I have been tossing around the idea of a new receiver for about three months. My first receiver was a Pioneer 2300, 10 years old and well one channel was fried and the tuner kept cutting out. Anyway, I needed at least a radio. I figured I would have to shell out $200 and a replacement. I hate replacing items which I figured would last longer, i.e. Several folks have receivers that are decades old. So anyway trying to be budget minded I went hunting. And hunted and hunted. The ole' net was a great help. And this web-site in particular was extremely helpful. I went to local stereo stores picking everyone's' minds and driving a few salespeople nuts.
After researching and asking, I figured I wanted a receiver with a high current amp, and Dolby Digital. And $ was an issue, as it always is. Circuit City had the most knowledgeable and most helpful sales-people I found. So I figured I wanted a brand they carried. The only two high current amplified, Dolby Digital receiver brands were Onkyo and H/K (Harman Karman).
Well then going to this web-site I learned of several problems that were facing H/K. I mean sounds like internal corporation problems and internal component problems. No thank you. So I asked around about Onkyo, and heard nothing but good to great things. So having limiting the field down to the Onkyo, I went for the beginning Dolby which is the TX-DS555. Well above the $200 I planned on. Just a little advice, call every local retailer and Circuit City will match a price for you. I found a guy who sells stereo equipment out of his house and anyway Circuit City matched the price. I figured Circuit City would be much easier to deal with if I have problems down the road.
Ok enough background; let's get on about the receiver. I still can't believe I spent $520 on a receiver, BUT this thing is so sweet. I plugged this thing in and wired up the 10-year-old speakers. P.O.S. speakers. "Pieces of #$%^^%**. " The power alone blows me away. My speakers actually have some amazing bass now. I was just playing with the tuner and found the Creed song "One" and WOW. I looked at the volume and it was only at one quarter of full. After playing with the tuner I wired up the CD player and went for some Pink Floyd, to see what this receiver would do. I am impressed. I wish I had bought this earlier. My old system kind-a always just played. This thing Rocks and Rocks Hard.
The good: powerful, simple front panel, relative easy to figure out, 3-D bass button adds some thump to your music, tape 2 monitor for equalizers, multi-channel input allows you to play for example the tuner to your remote speakers and the TV through your mains, basically one channel for remotes and one for mains at the same time. No regrets at all.
The bad: remote, no little light on volume, no direct keys for presets on front panel, fan noise is barely noticeable, personally I like to know the fan is doing it's job.

I give this receiver five speakers, even though I only have two to hook up to it.

I have had a few high end receivers in the past. Nothing could of surprised like the Onkyo TX-DS555 Dolby Digital Receiver. I've had Technics,Kenwoods,and my most recent a Harman Kardon AVR 20. It had plenty of power but no DVD inputs or DD (Dolby Digital). Looking around they make a lot of receivers these days but not all that measure up to my standards. I've looked at the Yamaha RX-V795 DD and DTS. The newly developed remote is neat but I would'nt buy it for that reason. The surround modes that they offer tend to be a bit colored for my taste. I looked at the Denon AVR1700. It was a nicely equipped unit but lacked a little power and just wasn't for me. In the past it has always come down to 4, it has been HK,Denon,Yamaha,and Onkyo. I read several bad reviews in Stereo Review as well as the march issue of Home Theater magazine. They said the TX-DS656 was quite annoying and distracting because of the fan noise. I didn't have that problem at all. I did find the instruction manual to be a bit weak. But nothing I couldn't figure out on my own. I guess the +'s are the Lucas Re-EQ feature that does work well I might add. The Midnight Theater feature which is also very nice for me. I can enjoy a movie without waking my daughter and wife. I like not having to keep my finger on the volume down button anymore. The speaker-setup procedure was straightforward and when it is in DD," YOU KNOW IT " An audiophile friend of mine said the difference between Dolby Pro-Logic and Dolby Digital isn't that much of a difference. He is sadly mistaken but I guess that's why he bought the Yamaha. The difference to me is a 50% improvement from Dolby Pro-Logic!! Everyone is entitled to their opinion.... I just want to say "Onkyo where have you been,you are the goods! You learn by your mistakes but I won't be making anymore because I've been introduced to the Onkyo TX-DS555!!!! Enough said. Tell a friend...

I just got this receiver yesterday and it knocked my socks off. From the moment I plugged everything in and powered it up I thought I had upgraded my speakers as well. WOW! Great clean amplification. Great for music. Radio Sensitivity is not that strong but, the stations it does actually ick up in stereo are clearer than any tuner I've heard.
The 70watts/Ch did worry me at first, because my old sony was 100/ch but, honestly this is so much MORE powerful and clean sounding. Onkyo's high current discrete amplifiers are great.

On to the Dolby Digital-yet again a marvelous application of this receiver, I can't even describe the difference in quality between pro logic and digital. Setup took a little while as the interface takes a little learning, but a quick breeze through the manual will clear everything up. Memory on every input is cool, as well the LucasFilm RE-Q feature, which does help make home theater less bright.

