Their installation instructions did not work. Onkyo support was unable to help me with an alternate solution, which I managed to find, myself. Audio and video from the DVD work but only video from the VCR and I am following their instructions to a "T."

The receiver would pass the video signal to the tv, but not the audio. After 2 phone calls to tech support and hours on the phone, it was determined the receiver was bad, so I exchanged it. The 2nd receiver had the same problem.

First is something that could very well be true of all recievers and that is that by default it puts a delay on the signal, this only causes a problem with video games where timing is important, but we spent a long time blaming ourselves before realizing that the unit was causing the problem. We found the option and changed it and that problem went away. Not major but somewhat irritating.

It has many more video inputs than that, but you only have settings for 5 of them. Beyond that you are allowed 3 more audio only inputs. The fact that you cannot hook up devices to all inputs and make use of them is very annoying and short sighted.

Fully assignable inputs and outputs will allow you to match the most unthinkable combinations of audio & video components. This receiver will support all possible combinations of speakers you come up with and self detect and calibrate them for a perfect experience in your room, in your chair. My 2 HDMI inputs are already taken.

but yes, So i ended up hookin the xbox directly to the HDTV instead. It's not a huge problem since i have the optical cable hooked up from the xbox to the receiver soo i can still hear it thru the speakers .. but again my only complaint is that it takes away from the clarity of the xbox video...

It wasn't good. I'm taking it back to get something without the video processing. Don't need to pay for something I'm not going to use.

Audio sometimes lags when wathing OTA (antenna) transmissions which are fed to the reciever directly from the tv. This probably happens because the the video is not passed through the reciever along with the audio. Audio/video synch is spot-on when both audio and video signals (cable box, dvd player, vcr, etc) are passed through the reciever.

You can get around this by connecting your audio to another input in the back, such as CD, then selecting Aux to change the video input to Component, but select CD again to change the audio to CD, but leaving the video on Component. I wish Aux could be any digital input, but i must be the input on the front.

My older Sony 5-disc dvd player would not work through the component inputs with the HDMI output. Also, my Wii would not either (ruined the picture). So, I tried hooking them both up through input component and output component to my TV and they still didn't work (again, distorted picture).

Their installation instructions did not work. Onkyo support was unable to help me with an alternate solution, which I managed to find, myself. Audio and Video from the dvd work but only Video from the VCR and I am following their instructions to a "T."

The last problem I have encountered, which could be related to us removing the buffer time that caused problems with games, is that every time there is a chapter change when playing a dvd, there is a clicking sound through all the speakers like they are being turned off, then on again very quickly. This is only a minor nuisance but it is there. None of these faults are make or break issues for me, I still love it, but I thought it only fair to make sure people are aware of the issues that they may face with this unit, if for no other reason than to help them avoid hours of troubleshooting during setup.

Amazing features at this price point, however the unit has known HDMI problems that must be addressed. It's not compatible with alot of other products because of the HDMI ver 1.3 and the HDCP and there isn't a solution other then just run a HDMI from dvd to TV and a Fiber optic from dvd to RCVR.

Audio sometimes lags when wathing OTA (antenna) transmissions which are fed to the reciever directly from the tv. This probably happens because the the video is not passed through the reciever along with the audio. Audio/video synch is spot-on when both audio and video signals (cable box, dvd player, vcr, etc) are passed through the reciever.

i'm not a hi-tech audiophile kind of a guy so i can't talk in those terms, but i do have a good ear and i am very pleased with this....i narrowed my choices down to this and yamaha's 661 and 663 and was looking to buy one of the 3 for less than 400.00 shipping included and found this onkyo thru amazon and pulled the trigger...one of the neat things is how much you hear in the back ground, be it a music cd or a film dvd, you hear everything with a quality receiver like this... has all the features,..plenty of power for me,..will be up to date for a long time....not to hard to set up with help from onkyo's tech people...but be aware it is ugly!....this was a very good purchase.

