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(More customer reviews)I paired this HT-RC360 receiver with an Onkyo 7.1 surround sound speaker system Onkyo SKS-HT870 Home Theater Speaker System and took it for a week long test drive. The room I set everything up in was not really a room but a loft. Instead of four walls, I was dealing with three walls and a half wall for the back of the "room".This is a difficult arrangement for a speaker system but ultimately I was satisfied with the results. The floor space is roughly 14 feet wide by 12 feet deep. The arrangement is such that the TV and audio equipment are against one 14 foot wall and the listening chairs are against the opposing ½ wall. The two side walls are 12 feet and solid. The speakers are mounted fairly close to where Dolby Labs suggests except that the surround speakers are about 8 feet up and angled down toward the listening area. I did not use the rear surround speakers in a traditional 7.1 configuration but chose the "front high" option provided by Dolby Pro Logic IIz because I do not have a complete back wall. In fact, if the receiver did not have that option I would be stuck with a 5.1 setup.
SETUP
Physically setting up the system was a snap. The color coding on the Onkyo speaker wires matches the receiver speaker outputs. Inputs and outputs are clearly marked. I chose to use the provided cables and wires to see how things worked right from the box. If you connect your TV via the only HDMI out, programming can be done via the remote and displayed on the TV screen. At this point, I ran into two ugly traits. First, I could not go back up the setup level tree. I had to start from the top every time - very annoying. Then, 14 pages later, I was introduced to the function of the return button - very helpful in navigating the menu but introduced a bit late in the game. Second, the manual is not friendly to use or very complete for some basic tasks. After 15 minutes of reading the manual and trying, I was unable to do a simple thing like manually tune a radio station (finally I realized the TUNER button on the remote was not the same as the TUNER MODE button on the receiver and the instructions do not indicate where the buttons are physically located - lesson learned to check both). However, a complex task like connecting to the internet to update the firmware was easily done and well explained. Enough about the manual - certainly not the worst tech writing but could be better.
FEATURES
This receiver has a ton of features so plan on spending a week or two learning how to make the most of its capabilities. Below are some of the quick and easy features included that I have found useful:
-Plugging in a USB key into the front of the receiver to play content quickly and easily. The interface is very intuitive.
-Internet radio. Using vTuner was seamless and worked without any registration. Register if you want to create and manage favorite stations on your PC.
-Streaming music from my Windows Media Player 12 equipped PC over the network via dlna was quick to set up and effective.
-The Audyssey 2EQ is very user friendly and did a great job of testing out my room and calibrating individual speaker output. It saves a ton of individual settings (available in the regular menus). The surround effect when finished was outstanding for my 5.1 ATT Uverse and my 7.1 DVD player.
-The listening modes are grouped into four remote control buttons for Movie/TV, Music, Game, and Stereo. Since there are over 40 modes, having them grouped for usefulness is outstanding. Also, only the available modes are present - you won't get DTS-HD as a choice if it is not an option from your media being played.
MISCELLANEOUS
The advanced set up consists of 9 menus that lead to other menus that control and set everything including I/O assignments, resolutions, converting, digital audio, speaker assignment / adjustment and Audyssey configurations to name only some.
The receiver also has a second zone that will output most sources as an analogue signal to another area via a direct speaker connection or a left and right line out to connect to another amplifier/receiver. This allows playback from different sources in different areas. I recently finished wiring in-ceiling speakers in several zones so having the option for this receiver to provide input to another amp is fantastic. As soon as I can afford a 6 or 8 zone amp I plan to link it all together. Of note, if you connect two speakers directly to the receiver you will be limited to 5.1 when both zones are on. If you use the line out the 7.1 is retained.
SUMMARY
Over all, this is a very reasonably priced and versatile receiver with pleasing sound reproduction and network access. It has plenty of power to drive my 6 ohm Onkyo 7.1 speakers with clarity and the adjustments for different listening sources are ample. The combination produced vivid and convincing surround sound for movies and respectable stereo listening for two channel sources over the 7.1 setup. If you are interested, I will soon be posting a reivew on the speakers used here as well.
P.S. Check out The Hurt Locker in 7.1 - fantastic.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Onkyo HT-RC360 7.2-Channel Network Audio/Video Receiver (Black)
Onkyo has forged an iron-clad reputation for making high-quality home theater more affordable. Case in point: the HT-RC360, a versatile networking A/V receiver with a savvy selection of today's most vital technologies. This receiver does more than just handle all your favorite disc-based movies, games, and music. Thanks to its network function, the HT-RC360 also lets you bring to your living room a range of audio content from the internet or your PC. Six HDMI inputs including one on the front panel let you enjoy all the latest A/V formats: immersive 3D video; ultra-high resolution 4K video up scaling via Qdeo technology; lossless audio from Dolby and DTS; and expanded surround sound from Odyssey DSX and Dolby Pro Logic IIz. Further exploiting the versatility of HDMI, the HT-RC360 includes a new user-friendly GUI and on-screen display for easy adjustment of settings. Driving it all is a clean and powerful amplifier design based on Onkyo's proprietary WRAT.
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