Onkyo TX-SR309

    Highlights

    • 5.1 Channels
    • 5.1 Channel Processing
    • 65 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)

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    1. Overview

    Onkyo TX-SR309 was introduced in 2011. It is equipped with 5 channel amplifier with 65 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven) power per channel and is capable of 5.1 maximum channel processing. It passes 1080/60p video signal.

    We evaluated the a/v receiver and gave 60 overall score out of 100. Our ranking system is based on the amplifier specifications, audio and video features, connectivity, multizone capabilities, radio and many other details.

    Amplifier
    71
    Audio Features
    64
    Video Features
    46
    Connectivity
    61
    Zones
    55
    Radio
    59
    OVERALL
    60

    For more details about the ranking please go to    Evaluation section.


    Here is a history of the series, where you can view and compare the main specifications of the receivers.

    Evolution of the series
    Model Year Chann. Power Dolby Atmos DTS:X HDR10 HDR10+ Dolby Vision Pass. Price
    TX-SR393 Image cannot be found 2019 5.2 80 W 4K
    TX-SR383 Image cannot be found 2018 7.2 80 W 4K
    TX-SR373 Image cannot be found 2017 5.2 80 W 4K
    TX-SR353 Image cannot be found 2016 5.1 80 W 4K
    TX-SR343 Image cannot be found 2015 5.1 65 W 4K
    TX-SR333 Image cannot be found 2014 5.1 65 W 4K
    TX-SR313 Image cannot be found 2012 5.1 65 W 1080p
    TX-SR309 Image cannot be found 2011 5.1 65 W 1080p

    You can view their side-by-side comparison here: Onkyo TX-SR393 vs TX-SR383 vs TX-SR373 vs TX-SR353 vs TX-SR343 vs TX-SR333.

    2. Pros and Cons

    In this section we present pros and cons of Onkyo TX-SR309.

    PROs

    •   DSD via HDMI
    •   USB Input
    •   Many RCA Line Inputs
    •   Composite Video Inputs
    •   Component Video Inputs
    •   Analog Tuner

    CONs

    •   Few Channels - 5.1
    •   Low Power Output - 65 W
    •   5.1 Channel Processing
    •   No Dolby Atmos
    •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
    •   No DTS:X
    •   No IMAX Enhanced
    •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
    •   No Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
    •   No HDR10
    •   No HDR10+
    •   No Dolby Vision
    •   No eARC
    •   No 8K Passthrough
    •   No Wi-Fi
    •   No Bluetooth
    •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
    •   3 HDMI Inputs
    •   1 HDMI Outputs
    •   0 8K Input
    •   No Phono Input
    •   No RCA Pre-Outs
    •   No Ethernet
    •   No Zones
    •   No Digital Radio
    •   No Pandora
    •   No Spotify
    •   No Tidal

    3. Onkyo 2011 Lineup

    In 2011 Onkyo released 8 new receivers. Here is the lineup:

    Onkyo 2011 Lineup
    ModelChannelsPowerMax. Ch. Proc.Pre OutsZones Price
    TX-NR5009 Image cannot be found 9.2145 W9.19.23
    TX-NR3009 Image cannot be found 9.2140 W9.19.23
    TX-NR1009 Image cannot be found 9.2135 W9.19.23
    TX-NR809 Image cannot be found 7.2135 W7.17.23
    TX-NR709 Image cannot be found 7.2110 W7.17.22
    TX-NR609 Image cannot be found 7.2100 W7.12
    TX-NR509 Image cannot be found 5.180 W5.12.12
    TX-SR309 Image cannot be found 5.165 W5.11

    You can view their side-by-side comparison here: Onkyo TX-NR5009 vs TX-NR3009 vs TX-NR1009 vs TX-NR809 vs TX-NR709 vs TX-NR609.

    4. Amplifier

    5 channel Amplifier

    Onkyo TX-SR309 features 5 channel power amplifier. It is rated at 65 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven).

      AMPLIFIER
      Channels5.1
      Power Output65 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology)
      VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry)
      Optimum Gain Volume Circuitry
      THX™ Certification
      Continuous 6 Ω Rated
      Certified 4 Ω Performance
      Discrete Output Stage Circuitry
      3-Stage Inverted Darlington Circuitry
      PUSH-PULL Design
      Independent Block Construction (Amp/Preprocessor)
      Bi-amp Capability
      BTL (Bridged Transless or Bridging)

      5. Speaker Configurations

      Onkyo TX-SR309's 5 channel amplifier can be assigned for different speaker configurations.

