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Works very much as advertised. It is big, so plan on having some room available. Probably not the best receiver I've ever had, but perfectly adequate for a small home theater and CD playing application. I haven't gotten around to installing the rear speakers yet, so I can't comment on the surround sound, but it drives two pretty hefty (and old and inefficient)stereo speakers and a center speaker very nicely. This isn't for a small, unobtrusive installation. No regrets.got my money's worth plus a little.
Read the other reviewers - they say it much better than I can.3) After approximately 3 months of use, the sound frequently includes a high-pitched screech. I bought this to replace an older receiver, and this one was on sale at Radio Shack. This occurs on every channel; does not occur via the DVD output, tho. I learned all too quickly why it was on sale:1) The manual seems to have been written by the technician who put the receiver together. It is very difficult to follow, takes hours of reading and interpreting to figure out, and its instructions are cryptic.2) The so-called HDMI is a joke. Not only is this annoying, but it indicates to me that the unit is very cheaply made.That said, I HIGHLY recommend you NOT purchase this unit. I'm going to try and sell it on eBay and replace it with an Onkyo (that's what we have in the living room).
I also recommend getting a good subwoofer and center speaker it makes a world of difference. Let me start by saying I am the furthest thing from an expert when it comes to sound. I like how many ports there are for input, but I don't like that there is no s-video and you can pass all the video through HDMI (or audio through HDMI). I would recommend reading the manual as well not because its complex to set-up or use, but just so you understand the features and how to use them. When it comes to speakers just remember this receiver is only 500 watts so there is no need to buy anything over 100 watts (including the subwoofer), I am using 3 different kinds of speakers (cause that's what I had laying around) and I am happy with the way everything works together. I think it sounds great for a 500 watt system.
I never noticed how long it took to switch from one input to another till I got this receiver. That being said this was very easy to configure. Another thing I like about this system over my previous one is start up time. Both me and my friend enjoy this system way more than the 1000 watt RCA system I had before (that system was from Wal-Mart and cost $150 for the receiver, sub and 5 speakers). If you are looking for something cheap to hold you over till you can really spend the cash on a system this would be a good receiver to start with. It takes maybe 2 seconds from start-up to listening to sound.
The last thing I would like to say about this receiver is don't bother with the tuner for radio its garbage, but do make an attempt to utilize all the ports, if you don't have digital audio cables or component cables buy some and run everything you can through the receiver it will make component switching so much easier and there will be less fluctuation between quality.
I had a very bad experience with the Pioneer VSX-819H-K and ended up getting the Yamaha HTR-6130BL instead. I could not be happier. It sounds GREAT, has a good easy to read interface/display, and the universal remote control rocks. I have heard much more expensive hardware that does not sound this good.
I thought my 8-year-old receiver (sorry Kenwood) might be to blame, and, thankfully, I was right. HISSSSS.Oh no. As a reward for accomplishing a certain goal (obtaining a Master's Degree) I decided to reward myself with a full upgrade of my computer's audio subsystem. I called up Onkyo's tech support and they told me that the 6-channel input I required was only available in their 'thousand dollar receiver models and above'; (.).
I set it up, and. This receiver features something invaluable (and unusual in this price range) to a very small subset of receiver purchasers; multi-channel input. It was time for it to be put to rest. For those of you with a wee bit of disposable income and a penchant for decent sound from your computer; ditch the 'all-in-one' speaker/amp combos sold by certain manufacturers and invest in some separates. My most feared curse of audio systems, the dreaded hiss factor.
I bought an Onkyo receiver, brought it home, and realized to my horror that it did *not* feature six-channel input. For just a Benjamin or two more you will likely get some truly stellar sound out of your system. New speakers (BIC DV62i fronts + Cerwin Vega VE-5C center + Yamaha NS-M225P surrounds)+ incorporation of my old much-loved Kenwood 5.1 receiver. Mercifully, I was able to return it for a refund.Thankfully, a local brick-and-mortar store had something for less than a fourth of the aforementioned ridiculous price that satisfied my needs; this Yamaha receiver. Headphones: hiss.
Speakers: Hiss. I introduced this new Yamaha STR-6130 into my computer system and the hiss was banished like a demon before the light. Playing Fallout 3 with my present rig is a night & day difference versus the $150 'all-in-one' computer-speaker setup I had before this investment.
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