I can no longer deal with the TX-NR616 issues

Since Onkyo has preferred to continuously keep me/us in the dark as to the progress of a firmware update (since updating to 6/26), I have returned my TX-NR616 and purchased another (and comparable) brand. I hooked up the new receiver and it simply works as advertized right out of the box. No fuss, no muss.

After tweaking it out, admittedly it doesn't sound as good as the TX-NR616, but the family likes the fact that when they turn it on or off, it does EXACTLY what it's supposed to do.

I don't know why Onkyo feels the need to keep a constant shroud of mystery around the progress (or in this case, the extreme lack of) the next firmware release . Give a ballpark ETA, throw a bone. If the time comes and the firmware is not yet fully cooked, let everyone know and give a new "guesstimate". But don't just say nothing and continue to ignore your valuable customers when asked.

Considering the fact that I DO like the better sound quality of the TX-NR616, I will continue to monitor this forum over the next 30 days and if a firmware is released that FINALLY resolves these months long issues and forum members acknowledge this, then I will gladly return my new and properly functioning receiver to regain the Onkyo TX-NR616.

Onkyo, you have great sounding products and your customers, loyal or otherwise, deserves better service than has been received thus far.

i couldn't agree more! I have purchased a number of Onkyo products over the years and when I purchased my 616 on pre-order i made an assumption that they would, at a minimum release a product that did what they advertised. The product has great potential and when it works it works well, but the real issue in 2012 is customer service when you are spending hundreds of dollars for a consumer home theater product.

Some can argue we are being too critical and we should be patient while they iron out the issues with a very sophisticated receiver. Others, like myself have an expectation that Onkyo (or any similar company) will go out of their way to try and satisfy the concerns of purchasers with reasonable questions and inoperative electronics that is several days old.

My experience with the 616 confirms that Onkyo has yet to establish a support mechanism that does much more than answer the obvious easy questions (mostly already in the manual). I still don't have an answer to my emails from over a month ago.

This is my last Onkyo because I can not feel confident that their products will both work and be supported in a way that matches the cost of the product. I get better customer service from Amazon on a $3 product than I have ever received from Onkyo.

If anyone cares to contact Onkyo Corporate the information is:

18 Parkway
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
United States
Phone: 201-785-2600
Fax: 201-785-2650

The New Jersey Attorney General Consumer Service Center is: (973) 504-6200

hodell wrote:i couldn't agree more! I have purchased a number of Onkyo products over the years and when I purchased my 616 on pre-order i made an assumption that they would, at a minimum release a product that did what they advertised. The product has great potential and when it works it works well, but the real issue in 2012 is customer service when you are spending hundreds of dollars for a consumer home theater product.

Some can argue we are being too critical and we should be patient while they iron out the issues with a very sophisticated receiver. Others, like myself have an expectation that Onkyo (or any similar company) will go out of their way to try and satisfy the concerns of purchasers with reasonable questions and inoperative electronics that is several days old.

My experience with the 616 confirms that Onkyo has yet to establish a support mechanism that does much more than answer the obvious easy questions (mostly already in the manual). I still don't have an answer to my emails from over a month ago.

This is my last Onkyo because I can not feel confident that their products will both work and be supported in a way that matches the cost of the product. I get better customer service from Amazon on a $3 product than I have ever received from Onkyo.

If anyone cares to contact Onkyo Corporate the information is:

18 Parkway
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
United States
Phone: 201-785-2600
Fax: 201-785-2650

The New Jersey Attorney General Consumer Service Center is: (973) 504-6200

I'll bet that Onkyo Corporate has email. But, of course, not wanting to hear from customers -- they have our money, and don't seem to care that they are running the corporation into the ground -- they withhold them. So alerting one's state AG is the next step, in view of the fact that all Onkyo USA does as customer "service" is to abuse its customers by ignoring emails, providing phone numbers that don't work, and telling the customer to ship the defective unit to an authorized repair at the customer's non-reimbursable expense.

The least Onkyo could do is to be certain that new models actually work as theorized and advertised, before putting them on the market; but that would mean Onkyo were concerned with quality control, which is obviously not the case.

Instead, abuse customers with run-arounds and worse, suppress complaints by making them private, and then going to the extreme of deleting complaints so other customers are kept uninformed of defects in products, and Onkyo USA's refusal to deal with them.

Hi JNagarya,

Further to the private message we sent you regarding the issue that you are experiencing with you C390, we will be replying to your post for the C390 with additional questions to assist you. Do you also have the product that is described in this post? If not, please kindly refrain from posting on threads that do not pertain to your specific issue. Thank you.

Forum Moderator

As I stated earlier, I have continued to monitor this forum with hopes that the latest firmware (07/24/2012) would correct major problems with the TX-NR616 (as well as other models), but it appears that other than dealing with the power button issue, it only add an additional feature and support for your smartphone apps. What it does not specify in resolving is the continued issue with no video after a lengthy power off period, regardless of standby mode. As I recall, the June 2012 firmware was to correct this but did not. Now a month later, the newest firmware does not specify (in documentation) further attempts to correct this ongoing problem.

At the monthly rate of firmware releases, this means that my option to go back to the TX-NR616 will have expired long before the next release.

While I'm disappointed with Onkyo in regards to the above, I am pleased to say that I'm happy with my RX-V673 as it has worked fabulously out of the box and the family is satisfied with its ease of use.

So long, Onkyo. Perhaps I will take another look at your brand in a few years.

I've had Onkyo gear for 15 years or so, at home, in my office. Bought lower end units as gifts for Family and Friends, it used to be great value for a very good product with rather good sound.

yes, once upon a time, I was a serious audiophile (Classe amp, Conrad Johnson tube pre-amp, Sonic Frontiers CD player, Martin Logan SL3 $3000 speakers, etc); but as I have gotten older, my ability to ear the difference between a $1000 stereo system and a $10,000 stereo system has lessened to a great degree.

I vastly regret buying FOUR NR616 all at the same time, one for me, three for others.

I read some forums on AVS before buying, was away of some problems with the turn off-on problem, but when I called Onkyo before buying, I was promised and assured that problem was fixed already via firmware (and this was back in May or early June). Sadly, I believed a company that I was a big fan of for 15 years.

Now, here we are in late July, and while I have the July 24 firware update sitting on a USB FAT32 thumbdrive since yesterday, I remain afraid to try it. sad, so very sad.

To the OP, enjoy your new product.