The sound is extremely clean. Also the remote is excellent. The remote replaces 9 remotes with ease and it can do everything.

POWER. Where is the bass? It is weaker than I ever imagined. The video switching can be tricky. Made in Malaysia(Yeah, thats great)

The remote is easy to program and use. It also lights up, nice. Also no matter how high the volume was up, it was crystal clear.

Basically, the Onkyo, even with an 8 ohm load should pound out 70 watts per channel...Not even close. Also, the difference in volume between a digital input an an analog input is ridiculous. All sources that went in digital were quieter, especially when surround would "kick in". It is really pathetic. I got 150 bucks off thinking I got a good deal. I was ripped off. I am returning this receiver as soon as I get a chance, tomorrow. I have a bad ass 10 inch velodyne sub which really kicks(on another stereo, which is "less powerful"). People who spend 500 dollars for this thing must really be dedicated to Onkyo. No matter the adjustment on the channel levels, the sound was always weak. In order just to hear a flippin' DVD playing in Dolby Digital, the receiver would usually be literally blasted. The old, blown out sony prologic receiver STILL has twice the balls the Onkyo does. I am getting the Sony STRDE945 which gives 110 watts per channel. It will probably die in three years or less, but at least I will hear it(and feel it). Sony, don't let me down. I will probably never by another Onkyo. As much as I dislike Sony, they are just the best bang for the buck.

For people who like a quite surround sound with no bass and like the lights in the remote, choose Onkyo. For those of us who wanna feel it and wanna kick Onkyo's ass..Hell, go Sony.

Similar Products Used:

Harmon Kardon AVR310 and older Sony Prologic

Powerful hi-current amp section that's conservatively rated, learning remote, assignable digital inputs, DD and DTS decoding, 4 audio/video inputs and seperate 5.1 input, good speaker configurations and bass management

It stopped working after 2 months.

Really annoyed that this relativey good receiver just suddenly stopped working (power on and right when the amps kick it, it shuts down). Luckily for me, there are many authorized Onkyo service centers near where I live. When this receiver was working though, it was awesome!

First off, it is rated at 70 watts to 5 channels. May not seem like much, but it's rated at that for all channels and at 20-20000Hz response. The cheaper Sony it replaced was rated at something like 80 watts to 5 channels at 1kHz! Needless to say, the Onkyo had a much more dynamic sound and never seemed to strain under loud DD movies like the Sony. Also, the "B" set of speakers are powered by the surround amps, so even though you can't do any surround when running both "A" and "B" speakers, you get full 70 watts (90 for 6 ohm speakers) to each speaker, unlike most receivers which just parallel or series wire the extra speakers to the main amp.

Next, the remote is able to learn a lot of functions for other remotes, so you can practically control everything with it after some programming. Add the fact that it has backlighting, and this turns to be one power remote, useful beyond controlling the receiver. Mine is set for TV, DVD, and VCR.

This receiver has 4 digital inputs, 2 toshlink and 2 coaxial, all of which are assignable (ie I use one coaxial assigned for the DVD player). You can configure the receiver to use either the digital signal or analog signal for the source you choose, and whether to automatically do DD/DTS or just stereo. 3 audeo/vidio inputs, one DVD (so 4 audio/video total), one CD and one phono is more than enough inputs for the modest little setup we have. I'm not a fan for DSP and sound modes, but I do find the 5 channel stereo good for BG music. You can congifure speaker distances, size (full, small, none for center and surround), and whether there is a sub hooked to the sub output.

Some problems, short of the malfunction recently, concerns the bass management. With the subwoofer output set to "yes", you lose bass capability from your mains, even if set to "large" it seems. To use get the bass from you mains, set subwoofer to "no" and wire the sub with the speaker level input/outputs. DD's .1 LFE will be played back through the mains so you don't lose any bass, which is nice in case you don't have a sub.

For value, I'd rate it at a 4, if it wasn't for the major problem encountered (knock one star). Overall, I'd rate it the same.

Similar Products Used:

Low end Sony (doesn't really compare)

Best reciever for the money. coming from a professional sales councler at Circuit City. I cant say anything bad. amazing reciever

Best reciever for the money

Very clear sound. Typical options for a receiver in this price range.

Weak lower mid-range and bass. Unimpressive sound at low and mid-volume.

