The Onkyo TX-SR608 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver is amongst Onkyos more recent efforts in the entry level AV receiver market, and while this bit of kit may be classed as “Entry Level” features and quality wise it is far from it. The Onkyo TX-SR608 has become a very common site in just about any AV vendors show rooms and with good reason, it is an extremely good model for all but the most demanding consumer


Looks wise the TX-SR608 is pretty much what we’ve come to expect from onkyo receivers, slightly blocky in look with a simple but ergonomically sound front plate and a solid and trustworthy feel to the enclosure itself. Connections wise the unit is very well specified for something in the entry level price range. I/O includes basic Audio and 1080p Video Processing via HDMI (1 Front/5 Rear Inputs and 1 Output), HDTV-Capable (720p/1080i) Component Video Switching (2 Inputs and 1 Output), Front-Panel Audio Input for Portable Devices, Front-Panel Auxiliary A/V Input 4 Digital Inputs (2 Optical and 2 Coaxial), 4 A/V Inputs and 1 Output, Video Output (Monitor), 2 Audio Inputs, Color-Coded, Banana Plug-Compatible Speaker Posts a Headphone Jack and finally a universal Port for Single-Cable Connection of Optional Onkyo Dock for iPhone™/iPod® or DAB+ Radio Tuner. Now as I see it this is a serious amount of I/O, some oversights on the Onkyo TX-SR608 are that this model doesn’t support Ethernet, USB or Bluetooth, but I really think that these are niggles rather than genuine complaints for a unit at this price range.

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I found the video imaging on the TX-SR608 to very capable, bright and realistic, sharp as one needs and with very solid blacks and darker hues where needed. One or two other observers have said that they have seen occasional frame drops when handling 1080p 24fps sources but this is not something I experienced during testing, never the less if you are a plasma owner perhaps testing this unit with a similar screen before purchase would be advisable. All in all I was very happy with this units performance and would happily recommend it to anyone in the market for a sub $500 unit.
Manufacturers Details
Product Features
100 Watts per Channel at 8 Ohms, 20 Hz¿20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 Channels Driven, FTC
THX Select2 Plus Certified
HDMI (Version 1.4 to Support 3D and Audio Return Channel) with Deep Color, x.v.Color, LipSync, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio
HDMI Video Upscaling to 1080p with Faroudja DCDi Cinema
Audio and 1080p Video Processing via HDMI (1 Front/ 5 Rear Inputs and 1 Output)
ADVANCED FEATURES
THX® Select2 Plus™ Certified
HDMI® (Version 1.4a to Support 3D and Audio Return Channel) with Deep Color™, x.v.Color™, LipSync, Dolby® TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio™, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD, Multichannel PCM, and CEC
Dolby® TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio™, Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS-HD High-Resolution Audio™ Decoding
HDMI Video Upscaling to 1080p with Faroudja DCDi Cinema™
Audyssey DSX™ and Dolby® Pro Logic® IIz for New Surround Channels
Burr-Brown 192 kHz/24-Bit DACs (PCM1690) for All Channels
Three-Stage Inverted Darlington Circuitry
Jitter-Cleaning Circuit Technology
Audyssey 2EQ™ for Room Acoustic Correction
Audyssey Dynamic Volume™
Audyssey Dynamic EQ™ for Loudness Correction
Powered Zone 2 and Zone 2 Line-Out for Playback of Separate Source in Another Room
Overlaid Graphical On-Screen Display (OSD) via HDMI
2 Parallel Subwoofer Pre Outs
Analog RGB Video Input (D-sub, 15 pin) for PC
AMPLIFIER FEATURES
160 W/Ch at 6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 1 Channel Driven, IEC
WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology)
High-Current Low-Impedance Drive
H.C.P.S. (High Current Power Supply) Massive High Power Transformer
Optimum Gain Volume Circuitry
Bi-Amping Capability
PROCESSING FEATURES
Advanced 32-Bit Processing DSP Chip
4 DSP Modes for Gaming: Rock, Sports, Action, and RPG (Role Playing Game)
Music Optimizer™ for Compressed Digital Music Files
Pure Audio Mode
Direct Mode
Double Bass Function
Non-Scaling Configuration
A-Form Listening Mode Memory
Theater-Dimensional Virtual Surround Function
CONNECTION FEATURES
Universal Port for Single-Cable Connection of Optional Onkyo Dock for iPhone™/iPod® or DAB+ Radio Tuner
Audio and 1080p Video Processing via HDMI (1 Front/5 Rear Inputs and 1 Output)
HDTV-Capable (720p/1080i) Component Video Switching (2 Inputs and 1 Output)
Front-Panel Audio Input for Portable Devices
Front-Panel Auxiliary A/V Input
4 Digital Inputs (2 Optical and 2 Coaxial)
4 A/V Inputs and 1 Output
Video Output (Monitor)
2 Audio Inputs
Color-Coded, Banana Plug-Compatible Speaker Posts
Headphone Jack
OTHER FEATURES
Crossover Adjustment (40/50/60/70/80/90/100/120/150/200 Hz)
A/V Sync Control Function (Up to 200 ms in 10 ms Steps)
Tone Control (Bass/Treble) for Front L/R Channels
Display Dimmer (Normal/Dim/Dimmer)
Sleep Timer (via Remote)
Battery-Free Memory Backup
RDS (PS/RT/PTY/TP)
40 FM/AM Random Presets
RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) for System Control
Compatible with RI (Remote Interactive) Dock for iPod
Preprogrammed RI Remote Control
List Price: $599.00