 |   Publisher : Onkyo Company : Onkyo List Price: Our Price: $477.99 You Save: $571.01 (55%) Used Price : $325.00 |
Features
- 110 Watts per Channel at 8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 Channels Driven, FTC
- THX Select2 Plus Certified with THX Loudness Plus
- HDMI Video Upscaling to 1080p with Faroudja DCDi Cinema
- Audio and 1080p Video Processing via HDMI (5 Inputs and 1 Output)
- Powered Zone 2 and Zone 3 for Playback of Separate Sources in Other Rooms
Product Description
The THXSelect2 Plus Certified HT-RC180 combines the latest home-theater functionality with home-network capability to create a compelling mid-range centerpiece. A rear-side Ethernet port 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. The HT-RC180 provides five HDMI1.3a inputs to handle a range of high-definition video and audio sources. HDMI compatibility also enables the receiver to upscale any video input to 1080p via Faroudja DCDi Cinema. This 110 W-rated receiver also features Audyssey DSXand DolbyPro LogicIIz, two new surround-sound formats that expand the spatial dimensionality of games and movies. On top of all this, you also have Audyssey room-correction and equalization technologies working to create a well-balanced soundstage, no matter the volume level or the shape of your room. Among the other highlights of the HT-RC180 are a customizable remote controller and a proprietary Universal Port that enables single-cable connection of peripheral audio devices.SimilarProduct
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Customer reviews
Wow - I'm blown away! 
by .. Richard C. Drew (Oak Lawn, IL USA)
I've owned a lot of electronics, all makes and many models. I had not upgraded my core system for many years, and knew it was time for a change. I'm a fan of Onkyo (I have another Onkyo AV receiver in the living room) and was looking for one with network connection and more power. Man does this deliver. The quality, feel and look is all top-quality. This may be a 7.1 system, but it powers 10 speakers, two subs, and three different zones/rooms! That's 11 speakers plus two subs (13 total.) Remember that Frasier episode from a few years ago where he purchased a new soundsystem, and his living room looked like a speaker Stonehenge. Seemed farfetched at the time - but now it's clearly possible. If you use full sized speakers you would have a draw-dropping first impression. As it is, I have 11 speakers and one sub, varying sizes and makes - that's impressive enough.
The sound? Wow. I played Aero by Jean Michelle Jarre - a 5.1 audio DVD. It knocked my socks off. The audio resolution and depth were amazing. The receiver also has numerous listening modes - so many it takes over two pages in the manual to list them. Different Dolby modes, THX and many more. There's a diagram on the front panel that displays the speakers that will be used by each mode. As you change them, the speaker display changes - pretty simple. Want only two speakers? Four? Eleven? Simple.
So here's my experience, from unpacking to turn-on.
Packaging: Extra-heavy duty. Double-thick box, form fit foam. The box will take a lot of abuse in shipping. See my included photos.
Unpacking: Typical anti-static and foam wrap, tape and scratch protection. Heavy unit - will take two people to unpack unless you are comfortable moving heavy weight.
Installation: I find it easier to make a temporary platform at around the same height as the shelf the unit will sit on - I've always done this. In this case, two storage boxes put it at about the perfect height. This way I can attach all cables and simply slide the unit in place. When we're talking this many wires it's a big help. The RC180 includes a manual (thick!), quick start (handy!) and a sheet of decals to mark your speaker cables. At first I thought - "yes, like I'll need these!" Man did they come in handy! The labels were a real timesaver. Again, see the photos.
My BluRay player uses a network connection, and so does this unit. I had a single network cable in the room, so had to add a hub to split the connection. I can't use wireless in the home - it's an older building, lath/plaster/steel mesh. It works like a Faraday cage, and kills signals. The RC1800 uses a wired connection anyway, as does my BluRay player. If you already have a wired connection in the room, keep in mind you may need a hub to add more outlets.
It took around an hour to hook everything up, from unpacking to sliding the unit in place.
BEFORE I put the unit in place, I ran the speaker test. This allows you to verify correct placement. Again, it came in handy. I had the upper left front and upper right front speaker connections swapped (there are SEVEN speakers in front - Two Upper front, Two front, Two wide front, and one center!) Fixed that, then slid the unit in place.
Turned it on again, verified all the AV connections. You can customize pretty much all the connections. For example, I have my DVD set to use component in 1 and digital audio coax in 2. My VCR (yes, I still have a VCR) uses the VCR input, and I have the TV set to use optical in 2. This allows a lot of customization and personalization. Next I named all the inputs, so the display shows whatever text I want.