      • Configurations: Available configurations are:
      • 5.1 with internal amplifier.

      6. HDMI

      Onkyo TX-SR309 features 3 HDMI inputs. It has 1 output.

      • 1080/60p Passthrough: All inputs pass up to 1080p video signal.
      • 3D Ready: Onkyo TX-SR309 is able to pass 3D video through HDMI.


      VIDEO FEATURES
      HDR10
      HDR10+
      Dynamic HDR
      BT.2020 color space
      Dolby Vision
      HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma)
      HDBaseT Compatible
      Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)
      QMS (Quick Media Switching)
      ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode)
      VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
      QFT (Quick Frame transport)
      3-D Ready
      Video Signal Passthroughup to 1080p
      Video Signal Upscaling

      7. Inputs and Outputs

      Audio

      • Analog Line Inputs and Outputs: There are 6 line inputs and 1 line output for analog audio connection.
      • Digital Inputs: 2 optical inputs and 1 coaxial input are available for digital audio connection.
      • Headphone Output: There is a 6.3 mm (1/4") headphone output jack on the front panel.

      Video

      • HDMI:
      • Inputs: 3   Outputs: 1
        8K Inputs: 0
      • Composite Video: Connect you VCR, Laserdisc player and other old video equipment with composite video cables.
      • Inputs: 5   Outputs: 2
      • Component Video: Component video connection gives you the higher quality video compared to the composite video connection. So in case your old DVD player and other equipment do not have an HDMI output but have Component video output use this connection over the composite one.
      • Inputs: 2   Outputs: 1

      Front A/V Inputs

      • USB, Composite Video, RCA Audio
      Image cannot be found
      Image cannot be found
      TERMINALS
      HDMI Inputs3
      HDMI Outputs1
      8K Inputs
      USB Input1 Front
      USB DC Out Port
      Optical Inputs2
      Optical Outputs
      Coaxial Inputs1
      RCA Line Inputs6 (1 front)
      RCA Line Outputs1
      XLR Line Inputs
      Phono Input
      Multi-Channel Input
      RCA Pre-Outs0.1
      XLR Pre-outs
      Composite Video Inputs5 (1 front)
      Composite Video Outputs2
      S-Video Inputs
      S-Video Outputs
      Component Video Inputs2
      Component Video Outputs1

      8. Replaced by TX-SR313

      In 2012 Onkyo TX-SR309 was replaced by Onkyo TX-SR313. Let us now have a look at some important differences between Onkyo TX-SR309 and its successor.

      UPGRADES Onkyo TX-SR313 vs Onkyo TX-SR309
      WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology) vs
      Discrete Output Stage Circuitry vs
      More HDMI Inputs 4 vs 3
      Bigger Power Supply 3.4 A vs 3.3 A
      DOWNGRADES Onkyo TX-SR313 vs Onkyo TX-SR309
      Lower Power Output (6 Ω, 1 kHz, 1 channel driven, IEC) 100 W (1% THD) vs 100 W (1% THD)
      Lower Dynamic Power per Channel, 8 Ω, Front) 80 W vs 85 W

      For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Onkyo TX-SR309 vs TX-SR313.

      9. Evaluation

      We evaluate Onkyo TX-SR309 and give score of 60 out of 100. We also give separate scores for 6 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new receiver is added to the database.


      OVERALL
      60

      Amplifier

      GOOD
      71

      We give Onkyo TX-SR309 a score of 71 for Amplifier features.

      •   Few Channels - 5.1
      •   Low Power Output - 65 W

      Audio Features

      AVERAGE
      64

      We give Onkyo TX-SR309 a score of 64 for Audio Features features.

      •   Few Channels - 5.1
      •   5.1 Channel Processing
      •   No Dolby Atmos
      •   No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
      •   No DTS:X
      •   No IMAX Enhanced
      •   No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
      •   DSD via HDMI

      Video Features

      POOR
      46

      We give Onkyo TX-SR309 a score of 46 for Video Features features.

      •   No HDR10
      •   No HDR10+
      •   No Dolby Vision
      •   No 8K Passthrough

      Connectivity

      AVERAGE
      61

      We give Onkyo TX-SR309 a score of 61 for Connectivity features.

