I bought the Onkyo SR600 about two weeks ago. I traded in my Onkyo TX-DS595 for a supposed upgrade. The SR600 receiver really lacks power, especially in the home theater modes. Switching from a CD to DD is like cutting the volume in half. Also, the new "upgrade" has inferior build quality compared to the 595. The company replaced the binding posts for the "B" speakers with spring connectors. The all the other speakers are connected by binding posts, but they are not the same quality as the ones in the 595. The receiver just feels cheep. I''m returning SR600 this week. I was happy with the 595, but wanted more power and 6.1. Who needs 6.1 with 20 watts of power? I think I''ll buy either a Denon AVR-3808 OR a Harmon Kardon AVR520.

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Harmon Kardon AVR520, Yamaha RX-V1200, Marantz SR7200, Denon AVR-3802

I just read the review on watts, if this is true I am upset. I expected 80 watts x 6 channels. I will be returning it during my 30 day trial. I do not know what to buy but i want more than 30 watts.

Remote, Features

Onyko gave up the most important feature power 80W to 30W running all channels

ONYKO REPORT In 1998, 1999, 2000 Onkyo receivers had power supplies to output the rated watts to run all channels. In 2001 and 2002 the power supplies had been changed and the volts going into all channels are reduced which means much less watts. I had been using an ONKYO 727 (80 watts) for the past 8 to 10 years powering my B & W ( DM2000) speakers , which require a minimum of 50 watts to drive, and was happy with my receiver. I decide to upgrade from Prologic to 6.1 and bought the Onyko 600. I adjusted all channels with the pink noise based on Avia, (85db) and played at 10db below. A few days after listing and enjoying I played a few DVD’s that have intense DTS or Dolby sound effects, my volume control was set at 10 db below reference of 85db. When the sound effects in the movie kicked in, the db’s raised 20 to 30 higher without me touching the volume control. My B & W speakers both blew by being clipped by the Onyko. At first I had no idea why, after talking to B & W, they explained what could happen if the receiver can’t deliver the watts need to drive a speaker when the source material is loud and strong. If the receiver’s volts to drive a speaker are lowered the speaker cannot move fast enough when the source material is loud and strong to cool itself. This would melt the wires or loosen the glue going to the voice coil. The speakers could not handle the drop in power when the source was loud and strong to drive the speakers. ??? But why were the volts lowered if the Onkyo 600 is rated at 80w x6??????? I called Onkyo USA they insisted that the receivers output was 80x6, so I called the Onyko distributor in Canada and was connected to their chief technical engineer. He had a 500, 600 and 700 in his lab. I told him my story about the B & W speakers and he offered to test the 600 and the 700. His report to me was that the 600 tested at 26 or 27 volts – 2 channels or 81watts. But when set to 5-channel stereo the receiver drop the volts immediately to 30W. The 700 dropped to 38W. He also told me the power supply couldn’t handle 26 volts to all channels. I have our 30-minute conversation transcribed. I then brought my 600 to a NJ authorized technical repair lab to test the 600 and receive in writing a report on the output. The 600 running 2 channels tested at 26.5 volts or 81 watts. In 5-channel stereo the volts dropped to 16.5

-I love the video switching. I can finally move the manual video switch upstairs. -Learning remote. Generally a great remote. However, see the weakness below. -Lots of flexibility in selecting which input connects to which component (e.g. DVD, Satellite, etc).

-The directional button on the learning remote is difficult to use accurately. When I try to toggle it "up", it often just clicks in the default center position instead of the up position. 5 separate buttons would have been better. -The macros on the learning remote insert too much time between commands. I have to stand holding the remote pointing towards the TV and receiver for a couple of seconds waiting for the macro to turn everything on and set it right. -There is no Phono input. How do I listen to all my old LPs? -There is no pre-out, except for the sub-woofer. I finally had to put a T into the VCR out so I could plug my remote headphones in. -Video switching is great, but there is no internal connection between component and S-Video. Perhaps that would be asking too much, but it means if I use component video out, I can only have two video in connections.

I''m not the audiophile enthusiast to give a meaningful evaluation of the sound, (except to say that I am completely satisfied with how it sounds), but I can comment on a few features I like and don''t like. See Strengths and Weaknesses below.

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Sony STR D711. ProLogic only; this is my first Dolby Digital/DTS amp.

Great sounds in Dolby Digital and DTS and even music cds.

Can''t find any yet

Although I only had it for 2 days, I find this receiver to be an exceptional value. The sound is clean (much more so than my Sony STR-DB 930) plus it got some good power to boot. There are plenty of inputs for your components. It even have component video inputs for the new hd signals or dvd with component out, though I have no use for it yet. It has the on-screen display if you like that sort of things. But the thing I like most about this receiver is the remote. It comes with full learning capabilities, plus it has a large memory (about 51, I think, for each mode). Since it has six modes, or you can call it functions, you can get over 300 buttons to learn. Finally I can put all my other remotes away. I''m not a big fan of sound fields so I haven''t tried any yet.

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Sony STR-DB930

Clean power The price for all the high-end features (All Channel Stereo) DSP

Remote controls learn capability Limited component code list Can''t control the delay per speaker or I haven''t figured it out yet Not THX certified, if that really means something

I am a audiophile with a very small budget for sound, so I really had to make alot of decisions before I made this investment. I was using a AIWA D58 before I bought this beutiful piece of circuitry. I am very happy with this product. I was looking for an mid-grade reciever with high-grade features. I almost bought the Onkyo TX-DS595, but the salesmen told me there was a new kid on the block. The Onkyo TX-SR600, to my surprise, had what was essential for my taste (DTS-ES, Component IN/Out, S-Video IN/Out, Prologic II, multi-digital hook-up, Cinema filtering, on-screen display,and clean sound). Out the box it was alittle difficult to figure out how the Onkyo products worked, but once I figured it out I was sailing. It only has 80 watts per channel, but who in their right mind can take full power, and more importantly it''s clean. I love this product and I would suggest it to anyone that has to buy one piece at a time. This reciever puts out clean power and makes my cheap speakers sound like B&W''s. The remote works every feature, but I have had trouble using its learn and code feature. It looks great and only weighs about 20 or so pounds.

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I have no idea because I can''t afford to find out.