Versatility, ease of use and set up, functionality, value and quality of build. Surprising amount of features for the price..

Runs a little hot.

I've tried other entry level AV receiver's from Sony and JVC. I find that the Onkyo 494 is a wonderful receiver for "first timers". I'm currently using it for surround sound on my home computer. I couldn't be happier with it. I found the set up surprisingly easy and sound is better than good for only pushing 50 Watts per channel in 5.1. Plenty of inputs, plenty of versatility and I LOVE the fact that the damn thing has KNOBS. More bass, turn the knob, more treble... turn the knob. I love it so.

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Sony 675, JVC entry level thing...

Crystal clear sound Simple Set-up Build Quality

Remote

Bought this unit as a starter receiver for my home and it sounds great. Crystal clear sound for music and excellent reproduction of movie soundtracks. Best receiver in its price range.

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Sony, Yamaha, Harmon Kardon, Pioneer

flawless sound when used with the DFX 6.x audio plugin

no wake up timer no clock how can a regular wall plug possibly power 1800+ W sound system?

Great machine. I use the DFX 6 plugin for sonique through my computer. 2 x 800 W, 2 x 100W. Superior sound, I recommend it to any type of music listener.

110 watts per channel Prologic 2 Dolby Digital 5.1 DTS fibre optic solid construction

none

The Onkoy TX-DS494 is a marvel of modern engineering. The sound it produces is clean, crisp, and clear. I have infinity speakers set up for surrond sound (prolgic 2, Dolby digital). the analog pl 2 makes TV sound like your at a theater. The dolby digital matched with a fibre optic cable is intense. I have had no prblems with this amp. Its looks are stylish and sleek. When matched with high end speakers you will be in audio heaven. For the money, this amp blows away its rivals in all aspects. If you are looking for a great amp and don`t want to spend 1500 bucks try the onkyo trust me you''ll love it.

to everyone else who is complain about this receiver not having enough power turn up the db settings for the speakers!!!!!!!!!!! this reciever has plenty of power!!!! in my eyes for the price and great reviews its powerful in every aspect!!!!!

none ........at first i thought the sub was less than what the jvc sounded like but realized its perfect! the jvc just had way to much going to the sub. i always had to adjust it from the reciever of sub itself. onkyo gives a perfect balance of bass for the speakers and sub.

i made the mistake of buying a htib system. it was a jvc vbk-6018 receiver 500 watts, with small sats and a 12" subwoofer with 120watts. i upgraded from a pioneer stereo with loudspeakers cause i wanted a 5.1 system as i watch alot of movies. it did what i though was good on movies and terrible for music. dont buy a jvc htib or any for that matter. they dont have the power even though they say 100watts a channel it is way under rated and the quality sucks! the speakers sounded hollow and not very real. the sub however was quite the brut and did a decent job but i believe that the jvc receiver over does the sib a bit. anyway..... i though the sats did what sats do and decided the center speaker needs the most help so i went through a few but all sounded distorted at low to high volumes and voices were not audiable. this is due to the receiver cant put out the power to a 2 speaker center channel as the center that came with the system always worked fine. so i finally figure (plus reading online reviews) that the likes of jvc, pioneer, sony, awia..etc are just crap and to buy something higher end. now im like most people and dont like to spend alot. i dont want money sunk into a audio system for the price of a used car or high monthly mortgage. i went out looking for a nicer receiver with true power ratings/output, behold onkyo!!!!!!!!!!! i got this puppy (a demo) for $150.00 at circuit city. brought it home and hooked it up to my new jbl nsp-1 home theater speakers and wow what a combo!!!!!! this receive and speaker system you would swear were meant to go together but this is coming form a guy who was using low end stuff so judge as you will, this is only by choice not cause i wanted to. anyway i used all monster cables and 14 gauge speaker wire. a beauty of a theater system!!!!!!! i played a demo dd/dts disc and my wife was next to me playing nintendo on another tv and she jumped out of her seat and looked behind her to see who or what was there (she never did that with the jvc system) and i just laughed, scared the crap out of her. now i sold the jvc receiver and speakers but did keep the sub and im so happy with my system, its complete in my eyes and does the job i want it to. now to touch on what ken said im the second person to complain about the center channel. breck: 20 watts ????? come on this is onkyo, your talking true full/true wattage!!!!

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past: pioneer, jvc, technics. my current setup: onkyo ts-dx494, jbl nsp-1 home theater speakers, pioneer dvd-343 dvd player, technics dual cassette/motorized,digital readout deck. 27" rca tv

Sound. quality. Inputs.

