Onkyo TX-DS474 Receiver
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Onkyo TX-DS474 A/V Surround-Sound Receiver -- Ready to Rumble Your Home-Theater for Two C-Notes
Pros
Conservatively-rated 55 watts into five channels, Dolby Digital decoder, remote.
Cons
No DTS decoder. Spring-clip speaker connections. Only one-each coaxial, optical digital inputs.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Covers all the A/V receiver home-theater basics for $200. Awesome value. It will even leave you enough money to buy a decent set of surround-sound speakers.
Folks who are on a tight home-theater budget should take a look at Onkyo's TX-DS474 A/V receiver. This is a Year-1999 model, replaced by the 484, which is itself getting a bit long in the tooth and will probably be superceded by a new, similar model (the entry-level unit in Onkyo's A/V receiver line). Onkyo, as explained in my review of their TX-DS575X receiver (link below), concentrates on manufacturing audio equipment, mainly receivers, and their products have a satisfyingly solid feel matched with excellent performance.
Quite Similar to 50%-More-Expensive Model
Since you can find the 474 selling for $200, and it really does not differ a great deal from the 484, which replaced it, it's a pretty good deal (the later model sells for $300). While the 484 has both Dolby Digital (DD) and Digital Theater Sound (DTS) decoding, the 474 has only DD. Since this will give you 5.1-channel surround sound with about 99% of the movie DVD's on the market, the lack of DTS isn't a huge drawback.
There are two other main differences between the two models. First, while the 484 has banana-plug speaker connections, the 474 employs spring-clip for attaching speaker wires. While banana-plug connections are considered an "audiophile" feature, they do not really impact on the sound quality you'll get (the essential factor in this type of connection is the level of electrical resistance, and, at the power levels involved in an audio amplifier of this sort -- usually around one watt and rarely exceeding 100 -- spring-clip connectors do not have a significantly higher level of resistance than banana-plug connectors). Second, the 484 has two coaxial (RCA-jack) digital-audio connections and a single optical (fiber optic) jack, while the 474 has just one each of the coaxial and optical digital audio connections.
55 Watts of Clean Audio Power
Like the 484, the 474 puts out 55 watts, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with 0.08% total harmonic distortion (THD), to either two or five channels (the sixth channel in 5.1 surround, the low-frequency-effects (LFE -- deep bass), is output via a line-level connection). Those 55 watts, by the way, aren't just any old watts. These babies are produced using Onkyo's Wide-Range Amplifier Technology (WRAT). Just picking up the 474, its heft speaks of a substantial power-supply transformer, chunky power-amp transistors, and a major heat-sink. Some other receivers in this price range might be rated at putting out more raw amps, but I'd rather have a conservative power rating with excellent specs, which is what you get with this receiver.
Shameless-But-Useful Self-Promotion
For more on the general advantage of going with an Onkyo for your home-theater receiver, please see my review of the TX-DS575X ($450):
http://www.epinions.com/content_13402345092
If you're looking for a low-priced surround-sound receiver, another good candidate is the Sherwood RVD-6090R ($170, but it doesn't give you quite the same bang-for-the-buck as the 474):
http://www.epinions.com/content_15583055492
Another option, useful for those who already own a DVD player, is a "home-theater-in-a-box," HTIB, such as Kenwood's fine HTB-503 ($450) which includes a Kenwood VR-407 A/V receiver, a set of five Kenwood surround-sound speakers, and a Kenwood 100-watt powered subwoofer:
http://www.epinions.com/content_15283031684
Bringing the HTIB concept to its ultimate extension, Panasonic's SC-HT80 ($600) includes a DVD/CD/AM-FM A/V receiver (all in one case), a set of five surround speakers, and a passive subwoofer (powered by the amp in the receiver). The great thing about a unit like this, for those who don't yet own a DVD player, is that you get the whole shebang in one box. As long as you've got a TV set (and VCR's make life much better as well), this is all you need:
http://www.epinions.com/content_14568820356
Sony has a product similar to the SC-HT80, the DAV-S300 ($600), though its smaller speakers and fewer extra inputs make it less desirable, unless you're a big Sony fan and will accept the tradeoff's for that "No Baloney" name plate:
http://www.epinions.com/content_14467829380
Prepared to Take on Basic Home-Theater Chores
The 474 is completely ready to serve as the heart of your home-theater system. With its Dolby Pro Logic and DD processing capability, it will take the audio from your DVD soundtracks and crank it up over five surround speakers (plus subwoofer). In addition to a single coaxial digital-audio surround-sound input and a single optical digital-audio surround-sound jack, the receiver includes analog stereo inputs for a phono cartridge (this feature is missing on many less-expensive new receivers), a tape deck, a VCR, a DVD player, and a CD player. If you have a DVD player with six-channel surround-sound analog output, such as player with an integral DD or DTS decoder or one of the newer DVD-Audio machines, you can utilize the 474's complete set of six analog surround-sound input jacks.