Then I ran the Audyssey setup. I love this system. My other Onkyo uses it as well, and it's great. The RC180 uses a more advanced version. It tests the standard three listening positions, and has an additional optional three positions for more fine tuning. I only needed three. This took around 15 minutes to run. It tests every speaker, including the subwoofer, then writes the data.
Next I customized the remote control. It's a universal remote with some cool options. There are programmable shortcut buttons (my music, my movies, etc.) as well as the standard controls for all your devices. It's interactive - you follow on-screen prompts (it uses your TV for the display.) Basically you enter the first three letters of your make, perform a search and select the make from an amazingly comprehensive list. You also select the category of the device - VCR, DVD, etc. You then go through a train and error selection process of codes. You're instructed step by step. My DVD took three tries for the correct codes. The BlyRay and VCR did it in one. After you are finished with that, you can program the shortcut buttons (My Movies, etc.) With one button press it will turn on selected devices, press play, etc.) Works perfectly. I press MyMovie and the TV turns on, the Onkyo turns on, the BluRay turns on and plays.
My only gripe is the net connectivity - the remote control takes a lot of getting used to, as the functions for net use are counterintuitive. The unit has built in support for several web based radio services. One of the included services, vTuner, is free. The others require a subscription (Sirus, Pandora, Rhapsody.) The instructions for vTuner setup were problematical. You're instructed to go to a URL and use the unit's MAC address to register. vRadio won't accept the MAC address - they want a unit ID. The vRadio instructions for finding the unit ID are not even close. Basically the Unit ID and Mac address are the same thing, but vTuner won't take it. Still fighting that. You can use vTuner without it, but you won't have favorites, playlists, etc.
Update: Figured it out. They do indeed want the MAC address - however, without any spaces, dashes, colons. Just the letters and numbers as one long string. Find the MAC address under the network setup - ignore the instructions from vTuner.
Streaming from your computer? The RC180 automatically detects the computers on your network with media servers running. I have three PC's running Windows media player - it found all three of them. I'll add more details on in-house media streaming in the future - I need some more hands-on to make an honest evaluation. My main PC is based on Windows 7. The instructions for connecting to the media player are for Media Player 11 (Vista / XP), not Windows 7. Windows 7 uses Media Player 12 - so you need to use the DLNA instructions, not the Windows Media Player instructions. One big mistake I made was attempting to connect to my computer before allowing access to the Onkyo. This stuck the Onkyo in a loop while it kept trying to connect. Eventually it gave up and I was able to get it all to work. You really need to create playlists to make it easy to use.
From what I see so far, I can't use my iTunes library. The Onkyo requires DLNA compliance, and iTunes is not - that's why you can't use iTunes with many devices over a network, including the PS3.
Followup: I can't stress how important a great center speaker is. I had an anemic speaker with a 4" woofer. It was basically a spare JBL studio speaker - great quality, but it was rated at 50 watts. I replaced it with a BIC center speaker that has two 6" woofers and a large horn - and handles 175 watts ( BIC America DV-62CLRS 6-Inch 2-Way Center Channel Speaker ). Wow! What a difference. With the old speaker, the Onkyo would not go past 70% volume - the Audyssey setup detected that feeble little speaker and limited the maximum output. Really annoying, since the rest of the speakers were pretty decent, but any more volume and that speaker would have been so much scrap. The center is mainly used for voice, but don't overlook it! Now I can crank to 100%!
More followup: It detects and streams audio from my Iomega StorCenter Pro ix4-200d 2 NAS (A network storage devide.)
I will never buy a Home Theater in a Box again! Long live the dedicated receiver. by .. Anthony Pantliano (New York State)
"My name is Anthony and I was a Home Theater in a Box junkie, but I have seen the light of a dedicated receiver and her name is Onkyo".
The last two surround systems I purchased were Home Theater in a Box (HTiB) types. I figured who wants to waste time and money looking for separate components. That worked fine for me for a few years, but then I outgrew the stingy inputs most HTiB systems have...
In comes the Onkyo HT-RC180, a receiver with more inputs than I hope I'll ever need, and the ability to hook up more speakers than I have room for. Some may see this as overkill, but for me it's a luxury to know that I'll always have room to grow. The Onkyo's connectivity highlights include 5 1080p HMDI ports, 2 component videos, 3 optical audios, 3 digital coaxials, and a phono input. You can connect up to 11 surround sound speakers and 2 powered subwoofers to the unit as well. Alternatively, you can run stereo output in two other rooms, or zones. However, if you wish to keep running 7.1 surround in your main room, the other zones must have separate amps. Finally, it supports speakers from to 4-16ohms.