      •   No eARC
      •   No Wi-Fi
      •   No Bluetooth
      •   Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
      •   3 HDMI Inputs
      •   1 HDMI Outputs
      •   0 8K Input
      •   USB Input
      •   Many RCA Line Inputs
      •   No Phono Input
      •   No RCA Pre-Outs
      •   Composite Video Inputs
      •   Component Video Inputs
      •   No Ethernet

      Zones

      AVERAGE
      55

      We give Onkyo TX-SR309 a score of 55 for Zones features.

      •   No Zones

      Radio

      AVERAGE
      59

      We give Onkyo TX-SR309 a score of 59 for Radio features.

      •   Analog Tuner
      •   No Pandora
      •   No Spotify
      •   No Tidal

      10. Specifications

      GENERAL
      BrandOnkyo
      ModelTX-SR309
      TypeA/V Receiver
      CountryUSA
      Release Year2011
      SuccessorOnkyo TX-SR313
      AMPLIFIER
      Channels5.1
      Power Output65 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
      WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology)
      VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry)
      Optimum Gain Volume Circuitry
      THX™ Certification
      Continuous 6 Ω Rated
      Certified 4 Ω Performance
      Discrete Output Stage Circuitry
      3-Stage Inverted Darlington Circuitry
      PUSH-PULL Design
      Independent Block Construction (Amp/Preprocessor)
      Bi-amp Capability
      BTL (Bridged Transless or Bridging)
      AUDIO FEATURES
      Digital Processing Crossover Network
      Digital Signal Processing (DSP) EngineAdvanced 32-Bit Processing DSP Chip
      DACBurr-Brown
      DAC Specs192 kHz/24 Bit
      Maximum Channel Processing5.1
      Air Studios Monitor Certification
      Dolby Atmos
      Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
      Dolby Atmos Music
      Dolby TrueHD
      Dolby Digital Plus
      Dolby Surround Upmixer
      Dolby Pro Logic PLII
      Dolby Digital EX
      Surround EX
      DTS:X
      DTS Neural:X
      DTS Virtual:X
      DTS Neo Neo:6
      DTS-HD Master Audio
      DTS-HD High Resolution Audio
      DTS 96/24
      DTS Express
      DTS-ES
      IMAX Enhanced
      Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
      PCM 2-ch/Multi-ch Input
      Music Playback via USBFLAC, WMA, MP3, AAC
      High Resolution Music Playback via USB and/or Network
      High Resolution Audio Formats via USB
      Gapless Playback
      DSD via HDMI 2-ch/Multi-ch Input
      DSD via USB
      DSD to PCM Converter
      USB DAC
      Jitter Reduction PLL (Phase Locked Loop) Jitter-Cleaning Circuit Technology for S/PDIF Audio
      DTS Dialogue Control
      Dialog Enhancement
      Dialog Level Adjustment
      Dialog normalization
      Dialogue Lift
      Tone Control Front L/R Channels
      Compressed Music Enhancer Advanced Music Optimizer
      High-resolution Music Enhancer
      THX Processing Mode
      Audyssey Dynamic EQ
      Audyssey Dynamic Volume
      Audyssey LFC
      Audyssey Sub EQ HT
      Audyssey DSX
      Phase-Matching Bass Boost
      Direct Mode
      Pure Audio Mode
      Pure Direct Analog Path Mode
      Virtual Speakers T-D (Theater-Dimensional)
      Independent Subwoofer Outputs
      CALIBRATION
      Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.
      VIDEO FEATURES
      HDR10
      HDR10+
      Dynamic HDR
      BT.2020 color space
      Dolby Vision
      HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma)
      HDBaseT Compatible
      Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)
      QMS (Quick Media Switching)
      ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode)
      VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
      QFT (Quick Frame transport)
      3-D Ready
      Video Signal Passthroughup to 1080p
      Video Signal Upscaling
      Analog To HDMI Upconversion
