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In these testing economic times, you can trust Onkyo to deliver maximum bang for your hard-earned buck. With the new HT-RC160, you have a multi-talented 7.2-channel receiver that offers the latest connecting, upscaling, and decoding technology on a bedrock of obsessively fine-tuned Onkyo amplification. Five HDMI 1.3a inputs enable clean, one-cable connection of multiple high-def sources, including Blu-ray Disc, gaming consoles, and set-top boxes. As well as handling native 1080p and upscaled 1080i video, HDMI 1.3a can also carry the HD audio of DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD. The HT-RC160 even includes Dolby's latest technology, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, which adds "front height" channels to bring a spacious new vertical dimension to the sound stage. Along with intelligent Audyssey equalization and Faroudja deinterlacing technologies, the HT-RC160 gives you a ton of connectivity options, so you can incorporate HD Radio, iPod, and more.
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Technical Details
- 80 watts per channel- DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Express, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Pro Logic IIz Decoding
- HDMI Version 1.3a to support Deep Color, x.v.Color, LipSync, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD, Multichannel PCM, and CEC
- Deinterlacer with Faroudja DCDi Edge (Directional Correlational Deinterlacing) technology
- Powered zone 2 and zone 2 line-out for playback in another room (separate source)
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By IAMSLICK
This receiver is one of Onkyo's entry level products. You can pay $1500 for an Onkyo home theatre receiver that connects to your home network and has enough power that you can probably weld with it. Onkyo also makes all-in-one home theatre systems, which aren't a bad way to go either...just look at the reviews they get. This receiver is a step up from doing an all-in-one system because you can select best of breed components and build a better sounding, albeit more expensive system.
I'm replacing my older Denon AVR1200 receiver with this Onkyo HT-RC160 receiver. The Onkyo compares very favorably in both clarity and power. Because the Onkyo is so much newer is has some niceties like HDMI ports. I was able to easily connect my Blu-ray player and Dish Network HD Tuner/DVR via HDMI, and then run only one HDMI cable from the Onkyo to my HDTV. One thing I didn't expect is that I was also able to connect my Wii via RBG cable to the Onkyo, and the Onkyo easily converted it to HDMI and let it share the connection with the Blu-ray and DVR. So I literally only have 1 single HDMI cable connected to the back of my TV now, and nothing else. This is a bonus for anyone who wants to wallmount their TV without having to fish a whole huge bundle of cables through the wall. The Onkyo will also upconvert video to 1080i, but only if it comes in on an HDMI cable. I would have been thrilled out of my mind of this had upconverted my Wii from 480P to 1080i.
Switching between the 3 inputs that all share the one HDMI cable is very easy on the provided Onkyo remote. The remote is actually quite nice. Not too many buttons. Fairly intuitive. Easy to program. I was able to program my Sharp Aquos Blu-ray (code 32907), Sharp Aquos HDTV (code 10093), and Dish Network VIP722 HD DVR (code 01775) in about 5 minutes time. Unfortunately the remote doesn't provide controls for the DVR portion of the Dish Network receiver, so no starting recorded shows, pausing live TV, etc. from the Onkyo provided remote. The remote also doesn't light up, and can not "learn" from other remotes. I think this disqualifies this remote from the more complex home theatre setups. At this receiver's price point I honestly didn't expect a full featured remote...in fact I expected a lot worse than what I got. Plan on buying a Logitech Harmony remote or something like that if you have a true home theatre.
Other nice features of this receiver are the easy to understand instruction manual, a color coded sheet of stickers that you can use to mark all of your cables, and the Audyssey microphone. The Audyssey attaches to the receiver, and you place it in the center of your room after everything is hooked up. The receiver will actually listen to what you have and determine the proper settings for each speaker so you have optimal sound. Unbelievable! If the Onkyo is attached to your TV via HDMI you can press the "Setup" button on the remote and manage everything using a very nice menu driven system displayed on your TV. It lets you adjust the sound, input speakers distances and characteristics, etc. Gone are the days of buying a surround sound receiver and then you're on your own to make it work. Onkyo has made it extremely easy with the menus and all of the instructions and diagrams in the manual.