It´s true. The remote it´s bad.

Thank you very much to all the people who wrote a review here. You helped me to choose the right components. I bought Onkyo TX-DS494 to begin in the Hi-FI world, and I am very satisfied with this reveiver. I only use the stereo (CD´s) i don´t have a DVD player. The quality of the rcv. is excellent on sound, inputs and made quality. I was between the Technics Dx-950 and his, and the salesman told me that this was better, much better. it has aluminium front, and the Technics was all plastic. Im only using RCA cables. i think with the fiber optic one, the sound will increase a lot.

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Onkyo Cd Changer 6 disc CDX-380 JBL N-38

Easy to set up & use. Decodes DD 5.1, DTS, & PLII. Does not, as far as I can tell, exaggerate power ratings. Has several proprietary surround modes if you don''t like the 3 main ones. 5.1 channel input if you want to use DVD audio or SACD. 2-yr warranty. Remote interconnect capability w/other Onkyo components.

Can''t use A & B front main spkrs at the same time, even if all you''re doing is using 2 sets of spkrs for 2-channel stereo. Remote only operates deck A on the Onkyo TA-RW244 cassette deck. No digital out, no preamp out. Remote has a small amount of other-brand capability, but is not learning or universal.

You should understand that this is an entry-level receiver with low power. Do not expect miracles. I recommend high-sensitivity speakers to maximize the volume potential. It has the essential bells & whistles of a surround receiver, but does not have all of them. You can get DD 5.1, DTS, & PLII without having to spend a lot of time on setup & studying the manual. The manual is downloadable on their website, as are many other Onkyo manuals. See strengths & weaknesses for more detail. I decided to go back to stereo because I felt that surround was cluttering my apt. I do not have complaints about the sound of this rcvr, it''s just that stereo is best for me right now. Had it for over 6 months & traded it in for a package deal, new rcvr is Marantz SR4120 stereo recvr, not added to review database yet.

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Sony & Sherwood Pro-Logic receivers.

Easy Setup. Quality Sound and Features versus Price.

Subpar Remote, No Adjustable Crossover for Subwoofers, Only One Toslink Connection.

Onkyo won''t be beat at this price point. The next legitimate contender is the Denon AVR-1602 Receiver. The Denon offers more wattage (70 watts x 5 versus Onkyo''s 55 watts x 5) and a few more surround modes. Hardly worth the extra $100 dollar price differance. Sound wise and feature wise there is no winner. Each Receiver is excellent. The Onkyo is more laid back, while the Denon is more upfront. Each offer good dynamics and detail for home theater, however, I give the Onkyo a slight edge in two channel music. The Onkyo is less fatiguing over longer periods of listening. Whatever advantage Denon may have with more wattage and extra surrounds is a mute point now. Last week the TX-DS494 was replaced by the TX-SR-500. Onkyo is a great company because they listen to their customers. The TX-SR500 is prove of that. The new receiver will still sell for $299. The new receiver has increased wattage(65 watts x 5), an additional toslink connection, adjustable crossovers for subwoofers (80, 100, 120) more surround modes and a new infra-red programmable remote. Can you beleive Onkyo is offering so much for so little? Onkyo reigns in the sub $500 receiver market. Consumers you got to just love it!

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Yamaha RX-V592 Receiver

power for medium to larg room produce dynamic range very good. sound best with music and moive

remote

I bought this reciver to replace my 5 year old dpl kenwood krx1000 with 120 watts/ch.i have read review on this site before i bought.and ds494 sound 100 % better than my kenwood.i have checked with all kinds of music and movie.this is the best reciver for the money.only thing you need is subwoofer. my system. onkyo ds494 panasonic dr56 dvd playe keenwood cassett player panasonic 27" flat screen tv. rca lx550 speaker with leainum tweeter and kavler woofer.

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kenwood krx1000

A great entry-level receiver: easy to set up, sounds good (I use a powered subwoofer, so bass wasn''t a problem). DPLII. Phono input.

Remote -- once you''ve set up the receiver, buy yourself an inexpensive All for One or Radio Shack remote; you''ll be glad you did. Mediocre tuner performance, but how much will you use the tuner anyway?

For an entry-level receiver (let''s be honest), the 494 is surprisingly full-featured, with few of the basics left out. It''s easy to set up and easy to use, notwithstanding a subpar remote (which is probably par for this price range). DPLII works well and makes a lot of sense with products in this price range. In a small to medium sized room, this receiver should work well.