Dennis Nicholls
Senior HTF Member
OK there's no existing thread on this AV receiver so I thought I'd start one.
You won't be opening this thread unless you are looking at budget options. Since the chip shortage has hit, this receiver is normally not discounted from MSRP of $329. You can buy a factory refurb for $279 at the Onkyo USA website. https://www.onkyousa.com/product/tx-sr393/ I did this and am generally pleased with the unit. The center channel speaker connections are too small to admit my existing cables.
This unit works well with the Sony UBP-X700 disc player - it accepts DSD from a SACD and processes it in the receiver. It also works well with my TCL TV and connects well from the TCL eARC to the Onkyo ARC (once I bought a new HDMI 2.1 cable). When I turn on the TCL it quickly turns on too. I have not discovered any interface issues among these three components even though they are from three different manufacturers.
I've been running the system with existing older Polk speakers and a JBL powered sub. The Polks are efficient enough that the Onkyo appears to have sufficient power. Onkyo rates it "optimistically" at 155 watts per channel - that's basically a BS rating. Actual RMS rating is down around 80 watts per channel.
It's not a bad AV receiver if you want modern audio DACS, 4k video, and DSD playback from SACDs.
Looking around at the refurb page on the Onkyo USA website, I discovered a HTIB that apparently uses the TX-RS393. It's the HT-S3910. https://www.onkyousa.com/product/ht-s3910/ This HTIB's receiver is labeled a HT-R495 in the pictures but it looks identical and has identical specs as the TX-RS393. For a refurbished price of $349 you get the receiver, 5 speakers, and a powered sub. This is priced $200 under the MSRP for the HTIB. I can't speak for the quality of the item BUT for that price it probably is better than a "powered sound bar" of similar price.
You won't be opening this thread unless you are looking at budget options. Since the chip shortage has hit, this receiver is normally not discounted from MSRP of $329. You can buy a factory refurb for $279 at the Onkyo USA website. https://www.onkyousa.com/product/tx-sr393/ I did this and am generally pleased with the unit. The center channel speaker connections are too small to admit my existing cables.
This unit works well with the Sony UBP-X700 disc player - it accepts DSD from a SACD and processes it in the receiver. It also works well with my TCL TV and connects well from the TCL eARC to the Onkyo ARC (once I bought a new HDMI 2.1 cable). When I turn on the TCL it quickly turns on too. I have not discovered any interface issues among these three components even though they are from three different manufacturers.
I've been running the system with existing older Polk speakers and a JBL powered sub. The Polks are efficient enough that the Onkyo appears to have sufficient power. Onkyo rates it "optimistically" at 155 watts per channel - that's basically a BS rating. Actual RMS rating is down around 80 watts per channel.
It's not a bad AV receiver if you want modern audio DACS, 4k video, and DSD playback from SACDs.
Looking around at the refurb page on the Onkyo USA website, I discovered a HTIB that apparently uses the TX-RS393. It's the HT-S3910. https://www.onkyousa.com/product/ht-s3910/ This HTIB's receiver is labeled a HT-R495 in the pictures but it looks identical and has identical specs as the TX-RS393. For a refurbished price of $349 you get the receiver, 5 speakers, and a powered sub. This is priced $200 under the MSRP for the HTIB. I can't speak for the quality of the item BUT for that price it probably is better than a "powered sound bar" of similar price.