The design of the Onkyo is nothing special. It's basically a large and heavy black box (see my included photo). But it's a well built box, with a solid feel and a heavy aluminum front panel. The door on the front feels sturdier than some car doors. Lastly, there is a large and bright display that is easy to read from across the room.
The remote is very sophisticated as well. It can be programmed to turn on the TV, Receiver, and DVD player all at once and switch over the necessary inputs. There are three buttons on the remote labeled "My Movie", "My TV", and "My Music", which can be programmed in this manner. The remote is universal and can be programmed to operate almost any device. Currently, it controls my Panasonic TV, Panasonic DVD-Recorder, LG Blu-ray player, and iPod using an Apple dock. I was very impressed that in worked with the iPod dock. Programming the remote is simple, and is usually done via the receiver's on-screen menu which actually beams the codes into the remote (see my included photo), or, if the code is not found, by pointing the remotes at each other and programming it that way. The remote is a nice size and built well, but could stand to lose the piano black finish that attracts fingerprints (see my included photo).
You'll notice I haven't mentioned sound quality yet, and that's because I don't consider myself an audiophile. I'm an electronics guru with a love for good quality sound. I'm a guru on a budget though, so I re-used the 5 surround sound speakers and wires that were included with my Panasonic HTiB system (the center speaker has two woofers and a tweeter and is rated 320W, the left/right front speakers have two woofers and a tweeter and are rated at 190W, and the left/right rear have one full range speaker and are rated at 90W, so they are decent speakers). I had to buy a powered subwoofer though, and purchased the SONY SA-W2500. Initially I was looking forward to the connectivity options the receiver would offer, and figured the sound quality would be a marginal improvement. Boy was I wrong! Even using the same speakers, save the subwoofer, the sound is so much more detailed and clear. It really envelops you. Nothing sounds muffled or compressed together, nor does it sound too spread out and "surroundy". I'm hearing instruments and subtleties I never noticed before, and this is true no matter what the source. I find music sounds best using the Dolby Pro-Logic II Music setting. (Note: the music I listen to on the receiver is from my iPod in the Apple dock using a mini-plug to RCA stereo connection. The songs on the iPod are all 256kbps AAC, and 99% of them were burned off studio CDs.) The Onkyo supports multiple surround sound methods, including Dolby True HD, and dts-HD Master Audio, and there are 4 buttons on the remote labeled "Movie/TV", "Music", "Game", and "THX", you use these buttons to toggle through the various surround modes available for each type of source.
All my video sources are running through the Onkyo as well and I've noticed no degrading in quality, or any connection problems, when using it with my Panasonic 720p 32" LCD TV via HDMI. I have the LG Bly-ray player hooked up using HDMI, the Panasonic DVD recorder using component video, and the Nintendo Wii using composite video.
The Onkyo has an on-screen menu that is chock full of options. From customizing the speakers, to the video signals, to the remote, and even allowing you to tailor the mute volume and the volume the receiver defaults to when you turn it on. Moreover, the menu system is easy to navigate, with large fonts and bright graphics.
The FM/AM tuner works well and pulls in a decent signal. The receiver is also Sirius satellite and HD Radio ready. To use either service you will need to buy the required modules. Using the Ethernet port on the back you can stream Internet radio services such as Pandora and Rhapsody (unfortunately, the receiver is not near an Ethernet port, so I'm unable to use this feature).
Also included with the Onkyo is the Audyssey MultiEQ system. It consists of a microphone that you plug into the receiver and place in up to 6 locations in the room and it will calibrate the receiver and speakers to take into account the number of speakers, their size, optimum crossover for the subwoofer, and the room's acoustic properties.
Lastly, make sure you're up to the task of setting this up; picking the cables and speakers, running the wires, and customizing the setting. The manual is over 100 pages for a reason, make sure to read it.
All in all...An investment piece that should serve you well for years to come.
P.S.: I realize this is a long review, there is a lot to cover, and if you'd like to know something I have not mentioned feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to answer it.
12/07/2009 Update: The Onkyo's maximum sleep time is 90 minutes. I would prefer a longer sleep timer than that.
03/26/2010 Update: Still enjoying this receiver. No problems thus far.
