I know that the PS3 won't pass the DTS HD-MA track to the Onkyo 605 receiver(or any other receiver for that matter). But what is the verdict on the Toshiba HD-XA2? That also has HDMI 1.3. I only have one HD-DVD with a DTS HD-MA track(La Haine), but does anyone know for sure whether that player will pass the track to the receiver for decoding?

Unfortunately, as asinine as it sounds, all the new Onkyos have done so far is serve to make things more complicated.

From the "Sometimes you just need to stop researching and buy it" files, I decided on the Onkyo 604 for $299.

The extras the Yamaha v661 and Onkyo 605 provided were not worth the extra $100-150 it would've cost me to buy either. Plus, there seems to be a pretty serious ongoing backlash over the 605 at AVS.

Where are you guys getting these deals on the 604? Now I may get one!!

AVS says that there are downrez issues as well as audio popping and matrixing issues on the receiver. Plus, there is an overall disappointment with sound quality.

I may have to check out this Yammy now...

Is this comment directed toward the 605, the 604, or both?

Here's the 604 for $299: http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/ONKTXSR604

Be aware that this is factory reconditioned.

I was hoping to get it new at CC for $349, but it was out-of-stock (online and at all my stores) by the time I was ready to order.

The way tech seems to be going, $300 for a refurb receiver I only use even 2-3 years is something I'm OK with.

Onkyo refurbs are some of the best in the business. I don't shy away from refurb (unless it's a display) since they replace the problematic parts and electronics will last virtually forever if properly constructed with non-defective parts.

Good to hear, thanks.

Any response to my 605?/604? question above?

I'm pretty sure he was referring to the 605 with the popping noises, downrezzing, and the "overall disappointment with sound quality." I'd have to disagree with the part about sound quality, though. Other than people being frustrated by the popping noises, I recall only a couple people being upset about the actual sound quality.

Sorry, that was my general survey on the 605 from the AVS boards. They aren't my opinions since I haven't demo'ed it yet.

The reports of popping noises does have me a bit concerned. I am supposed to be getting my 605 on Wednesday, so I'll have to hook it up to see if I encounter the same type of thing, but I will be oh so pissed if I have to deal with it. Some of the people have said that after the first day of use, the popping subsided, so we'll see.

I got the 605 this weekend. I'm actually downgrading a bit in power from the 801, but not by much. My 801 was 100w per channel I believe, while the 605 is 90w. I'm using Beta 50 towers which are the biggest speakers in the setup and seem to be just fine with the different power.

Anyway, I demo'd some TrueHD and PCM stuff from both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, and they sounded much better to my ears. Casino Royale sounded awesome.

I think I might have triggered the amp protection circuit when I was demoing my HD recording of Saving Private Ryan. I had the beach scene on, and I had the receiver at about 76. All of a sudden it clicked off and I saw a red light flashing. But I turned it back on and everything seemed fine. It didn't feel too hot either. I started thinking I might have sat or leaned on the controller, but I'm not sure. We'll see how it goes.

The only thing I don't like is how the inputs are labeled. Instead o having Video 1, Video 2, etc., you get DVD, DVR/VCR, CABLE/SAT, GAME/?, etc. I much prefer the numbered inputs.

When people talk about "popping" with the 605, do they mean during regular use? Like in the middle of a movie it starts popping, or do they mean at specific times? I ask because in the box there's a disclaimer sheet that specifically says that when you change audio sources or tracks that a pop might be heard. It only happens on mine when my PS3 first turns on and when a movie is first started, but never during playback of... well... anything or the use of any other connected components.

People are getting intermittent popping out of their speakers throughout movies or whatever they are listening to. I could be wrong, but I think most of them said it is occurring while listening to multi channel PCM sources, and for some of the people who have reported it, the popping seems to get worse as the receiver "warms up."

Bunkaroo- Glad to hear you are liking the sound quality. I am really excited for mine to get here, as I am upgrading from a 7 year old Yamaha, so this will be my first foray into lossless audio . I agree with you about the static labeling of the inputs, too (both on the display and the actual unit itself). That is a disappointment and seems way too old school. I'll deal with it, but ideally, I would be able to customize the inputs so the text display would read as "Blu-ray", "HD-DVD", etc.

I think I heard a pop when I turned my Tv off, but that was about it. I should note I watched movies for 3+ hours straight and did not notice any issues, and I was using multi-channel PCM via HDMI the whole time.

On the labeling, they are apparently doing that for the 805 as well.

I haven't even seen a 605, and I haven't read those threads, so take this FWIW:

Many popping/dropout issues in the past have been the digital processing software not matching up with what is being sent by a player. Either because it is just plain bad, or they didn't have final specs, or whatever. The popping is essentially the receiver repeatedly re-syncing the signal, just as if you had changed inputs. Onkyo has had this problem in the past when new codecs came out. Sometimes it was firmware-repairable, although a 6xx series would have to be sent in to an authorized repair center anyway.

I got my 605 on Tuesday, and no popping noises what so ever (knock on wood). I am really liking it so far, but the fact that you have to turn the volume up way higher than on most receivers to get the same output will take a little getting used to.

Question: I have my HD-A2 hooked up to the Onkyo 604 receiver via HDMI with the player set for PCM out. If the receiver reads "multichannel PCM" when I'm watching a HDDVD with TrueHD sound, is that "the best" sound this receiver should display?

What do you mean by "display sound"?

The front display on any receiver shows the format the sound is being played in: "dd5.1", "dts", "pcm", etc, right?

With an HDDVD and TrueHD sound, what should be the best sound output I can expect given the equipment I have?

You are right - Multichannel PCM

Thanks.

In a nutshell, what are the essential differences between the 604 and 605 for someone who just wants to hook up their XA2 and PS3 via HDMI to get PCM/True HD sound?

I have a 5.1 speaker set-up and a 1080i TV.

Rusty-

off the top of my head, the differences are pretty minimal. Even though the 605's HDMI inputs are 1.3, which theoretically will allow for TrueHD and DTS-HD MA to be bitstreamed if and when it is ever possible, right now all you will get is the same Multichannel PCM that the 604 provides.

The 605 will also transcode analog inputs to be output over the single HDMI out to your tv, which I believe the 604 will not do.

If you can find a 604 for a lot cheaper than the 605 (like someone here was able to at Fry's), then I say go for it, unless you really want a single cable connection to the tv. Otherwise, you're probably better off just getting the 605, all things considered.