I don't understand the problem other people have with the fan, it hadn't bothered me at all. Maybe I'm just listening too loud :-) Anyhow a great receiver and value, got it from ebay for $420 shipped. The remote is not as bad as people say.

Overall, a wonderful unit, check it out here:

The TX-DS555 website

Just my Onkyo TX-DS555 receiver yesterday....replacing it the next day due to a power failure as a result of bad handling by UPS. So I'm getting another one that hopefully works!!! well, with the exception of the spontaneous power shut down of the receiver, I was able to hook it up and watch a few DVDs for a moment. It was awesome!!!! sound was clean and crisp and bass was excellent...for $400 shipped it's a pretty awesome receiver. My system consists of
Proscan 36-in TV
Proscan Hi-fi VCR
Toshiba SD3109 DVD (connection via Audioquest fiber optics)
(B&W) Rock Solid S100 (two main and two surround)
(B&W) Rock Solid C100 center
(B&W) Rock Solid PB100 subwoofer
all speaker cables and wires via MIT

I have owned my TX-DS555 for 6 months now and am impressed with it. There is plenty of power and inputs/outputs. I found it cumbersome to change radio presets on the receiver itself, however- having to press the preset button then turn the dial. And the remote is sub-par. But it is an excellent performer at around $500. Don't let the 70 watts/channel rating fool you- it has more power than you'd think. For those upgrading to Dolby-Digital at this price range- look no further.

Well, I just received my txds555 today, and haven't really had much time to check it out yet. I am replacing a sony str-d915, which i have enjoyed for the last three years. The Onkyo, however, blows my old sony away on clarity, and power. The high current amps that onkyo uses are amazing. I've been told that if you have a good quality high current amp, that watts per channel don't matter, and this onkyo doesn't lead me to believe otherwise. I got it for $439, delivered overnight, what a bargain. Circuit city still sells it for $599. I give it a enthusiastic 5 speakers.

HAD UNIT FOR ABOUT 4 MOS. VERY FIRST PURCHASE OF A HOME THEATER RECEIVER FOR $409.00 HERE ON NAVY BASE. I MUST SAY I COULD'NT BE ANY HAPPIER WITH THE RECEIVER. DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT STEREO, BUT I GUESS FOR BEGINNERS I DID A GOOD JOB. SUPPORTING UNIT INCLUDES: BOSE AM 10 ($699), KENWOOD LS-X1S SURROUND (CLEARANCE FOR $150) SPEAKERS, KLIPSCH KSC-C1 CENTER ($149), JVC DVD 501BK PLAYER ($369), YAMAHA CDC-765 CD CHANGER (RETURNED ITEM GOT FOR $48), JVC MD RECORDER XM-448 ($148), AND KENWOOD SW 301 SUBWOOFER($199).

Purchased the TX-DS555 after looking at similar offerings in the 400-550 price range. Was upgrading from a pro-logic setup (Sony GX 700ES). I usually refuse to buy from circut city but this was the floor model with a full 2 year waranty for $389. Also looked at yamaha and sony and H/K but found this onkyo to be heads and shoulders above the others. Don't let the 70 watt/Ch rating fool you, this baby has plenty of power. Never does it go past 11-12 on the dial and is loud and clear enough to rattle the walls. For home theater, look no further in the 400-600 dollar price range. I have it matched to Paradign speakers all around (titan's in front, atom's in rear, cc-170 center and PDR-8) Dolby digital is awesome, blows pro-logic away. Only setback to this receiver is no DTS, but really, does anyone think that is necessary anyways. Even if it catches on you will still find all you movies in dolby version for the foreseeable future. Music sounds good with the 555 also, however i will have to say it was a step down from the Sony ES. All in all a great receiver worth taking a long hard look at.

Here's how I came about getting this excellent receiver: I bought a SONY STR-DE935, took it home, hooked it up for about two weeks, took it back because I was severally dissatisfied with it, but that is another story. Circuit City had the ONKYO 555 for $389 out-of-box with manuals, remote and warranty. I figured what the hell. Took this baby home and hooked it up. HOLY COW! Awesome receiver, it really impressed me with sound quality and options. Like the other reviews say, don't let the wattage fool you, wattage doesn't mean anything anyway, its the amperage that drives the speakers and let me tell you, this blew away the SONY, a comparable JVC, and a comparable H/K. I was so impressed with this receiver that I spent the extra money and upgraded my speakers to truly experience the great sound that it delivers. Look no further for a digital receiver in this price range, this is the one!

Awesome receiver! I'm new to digital, and this receiver has given me a great intro. It has also proven that wattage isn't all that inportant. A few things that I found excellent about this receiver: Digital at a low price, awseome sound rooms, plenty of inputs. The only downfall I can see it having is a lack of s-inputs, but what the hell, I don't really see myself using them too readily in the future. The remote is also functional, yet really unappealing to the eyes. But it works great.I use this with a set of infiniti speakers all around, and this receiver drives them to their capability. The sound this receiver reproduces is excellent. I can't say enough good things about it! I give it a 5!