The only device that worked through the component inputs on the receiver was my PS2. I don't know what the problem was... if it is my older TV or older dvd player, or both.

Setting up the Onkyo was not easy, for me. I have a Zenith dvd/VCR which worked fine hooked direct to the TV. Not so with Onkyo, as I was trying to run the sound through the receiver.

V over and immediately picks up the signal from the dvd player. I have an Oppo and it links up immediately. Great system to purchase if your in the arena for a new receiver.

I don't have a 1080 TV, so the limitations of just 720p upscaling don't bother me. I did however also get a Sony Upscaling dvd player and a Samsung HD Set Top Tuner that both use HDMI and I bought this amp for that reason.

I posted this in the forum hoping to find a solution but could not. I bought this receiver from Amazon, found the particular problem I describe, figured it was a faulty receiver and returned it to Amazon to get a replacement - the replacement has the same issue, so I'm starting to think it's a "feature". I have my Cable box connected via component out to the receiver.

My older Sony 5-disc DVD player would not work through the component inputs with the HDMI output. Also, my Wii would not either (ruined the picture). So, I tried hooking them both up through input component and output component to my TV and they still didn't work (again, distorted picture).

Small gripe, the on screen disply doesn't work with HDMI fed material, only with component fed material. For example, if you change the volume or audio mode, it won't disply that on screen if you are watching an HDMI source, but it will with a component source signal. The automatic setup feature is nifty and seems to do an ok job, but I ended up changing many of the settings it made to tune it in better.

The same issue has occurred in BOTH receivers I've tried which makes me think maybe there's an issue with component to HDMI 720p conversion. Right now I have the component from the cable box hooked up straight to the monitor out instead of through the receiver, and everything is working good. If you can live with this solution, or don't have the same setup I do, it could be a good receiver.

In theory this is a good entry level receiver for that purpose. However, I quickly found out that the receiver didn't quite do what I wanted it to. The component inputs on the receiver were the biggest issue.

Third, setting it up for HDMI is a pain in the posterior. First you have to set it up for component or Svideo in, then you have to change the setting in the menuing system, then you can hook it up to HDMI on the TV. If you, like me, hooked it up to HDMI first thing, you, once again like me, could spend hours trying to figure out why the menuing system is not appearing on the screen the way the manual says it should.

The only device that worked through the component inputs on the receiver was my PS2. I don't know what the problem was... if it is my older TV or older DVD player, or both.

You can get around this by connecting your audio to another input in the back, such as CD, then selecting Aux to change the video input to component, but select CD again to change the audio to CD, but leaving the video on component. I wish Aux could be any digital input, but i must be the input on the front.

My only complaint with this system is that, while there are 2 HDMI & 3 component video inputs in the back, you can't assign all of these to a system button.

It has many more video inputs than that, but you only have settings for 5 of them. Beyond that you are allowed 3 more audio only inputs. The fact that you cannot hook up devices to all inputs and make use of them is very annoying and short sighted.

Small gripe, the on screen disply doesn't work with HDMI fed material, only with component fed material. For example, if you change the volume or audio mode, it won't disply that on screen if you are watching an HDMI source, but it will with a component source signal. The automatic setup feature is nifty and seems to do an ok job, but I ended up changing many of the settings it made to tune it in better.

Saved me from hours of fooling around with speaker settings. The manual is tedious and the remote is a little weak but serves it's purpose. I will be getting a Harmony 880 to help the wife and kids with the inputs.

I have several occasions forgot to turn on the fan, and it is only mild warm to the touch on the top. I have this unit for 2 months, and no popping sound at all. The Odyssey calibration is easy to use, and also fairly easy to manually change the settings.

It took some calls to Tech Support to get my XBox 360 working via the HDMI input. I had to re-set the reciever in order to get it to work even though I followed the directions perfectly. I later found out that running the Audessey setup caused my HDMI from my XBox to stop working again and had to reset the reciever and then manually adjust the speaker settings based off of what the Aydessey had setup previously.