A beefy workhorse that's a joy to use by .. A. Scarfone (Seattle, WA USA)
The Onkyo HT-RC180 is an excellent addition to a home theater setup. I've wedded the receiver to a 42-inch 1080p Vizio, Polk Audio RM705 5.1 speakers, a Tivo HD, standard DVD player, and Wii. This unit is a beast. As another reviewer mentioned, it is about the same height as a DVD box and is over 17 inches deep. I had to purchase a new TV stand to accommodate it, but it was worth it.
The unit comes with a beefy manual, but I'd recommend tackling it piecemeal instead of working through the whole thing. Here's what I did to get up and running in about 90 minutes and then the tweaks and observations I made over the next few days.
What To Set Up Immediately
1. Use the quick set up guide to aid in hooking up the cables. It's pretty straight forward and he back of the unit is well labeled. The receiver is very heavy and easy to drop, so I set mine on a chair adjacent to my stand, attached the cables, and then slid it into place.
2. Once you've hooked up all the cables, immediately plug in the microphone and use Audyssey to calibrate your speakers. It can calibrate for 3 to 6 seating positions and takes about 15-30 minutes depending on the number of speakers and seating positions you're calibrating for. I calibrated for my 3 primary listening positions and that worked well for my 5.1 system.
2. Next program your remote. In a separate manual, Onkyo has included remote codes for most TVs and components. Use the instructions in the main manual for how to actually make this happen. You'll also need to assign the HDMI inputs (if you used them) to the proper remote buttons. It's all pretty straight forward.
At this point, you should be able to start enjoying your media. It took me about 90 minutes to be up and running with my system.
What To Set Up Later
1. The "My Movies", "My TV", and "My Music" action buttons at the top of the remote are infinitely handy (I wish there was a "My Games", too). I have them setup to turn on the appropriate components with one touch. And turn them off with one touch. Definitely explore this feature. It's a time save for sure.
2. Hook the Onkyo up to your home network. My network wasn't adjacent to my home theater. I moved it and ran an Ethernet cable from my router to the receiver. I now have the built-in Pandora interface running on my system. All of the Pandora functionality is there and displays beautifully on my TV screen. It's free, but I'll likely upgrade to the yearly paid service because this far surpasses using the radio and I see myself using it a lot. Unfortunately the Onkyo will not interface with iTunes as is, but you can set it up to stream Internet radio with vTuner (there's a rather tedious online interface) and it has Sirius capability.
3. Once you're on the network, you can go into the settings and update your firmware. It was a quick download, but the writing of it took a while. It took my system 30 minutes or so (your mileage may vary).
4. Further audio adjustments. I've been making minor tweaks to the audio post-Audyssey calibration and my Polk Audio speakers sound great with this receiver. I've gotten the subwoofer to sounds perfect, not "boomy", and the system really sounds alive. Try tweaking everything for each of of your inputs. It may take some trial and error, but I now have high-quality (and appropriate) sound from all of my components.
General Observations
1. My Wii looks better with the receiver's up-sampling than it ever did hooked directly up to the TV. Sounds great too. Very impressed.
2. I love that the Onkyo automatically adjusts to the correct audio settings for the media you are watching/listening to and displays that information.
3. Single remote! I finally have a decent remote that even works well with Tivo.
4. The display of the unit is really clean and doesn't glow in a bothersome way.
5. It runs relatively hot, but is doing well in rather tight accommodations. I'll update this review if I notice any overheating.
6. The 5 HDMI inputs are really handy. My 2-year-old Visio TV only has 2 and now that no longer matters.
7. I generally just love this unit. The sound is great. The video is great. The remote is well designed.
Solid Receiver by .. J. Finkel (Hoboken, NJ)
This is truly a beast of a receiver. While a lot of companies have been shedding pounds off their receivers and reducing their size, I'm glad to see Onkyo putting out this HT-RC180, which reeks of quality and good taste. Aesthetically, it's sharp and modern...and again, fairly big. Obviously some may prefer a smaller form factor or a unit giving off less heat, but this receiver rocks.
The features list is amazing for the price. You can set up to 3 zones with this one receiver or you could go for a full 11.2, though the receiver is rated for a 7.1 system at 110W per channel, so 11.2 may be too taxing. The inputs include a ton of composite, 5 hdmi, but only 2 component, 2 optical audio and 2 digital audio. It also has thx certification, audyssey, front composite inputs, headphone jack, pre-amps, excellent video processing, sirius antenna, video pass through for no lag, input assign, etc.
The only gripe I have (besides the industry standard 2 component inputs) is that it will make a loud click when my hdtv channels broadcast a commercial in sd. This is only minorly annoying though.