The only downsides I can see on this receiver are the heat output, which I measured at 115 degrees on top of the receiver during light use, and the basic remote. The upsides are numerous and greatly outweigh any issues. I highly recommend this Onkyo receiver if you want big, full featured sound for a price that doesn't break the bank.
By J. Mejia (CA)
i bought this Onkyo to replace my Sony receiver which didn't have HDMI connection. first i bought it because i heard many improvements from Onkyo and i had to try it out, this is the best sound i ever had from all the receivers i had, i would also recommend that you buy this receiver with a 7.1 surround sound speakers set to receive the full entertainment. Great item, it really has improve a lot. was able to connect all my old and new equipment from home with no hassle.
By 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.
By 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.
By Scott (NJ)
Onkyo is one of the best manufacturers in audio electronics. They may not be as well known like Sony, Panasonic or JVC but in my opinion Onkyo is way better. They are built with better parts and materials to start and they last forever. I own other Onkyo products and they still work as if they are just out of the box.
Ok so now for my review, This unit is very heavy in weight! but that just means its made with more metal than plastic. The overall design is simple and clean and easy to figure out. The back panel is even easier, every connection is clearly labeled and easy to connect to. I have 4 out of the 5 HDMI ports used for various games and dvd players. Basically the system is your hub and everything gets connected into it and then there is just one, yes one HDMI plug out to the tv set. By switching over I actually eliminated 8 other plugs. Right now I only have the system setup with a 5.1 configuration but it can do the 7.2 setup which I will be upgrading to in a week or so. I'll update this review again soon. Speaker setup was simple because again everything is labeled very clearly and one thing I found great was they put a sheet of stickers for you to label your wires with which made un-connecting the old receiver to the new one super easy.
All of my existing speakers work except for the subwoofer, this unit only accepts a powered one and my previous system was just a regular wired one so I've ordered a powered subwoofer and 4 more surround speakers to make up the full 10 that is needed to make it a 7.2 system. As for the sound, its very clear and I hear sounds that my older system didn't even acknowledge. It seems to really separate up the sounds to the correct speakers for optimum home theater experience. I had a slight issue with a little audio lag when hooked up with my directv. What happened was the audio coming from the tv was slightly faster then the output from the receiver giving it a reverb effect but I fixed that with a simple setting in the setup.
The unit runs quite a bit hotter than my previous one so make sure you have enough ventilation. This unit has every imaginable kind of hookup so have a look at the back panel photo and you'll see what I mean http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/HTRC160rear.jpg. Having all these hookups means it will work on anyones current setup. This is great because I hate when you have to stop setting things up and run to your local audio store and buy more cables etc. Again just remember that you need 9 speakers and a powered subwoofer to really use this unit to its fullest. This is the only complaint is that I had to buy a powered subwoofer. This unit also up-converts your dvd player so standard dvd's look HD quality. You even have the ability to change audio inputs if you prefer coax or digital instead of HDMI on any of your sources.
80 watts per channel, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Express, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Pro Logic IIz Decoding, HDMI Version 1.3a to support Deep Color, x.v.Color, LipSync, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD, Multichannel PCM, and CEC
Its well worth the price, well made and sounds really good. There are every kind of sound setting you can think of and then some. Gaming takes on a whole new experience, my PS3 never sounded so good.
Pros:
Super easy connections and configuration
well made
all the latest surround options
plenty of connections
easy remote control
Cons:
Runs very hot
Needs Powered subwoofer
needs 10 speakers to fully enjoy unit
Update 9-26-09
So I've updated my system to the full 7.1 with 10 speakers including the powered subwoofer and what a difference. You could get away with the 5.1 but the extra speakers do make a difference in overall ambient sounds. This unit comes with a microphone to auto configure the speakers but I like to control my own settings so I didn't try that feature. Everything is now balanced and I notice i'm lowering the volume more then the old unit where I was always making it louder.
I purchased this cooler Antec Low Profile AV Component Cooler for Media PC Home Theater Products to help with the very very high heat this unit gives out. The cooler is worth every penny, the Onkyo wasn't hot at ALL!! Don't ask me how this fan does it but its like the receiver isn't even on and I keep the glass doors shut on my Ent center. Get it if your buying this receiver!!
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Buy Onkyo HT-RC160 7.2-Channel A/V Surround Home Theater Receiver Now
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