Don't Expect Serious Video Switching at this Price
While you can loop some video devices through this receiver, it's better to just run the audio into it and cable your video outputs directly to your TV set. The limited switching available is only with composite video jacks (the yellow "video" or "A/V" jacks, the lowest quality type of video connection). It's quite likely that you'll use at least an S-Video connection to output the video from your DVD player to your TV and the 474 doesn't even have any S-Video I/O's. In fact, you don't find those until you get to Onkyo's newer TX-DS575X (mid-run model which replaced the S-Video-less TX-DS575).
Remote
The remote on the 474 is fairly small, though not tiny, and of a functional, but uninspiring design. Basically, it's a generic rectangle with chiclet-sized buttons. But it works. When you move up the Onkyo line to the 575X, you get a much bigger, more elaborate RC. The remote will also control Onkyo-brand CD players, DVD players, and cassette decks.
You Can Tuna Fish, and You Can Tune this Receiver
The 474 doesn't skimp on the tuner section, as is frequently the case with inexpensive, entry-level receivers. AM specs are the following: 30 uf sensitivity and 40 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). FM performance has these numbers (mono/ stereo respectively): 11.2/17.2 dBf sensitivity, 76/70 dB SNR, 0.1/0.2% harmonic distortion, and FM stereo separation of 45 dB at 1 kHz (these numbers are Onkyo's, but they've always struck me as an honest company).
Misc.
The 474 tips the scales at 21.2 pounds and its dimensions in cm are 435 x 150 x 322 (W x H x D). Onkyo backs the 474 with a one-year warranty.
Conclusion
While this receiver lacks a couple of the goodies that people usually look for in A/V surround-sound receivers, such as a DTS decoder and banana-plug speaker connections, it does have the type of basic features which make Onkyo receivers so popular: 55 clean watts into five channels, DD decoder, and a sensitive AM/FM tuner with 30 presets. While the 474 dates back to 1999, you can still find some units of this product kicking around at brick-and-mortar retailers, such as The Wiz in New York. It's a little hard to find for sale online, but a few cyber merchants have the 474 in stock. At $200, this receiver is a great bargain for somebody who wants to obtain a basic A/V surround-sound unit without breaking the bank.
Quite Similar to 50%-More-Expensive Model
Since you can find the 474 selling for $200, and it really does not differ a great deal from the 484, which replaced it, it's a pretty good deal (the later model sells for $300). While the 484 has both Dolby Digital (DD) and Digital Theater Sound (DTS) decoding, the 474 has only DD. Since this will give you 5.1-channel surround sound with about 99% of the movie DVD's on the market, the lack of DTS isn't a huge drawback.
There are two other main differences between the two models. First, while the 484 has banana-plug speaker connections, the 474 employs spring-clip for attaching speaker wires. While banana-plug connections are considered an "audiophile" feature, they do not really impact on the sound quality you'll get (the essential factor in this type of connection is the level of electrical resistance, and, at the power levels involved in an audio amplifier of this sort -- usually around one watt and rarely exceeding 100 -- spring-clip connectors do not have a significantly higher level of resistance than banana-plug connectors). Second, the 484 has two coaxial (RCA-jack) digital-audio connections and a single optical (fiber optic) jack, while the 474 has just one each of the coaxial and optical digital audio connections.
55 Watts of Clean Audio Power
Like the 484, the 474 puts out 55 watts, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with 0.08% total harmonic distortion (THD), to either two or five channels (the sixth channel in 5.1 surround, the low-frequency-effects (LFE -- deep bass), is output via a line-level connection). Those 55 watts, by the way, aren't just any old watts. These babies are produced using Onkyo's Wide-Range Amplifier Technology (WRAT). Just picking up the 474, its heft speaks of a substantial power-supply transformer, chunky power-amp transistors, and a major heat-sink. Some other receivers in this price range might be rated at putting out more raw amps, but I'd rather have a conservative power rating with excellent specs, which is what you get with this receiver.
