This is what Onkyo does best. This thing offers great performance. It is rock solid, no nonsense, just what you need and not much else. What it does, it does very well: decode most everything, and HDMI 1.4!!!
I was surprised how similar this unit was to my old 2006 model Onkyo 5.1 reciever. This model is clearly a new generation of the same line, with many features and design choices being identical. What sets this unit apart from those of yesterday is the connectivity. 3 HDMI 1.4 inputs, full 3D compatibility for down the road, two optical inputs, composite inputs, and more.
What is not so hot are the "frills". I say "frills" because they are not so frilly. The alternate listening modes are mostly useless- just like they were 5 years ago. The on unit display looks very, very dated, and the remote is even worse than before. In fact, the display and listening modes are identical to my old unit. After setup, dont expect to be pressing more than about 4 buttons on the full-sized remote unless you have other Onkyo components- this remote is NOT universal. This unit does support some "control via HDMI" functionality, so depending on your TV you may be able to sync them to some degree and use one remote for most casual functions on both devices. It also does not upconvert lesser video inputs to HDMI, which is nice to have, but nobody really does that very well until you get into the much higher price points anyway.
But who really buys one of these for a remote and boring sound effects? Not me. I bought this for one reason only: Onkyo quality sound. And this unit does not disappoint. Aside from just sounding great, the functional aspects of this unit are absolutely rock solid and do exactly what you would expect from Onkyo. For the money, I dont know how you could beat this unit. You get Onkyo's top notch, no nonsense audio performance and everything that comes along with HDMI 1.4. Auto a/v sync is here as is deep color if your TV and other components support them. You will be ready if 3D really takes off, or if the reasonably priced HDTV's keep getting much better within the next 3-5 years. This budget unit can grow with your home theater as the industry evolves over the next few years, and keep sounding great the whole time- which is big plus considering where we are in the technology cycle. Onkyo really got it right this year with this model at this price point.
I fully recommend this unit to anyone looking for solid 5.1 surround at this price point that they dont want to throw away in 2 years. Onkyo TX-SR308 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)
Was looking to upgrade my onkyo 6.1 receiver that I purchased 7 years ago. I came across this model at a local electronic store and was blown away by the sound and price.
It will decode DTS-HD Master audio and Dolby True HD. Which is important to me, because I just moved over to blu-ray and wanted the best sound possible for play back. I hooked up my new sony BDP-S570 blu-ray player and put in Avatar as a test movie. I running a HDMI cable to the Onkyo and a HDMI out to the TV. When the movie finally started, I couldn't get DTS-HD Master audio to come on the receiver. After some research you need to make sure your DVD player is not decoding the audio and sending it to your reciver to decode. Once I got this fixed and saw the DTS-HD master audio I was very impressed. My kids stopped what they were doing and came over to HEAR the movie and not just watch like last time.
Again, This Onkyo rec is a Great buy for under $300 and is also future proof for when 3D TV goes main stream in the next year of so.
P.S. Currently run my Cable box, PS3 and Blu-ray player via HDMI and all work very well with sound and picture.
My old Pioneer receiver finally gave up the ghost so it was time for a new AVR, my main requirements were: HDMI switching, inexpensive and a nice remote. I didn't need 7.2 or Audyssey because I only have a 5.1 setup and I like playing with the settings.
I looked at Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer and Onkyo. Man there are a lot of choices today, when I bought my old Pioneer there was only stereo and Dolby Pro Logic. I narrowed it down to the Denon AVR-391 and the Onkyo SR308, the Denon had 4 HDMI(which is nice) but the subwoofer crossover is limited to 80Hz min. The Onkyo won with 40Hz min, on-screen display and a nicer remote(not to mention I got a better price). The front panel is simplistic yet you can control almost everything, I didn't need analog inputs on the front because I use my Blu-ray player for video. The remote is well laid out but it is NOT universal, it will only control Onkyo products. You can rename your HDMI ports and the on-screen display makes setup a snap. The SR308 will switch analog sources but will not upscale via HDMI.
My only gripe, which I couldn't get answered before I bought it, is if HDMI switching would work with the power off....it doesn't. In fact the only way to get a signal passed when the power is off is to turn on TV Control(HDMI CEC), this will allow Pass Thru on a HDMI 1.3+ TV. You can turn on TV Audio which is nice but you have to leave the power on.
Pros:
Onkyo quality
Great sound
Nice remote
Price
HDMI 1.4 with ARC
Cons:
Only 3 HDMI ports
Only 65w per channel - Component Receivers - Home Theater Receivers - Hdmi - Dolby Truehd'
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