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Onkyo’s 7.1 surround-sound TX-SR577 lives up to the company’s reputation for producing high-quality, low-cost AV receivers. It’s also probably the most configurable receiver here. Each of the two coaxial and two optical S/PDIF inputs can be manually assigned to the component and composite inputs, so you can mix and match sound and video outputs. There are four HDMI 1.3 inputs, and the TX-SR577 can decode every current surround-sound format, including HD audio. HDMI, component and composite outputs are standard. Video input on an analogue channel can’t be output digitally over HDMI. There’s no multi-channel input, so this AV receiver’s not the ideal choice for use with a standard PC. The receiver’s main 7.1 surround-sound speaker connections are seven pairs of binding posts and a mono phono subwoofer connector. If you have a 5.1 setup, you can use the spare binding posts for bi-wiring. You can also connect high front stereo speakers via spring clips, which should be placed 1m above the front speakers. The TX-SR577 is a little complicated to use, but the excellent manual helped us through any tricky settings. Once we’d positioned our speakers, we connected the setup microphone. The TX-SR577 lets you calibrate optimal surround-sound audio for more than one location in a room, so that all viewers can enjoy the full surround-sound effect. The resulting sweet spots are well worth the effort.
The receiver produced excellent results with every speaker set we tried it with, producing a broad, realistic and clearly defined soundstage. Directional audio was spot on. Moving objects and subtle nuances of ambient background sound had an immediacy that pulled us into the film. Sound is vivid without compromising on bass, mid-tones or treble; whispered voices, sizzling fireworks and earth-shattering explosions were all reproduced to impressive effect. Surround-sound and stereo music were extraordinarily smooth, sharp and rich. The TX-SR577 runs very hot and at times required us to refer back to the manual, but it sounds simply fantastic and is a clear Best Buy winner.