Shameless-But-Useful Self-Promotion
For more on the general advantage of going with an Onkyo for your home-theater receiver, please see my review of the TX-DS575X ($450):
http://www.epinions.com/content_13402345092
If you're looking for a low-priced surround-sound receiver, another good candidate is the Sherwood RVD-6090R ($170, but it doesn't give you quite the same bang-for-the-buck as the 474):
http://www.epinions.com/content_15583055492
Another option, useful for those who already own a DVD player, is a "home-theater-in-a-box," HTIB, such as Kenwood's fine HTB-503 ($450) which includes a Kenwood VR-407 A/V receiver, a set of five Kenwood surround-sound speakers, and a Kenwood 100-watt powered subwoofer:
http://www.epinions.com/content_15283031684
Bringing the HTIB concept to its ultimate extension, Panasonic's SC-HT80 ($600) includes a DVD/CD/AM-FM A/V receiver (all in one case), a set of five surround speakers, and a passive subwoofer (powered by the amp in the receiver). The great thing about a unit like this, for those who don't yet own a DVD player, is that you get the whole shebang in one box. As long as you've got a TV set (and VCR's make life much better as well), this is all you need:
http://www.epinions.com/content_14568820356
Sony has a product similar to the SC-HT80, the DAV-S300 ($600), though its smaller speakers and fewer extra inputs make it less desirable, unless you're a big Sony fan and will accept the tradeoff's for that "No Baloney" name plate:
http://www.epinions.com/content_14467829380
Prepared to Take on Basic Home-Theater Chores
The 474 is completely ready to serve as the heart of your home-theater system. With its Dolby Pro Logic and DD processing capability, it will take the audio from your DVD soundtracks and crank it up over five surround speakers (plus subwoofer). In addition to a single coaxial digital-audio surround-sound input and a single optical digital-audio surround-sound jack, the receiver includes analog stereo inputs for a phono cartridge (this feature is missing on many less-expensive new receivers), a tape deck, a VCR, a DVD player, and a CD player. If you have a DVD player with six-channel surround-sound analog output, such as player with an integral DD or DTS decoder or one of the newer DVD-Audio machines, you can utilize the 474's complete set of six analog surround-sound input jacks.
Don't Expect Serious Video Switching at this Price
While you can loop some video devices through this receiver, it's better to just run the audio into it and cable your video outputs directly to your TV set. The limited switching available is only with composite video jacks (the yellow "video" or "A/V" jacks, the lowest quality type of video connection). It's quite likely that you'll use at least an S-Video connection to output the video from your DVD player to your TV and the 474 doesn't even have any S-Video I/O's. In fact, you don't find those until you get to Onkyo's newer TX-DS575X (mid-run model which replaced the S-Video-less TX-DS575).
Remote
The remote on the 474 is fairly small, though not tiny, and of a functional, but uninspiring design. Basically, it's a generic rectangle with chiclet-sized buttons. But it works. When you move up the Onkyo line to the 575X, you get a much bigger, more elaborate RC. The remote will also control Onkyo-brand CD players, DVD players, and cassette decks.
You Can Tuna Fish, and You Can Tune this Receiver
The 474 doesn't skimp on the tuner section, as is frequently the case with inexpensive, entry-level receivers. AM specs are the following: 30 uf sensitivity and 40 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). FM performance has these numbers (mono/ stereo respectively): 11.2/17.2 dBf sensitivity, 76/70 dB SNR, 0.1/0.2% harmonic distortion, and FM stereo separation of 45 dB at 1 kHz (these numbers are Onkyo's, but they've always struck me as an honest company).
Misc.
The 474 tips the scales at 21.2 pounds and its dimensions in cm are 435 x 150 x 322 (W x H x D). Onkyo backs the 474 with a one-year warranty.
Conclusion
While this receiver lacks a couple of the goodies that people usually look for in A/V surround-sound receivers, such as a DTS decoder and banana-plug speaker connections, it does have the type of basic features which make Onkyo receivers so popular: 55 clean watts into five channels, DD decoder, and a sensitive AM/FM tuner with 30 presets. While the 474 dates back to 1999, you can still find some units of this product kicking around at brick-and-mortar retailers, such as The Wiz in New York. It's a little hard to find for sale online, but a few cyber merchants have the 474 in stock. At $200, this receiver is a great bargain for somebody who wants to obtain a basic A/V surround-sound unit without breaking the bank.