I have been searching for a quality, medium-priced receiver for my den. I bought both the Onkyo 575X and the Sony DE945 from Circuit City and put them side by side in my den. I spend two evenings comparing them. A friend recommended the Onkyo 575X and Circuit City highly recommended the 575X. Because of all the good comments I heard about Onkyo, I was initially biased toward the 575X and I have never been a big Sony fan. However I was quite disappointed in the sound of the 575X. It may be "high current" and have the Onkyo name, but the Sony DE945 had noticeable better lower mid-range and bass response. At low and moderate volumes the Sony 945 had much better sound than the Onkyo 575X. Only at high volumes did the Onkyo start to have decent sound. I took the Onkyo back and am keeping the Sony DE945. I had tried to Onkyo 484 about a week ago and it sounded even worse.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE945

super quite, no hiss, incredible DTS sound.

lack of tightness, highs aren't crispy and lows don't thump, no loudness button, no on screen display and runs warm.

This amp doesn't touch my faithful friend of 25 years, my Rotel 1412 for window breaking balls of fire. It does however do a wonderful job of processing 5.1 or DTS sound. Listening and watching a good DVD such as the Orbison Black/White concert is quite an experience with this AVR. For the price, the 575X delivers a sound package that is very clean. Although the sound is not punchy and loud, I am very satisfied with my newest addition to our home theatre. Maybe its time to "get with it" and refine with middle/old age.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RA-1412

Sound, features, construction, versatile, learning remote with macros, number of inputs/outputs

NONE!!!!!

I don't know what all the complaints are about! This is a "top-notch" receiver, especially for the price. If used properly with the right speakers it's a beast and built like a "brick sh*thouse"!
Can't wait to hear it in DTS
5.1!

Similar Products Used:

only ONKYO

Clean sound, no hiss, rock solid, experiences of others

plain-jane, not enough bells and whistles

Bought based on reviews of others (owners, magazines, etc) and haven't regretted it at all. Exceptionally clean sound and with my Atlantic Tech. AT70's, delivers 90 watts per channel. I'm still trying to figure out the remotes ability to learn other remotes signals. Got a fantastic deal from OneCall when purchased with speaker system.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RXV850

learning remote with macro functions, sound quality, 5 ch stereo, s-video, build quality, size, looks, unit never runs hot, manual, web site and price.

no digital out, composite video inputs are not channeled to s-vhs outputs. Digital connections must be used in conjunction with analog connections. No component video inputs/outputs. Not that powerfull - a sub must be used to obtain very loud sound levels.

HT receivers are like home computers to me. I did not want to fork over a lot of money on something that will be obsolete in a few years so I optioned for the 575x. The amps on my old HK AVR 25 MK2 sounded warmer but the 575x sounds great. The DST formating is good and 5 ch stereo is the way to go.

Mains: Advent Legacy 3 (6 ohms)
Center: Advent Audio Cinema (8 ohms)
Rears: Advent Mini (6 ohms)

Similar Products Used:

HK AVR25 MK2

NO HISS!

needs an on screen display

A helpful crutchfield rep tried to convince me to try the onkyo after I had ordered the sony 545. The sony sounded really noisy with a loud hiss on the surround speakers that you could hear from 6 feet away. I tried to stay with sony and replaced the 545 with a 945 that cost $500. What a waste of time that was. Sony has lots of features and looks real cool but that hiss was unbelievable! I called back and ordered the onkyo. THE SOUND IS FANTASTIC! No hiss, lots of hook-ups, easy to operate and adjust, no hiss, ho hiss! I wish I hadn't wasted the time with the sonys. Buy this first!

My set-up:
36" JVC tv - Polk rm6600 speaker system (great!) - Sony dvd changer - Sony vcr

Similar Products Used:

Sony 545 & 945

Terrific sound, no background hiss, perfect remote control, build quality.

Unit gets a little warm?

This is my first Dolby Digital receiver purchase. I based my decision to buy this unit purely on the responses I read on audioreview.com (AND YOU GUYS WERE RIGHT ON THE MONEY). This unit honestly has beautiful crystal clear sound even at high volumes with no background hiss. The remote control replaced my other 4 remote controls. For the money I spent on this receiver ($359.00 at Crazy Eddies), I am extremely happy and would recommend this quality built product to anyone looking for a mid-range Dolby Digital receiver.