Pros: The cost of this unit made it a "no brainer" or it made the purchase of this feature rich high quality A/V receiver an easy choice. It has the THX, HDMI 1.4/3D , multiple HDMI inputs that are assignable, the Audyssey EQ-speaker set up, Powered Zone 2.1, 2 Sub Woofer and bi amp configs, a fairly good remote, the iPod or U-port and HD radio available. It it easy enough to learn too. I never owned Onkyo before, Denon, Luxman had served me for years but this is great. HD True , DSX, DTS, Dolby Pro, etc and on, and on.. There are pages of possible 'Listening Modes" upconverting video via Faroudja audio technology equal to high end units. It provides clean full range sound reproduction and the speaker config options with the addition of Pro Logic (PL IIx, IIz) to expand and add the Height dimension to movies and particularly games; scalable in DSX. I see days worth of tweaking given all the modes from the games, music , movies, tv and then pre set capacity or simply choose 'last valid'.....

Cons: A few cons have been noted by some reviewers which are really the failure of them to purchase the next step Onkyo that does provide the usb port , ethernet, 2nd hdmi output or more hdmi inputs..these are not cons because i could have them ...for more money and I believe I got a great value here for what I paid vs what features there are already provided. However, that being duly noted: the remote should be back lit but I find it easy to use. Very short learning curve for it, just to remember the need to revert to 'receiver' button after making the device change. I had to make a considered trade off when opting for the value offered I have not encountered and real cons but am still learning about some of the functions that other past Onkyo owners already are familiar with. I dont have an iPod but a different brand so dont know about its compatibility but that is the universal 'con' of proprietary componentry.

Other Thoughts: I have all new components, LG BD509, Lg 42"550 and Polk Monitor 70s with the RM705 compact and powered sub. I get a good blend and noted the same Audyssey crossovers choosing 40 for them when 80 is a better point, but I can change it with ease and it is much simpler to do 'ad hoc' tweaks than to go through the whole EQ set up manually, saves big time and they are not mutually exclusive either; plenty of flexibility.
I can hardily recommend this to any sector. It offers satisfactory power, adequate for a zone 2 since it is stereo only. the bi ampability of all set ups and still the features go on. And if this is a bit too entry level, there is the 7 seriesor whatever the budget will stand. So far, the operation has been excellent, if not flawless and I am still learning about some features

Pros: Variety of sound features for different modes. Connectivity to all componenets was great.
Runs cool.

Cons: Poor performance on volume. Volume range is 0-99. Even after playing wiith all different calibrations, still need to turn volume control to low 40s before you hear anything. To listen at low levels you need to turn to low 50s, and for movies you need to crank it up to at least 70 to 75. SInce I have a large room, need to crank it up to the 80s. Recommend looking at other receivers . My 608 is going to the basement for the kids PS3.

Pros: First off, ordered it on Thursday got it on Friday Very impressive receiver for the money, has all the bells and whistles , easy setup had it up and running in under an hour. Best of all is the sound quality, outstanding. I have 2 dvd players , a vcr , cable box , a wii and a playstation, all play seamlessly thanks to the 6 hdmi ports, much less switching around.

Cons: Non really .

Pros: Economical
Loads of HDMI inputs
KILLER sound

Cons: No S-video
Zone 2 speakers only work with analog inputs

Other Thoughts: This unit powers 5 Speakercraft 100-watt ceiling speakers, 2 100-watt wall speakers for Zone 2, and outputs to a separate powered subwoofer. Sound is clear even when the volume's cranked up. Be careful if you're wanting to use an HDMI or digital input to feed your Zone 2...you'll be very disappointed. It's still a very good receiver for the price.

Pros: Feature rich including:
1) HDMI muxing with 1.4 support
2) upto 10 simultaneous speaker config
3) speaker calibration

Cons: 1) help screens are limited
2) no backlight for remote control

Other Thoughts: Great receiver for very good price with latest high end features. Happy to have upgraded to new receiver.

Pros: Very well constructed unit, runs cool even though I have it in a somewhat tight space in the entertainment cabinet. On screen setup display is fairly easy to navigate and use. This A/V receiver has much improved my surround sound and HD video quality from just using the HD TV speakers. Many connections on the rear, PRICE !