      Component Video Upscaling
      Analog to Analog Video conversion
      isf Certified Calibration Control
      CONNECTIVITY
      Wi-Fi
      Bluetooth
      Works with Amazon Alexa
      Chromecast Built-In
      Works with SonoS
      DTS Play-Fi
      MHL Input
      DLNA 1.5
      AirPlay
      Apple Product Connection iPod and iPhone via USB or optional DS-A4 Dock (sold separately)
      Remote App
      InstaPrevue Input Source Prevue
      TERMINALS
      HDMI Inputs3
      HDMI Outputs1
      8K Inputs
      USB Input1 Front
      USB DC Out Port
      Optical Inputs2
      Optical Outputs
      Coaxial Inputs1
      RCA Line Inputs6 (1 front)
      RCA Line Outputs1
      XLR Line Inputs
      Phono Input
      Multi-Channel Input
      RCA Pre-Outs0.1
      XLR Pre-outs
      Composite Video Inputs5 (1 front)
      Composite Video Outputs2
      S-Video Inputs
      S-Video Outputs
      Component Video Inputs2
      Component Video Outputs1
      Ethernet
      Ethernet Switch
      PC In
      Front A/V InputsUSB, Composite Video, RCA Audio
      Speaker A/B
      Headphone Out6.3 mm (1/4")
      Detachable Power Cord
      uport
      ZONES
      Number of Zones1
      Whole House Mode
      RS-232C Interface
      +12V Trigger Output
      Remote (IR) Input/Output
      MISCELLANEOUS
      On-Screen Display Basic Overlay
      ONKYO-RI System Control
      RIHD (Remote Interactive Over HDMI)
      Pre-Pro/Learning Remote /
      On Screen Remote Programming
      Bi-directional Remote Setup via GUI
      Activity Based Remote
      Smart Grid-Ready
      RADIO
      Analog Tuner FM/AM
      Presets40
      Digital Radio
      Internet Radio
      Pandora
      Spotify
      Tidal
      Deezer
      Napster
      SiriusXM
      CONSTRUCTION
      Solid Aluminum Front
      Speaker Terminals7
      Large Speaker Terminals0
      Color-Coded Speaker Terminals
      Transparent High-Grade Speaker Terminals
      Gold plated RCA terminals
      POWER
      Power SupplyAC 120 V, 60 Hz
      Independent Power Supply
      H.C.P.S. (High Current Power Supply) Massive High Power Transformer
      Toroidal Transformer
      Power Consumption3.3 A
      No Sound Power40 W
      Standby Power0.2 W
      PHYSICAL
      Dimensions (W x H x D)435 mm x 150 mm x 328 mm
      17-1/8" x 5-7/8" x 12-15/16"
      Weight7.5 kg (16.5 lbs)
      SPECIFICATIONS
      Power Output (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven, FTC)65 W (0.7% THD)
      Power Output (6 Ω, 1 kHz, 2 channel driven, FTC)90 W (0.9% THD)
      Maximum Effective Power Output (6 Ω, 1 kHz, 1 channel driven, JEITA or IEC)120 W
      Rated Power Output (6 Ω, 1 kHz, 1 channel driven, IEC)100 W (1% THD)
      Dynamic Power per Channel (3 Ω, Front)160 W
      Dynamic Power per Channel (4 Ω, Front)125 W
      Dynamic Power per Channel (8 Ω, Front)85 W
      THD0.08% (20 Hz - 20 kHz, Half power)
      Damping Factor60 (Front, 1 kHz, 8 Ω)
      Input Sensitivity and Impedance (Line)200 mV/47 kΩ (Line)
      Rated Lineout Level and Impedance200 mV/2.2 kΩ (REC OUT)
      Maximum Lineout Level and Impedance2 V/2.2 kΩ (REC OUT)
      S/N Ratio (Line, IHF-A)100 dB
      Frequency Response (Analog In)20 Hz - 50 kHz/+1 dB, -3 dB (DSP bypass)
      DSD Sampling Rates via HDMI2.8 MHz
      Video Input Sensitivity/Output Level and Impedance 1 Vp-p/75 Ω (Component Y)
      0.7 Vp-p/75 Ω (Component PB/CB, PR/CR)
      1 Vp-p/75 Ω (Composite)
      Video Frequency Response5 Hz - 100 MHz/+0 dB, -3 dB (Component)
      Ethernet Standard
      FM Frequency87.5 MHz - 107.9 MHz
      AM Frequency522/530 kHz - 1611/1710 kHz
      Warranty2 Years

      * - 480i/576i and 480p/576p only
      ** - 480i/576i only
      *** - no 1080p/24 upconversion
      **** - 1080p signal is not converted

      Discussion

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