Onkyo HT-RC180 receiver: Awesome sound, right price

The HT-RC180, the best-sounding receiver for a grand.

(Credit: Onkyo)

Powerful-sounding receivers are hard to come by.

Sure, you can buy respectable-sounding models from the usual suspects--Denon, Marantz, Onkyo, Pioneer, Sony, and Yamaha--but most of the more affordable models lack real muscle. They sound acceptable at moderate volume levels, but can't fully convey home theater impact the way bigger, read "more expensive," models do.

Onkyo's new HT-RC180 ($1,049 MSRP) is THX Select2 Plus Certified and that's always a good sign. A bevy of features including an Ethernet port that enables the HT-RC180 either to receive and output audio tracks playing on your PC, or to bypass your PC and directly stream Internet radio stations such as Rhapsody and Pandora. There's five HDMI 1.3a inputs and the ability to upscale any video input to 1080p via Faroudja DCDi Cinema. You'll soon get the complete scoop in the full HT-RC180 review I did with Matthew Moskovciak.

The features are nice, but it was the HT-RC180's power and dynamic slam that wowed me.

The very first thing I noticed about the HT-RC180 was its ability to play nice and loud without strain. True, in absolute terms it probably can't play much louder than lesser receivers, but the HT-RC180 definitely sounds better playing loud. Home theater, at its best, is all about producing a more visceral experience, and the HT-RC180 does just that.

To more fully exploit the HT-RC180's potential I played some of my favorite SACD and DVD-Audio discs. Take the Talking Heads DVD-A for example: the seamless 5.1 channel surround mixes were phenomenal. So much so I never felt a need to use the HT-RC180's seven channels. The band's dynamic range was impressive, and Tina Weymouth's funky basslines were especially easy to follow. You won't hear me say this too often, but once I heard the Talking Heads in surround, the stereo mixes sounded claustrophobic.

CD sound in the stereo was spectacularly good. We listened to Gerald Clayton's hard-hitting piano jazz trio on his "Two-Shade" CD. The stand-up bass was deep, yet beautifully defined, drums were powerful, and Clayton's piano natural. Overall transparency was excellent.

The HT-RC180 is the best-sounding receiver I've heard in its class. Highly recommended.

[carguy622]

I just hooked up the Onkyo HT-RC180 on Tuesday. It replaced a previous home theater in a box system and I have been blown away by the improvement in sound quality. Since money is a little tight right now I reused the speakers from the old system (save the subwoofer) and can't believe how much better they sound with the Onkyo. Not to mention all the additional connectivity options I now have.

I will never buy a home theater in a box again.

[pubmat]

Yeah, that whole "speakers should occupy the bulk of your home theater expenses" never sat well with me. I always thought that you should buy good speakers, yes, but they didn't have to be the focal part of your dollars. Every upgrade of your electronics will literally breath life into tired or mediocre speakers, giving you sometimes a sonic 180 degree improvement. But, conversely, speakers will not, in my opinion, give you that same upgrade with mediocre or mid-level electronics. In other words, you'll get more bang for your buck. Plus, you can keep upgrading your electronics incrementally if desired.

[marksteiner88]

Pubmat/carguy22:
here's my take: You should buy good speakers, instead of always replacing/ upgrading your current one. invest in 'audiophile-class" speakers; they will be around for years/decades giving you pure listening heaven, of course you have to partner that with separates or an amplifier- it can connect to a receiver with pre-outs and you will never upgrade again your speakers (of course AVR are always upgradeable)

[wmclover]

I recently started listening to all my computer music on 24-96 PCM sound over my very old Yamaha HTR 5280 receiver (140 watts per channel). This only plays stereo from my main speakers plus my subwoofer. To me this sound is great, i.e much better than Dolby sound, which will not play 24-96, but i am not an audiophile. Have i hit upon the best way to hear music on my existing system????

Will a new modern receiver , with lesser wattage give me sound as good as I have now for music if the receivers have less wattage???


Thanks BILL

[marksteiner88]

computer music ie: mp3 songs are compressed; you'll never hear the music the way they intended it to be heard. CDs, LPs are still the way to go for a very good listening experience. i doubt new receivers will be better for your listening experience. new speakers do, check out steve g.'s list of recommended speakers here in his previous columns.