The remote is practical and attractive. It can take a while to figure out where everything on the remote is because there are so many buttons, but it's extremely handy. You press a button to designate which input you are controlling so you can operate the power and settings on (most) other devices almost like a universal remote.
Compared to my Denon AVR2310CI 7.1-Channel Multi-Zone Home Theater Receiver with 1080p HDMI Connectivity, it performs equally well. Both have more than enough power for my 5 Definitive Technology Mythos line of speakers (I also have an Epik Sentinel subwoofer). However, the onkyo is capable of a full 11.2 surround setup, so I didn't expect 5 speakers to show any strain. The biggest difference between the two for me was the remote control. The Onkyo has a far superior remote (and front panel buttons), which makes any task relatively easy. Also, the onkyo has slightly better menus, gets much hotter, and offers a few more inputs. It also was a bit more powerful and very slightly cleaner sounding. The Denon seemed to have better video processing and more audyssey measurements. If the two were priced the same, I'd favor the onkyo slightly, but you can probably find the denon cheaper if you try.
UPDATE: After going through the relatively simple setup for the universal remote functions, I have been even more thrilled with the HT-RC180. I also see that the price has come down a decent amount, which makes this probably the most competitive mid-grade receiver. While it still clicks annoyingly every time resolution changes on my cable, I feel the RC180 deserves 5 stars now. You may want to check dimensions before you buy though as it is fairly large for a mid-grade receiver and you'll have to have some room for cables behind the unit.
The best receiver I've ever had! by .. G. Perez (CA)
I've had Sony and pioneer receivers, although they've worked fairly well, never has a receiver amazed me as much as the Onkyo HT-RC180, it's just that awesome!
The HT-RC180 is very easy to install, just plug and play... Well, more like plug and connect and connect and connect and connect... and play (it's lots of speaker cables, you know?) The color coated connections for the speakers do help if you already own Onkyo speakers with color coated cables, if not, the receiver comes in with labeled/colored stickers that you can assign to each speaker cable.
This Onkyo receiver comes packed with a super technology called "2EQ automatic calibration system" which does exactly what it says, all you have to do is plug the included mic into the unit, follow some onscreen instructions and in about 10 minutes it will be done calibrating your sorround sound system, it pretty much sends some audio signals from each speaker and determines the distance between the audience (that's you) and each speaker, to give you the best home theatre experience possible! Of course, you don't have to let this machine do the work for you, you can always calibrate it yourself or tweak the auto calibration settings later on if you want.
It comes with 5 HDMI inputs, enough to plug in pretty much everything you may want to run through HDMI.
Sound is just amazing! it's clear, it's loud and it's all around you! It will make anything you watch come alive, this is a powerful machine. I do have to warn you that your family will have to go through the annoying process of dealing with YOU! Specially during the first few weeks of owning this unit, while other people are watching and enjoying the film, you'll be checking for sound clarity and and playing around with all of the options this receiver provides, trust me, this will be your new toy for the next couple of months!
So how would you like to stream music that's been just sitting in your room, playing through those two little speakers connected to the back of your computer, right on your brand new Onkyo receiver? Well, this machine will let you do just that! It can look up the computers connected to the same network you connect your receiver to and stream music stored in them! Not enough? Set up a Pandora account to this receiver and it will give you even more music than you can imagine, and don't worry, if you ever want to go old school and listen to your favorite AM/FM radio stations, you can also do that, now there's no excuse not to fill your ears with the very best of Michael Bolton!
NOTE: If you set your receiver far away from your router, I would suggest that you google "how to bridge a router" you will need an extra router to bridge the signal, but it will allow you to have that extra router right next to your receiver without having to run any wires all over from your room to the living room. It's not that difficult if you do a little research first.
When it comes to size, The HT-RC180 is a monster compared to it's little brother HT-RC160 but don't let that put you down unless you're planning to carry this thing around in your backpack everyday, once you set it up, it will stay there for quite some time, besides, the extra bulk in size makes this machine that much better as compared to the HT-RC160, and I also have to point out, even though this machine is heavier and bulkier, it's much sexier thank the HT-RC160, it just looks great even when it's off!
I would like to suggest that you give this machine the proper breathing space, just like any other devise, it might get a little hot, but it wll be fine. I used to freak out over things overheating but then I realized that pretty much everything I touch feels hot, the TV, the PS3, the 360... Just let it breathe and relax.
Overall, I am very happy with the Onkyo HT-RC180, if you want to be the envy of all your friends, you really have to go with this receiver, it just doesn't get any better than this!
I hope that this review helps you make a better buying choice...