Onkyo TX-SR304

When my 10 year old Yamaha receiver went out, I began to look for something to power my 5 speaker, Polk Audio surround system. I also needed a receiver that could power my bedroom speakers separately and… not break the bank. Not easy to find. I was surprised to find that the Onkyo TX-SR304 had just the features I was looking for, and at an unbelievable price from Amazon. Although the 65 watts is a little low, still it sounds great and is simple to set up.

expand

collapse

When my Sony digital decoder started going south I started looking for a receiver. I was debating between this Onkyo and a similarly priced Yamaha when the Sony finally bit the bullet. The Yamaha was out… of stock so I took the Onkyo. This is a fine little receiver that gets the job done well in my small room powering my Cambridge Soundworks 5.1 speaker system. I did have to pump the center channel up 3db as my middle aged ears are losing some of their midrange. In this price range I don't think you can go wrong with this. Plenty of understated power, good sound fields and enhancements, very nice sound. If you don't need HDMI this is a good choice. A couple of caveats however. The remote is not a universal and only works with other Onkyo components. The speaker terminals are smaller than expected and could really be a bit bigger. Also, while it doesn't bother me, the speaker protection relays are a bit loud when they click in. While I've read of others saying their unit got hot, mine does not. It runs quite a bit cooler then my ancient Sony receiver. If you need a budget 5.1 receiver, this is a fine choice.

expand

collapse