 Lots of bang for the buck, great sound |
| Review Date: August 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Richard C. Drew, Oak Lawn, IL USA |
I really, really like this unit. Installing it took some time, but the sound and video switching was well worth it. Instead of having a dozen different cables running to the HDTV, I only have one - the HDMI cable.
When you install it, set aside a few hours - this has nothing to do with this particular model - just that there are so many darn connections. I hooked up my BluRay player, DVD player, VCR and CD player, as well as nine speakers and two sub-woofers. Running the cables and positioning the speakers was the most time consuming. I had no reason to use the zone 2, so used the additional two speakers as upper fronts. I did not want to go out and spend a ton of money on speakers - I used what I had on hand. If you're like me, you have a collection of speakers that build up over the years. I used two tall Fishers for the front, a studio monitor for the center, a pair of low-power cheapies from an old stereo for the front uppers, a pair of old Sony's for the surround, and a pair of wall-mount for the rear uppers. They were a variety of 6 and 8 ohm pairs. The system handles the combinations just fine.
Looks: Classic Onkyo hi-tech, black and glossy.
Buttons: Minimal buttons - all functionality can be accessed via the front of the unit as well as the remote.
Connections: All you would ever need. Many are assignable.
Menu: You can use the minimal LED on the front of the unit, or the more interactive display on your TV. Since the unit acts as a video switch, it overlays information on the screen. Info on the Volume, video or audio source, etc.
Setup: Read the manual! Some menu features are counter-intuitive. For example, when setting up the speakers I had zone 2 active and set it to assign it to front uppers. The rear uppers were dead. Turns out that zone two had to be active, but not on, and I should not have assigned positions. Then all nine speakers worked. There are a lot of features hidden away in the manual that you would not discover by just looking at menu options. The Automated speaker configuration with the included microphone - Cool. Position the speakers where you want, plug in the mic, and go. The unit detects the mic being plugged in and automatically brings up the correct menu. The menu's take you through the process. With nine speakers and the two subs it took about 15 minutes. I kept erroring on center channel detection. It turns out that I had a blown tweeter - the auto configuration would not let me continue until I replaced the speaker. Apparently is could not detect the frequencies it expected. After I replaced the speaker, I had to re-run the test. The automatic setup is a three step process, and it stopped after step 1 when I had the bad speaker. After it was replaced, it went through all three steps.
I used the manual setup first just to confirm that I had all the speakers in the right place. A tone is sent to each speaker and the on-screen display shows the speaker location on the generic diagram (the diagram automatically changes depending on the speakers you have connected.)
Sound quality: Amazing - especially considering I have a hodge-podge of makes, models and quality.
Speakers: Supports 8 plus two subs. Will default to stereo or 5.1 - it detects what you have attached. The more speakers you have attached, the better the experience. However, if you have less than the maximum number of speakers, there are plenty of options to enhance the sound, virtually change speaker position, and more! So even if you have only two speakers, this is still a great unit - it's worth it for the video switching alone! The sub-woofer outs are unpowered, like most sub outputs are today. You really don't need two subs unless you really, really want to crack your plaster.
Build: Weighs a ton - lots of copper and a huge heat-sink. Runs hot, but considering the total output, that's to be expected. Install in a cabinet or shelf with plenty of air circulation.
I never even considered the fact that I would dump all those cables running to the TV - Instead of HDMI's, three different video's, plus audio, I now have a single HDMI and an audio out (I'm running the TV audio out to the Onkyo,) plus cable and power. Four wires instead of dozens. A lot cleaner.
In summary - I've not seen a better value for the money. Enough inputs for 99% of the population. Easy setup, lots of interactive tools and on-screen help. Great sound, lots of power, modern styling.
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Onkyo knows best!
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| Review Date: October 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: G. Perez, CA |
When it comes to great sound quality at a low price, you can't go wrong with Onkyo, they make some of the best receivers that are always at a fair price.
The HT-RC160 is very easy to install, just plug and play... Well, more like plug and connect and connect and connect and connect... and play (it's lots of speaker cables, you know?) even easier if you have the Onkyo speaker set since they're color coated and all you have to do is match the speaker cable to the receiver, either way is easy enough for anyone to figure out. This Onkyo receiver also comes packed with a super technology called "2EQ automatic calibration system" which does exactly what it says, all you have to do is plug the included mic into the unit, follow some onscreen instructions and in about 10 minutes it will be done calibrating your sorround sound system, it pretty much sends some audio signals from each speaker and determines the distance between the audience (that's you) and each speaker, to give you the best home theatre experience possible! Of course, you don't have to let this machine do the work for you, you can always calibrate it yourself or tweak the auto calibration settings later on if you want.
It comes with 5 HDMI inputs, which is very good at any price range I would say, if you need any more than that, I would have to ask you... Why are you even looking at this unit? you can probably afford the pricier model! Check out the HT-RC180 (you'll still get 5 HDMI inputs though)
Sound is without a doubt the sweetest part of this deal, it's clear, it's loud and it's all around you! You'll have a good time watching any action movie. I do have to warn you that your family will have to go through the annoying process of dealing with YOU! Specially during the first few weeks of owning this unit, while other people are watching and enjoying the film, you'll be checking for sound clarity and and playing around with all of the sound options, trust me, I was doing that until one of my kids said "it sounds good already dad! you should watch the movie now" (I guess he said that because the unit mutes about 1 - 2 seconds between changing from one sound setting to the other)
Once you're done playing with your settings and get to know your unit a little better, you'll stop messing around with the options so much and you too will start enjoying the movie! After all, that's gotta be the main reason why you're looking to buy or upgrade your receiver...