Cons: I'm having a difficult time using the remote. The menu buttons are setup more complicated than I feel they should be to make selections and for some reason it doesn't work unless I'm within several feet of the receiver, which means I have to walk over to be close enough to it for the unit to respond....very annoying ! I'm also having issues with the volume settings. when using the remote, I don't really start to get any noticeable volume until around level 50...that doesn't seem right. Also I had trouble with the Audyssey 2EQ. It would not finish a complete scan (kept cutting out) for the speaker setup in the room when cycling through the sound check.

Other Thoughts: As I mentioned, I'm not highly knowledgeable when it comes to audio systems and I sure some of the issues I mentioned in the cons can be remedied with more tweaking and updating myself on the equipment and how to maximize the settings. Overall I believe this to be of excellent quality/value with many features to adjust your settings to fit one's A/V needs. I'm running this receiver with a Samsung PN50B860 50" Plasma and Polk Audio RM510 5.1CH High Performance Surround Sound Speaker System.

Pros: A great receiver with lots of input and great up-conversion.
Remote works well with my Blu-Ray, and cable-box.
Up-conversion of all content is nice.
HDMI 1.4 connections.

Cons: The microphone setup is nice, but I'm disappointed in the results - I'll be tweaking it for a while.
THX - I've spent quite a bit of time listening to content over and over in different modes - and I'm generally not very impressed with the THX modes.
Remote: though it is good at operating other devices it also has a very annoying attribute.
Example:If you select Blu-Ray, and want to change listening mode - you have to change the remote back to receiver to do that. More of the remote keys should be receiver dedicated, like the volume is.
HD Radio is not new anymore - it should be included in this receiver.

Other Thoughts: My second Onkyo. I'm not sure you get the same value for your money you used to get with Onkyo - since they've become more prominent in the market.
I like this receiver - I would recommend it.
I believe it will serve my needs for quite some time to come - but it is not quite as fantastic as I had hoped it would be - but I have not added height channel speakers yet.
I'm not done tweaking it, and perhaps I'll get it to where it is what I had hoped for.

Pros: Good power output yet runs cooler then earlier Onkyo models.

Good OSD setup; very configurable.

Tons of connections.

High end features for a mid range price.

Powered Zone 2.

Cons: The Audyssey auto setup did not work right for me. It did set the speaker distances correctly, but it messed up my crossover point. I have Polk Monitor 60s and PSW505 subs (2 of them) and the perfect crossover point is 80Hz. Because the Audyssey setup detected the Monitor 60s could play some bass, it set the crossover to 40Hz. I readjusted it manually and everything is fine now. Your results may vary.

Other Thoughts: I have my HTPC connected using a DVI to HDMI cable and digital sound with a coax cable and it works perfectly. If you have a PC and your only choice is to use the VGA connector, upgrade your video.

It does work with older HDMI cable with no issues at all. Not sure what problem another reviewer ran into.

I have it connected to 2 Polk PSW505 subs, 2 Monitor 60s, a CS1 center and 8" JBL ceiling speakers. I have the Zone 2 sent to 2 Yamahas on the patio. The sound is crystal clear with plenty of punch. I'm sure my neighbors hate me.

Pros: The Sound is awesome!
You get a ton of different options.
There are no shortage of inputs.

Cons: none.

Other Thoughts: The options can be overwhelming at first.

Don't go any lower than this model.
You won't regret it, it is one of the best receivers for the money I have ever owned.

Pros: This is a PERFECT entry-level custom integration receiver. It has discrete on/off and source select IR codes, a ton of assignable inputs, decent amount of power, low heat generation. If you have an RTI / AMX / Crestron system and want a receiver that does a lot for a little without compromise, this is it, hands down.

Audio setup is advanced and very useful and OSD setup is excellent for any level of receiver.

Cons: The second zone is lame. I'd have liked to see move video and possibly HD video to zone 2. As it is, it's hard to use and offers little options.

The proprietary IR input is not useful. An IR input on the back is great for sending commands from a control unit, but with this, you get the port but only if it's for another Onkyo device. Silly. It should take plain IR commands. That would make it the go-to low-cost integration friendly receiver

Other Thoughts: It should include an ipod cable. Others for the same cost do.

If you are doing a single-room setup this is a great receiver. It will take a ton of inputs, work happily with control systems and upscale beautifully.

If you want a second zone or streaming or other advanced features, you'll have to go up the Onkyo ladder for the 708 or more. That said, I'd stick with the brand. I was going to get a Denon but the deal on this was very good and I dont regret it. If you are doing more serious integration I'd use the 708 because of it's RS232 port and if you want multiple zones, DO YOUR HOMEWORK on what each zone can do.