Onkyo 507 vs. 606

[DJPoop]

Hey everyone, first post here.

I recently decided to take the plunge into the home theater game, and picked up an Onkyo TX-SR507, as well as some Polk Monitor 50's/30's/CS1, and the AA HD-Sub10.

Everything is till in the boxes since I bought all this in anticipation of moving to my new condo soon, but now I'm wondering if I should have opted for the 606 instead. I only plan on running a 5.1 setup, which why I opted for the 507. Not to mention that amazon was running a speacial on it for $292 shipped, so price was also a factor. I'm really trying not to break the bank here since I'll have all kinda of other expenses with the move, and buying new furniture, etc.

Maybe I'm having a little buyers remorse now, and wondering if I should return the 507 for the 606. I'd have to fork out a bit more money, plus have to go through the hassle of returning the unit I have sitting in my living room. Would there be any overhwelming benefits to doing so, or will the 507 suit me fine for what I plan on using it for?

Thanks a lot!

[detector19]

Seems like the 606 is the way to go.
I think...

http://reviews.cnet.com/4504-6466_7-...53&id=33553552

[aramis109]

Meh, you get 10 more wpc with the 606, as well as 7.1 vs. 5.1; you can also bi-amp the fronts with the 606 whereas you can't with the 507. There's not much difference between them, honestly. If you were talking about the 706/806, there's a much larger difference there.

[DJPoop]

Originally Posted by aramis109

Meh, you get 10 more wpc with the 606, as well as 7.1 vs. 5.1; you can also bi-amp the fronts with the 606 whereas you can't with the 507. There's not much difference between them, honestly. If you were talking about the 706/806, there's a much larger difference there.

That's kinda what I'm thinking. I figure those extra features, which I won't be using since I will only running 5.1 and won't be bi-amping, don't really justify the extra cost and hassle of having to return the unit I have already. The only real reason I can see for getting the 606 would be if I wanted to upgrade to 7.1 in the future, which I might possibly want to do at some point, but not likely for quite a while.

I just wanted to get the opinions of the experts here in case my reasoning was off.

[aramis109]

Now that the 50x series decodes all the HD audio codecs, the line between it and the 60x is beginning to blur. The 607's give you an extra sub output and PLIIz decoding (which I think is crap), but there's still not much difference. The 70x and up give you pre-outs, more power and the ability to apply processing to matrix out to 7.1. I don't think the 60x series can do that.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by aramis109

Now that the 50x series decodes all the HD audio codecs, the line between it and the 60x is beginning to blur. The 607's give you an extra sub output and PLIIz decoding (which I think is crap), but there's still not much difference. The 70x and up give you pre-outs, more power and the ability to apply processing to matrix out to 7.1. I don't think the 60x series can do that.

yeah well the 606 had good power output, now if the 507 puts out what it states then I guess it would be just as good, but if it acts like the typical Entry level receiver putting out 1/2 of what it states, then you'd be better off with the 606

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by callas01

yeah well the 606 had good power output, now if the 507 puts out what it states then I guess it would be just as good, but if it acts like the typical Entry level receiver putting out 1/2 of what it states, then you'd be better off with the 606

Even 40 watts'll push the Monitor 50's just fine. Realistically, I think expecting a 25% drop with all channels driven is accurate.