As you can tell by the images, this receiver is a llttle on the bulky side, but don't let that put you down unless you're planning to carry this thing around in your backpack everyday, once you set it up, it will stay there for quite some time. Onkyo units are not known for being slim and sexy, they're known for delivering quality at a great price, this is just another example of what Onkyo can do for reasonable price, you'll be glad you went with Onkyo.
It does get a little hot but with proper breathing space, it should be fine, besides, what machine doesn't get hot nowadays? I used to freak out over things overheating but then I realized that pretty much everything I touch feels hot, the TV, the PS3, the 360, the toaster... Oh wait, scratch the last one... Just let it breathe and relax.
I'm really glad to have this product... I would definitely recommend it to a friend who is on a budget and wants something worth more than what he's paying for!
I hope that this review helps you make a better buying choice... |
Great receiver
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| Review Date: August 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: twoset, Sacramento, CA USA |
I bought the Onkyo HT-RC 160 to replace a Yamaha that I liked very much but did not have HDMI inputs. This receivers 5 HDMI inputs should handle most applications and switches flawlessly between the various inputs. I chose the Onkyo primarily because the current Yamaha remotes are ridiculous - who can really navigate that many tiny buttons? I love that I could re-name the various inputs both on the receiver and on screen; now if only one could re-name the remote labels. One thing I don't like is that after selecting an input, you have to search for the receiver to control it including, turning it off. The receiver button should be in a prominent location. So should the mute button. Another problem is connecting speaker wires to the extremely closely spaced terminals. (Yes, banana plugs would take care of that, but I have not had success connecting the plugs to the speaker wires. Another minor problem occurred with the excellent speaker setup. I have an old surround sound setup. As such, I have two speakers mounted on the wall above the front main speakers, but no speakers on the side wall, and speakers on the back wall. The Onkyo set up did not recognize this until I reconnected the front wall speakers to the side surround terminals. Then the setup was very easy and produced great sound from my mix of speakers. Overall, I am very pleased with the Onkyo HT-RC 160.
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True Audio!
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| Review Date: September 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Seanna, |
I already own the Onkyo TX-SR606 Home Theater receiver so I was thrilled to be able to review this one. Audio buffs will already know how impressive the TX-SR606 is but how does the HT-RC160 rate? Well to me this is a better receiver. I was certainly more impressed with the video switching. I have always had an issue with the TX-SR606 because it seems to have stability problems when switching video but there are no problems with the HT-RC160. The sound on both is very similar and this is compatible with all the modern formats such as DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD. The beautiful thing about Onyko is that they make true receivers and they don't make glitzy gimmicky ones. Yes this is a home theater receiver so it needs more buttons than a standard receiver/amplifier but Onyko still stay true to the foundation of all quality home audio. An audio buff friend of mine once said to me 'a good receiver should only need a volume control'. Of course this one needs more than that because it is designed for home theater but it isn't over the top.
Connecting this receiver up wasn't a difficult task for me because the connections are similar to the TX-SR606 but I would say you should put some time aside. Similar to another reviewer, I found that this receiver will run any speakers. I have different make speakers in each area but this receiver matched everything up. As far as video, you wire everything to run through the HDMI output. So connect all your gadgets into the necessary inputs and this will switch it. This receiver has 5 HDMI inputs which is more than enough for any modern equipment such as a Blu-Ray player, X-Box 360, Playstation 3 etc. The only thing you really have to do is match up everything up once it is fully connected which you can do via the on-screen set up.
Overall I love this receiver, the sound quality is excellent and the video switching is flawless. I can't fault it in any area and if you want to go with a company who build true audio then you can't go wrong with Onyko.
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Great receiver for the price
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| Review Date: August 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: C. Bailey, Springfield, MO USA |
This Onkyo receiver is a great value for the quality and features. As an owner of a previous Onkyo receiver, I was excited to see what type of improvements they have made to the product over the past few years. First and foremost, the sound quality is excellent when paired with a set of Polk RM85 speakers.
In addition, Onkyo has made it incredibly easy to tune the receiver to your listening environment with the Audyssey functionality. You simply plug in the included test microphone into the front of the receiver and an on-screen guide will instruct you where to place the microphone in the room. It's important to put the microphone at ear level for the best test results. During the process, the receiver will emit various test sounds via individual speakers and analyze the result. Overall, the tuning takes 15-20 minutes, but it's well worth your time to get the best audio possible for your room.
Additional improvements to the product include the ability to remember the listening mode and statically configure the mode depending on the audio source. This is important because you don't want to be listening to your Blu-Ray movies in All Channel Stereo mode - kind of negates the purpose of having such a good receiver, doesn't it? I routinely have this problem with my old Onkyo, so this feature was a welcome improvement.
Finally, as previous reviewers have pointed out, the receiver emits a lot of heat, so be sure to have adequate ventilation in your A/V cabinet or closet. |
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